Under a giant tree on the edge of the town that had been converted into a teahouse, Redfield was leisurely sipping a cup of black tea.
Draped in his dark red cloak, he seemed somewhat out of place amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the civilians, yet he strangely blended into the tranquility.
His eyes swept over the residents whose faces bore genuine smiles, listening to their heartfelt support for Charlotte Linlin, and he could not help but sigh softly:
"How ironic... A nation established by pirates is governed more peacefully and securely than an Affiliated Nation of the World Government."
Just then—bu ru bu ru—bu ru bu ru—the transponder snail on his wrist suddenly rang.
Redfield frowned slightly and answered the transponder snail.
An anxious voice immediately came from the other side, belonging to the Captain in charge of maritime patrols:
"Lord Redfield! This is bad! A group of unidentified pirates has forcibly broken through our outer patrol line. Their ship is extremely fast! The old ships we confiscated and modified can't catch up at all! They... they have already arrived at Thunder God Island! Their target is the Tenshukaku!"
...Totto Land Sea Area, Thunder God Island, the ruins of the former Tenshukaku.
Charlotte Linlin's tall figure stood where the magnificent Tenshukaku should have been; now, only charred ruins remained, and the pungent smell of smoke had not yet fully dissipated.
Her eyes, which usually carried majesty or amusement, were now Burning with rage. Her long pink hair moved without wind, and faint pinkish-purple electric arcs crackled around her body.
"So! Redfield! You had better give This lady an explanation! Where is my Tenshukaku?! I've only been gone for a little over a month, and my home has been taken out?!"
The good mood she had while returning in triumph with her newly built fleet vanished the instant she saw the scorched earth, replaced by volcanic fury.
A group of patrol soldiers responsible for guarding Thunder God Island, carrying standard-issue muskets, knelt on one knee, trembling. The Captain leading them spoke with fear and self-reproach:
"I am deeply sorry! Lady Linlin! It... it is our incompetence! We failed to discover and stop those crazy pirates from breaking in, disturbing your residence! Please punish us!"
Charlotte Linlin took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to explode immediately, waved her huge hand, and her tone softened slightly:
"Get up. This isn't your fault. Go back and strengthen the patrols; don't let any more rats slip in."
"Yes! Thank you, Lady Linlin!" The guards, as if granted amnesty, hurriedly bowed and retreated.
She knew very well that this could not be entirely blamed on these ordinary soldiers.
Totto Land's defense system was still being perfected. These patrol squads, composed of local young men and surrendered pirates, were fine for dealing with ordinary pirates, but they were truly powerless to intercept a Supernova Pirate Crew possessing Logia Devil Fruit abilities.
To some extent, this was also her own fault. This time, when heading to Elbaf, she had taken all the core combatants of the Heavenly Calamity Pirates, leaving the territory's internal forces hollow, with only Redfield, who preferred solitude and stayed on remote islands, remaining.
She really hadn't expected that in the New World, there would actually be pirates who dared to brazenly attack the base of an executive of the "Sea Overlord" Rocks Pirates. Furthermore, their target was so specific, heading straight for her Tenshukaku. Even worse, the one who came was a Mera Mera no Mi user with top-tier fire-starting abilities!
Beside her, Redfield wore a rare look of embarrassment. He pulled down the brim of his hat, trying to hide his awkwardness.
"Ahem... The intruders have all been captured and are now being held in the island's temporary prison. How to dispose of them is up to you."
During his watch, letting the Captain's lair be burned down was undoubtedly an extremely shameful thing for a powerhouse of his caliber.
It wasn't that his reaction was slow, but the Totto Land Sea Area was vast. By the time he received the news at the remote island where he usually stayed and rushed over at full speed using Moonwalk, crossing tens of thousands of kilometers, he was ultimately one step too late. When he arrived, he only saw towering flames and the pirate ship preparing to escape fully loaded.
Just as the two were talking, a burst of noise came from nearby.
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