Buggy and Matthew stood frozen.
Neither was a fool, and they immediately understood what Lancelot intended.
But this was far different from all the possibilities they had speculated about earlier.
They never expected Lancelot's plan to be this.
In other words, from today onward, their two pirate crews would become this Marine's "black gloves."
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
As the Marine's black gloves, they could rob those nobles.
Naturally, the majority of the wealth obtained would belong to the man before them.
However, they naturally stood to gain a great deal from this as well.
Most importantly, they now had someone backing them from behind the scenes.
They no longer had to worry about being pursued by the Marines.
Especially that Gin—he was downright terrifying.
At this moment, Lancelot took out two Den Den Mushi and handed them to the two men.
"Take these. If anything happens, or when I have a target, someone will notify you through them. Just follow her instructions..."
Buggy: "Yes, sir!"
Matthew: "Yes, sir!"
The two replied in unison.
Lancelot then abruptly swung his leg, unleashing a Rankyaku of considerable power that slashed a deep, ten-meter trench into the ground beside them.
"Hiss..."
Witnessing this casual display of power, Buggy, Matthew, and even Alvida couldn't help but gasp in shock. Especially Buggy and Matthew—it was only then that they truly grasped Lancelot's monstrous strength.
Lancelot glanced at Buggy and Matthew.
"You two, create some signs of a massive battle here as well..." His gaze then settled on Matthew.
"Especially you, with your wind power. Make as many traces as possible, and the more powerful, the better. You can even go all out... Take a break and do it again if needed."
Buggy and Matthew first raised their eyebrows, their faces showing a hint of confusion.
But they quickly caught on and understood Lancelot's meaning.
He was creating a cover story.
They then began creating various signs of a destructive battle all around.
Lancelot also made a few more moves himself, gouging the earth and shattering a nearby building.
"Buru buru..."
Once everything was done, Buggy and Matthew swiftly departed with their pirate crews, leaving the scene of the "battle."
Alvida, meanwhile, skillfully helped "bandage" Lancelot, wrapping gauze around his arm and chest, making it appear as though he had sustained significant injuries.
At the same time, Lancelot dialed Marine Headquarters.
This was one of his new privileges as a Rear Admiral and Governor-General of the East Blue—he could directly contact Marine Headquarters and report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
.....
"Hmm?"
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had been handling various matters, looked up at the Den Den Mushi on his desk.
He was slightly surprised.
At this hour, calls were usually not received, unless it was something important.
After all, this was his designated time for processing documents.
"This is Sengoku!" Sengoku reached out and answered the Den Den Mushi.
Lancelot, "This is East Blue Governor-General Lancelot! I have an important matter to report!"
"Lancelot?" Sengoku was even more surprised, but he quickly furrowed his brows.
He was "well" aware of Lancelot's strength.
Although it was supposedly by taking advantage of a situation, he had indeed "killed" the Shichibukai Moria and Crocodile.
At the very least, he possessed the strength of a Marine Vice Admiral.
And with that strength, he was practically invincible in the East Blue.
So, what important matter could he possibly have? Sengoku was deeply puzzled.
At that moment, Lancelot stated plainly, "In the East Blue, Gin and I have been operating separately, pursuing pirates in designated areas. Today, at Orange Town, where the Buggy Pirates were stationed, I was ambushed by the Buggy Pirates, the Alvida Pirates, and the Hurricane Pirates. I discovered that the captains of these three pirate crews are all Paramecia-type Devil Fruit Ability Users."
"Among them, Buggy's Paramecia-type Chop-Chop Fruit was already known. Alvida, the captain of the Alvida Pirate Crew, and Matthew, the captain of the Hurricane Pirate Crew, had somehow become Ability Users of the Paramecia-type Slippery-Slippery Fruit and Paramecia-type Whirlwind Fruit, respectively."
"I have already captured Alvida, the captain of the Alvida Pirate Crew. However, Buggy and Matthew, along with their respective pirate crews and the former members of the Alvida Pirate Crew, managed to escape."
"What?" Sengoku couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
First, he was shocked that two new Ability Users had appeared in the East Blue.
After all, Devil Fruit Ability Users were extremely rare in the East Blue.
Over the years, the number registered could be counted on one hand.
Second, he was astonished that these two had managed to escape from Lancelot.
That was no small feat.
To escape from Lancelot, who possessed the strength of a Vice Admiral, their power must at least be on par with that of a Rear Admiral from Headquarters.
Such strength was truly top-tier in the East Blue.
No... even in the first half of the Grand Line, it would be quite impressive.
The most outstanding newcomers emerging from the Four Seas were no better than this.
This forced him to take the matter seriously.
At this moment, Lancelot spoke again, his voice sounding slightly strained.
"Especially Matthew, the captain of the Hurricane Pirate Crew. He has developed his abilities remarkably well. The wind blades he releases are as powerful as a master swordsman's slashes. I... cough... I suffered a significant setback at his hands."
Hearing this, Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
"You were injured?"
Lancelot smiled bitterly on his end. "I was careless and fell into his trap."
Receiving this confirmation, Sengoku's pupils contracted to the size of needle points.
He understood all too well what this meant.
This Matthew possessed strength close to that of a Vice Admiral at headquarters, or perhaps even on par with one.
Otherwise, he would never have been able to injure Lancelot.
If that were truly the case, a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries would be perfectly normal.
"Hah..." Sengoku took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead.
He felt utterly overwhelmed...
The Four Seas and the Grand Line were continuously producing individuals comparable to the "Worst Generation" rookies of previous years.
And now, another one had emerged in the East Blue.
In previous years, there were only one or two such individuals.
Sometimes, there were none at all.
But this year, so many had emerged all at once.
It truly felt as though the situation was spiraling out of control.
His expression darkened. "I understand the matter. New bounties for the Hurricane Pirate Crew and the Buggy Pirate Crew will be issued soon."
Then, he asked with some concern, "Can you handle them on your end?"
Lancelot fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"I'll recover from my injuries first. Once I've healed, I'll go after them."
After saying this, he remembered something and immediately added, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I have two more matters to report to you."
Sengoku: "Go ahead..."
Lancelot: "First, my subordinate Daniel, the new Base Commander at Shells Town, has performed exceptionally well. Therefore, I rewarded him with a Devil Fruit obtained by my father. He is now a Paramecia-type Frost" Fruit user, with abilities... somewhat similar to Admiral Aokiji's Ice Fruit."
"Thus, based on both merit and strength, he should be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. I request Fleet Admiral Sengoku's approval. Second..."
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