Even after transferring all the weapons from the previous merchant ship onto this medium-sized warship—nearly filling both the main hold and the reserve hold so that there was hardly any space left—Roya did not mind.
First, they would take down this underground exchange of the Donquixote Family. After that, he would send orders back to the base to dispatch several warships to clean up the battlefield. Marine Headquarters would also likely send a vice admiral and large warships soon to take over.
---
In the waters not far from Bana Island, a warship was sailing at reduced speed.
On board the warship.
"What? You're going alone?"
"No! That's far too reckless! If that place really is a Donquixote Family underground exchange, it's extremely dangerous!"
All three captains were breaking out in cold sweat as they looked at Roya, urgently trying to dissuade him.
Although they had witnessed Roya's terrifying strength, hearing him say that he intended to take a small boat and head to Bana Island alone—telling them to wait in the nearby waters and only move in later—still gave them a huge fright.
This kind of reconnaissance work should never be done by the base commander himself. Going alone deep into enemy territory—no matter how strong Roya was—was still extremely dangerous, especially since the enemy was likely the Donquixote Family.
"It's decided."
Roya spoke in a tone that allowed no argument.
He had his reasons. He had previously taken part in a real combat mission to wipe out a Donquixote Family stronghold, and there were indeed some capable individuals stationed in such bases.
If the warship sailed over and engaged the pirates head-on, casualties aside, there was also the risk that the pirates might seize the warship and take a group of Marine personnel hostage. That kind of situation would be extremely troublesome.
The simplest approach was for him to go alone first, conduct a brief reconnaissance, and if everything checked out, directly wipe out the Donquixote Family base. After that, the captains and commanders could come in to clean up.
As for whether going alone would be dangerous, Roya had never even considered it.
If even he could not handle it, then bringing the entire First Branch base fleet would not help either. And within the Donquixote Family, the only person who might still pose a serious threat to the current Roya was likely Doflamingo himself.
And at this moment, Doflamingo seemed to be fleeing all over the seas, pursued by Marine Headquarters' Chief of Staff Tsuru and her fleet.
"This…"
Seeing that Roya was firm and unquestionable in his decision, the three captains exchanged glances and could no longer try to persuade him. All of them wore expressions of deep concern.
Very soon—
As they gradually approached the waters near Bana Island, and a faint outline appeared in the distance, Roya removed his Marine cloak, changed into plain clothes, lowered a wooden boat from the warship, and headed toward Bana Island alone.
The arrival of a single small boat did not attract any attention on Bana Island.
After all, on the surface, this was a commercial island, with ships frequently coming and going. People from nearby small islands often came here by small boats to purchase various goods.
There was no need to look for a harbor. Upon reaching the edge of Bana Island, Roya directly disembarked. After a few flashes of movement, his figure disappeared into the island.
---
At the center of Bana Island—
This was an extremely bustling area. Unlike the fully disguised island Roya had stumbled upon during his time in the elite training camp, Bana Island was different.
There were many ordinary residents here, and most of them were genuinely normal people rather than pirates in disguise. Because of this, even though the Marine had inspected the island more than once, no abnormalities had ever been discovered.
Dressed in plain clothes, Roya was completely certain that there was something wrong with this island. After circling it once and using Observation Haki, he quickly located the Donquixote Family's hidden base.
"Underground, huh? Not surprising at all."
Walking along a street in the center of Bana Island, Roya glanced at the ground that looked perfectly normal on the surface. He shook his head in mild boredom, then headed in a certain direction.
---
Underground, the atmosphere was slightly cold, yet brightly lit.
Inside a spacious chamber, around several dozen people were seated, seemingly in the middle of a trade meeting. While not every person looked particularly vicious, all of their eyes carried a cold glint.
Almost everyone present came from underground forces in the West Blue, serving as representatives of various factions. While the Four Blues were far from matching the Grand Line in terms of powerful individuals, their sea areas were far larger.
Within the Four Blues, there were many nations and countless dark underground organizations. By contrast, once you reached the Grand Line, underground forces were fewer, and pirates were far more numerous.
In the silence—
A man with a cigar clenched in his mouth spoke in a low voice, "The weapons from this batch have mostly been distributed. Is there anything else?"
"Of course."
Standing on the platform at the front, a scar-faced middle-aged man let out a rough chuckle and said:
"Devil Fruits. I wonder if any of you are interested."
"Devil Fruits?!"
At those words, many people present immediately lit up. In a place like the West Blue, Devil Fruits were quite rare.
Some of the more composed individuals spoke calmly.
"Whether we're interested depends on what type of fruit it is."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man gave a grin and waved his hand. Someone immediately brought up a tray holding three Devil Fruits of different shapes.
After briefly introducing what types of fruits they were, the man placed the three fruits on the table.
Below the platform—
Members from various factions whispered among themselves for a while, then began placing their bids.
After some time, all three Devil Fruits were sold, each for a considerable price.
"All right. There are only three Devil Fruits this time. But since this is a trade meeting that only happens once in a long while, three Devil Fruits obviously can't be the finale."
The scar-faced middle-aged man stepped onto the main platform again. After sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he took out a long black staff.
Upon closer inspection—
It was not actually black. It was wrapped in a layer of black cloth. When the man tore the cloth away, a stark white color was revealed beneath it—a white staff-like object.
The people present frowned in confusion, unsure of what mystery he was playing at.
Then, in the next instant, the scar-faced man curled his lips upward, grabbed one end of the white staff, and suddenly pulled.
Slash!!
In the next moment, an exquisitely crafted sword appeared before everyone's eyes—entirely snow-white, slender and long, emitting a faint glow.
The blade was delicate and refined. Aside from the soft white luminescence, it also seemed to radiate a chilling, murderous aura along with the glow.
"This is…"
The instant they saw the sword, someone could not help but cry out in shock.
On the platform, the scar-faced man lightly swung the sword a few times, leaving behind several glowing afterimages in the air. Then he sheathed it and placed it on the table in front of him.
"This is something we only managed to obtain after great difficulty and many twists and turns. Anyone who pays attention to famed blades should have already recognized it."
"This is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades in the world—the White Blade, Hiru!"
"It perfectly corresponds to the Black Blade, Yoru, wielded by that man known as Hawkeye on the Grand Line."
As the man spoke, although a large portion of the audience remained indifferent and showed no interest, a small number of people had eyes that flickered intensely, unable to hide their excitement.
"I've heard that the last wielder of this sword died in the West Blue. Many searched for it without success. I never expected it to end up in the hands of your Donquixote Family."
"Your intelligence network truly is first-rate."