Three Marine warships cut swiftly across the sea. Leading the fleet was a high-ranking battleship, far larger than the two escort ships accompanying it. Standing at the bow, Admiral Shirokiri wore a grim expression.
According to intelligence reports, the Hell Pirates had entered the territory of the New World's ruling power—the Vesper Pirates—and had since vanished without a trace.
As a Marine Admiral, barging into the domain of an emperor-level pirate crew was far from an ideal choice. Even though there was some degree of cooperation between Marine Headquarters and Vesper's intelligence network, it didn't mean he could act without caution.
That old bastard Vesper was no weaker than he was. If a battle broke out on enemy turf, reinforcements would be endless. His three warships wouldn't even be enough to put up a decent fight.
And the officers he'd brought along—one Vice Admiral and three Rear Admirals—weren't strong enough to take on Vesper's top commanders.
Left with no choice, Admiral Shirokiri reported back to Marine Headquarters, asking whether to continue the pursuit.
The response? Retreat to the New World's Marine base and await further orders. The World Government and Celestial Dragons, aside from their usual tantrums, didn't issue any further reprimands, as if they had already anticipated this outcome.
Historically, once pirates entered the New World, even if the World Government ordered the Marines to hunt them down, the success rate rarely exceeded forty percent.
That was why the Celestial Dragons had long since deployed their own carefully trained spies—to compensate for the Marines' inefficiency.
...
"Hell yeah! It actually worked!!"
A Marine communications officer cheered excitedly. He had assumed the World Economy News Agency's lottery was a scam. Just yesterday, he had bought his usual White Dove Peace News but also decided to purchase the Vulture Dark Bulletin and the Seagull Economic Report out of curiosity.
As a member of the intelligence division, gathering as much information as possible was essential. When he saw the newspaper's promotional event offering a Den Den Mushi as a prize, he hadn't paid it much attention.
Yet today, after casually checking his ticket number, he was stunned to find he had actually won. Without hesitation, he cut out the winning number from yesterday's paper and redeemed it through a carrier seagull.
Half a day later, another seagull delivered the prize—an actual communication-type Den Den Mushi worth 100,000 Belly. That was equivalent to the cost of a thousand newspapers!
Technically, this was his personal prize, right? The Marine pondered keeping it for himself. But considering how many people had seen him receive the package, there was no way he could get away with it. Naturally, the other sailors insisted the prize should be shared. At the very least, they could use it to call home.
Since the newspaper was bought using public funds, sharing the reward seemed fair, right? But before the argument could escalate, a Vice Admiral took notice and confiscated the Den Den Mushi on the spot.
Watching the officer walk away with his prize, the communications officer felt like crying. From that day on, one more heartbroken soul roamed the ship, taking his frustration out on his unfortunate comrades.
...
"What's all the commotion about?"
Inside the Admiral's office, Shirokiri glanced at the intelligence report on the Hell Pirates and asked the question absentmindedly.
"Nothing major. Just a new Den Den Mushi causing a bit of a stir," the Vice Admiral chuckled. "These kids rarely get their hands on personal communication devices, so they got a little too excited."
Personal Den Den Mushi were typically reserved for officers ranked Captain and above. Unless assigned to a critical mission, lower-ranked personnel never had the chance to use one. Even communications officers were stuck with cumbersome, stationary models—each one roughly the size of a football. Compared to those, handheld Den Den Mushi were infinitely more convenient and desirable.
"You're not thinking of keeping it yourself, are you?" Shirokiri smirked.
"Not at all," the Vice Admiral laughed. "I just confiscated it to stop them from making a scene. Here, you hold onto it. Just remember to feed it."
With that, he left the Den Den Mushi in Shirokiri's care, assuming that no one would dare complain once it was in the hands of an Admiral.
The small creature poked its head out from its shell, locking eyes with the Admiral.
"Hungry?" Shirokiri mused before tossing it some food from his own supply of Den Den Mushi feed.
The creature hesitated for a moment, staring at the man before finally starting to eat.
Compared to Antonio's specially prepared food, this was awful—but there was no choice. This was the price of losing a bet. Now, all he could do was continue his mission as a spy, hoping to one day return to his real family.
...
Aboard the Golden Ark
"Captain Brook! The multi-function Den Den Mushi successfully infiltrated the Admiral's warship. Not only that—it's inside Shirokiri's office!"
Antonio's voice was filled with excitement. The mission had gone far better than expected. Originally, they had only aimed to plant the Den Den Mushi somewhere on the warship for tracking purposes. But now, they had direct surveillance inside the Admiral's personal quarters.
"Yohohoho~ That's excellent news!" Brook laughed. "With this, we don't have to worry about that Admiral anymore. Now, we just need to deal with the other threats."
The last thing they needed was a Marine Admiral breathing down their necks. With both the Vesper Pirates seeking revenge and the Rocks Pirates attempting to recruit them, eliminating one threat from the equation was a huge relief.
Next, they needed to expand their network. If they could rig the lottery so that more of their targets—such as the Rocks Pirates and other major forces—won similar Den Den Mushi, they could track their movements too. Not necessarily to gather intelligence—just enough to pinpoint their locations.
...
A cold, golden-haired girl wiped the blood from her hands before assuming a more delicate and helpless expression.
"Gone again? This mission is such a hassle…"
She had tracked her target from the Red Line to the New World, passing through the Kingdom of Magaro, Broc Coli Island, and now Marseille Island—only to still be one step behind that elusive Golden Ark.
"I need a different approach. I'll just become a famous pirate myself and let them come to me."
The girl pondered her options. Should she play the role of a lone survivor of a slaughtered crew? A dream-chasing adventurer? A victim of Marine oppression? Or perhaps a fanatic admirer of those who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon?
"According to local intelligence, Brook and his crew are investigating New World Sky Islands. Maybe I should use that as my in."
Determined, she contacted her superiors, requesting all available information on Sky Islands in the New World. If she could reach the key island before the Hell Pirates, it might just be her ticket inside.
At the same time, the CP organization received the same intelligence. The Hell Pirates were searching for Sky Islands—analyzing their objective and planning potential ambush strategies.
The report soon reached Admiral Shirokiri as well. If the Hell Pirates' target was a Sky Island, then preparations needed to be made in advance.
And just like that, the information was relayed once more—through the very Den Den Mushi that had been planted on his ship.
"The Marines and CP already know we're investigating Sky Islands?"
Brook frowned at the transmission. "It must've been leaked when we were gathering intel on Marseille Island. We'll have to be more careful moving forward."
If they wanted to survive, their skills in tracking and counter-tracking had to improve—fast.
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+122 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg