"In Marine Headquarters' Fleet Admiral's office, Fleet Admiral Kong received two pieces of news that morning.
The news that arrived in the morning was from Tsuru's investigation. She had successfully found Alia, the former captain of the Etkexay Kingdom's army, in the New World.
After inquiring about Grimm's information, she decided to recruit her into the Navy, renaming her Sally Whyte Main with the codename "Discipline."
The intelligence reported by Whyte Main to Tsuru contained nothing particularly significant, so Kong agreed to let Tsuru handle this female soldier and didn't pay further attention.
The intelligence received in the afternoon concerned the protagonist, Grimm. He had now entered the Lublub Sea, one of Whitebeard Pirates' territories.
According to reliable intelligence, Whitebeard Pirates had spared no expense in their search for Grimm.
After all, it was the captain of the Second Division, a veteran crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had died. Such actions were not surprising.
"So, Whitebeard and Grimm are going to clash?" Kong mused silently. The outcome of this matter was still unpredictable. He could only dispatch more personnel to the Lublub Strait for deployment, just in case.
Additionally, another piece of news arrived that greatly pleased Kong.
Colonel Senrōmaru, stationed at Sabaody Archipelago, led three aerial combat machines, Ex, developed by Marine Headquarters' Science Weapon Research Institute, Luke, and directly annihilated twelve great pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million.
"Luke is indeed much more reliable than Vegapunk. This kind of talent is what the Navy needs!" Kong couldn't help but exclaim.
...
New World, Lublub Sea.
The border of the sea territory belonging to the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Navy had indeed confirmed Grimm's entry into Whitebeard's sphere of influence. Their ability to observe from such a distance was thanks to a long-range telescope invented by Luke, which greatly facilitated the Navy's reconnaissance efforts.
The ultra-long-range reconnaissance maximized the Navy's detection efficiency while reducing naval casualties to almost zero. Ordinary pirate crews couldn't detect them at all.
Of course, Grimm was actually aware of their existence, but he simply didn't want to bother.
"En? What is that…"
In the Lublub Sea, on another pirate ship with a sharp-beaked skull emblem, a one-eyed, limping pirate holding a telescope stood on the patrol deck and spotted a large iron ship slowly approaching.
After half a minute, as the other party drew closer, he confirmed it was the target their "Pops" was looking for—the Holy Light Pirates, famous on the seas recently for their crossed hammer and sword emblem and armored head.
"Sound the alarm, sound the alarm quickly!"
The one-eyed pirate on the patrol deck began shouting at his companions below, loudly relaying the information he had to the crew members below.
Katsusa, captain of the Black Duck Pirates, one of Whitebeard's subordinate pirate crews, heard from his subordinate that Grimm was approaching his direction. After a few seconds of shock, he decisively said: "Let's evade for now. Give me the Den Den Mushi, I'll notify Pops."
Are you kidding me? A man who fought Hundred Beasts Kaido to a draw. Even the top captains of the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't handle him alone, let alone these amateurs whose bounties had just broken 100 million.
Moreover, it was rumored that the other two members of the Holy Light Pirates, the Frost Witch and the Scourge of the Sea, both possessed Vice Admiral-level strength. Just one of them could wipe them out.
Soon, on the Moby Dick, Whitebeard Pirates' dedicated ship, nearly a hundred kilometers away, Whitebeard quickly received Katsusa's call through the Den Den Mushi. When Whitebeard learned of this, many other members of the Whitebeard Pirates were present.
Upon hearing of Grimm's arrival, they were all indignant, shouting to set sail immediately and take the head of the guy who killed Drulcy.
"Wait, wait. This guy must have a reason for coming here."
Marco, captain of the First Division and a veteran crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates like Drulcy, calmed the agitated crew members and analyzed: "Does he have a genuine purpose in entering our territory, or is it just a coincidence? This must be confirmed properly."
"Marco, are you saying that if he stumbled in by accident, we'll let him go?"
The speaker was a kimono-clad man who looked incredibly beautiful, making even girls feel inferior. Izo. He and Drulcy were very close… Therefore, it could be said that he was the one on the ship who hated Grimm the most.
"I don't mean that. Drulcy was my close friend, and he taught me Haki. I really want to avenge him!"
Marco put his hands on his hips and turned to Whitebeard, who was sitting in the main seat: "Pops, can I go investigate? With my abilities, I can go and come back quickly!"
Marco, an Animal-Type, Mythical Zoan, Phoenix Fruit user, possesses flight abilities and is extremely skilled in aerial combat. With this ability, he has eliminated countless warships and pirate ships.
"Marco, he's someone who fought Kaido to a draw. Are you sure you'll be alright alone?" Jozu, with a flower sword, asked with concern.
Marco narrowed his eyes, his lips curling: "Rest assured, even against Kaido, I can escape easily. Besides, this is just reconnaissance; nothing will happen!"
Marco's confidence was well-founded. He had never been arrogant enough to think he could defeat Kaido, but he was absolutely confident that if he wanted to leave, Kaido couldn't stop him. Although Kaido could fly, he was very slow…
Moreover, this was the sea, and the sky was his domain.
"Is that okay? Pops?"
Marco asked Whitebeard again.
"Klahahahahaha~"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, then his eyes sharpened. "My son Marco, then I'll entrust this to you!"
"Understood!"
Marco leaped forward, his upper body engulfed in azure flames. Half a second later, he transformed into a blue firebird and flew forward.
"All of you, change the Moby Dick's course! Go support Marco and Katsusa!" After Marco disappeared from view, Whitebeard shouted loudly.
"Yes, Pops!"
Marco reached the destination in just half an hour, a place that would have taken the ship several hours. Moreover, to avoid fighting Grimm, he wasn't even flying at full speed.
As he said, the sky was his domain. His ability was instrumental in him becoming one of the highest combat powers in the Whitebeard Pirates.
Soon, Marco rendezvoused with Katsusa. On the Black Duck pirate ship, Katsusa shook hands with Marco and apologized: "Sorry, we avoided him…"
"No, you did the right thing!"
After releasing his hand, Marco said: "It won't take Pops much time to get here. We will conduct reconnaissance until then. If a fight breaks out, I will stall for time until Pops arrives. If I can't hold on, I'll fly away on my own, and I probably won't be able to look out for you. So, be careful."
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