Thanks to Fujitora's warning, the G-5 Marines didn't spend much time from assembly to setting out to sea.
Vergo didn't intend to just stand by either… instead, he followed along.
—What else could he do if he didn't follow? The family's Den Den Mushi still couldn't be reached.
Of course, the more critical point was that he recognized the ship's configuration from a distance.
It was exactly the cargo ship the Donquixote Family used to transport large quantities of goods.
The area originally painted with the Donquixote Family's crest had been covered over, and no flag flew atop the mast.
This made Vergo's heart sink.
Clearly, ownership of this ship had changed hands.
He just didn't know whether the other side came from Dressrosa or...
Seeing the large force arrive, the Marines on the small warships breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, compared to a large ship several stories high, even if it didn't look like a warship, its imposing presence was strong enough.
Especially since this large ship was heading straight and menacingly towards the G-5 Marine Base, making them even more nervous.
They weren't afraid of battle, but facing such a large ship, even if the other just rammed straight on, their small boats couldn't withstand it.
That would be purely like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
As Fujitora and Vergo boarded the warship and sailed out of the base, the large ship slowly came to a stop.
It seemed they intended to negotiate.
"Report! That large ship is not responding to our flag signals."
Hearing the messenger's words, Vergo's expression suddenly changed. He spoke up before Fujitora could.
"Trespassing into a military restricted area without authorization, with malicious intent. Everyone prepare—"
However, before he could finish, Fujitora interrupted him.
A large hand gently covered Vergo's shoulder, and Fujitora's voice was unhurried.
"Vergo-san, I believe that since they didn't attack immediately, they likely don't harbor strong ill intent."
Seeing Fujitora stop him, the 'nice guy' facade Vergo had long maintained cracked slightly.
He revealed a cold look, first moving his shoulder away from the other's hand, then speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"This is the New World, not the area you were previously responsible for, Vice Admiral Fujitora. The pirates here are more cunning than you imagine."
The soldiers beside them, seeing the two superiors suddenly at odds, immediately started buzzing with whispered discussions.
Vergo glanced at those Marines imperceptibly, then continued as if making a declaration.
"Moreover, I am still the commander of the G-5 base. I believe this ship poses a threat. Don't you think so, Vice Admiral Fujitora?"
The implication was that he was still in charge here.
Although Sengoku also wanted Fujitora to temporarily maintain the Marines' last foothold in the New World, Vergo hadn't done anything particularly wrong over the years, and suddenly replacing him wouldn't be reasonable.
Therefore, when Fujitora came, it was under the pretext of 'support'. Strictly speaking, his command authority over the G-5 base was still below that of Vergo, the official base commander.
"If that's what Vergo-san believes..."
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Fujitora uncharacteristically chose to step back, allowing the other party to issue commands to the soldiers.
Seeing this, the soldiers no longer hesitated.
Both were Vice Admirals… neither could be ignored. It was best if they reached an agreement.
Seeing Fujitora's sudden 'retreat', Vergo couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.
'Could it be that this guy's strong front was just a bluff?'
This thought flashed through Vergo's mind before being dismissed.
Thinking about this now was meaningless. The priority was to seize control of this ship and find out where they got it.
"Prepare to board. Notify the coastal defense forces, if the other side makes any rash moves, artillery fire is permitted."
The G-5 base was located in the dangerous New World, and its coastal defense artillery far exceeded that of ordinary Marine bases.
Fujitora, whom Vergo mistakenly thought was backing down, simply raised his head silently and looked towards the large ship.
'So it's her? That's fine too... Perhaps this young lady's appearance could make this guy Vergo show his true colors.'
Because so much had changed, he hadn't recognized Karin's aura at first.
He had witnessed the other's strength.
Saying she could fight the Five Elders head-on was exaggerated, but dealing with a Marine Vice Admiral shouldn't be a problem.
Vergo's unusually proactive attitude this time likely had some hidden reason behind it.
Perhaps… it was related to that unanswered Den Den Mushi.
Seemingly an honest man but with more twists and turns in his mind than anyone, Issho simply found a staircase to sit on, not uttering a word.
…
On the other side.
"What do you mean you can't read flag signals either? Weren't you World Government's agents?"
Karin, standing on Naomi's shoulder, pointed at the three former agents with righteous indignation.
Naomi, who also couldn't read flag signals, was selectively ignored by her and even put on a 'Is that all?' expression together, seriously.
