"Armament… Haki?!"
The so-called "merchant" wore a look of utter shock. He had never expected to encounter someone like this in the West Blue.
Roya used two fingers, as solid as forged iron, to clamp down on the sword. He stood there calmly, then casually flicked his fingers, forcibly snatching the sword away and tossing it aside.
"Where are you people from?"
Anyone who could recognize Armament Haki was clearly not from an ordinary faction.
Having his sword taken by two fingers alone, the "merchant" stumbled backward several steps in fear. Then he grit his teeth and shouted to the group rushing up behind him, "Open fire! Kill them!"
Seeing this, Roya gently shook his head. Taking a step forward, he suddenly appeared right in front of the "merchant." At the same time, Engetsu traced an arc through the air and stopped beside the man's neck.
"Knowing the gap in strength, yet still choosing to resist."
Roya's indifferent voice echoed across the deck.
Silence fell all around.
There were no gunshots—because no one was left who could pull a trigger.
Behind the "merchant," all those holding guns and blades were frozen in place. A clear line of blood appeared across every one of their bodies.
Even more terrifying was that it wasn't just them. The entire upper deck of the merchant ship also bore a clearly visible line.
Only the "merchant" himself was unharmed. However, with Roya's sword resting against his neck, cold sweat instantly poured from his forehead. When he caught a glimpse of the scene behind him from the corner of his eye, his expression turned into one of absolute horror.
Slash!!
Amid countless corpses and blood, the ship's entire upper deck split cleanly in two. It slid diagonally and fell into the sea. As if the heavens had overturned, the ocean roared and a massive wave surged upward.
Seawater washed over the deck, dyeing it a faint crimson.
"This is just too…"
Behind Roya, the two captains and the other Marine personnel all twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Had they not recently witnessed Roya cleaving a ship in half with a single strike, this sight would have shattered their jaws once again. Even so, watching such a shocking scene still caused their hearts to churn violently, unable to calm down.
Even the Marine soldiers who had already seen Roya split a ship could not remain composed—let alone the "merchant," who was completely stunned by the sheer power of that sword strike.
Especially with Roya's blade now resting on his neck, the man felt as though his head had already been separated from his body.
"What exactly do you do?" Roya asked flatly.
"De… delivering goods…"
The "merchant" stared at Roya as if he were a monster, answering in a trembling voice.
"What goods?"
"…Weapons."
Cold sweat covered the man's forehead as he stammered his reply. Clearly, he had no ability to face death calmly and answered every question in a quivering voice.
Hearing the word "weapons," Roya raised an eyebrow, vaguely realizing something.
"Delivering them for whom?"
"The Don… Donquixote Family…"
As expected.
Roya was not surprised by the answer. Doflamingo's Donquixote Family was the largest intermediary in the underground world. Most of the trade in weapons and arms passed through the Donquixote Family.
Previously, while executing live-combat missions in the elite training camp, he had attacked a hidden Donquixote Family base in the South Blue. He had not expected to run into them again after arriving in the West Blue.
The Donquixote Family's underground trade network truly was enormous.
"Who are these weapons being sold to?"
"I… I don't know…"
"You don't know?"
Roya's expression turned cold, as if a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the Donquixote arms dealer.
Meeting Roya's indifferent gaze, the man's heart jolted violently. He hurriedly said, "I really don't know! I'm only responsible for delivering this shipment to Bana Island…"
Hearing this, Roya's eyes flickered slightly. He reined in his aura, lowered Engetsu, sheathed it, and gestured to the Marine behind him.
Someone immediately stepped forward, shackled the arms dealer, and escorted him away.
"What kind of place is Bana Island?"
Roya turned and asked one of the captains.
"Bana Island… if I remember correctly, it should be a commercial island within our jurisdiction. I didn't expect there to be an arms trade there."
The captain showed a trace of unease. This involved the Donquixote Family, a pirate group notorious throughout the Grand Line.
A commercial island?!
Roya stroked his chin, a look of interest appearing on his face as a slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth. Could it be another underground exchange run by the Donquixote Family?
When he was still in the elite training camp, the Donquixote underground exchange in the South Blue that he had destroyed yielded a considerable amount of weapons and supplies—there were even two Devil Fruits.
If calculated strictly by merit, it would have been worth at least tens of thousands of merit points.
Unfortunately, as a trainee in the elite camp, because they freely used the Marine Headquarters' training resources, merit from live-combat missions was not counted, nor was it recorded under Zephyr's name.
Using the best training resources of Marine Headquarters naturally came at a cost.
But this time was different.
He was no longer a trainee. He was now the base commander of the West Blue First Branch, holding the rank of Rear Admiral. Any seized materials would be inventoried and recorded as merit!
It was like a pillow delivered just as he felt sleepy.
He had been wondering how to obtain a large amount of merit as quickly as possible, and now the opportunity had arrived at his doorstep. Roya let out a low chuckle and immediately issued several orders.
Under Roya's commands, the Marine aboard the warship swiftly sprang into action.
---
The Donquixote Family had underground exchanges set up across the Four Blues and the Grand Line. Dark-side trades in slaves and weapons spread throughout the entire world, exerting enormous influence.
Since Doflamingo was not yet one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, transactions related to him were not recognized by the World Government. The Marines had been continuously cracking down on the Donquixote Family. Even Chief of Staff Tsuru had personally led forces in pursuit of Doflamingo.
So far, only three such underground exchanges had been discovered—and that count even included the one Roya had stumbled upon by chance while in the elite training camp.
After discovering that Bana Island was suspected to house a hidden Donquixote underground exchange, Roya immediately ordered the warship to turn around and head straight for Bana Island, without notifying the First Branch base.
Who knew whether there were Donquixote spies planted within the base? If they delayed even slightly and the goods on Bana Island were transferred away, Roya would be extremely displeased.
So Roya's plan was simple:
Attack first, ask questions later.