As for the slaves in the Kingdom of the Bridge who had witnessed the death of a Celestial Dragon with their own eyes...
He had already issued orders, dispatching all the Marine branches near the Kingdom of the Bridge in the East Blue. They had launched a large-scale manhunt across the surrounding seas and islands. He was confident that the traces of those people would soon be found.
And even if they failed to capture those slaves, it wasn't really a significant issue. In his view, that group of slaves were nothing more than criminals and pirates. Their words carried no credibility whatsoever, so they wouldn't cause much of an impact.
On the other side, Smoker, upon hearing Sengoku's words, instantly widened his eyes, his expression one of utter shock. The cigar slipped from his mouth and fell to the ground.
"What did you say? All the slaves in the Kingdom of the Bridge were set free?"
"And that guy not only beat up a Celestial Dragon who happened to be there but also killed members of CP9 who were assigned to protect them?!"
"Even the two Marine Headquarters commodores stationed there, along with over a hundred Marine soldiers, were all wiped out?!"
Any one of these incidents sounded utterly unreal to him. Yet, the one saying these things was none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku, which forced him to believe it.
He couldn't fathom who this intruder was. To have such audacity! And for someone with such strength, why had he never heard of them despite being in the East Blue for so long? Could they have come from somewhere beyond the East Blue?
As Smoker speculated silently, a trace of admiration stirred in his heart. Truth be told, he had long found the high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons insufferable. Unfortunately, as a Marine, he was powerless to change anything. In the end, he could only try his best not to dwell on such matters.
It was precisely because of this personality trait that Marine Headquarters had sent him to the East Blue. Smoker was well aware of this. But his personality was something he couldn't change—nor did he want to.
As for the Marines who died in the Kingdom of the Bridge... After reading some reports about the place, he had no sympathy for the ones tasked with guarding it. These parasites within the Marines were better off dead. Otherwise, they would only continue to tarnish the Marines' overall reputation and insult the justice he held in his heart.
Sengoku, picking up on the surprise in Smoker's tone, reiterated firmly, "You heard correctly, Smoker. This intelligence has been fully verified, so there's no need to doubt its authenticity."
Snapping back to reality, Smoker immediately asked with a grave tone, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, has Headquarters figured it out yet? Who is that guy?"
Sengoku replied, "Over the past few days, Headquarters has assigned nearby Marine branches to dispatch a large number of troops for a detailed investigation. We finally uncovered some information about that guy from the towns and villages on the nearby Conomi Islands. Although the townsfolk there were reluctant to cooperate with our investigation, we still managed to learn from them that the Arlong Pirates, who had long been entrenched there, were wiped out. Based on the timing, it's highly likely that this was the work of that lunatic."
"After digging further along these lines, we finally uncovered that guy's name: Will!"
Sengoku emphasized the name before continuing, "That's what some of the townsfolk on the Conomi Islands privately call that lunatic. Perhaps because he took down the Arlong Pirates, they speak of his name with great respect."
At this point, Sengoku's tone suddenly grew heavier. "There's one more thing. During the investigation, the branch Marines stumbled upon something unexpected. Colonel Mouse, who was stationed in that area, along with the entire East Blue 16th Branch, vanished without a trace—just like the Arlong Pirates."
"Hm?" Smoker's brow furrowed, his tone filled with disbelief as he pressed, "What did you just say? The Arlong Pirates were only recently taken down? By this guy named Will? And the 16th Branch, along with Colonel Mouse, all disappeared?!"
How had he not known about any of this? Was this still the East Blue he knew? How had so many things happened out of nowhere?!
Unaware of the whirlwind of questions in Smoker's mind, Sengoku responded with a serious tone, "That's right. Because these events are far too coincidental, we strongly suspect that this, too, is connected to the man named Will. After all, he's a true lunatic. If he dared to lay hands on a Celestial Dragon visiting the Kingdom of the Bridge, there's probably nothing he wouldn't do."
"Damn that bastard...!" Smoker's expression darkened as if he'd suddenly realized something, his voice laced with clear anger.
But his anger wasn't directed at Colonel Mouse's death. Rather, he was furious at himself for having been deceived by the parasites within the Marines!
Once, by chance, he had come across a wanted poster for the Arlong Pirates and had planned to lead a team to take them down immediately. Though he had seen in the reports that Arlong, a fish-man, likely had ties to the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Smoker didn't care about such details. As long as he was in the East Blue, he wouldn't allow a pirate with a 20-million-beri bounty to roam free!
However, when he contacted Colonel Mouse, who was stationed in that area, he was told that the Arlong Pirates had already been dealt with by his forces. At the time, Smoker hadn't suspected anything and abandoned his plan to confront Arlong, turning his attention to other matters.
With the constant flow of people in Loguetown and a pile of tasks demanding his attention, he had gradually forgotten about the issue. But after hearing Sengoku's words just now, the memory came rushing back. Especially when he heard that the Arlong Pirates had only recently been taken down—and by the same man who dared to beat a Celestial Dragon—Smoker wasn't an idiot. He instantly pieced together what had happened.
This realization filled him with self-directed frustration. How had he been so easily fooled back then? And how had it been kept from him for so long?
As he carefully recalled, he realized he had never received a single report about that rat. It was clear that the remaining Marines in the 16th Branch were all in Colonel Mouse's pocket, helping him suppress information and conceal the existence of the Arlong Pirates!
Those damned scum...
How could the Marines' reputation ever improve when working alongside such people?!
The more Smoker thought about it, the angrier he became, his fists clenching tightly. But there was nowhere for him to vent his rage. Those parasites had already been dealt with by someone else! Now that he finally knew the truth, he didn't even have a chance to take out his anger!
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