This irritated Lucci and the others.
'This snake woman...'
"There's no helping it. Our missions usually only involve infiltration and assassination and such. Things like sailing ships were handled by specialists."
Kaku finally couldn't help but explain.
"The previous navigator died in that chaos..."
It was a bit embarrassing.
Among these people, they couldn't even muster one proper navigator who could read flag signals.
Whether it was Lucci and the others or Naomi, they only had half-baked sailing experience.
As for Karin… don't even mention it.
She was probably just a few steps away from illiteracy, and even among those children, many recognized more words than she did.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a long sigh, Karin felt hopeless about the future.
'These three were indeed unreliable, I still needed to find a way to recruit a proper navigator.'
"Forget it, it's too late now anyway."
Upon hearing Karin's words, the three CP0 agents didn't react much, but Naomi and the other children were somewhat puzzled.
"It's bad! Kariland! Those people have surrounded us!"
Soon, the exclamations from the Tontatta told them the reason.
Obviously, Karin and Lucci and the others had sensed all this long ago.
"You three, stay steady. Don't act rashly unless I say to attack."
Ultimately, they still needed the other side's help to send these children home. There was no enmity between them, so it was best not to fight if possible.
After instructing the few of them, Karin turned to the side of the ship.
By now, several grappling hooks had already been attached there.
Squads of Marine soldiers began climbing along the ropes towards the ship's railing.
Vergo glanced at Fujitora, then without a word, leaped towards Karin and the others' direction.
He was also proficient in the Rokushiki… his Geppo's speed was even faster than Kaku and the others'.
Tap.
Vergo's leather shoes landed on the deck. The G-5 Marines also boarded the ship in time and looked towards the other side.
"So small..."
"Look at that... is that a snake tail? A Devil Fruit user?"
"What's with these children?"
Upon clearly seeing the appearances of the people on deck, the Marines immediately started whispering.
Vergo's eyes quickly scanned over the children whose sizes were abnormal due to experiments, then landed on Karin and the others.
"I'll handle the negotiation. Leave it to me."
Karin turned back to reassure everyone again, then prepared to state her purpose.
"Arrest them all."
Who would have thought Vergo would suddenly issue the order.
He knew about the Tontatta Tribe… they were definitely connected to Dressrosa. Being able to bring these guys out likely meant they were enemies of the family.
And after seeing those children, he immediately understood where this ship came from.
Punk Hazard.
'So it seemed Caesar Clown was probably in a bad way.'
"Hey! Why won't you listen to what people have to say!"
Naomi shouted indignantly.
With the boss backing her, she wasn't afraid of these Marines.
Hearing Vergo's sudden command, the G-5 Marines hesitated.
After all, although the other side didn't look like normal people, they hadn't shown much hostility.
Otherwise, they could have opened fire when they were assembling. This transport ship was also equipped with many cannons, no fewer than their medium-sized battleships.
"Base Commander, they don't seem hostile... and there are children among them."
The speaking Marine had a hesitant expression, causing a cold light to flash in Vergo's eyes.
'These scum, they wouldn't have doubted my orders before... it's all because of that guy called Fujitora.'
Feeling displeased but not showing it, Vergo spoke with righteous indignation instead.
"Charges: harboring former World Government's agents."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Lucci and the others.
"Rob Lucci, Kalifa, and Kaku, right? You've been exposed."
Saying this, he took the lead, covering his upper body with Armament Haki.
The bamboo stick he used as a weapon also became harder than steel under the Armament Haki coating.
How could there be no reason?
Ever since the World Government collapsed, Marine Headquarters had issued bounties for the former World Government's agents.
Not to execute them all, but to control these unstable factors in advance.
Of course, in actual implementation, the story could vary greatly.
If they were accidentally killed, it would probably be considered justifiable.
"So? 'Captain', do you still need us—"
Seeing the Marine officer before him utterly unappreciative, Lucci let out a scornful laugh, then shrugged his shoulders, turning to look at Karin's direction with a hint of mockery.
But his words were directly interrupted by a flash of golden light.
Boom!!!
In full view of everyone, the Marine Vice Admiral Vergo, who had been charging fiercely towards the other side, was sent flying back at an even faster speed, crashing through the ship's railing.
"You! I've been putting up with you for a while!"
As the light faded, it was none other than Karin, who had just told everyone not to act first.