For an entire day, pirates across the East Blue lived in fear.
Some were lucky enough to slip past the Marine warships roaming the seas in search of the red rabbit. Others were not so fortunate—before they could even hide, they ran straight into Marine patrols.
Without exception, every pirate who encountered the Marines ended up in chains.
As more and more pirate crews were captured, regions that had long suffered from pirate activity—whether dangerous sea routes or entire villages that had been under pirate control—suddenly experienced a rare moment of peace.
All of it stemmed from a single incident.
The red rabbit had killed a Celestial Dragon.
And because of that, the Marines had swept across East Blue like a storm.
Ironically, the traveler responsible for triggering much of this chaos—Kairo—knew absolutely nothing about it.
Standing on the deck of his ship, he sneezed several times in a row before rubbing his sore nose and glancing toward the island ahead.
Night had already fallen, and in the dim light he failed to recognize the island.
This place was none other than Shimotsuki Village.
"Green Rabbit, watch the ship."
Although he had no idea where he had arrived, the peaceful scenery was enough to draw his interest. Kairo casually left Green Rabbit behind and leapt off the ship.
After crossing a stretch of beach, a vast field of rice paddies appeared before him.
Even though the sky had grown dark, several farmers were still working in the fields.
Seeing people nearby, Kairo quickened his pace and headed toward them.
Just as he reached the edge of one of the paddies, the air in front of him suddenly shimmered.
For a brief moment, space itself seemed to ripple—then everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
But Kairo knew better.
He had felt the same distortion before.
Back when Droopy had casually pulled Foosha Village closer to him across the sea, the exact same sensation had appeared.
Which meant one thing.
Droopy had used his absurd spatial trick again—locking onto Kairo's current location.
Most likely, Droopy and Da Hong were already back on the ship celebrating the chaos they had stirred across East Blue.
And sure enough—
On the ship anchored by the shore, the pair who had disappeared for an entire day and half the night suddenly appeared on the deck as if they had never left.
Droopy calmly picked up a newspaper and began reading it with great interest.
Da Hong immediately pulled out a red canvas sneaker and began polishing it with obsessive focus.
Near the cabin entrance, Green Rabbit blinked in confusion.
He stared at the two crewmates who had suddenly reappeared, looking exactly as though they had never left at all.
His expression slowly turned horrified.
"Da Hong…"
Droopy tilted his head after finishing the newspaper.
"I think we may have caused some serious trouble for Master."
"?"
Da Hong raised his head, a massive question mark practically appearing above it.
"See for yourself."
Droopy casually tossed the newspaper toward him.
Despite the wind blowing against it, the newspaper drifted steadily through the air before landing right in front of Da Hong.
Before Da Hong even looked down, Green Rabbit hurried over to read it first.
The moment he saw the headline, his eyes widened even further.
His face turned pale with shock.
Just then—
A cry echoed from the sky.
Almost at the same moment, Da Hong casually grabbed a fishing rod beside him and swung it upward.
SMACK!
With a dull impact, the News Coo that had just flown over the ship was knocked out of the air.
Da Hong caught it smoothly, then skillfully removed the stack of newspapers and leaflets attached to the bird.
Judging by how practiced the motion was, this clearly wasn't his first time doing it.
After pulling off the papers, he handed the bird to Green Rabbit and said simply:
"Braise it."
Green Rabbit nodded vigorously.
He grabbed the News Coo and immediately went off to prepare seasoning.
Droopy picked up one of the leaflets and glanced at it with curiosity.
The moment he saw the bounty poster featuring Da Hong's picture, his eyes lit up.
"Da Hong—you've got a bounty now!"
"How much?"
Da Hong didn't even bother counting the long string of zeros.
"Five hundred million beli."
Droopy's eyes sparkled brighter and brighter.
Da Hong remained completely calm.
"How many canvas sneakers and diamonds could that buy?"
Droopy didn't answer.
Instead, he turned and walked into the cabin.
When he came back out, he was holding a rope and a large sack.
Da Hong blinked.
"What are you doing?"
"Tying you up and turning you in for the reward," Droopy replied seriously. "After I collect the bounty, you break out of prison. Then I'll buy you a pair of canvas sneakers."
"What?!"
Da Hong's eyes widened in shock.
"We fought side by side as brothers on the same ship, Droopy! You owe me more shoes!"
"Deal!"
Droopy high-fived him enthusiastically, dragged over a stool, and leaned close as he began whispering the details of his plan.
As Da Hong listened, his eyes gradually lit up as well.
For someone who usually preferred solving problems with brute force, this was the first time a spark of strategy flashed in his gaze.
It was as if he could already see five hundred million beli waving at them from the horizon.
But suddenly, Droopy changed the subject.
"The trouble we caused is getting a little too big. If the Marines discover we're on Master's ship, he'll definitely get dragged into it."
"So we should go somewhere else first… a place called Shells Town."
"There's a Marine base there. I've already checked."
"There's a passionate Marine officer named Morgan. We can give him the credit."
The moment he heard that, Da Hong immediately stood up, no longer interested in eating the braised News Coo.
"Let's go."
"Happy!"
Droopy wasted no time.
He pulled out a lasso and threw it toward the sky.
The next second—
A massive island suddenly appeared before them out of nowhere.
It was Shells Town, the location of Marine Base 153 in East Blue.
Without hesitation, Droopy and Da Hong jumped off the deck together and landed steadily on the island.
The instant their feet touched the ground—
The island vanished silently behind them.
As though the enormous landmass that had appeared moments earlier had been nothing more than a mirage.
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