On the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Several officials responsible for matters concerning the Kingdom of Silvia wore gloomy expressions. They had not expected Red Hawk to actually wipe out the Sea Wolf Pirates!
The Sea Wolf Pirates were affiliated with the Four Seas Treasure Auction, and the Four Seas Treasure Auction was connected to a certain Celestial Dragon.
Although these officials also had a Celestial Dragon supporting them, offending another Celestial Dragon was something they preferred to avoid if possible. Therefore, someone needed to take the blame for this matter.
"Damn Marines! If they had eliminated Red Hawk earlier, that Port City would have belonged to us long ago!" a pot bellied man in a suit said angrily.
The other four officials immediately understood what he meant.
"Indeed, the Marines are becoming more and more useless. All they ever do is cause trouble."
"This matter cannot be left like this. It must be reported to the Adult so he can reprimand the Marines for their incompetence."
"I agree!"
"For so many years the Marines have accomplished nothing at all!"
...
After deciding to shift the responsibility onto the Marines, these World Government officials immediately headed toward the residence of a certain Celestial Dragon.
---
Soon afterward, a reprimanding call from the Five Elders reached Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
The order was clear. The Marines must eliminate Red Hawk as soon as possible!
Sengoku, who had just been thoroughly scolded, looked calm after hanging up the Den Den Mushi, as if nothing had happened.
This scene filled Brannew with admiration.
He truly was the Fleet Admiral Sengoku that Brannew respected. After being harshly criticized by the Five Elders, he showed no reaction and maintained a composed demeanor.
Was this one of the requirements for becoming a Fleet Admiral?
"Has there been any news from Admiral Aokiji?" Sengoku suddenly asked.
The question immediately snapped Brannew out of his thoughts.
He quickly replied, "Not yet. But with Admiral Aokiji personally taking action, Red Hawk's final destination should be Impel Down."
Hearing this, Sengoku slowly nodded.
Just then the Den Den Mushi in the Fleet Admiral's office began ringing.
Sengoku looked at the ringing Transponder Snail and immediately picked it up.
"Moshi Moshi. Sengoku speaking."
"He escaped, did he? I understand. Then drive him out of West Blue and force him into the Grand Line."
"Hmm. That will do."
"Click."
From those few simple sentences, Brannew already understood the situation.
Admiral Aokiji had allowed Red Hawk to escape.
Only moments ago he had confidently declared that Admiral Aokiji would definitely capture Red Hawk.
Now his expression looked rather awkward.
"You should go deal with other matters first," Sengoku said while glancing at Brannew, seemingly noticing his embarrassment.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Brannew saluted and then left the Fleet Admiral's office.
After Brannew left, Sengoku's expression immediately turned grim.
Those useless CP organizations. After so many years they still could not take control of a single Port City. All they knew how to do was line their own pockets!
But then he thought about it again. Some of the Marines also needed to be disciplined. They actually dared to launch operations in a place as conspicuous as the Kingdom of Silvia.
"Red Hawk... his rate of growth is a little too fast..."
---
At this moment in the Kingdom of Silvia.
Because his bicycle had been destroyed by Alvin, Aokiji had to walk more than ten kilometers before finally arriving at the Kingdom of Silvia.
Aokiji knew a little about the situation of the Kingdom of Silvia, but he had no intention of interfering. Right now he only wanted to repair his bicycle and gather information about Red Hawk.
On any island, as long as there is a bar, it is almost always the place where information flows most freely.
Therefore he had a clear destination and went straight to Kuma's bar. In this city it was the only bar still open.
The arrival of a Marine Admiral instantly filled the Revolutionary Army members with extreme dread.
While they were terrified, they were also filled with anger.
Especially Oster and the others. They had originally been residents of this city, yet now they felt as though they could be driven out of their own home by bandits at any moment.
However, the few Revolutionary Army members and the other customers present did not dare to say a word.
"Ara ara... excuse me. Is there anyone here who can repair a bicycle?" Aokiji asked as soon as he entered the bar, placing the pile of wreckage that had once been his bicycle on the floor.
"G-Go out and turn right. The blacksmith shop in the first alley should be able to repair it," Kuma replied with a trembling voice.
"The first alley, I see. Thank you very much."
Aokiji sat down at the bar.
"Bartender, a glass of rum please."
"Y-Yes sir," Kuma said quickly as he poured a drink and brought it over.
Aokiji used his power to lightly freeze the rum before drinking it in a single gulp.
After finishing the drink he looked at Kuma again.
"Bartender, could you tell me what Red Hawk has been doing on this island recently?"
Hearing this, Kuma, Oster, and the other Revolutionary Army members realized that this Admiral had come specifically for Lord Red Hawk!
However, those matters were not secret. Many people on the island already knew about them. Therefore Kuma explained everything Alvin had done since arriving on the island.
"So Red Hawk is probably preparing to head toward the Grand Line now?" Aokiji asked casually after listening.
"Yes sir. Someone like Red Hawk would not remain here for long," Kuma replied immediately.
"Looks like that saves me some trouble..." Aokiji muttered softly.
Finally he left a 1000 Berries note on the table, picked up the pile of bicycle wreckage, and went to find the blacksmith shop.
After Aokiji left, the pale expressions of everyone inside the bar slowly returned to normal.
"An Admiral... truly terrifying," Kuma said with lingering fear.
In the waters of West Blue.
After traveling a considerable distance away from the Kingdom of Silvia, Alvin finally let out a sigh of relief.
He had not expected Aokiji to personally appear in the Kingdom of Silvia. It was almost certainly because of him.
He did not believe Aokiji had simply been taking a casual walk there.
But.
How exciting!
He had shattered a Marine Admiral with a single shot. Although it did not cause any real damage, it was still extremely humiliating.
"Sigh... such an impressive moment, yet no one witnessed it. What a pity," Alvin lamented silently.
After a while he took out his sea chart and compass. After carefully determining the direction of the Red Line, he immediately set off toward it on his jet ski.
Between the Kingdom of Silvia and Reverse Mountain there were still several islands along the route.
However none of these islands had formed proper nations.
They were simply small villages.
Before nightfall Alvin finally arrived at his destination for the day.
An island called Sweet Potato Island.
The island had only about twenty households.
He planned to stay there for the night and continue his journey tomorrow. According to his calculations, he should be able to see the Red Line around noon tomorrow.
However the moment Alvin, a complete stranger, landed on the island, he immediately caused panic among the residents.
...
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