One Piece: Starting From Picking Up Red-Haired's Arm

The young staff officer standing opposite instinctively straightened his back. "Report, Fleet Admiral, none of the deployed intelligence teams have sent back any sighting reports yet."

"However, please rest assured."

He quickly stepped forward and pointed to several marked locations on the tactical map. "The islands around Whiskey Peak, such as Drum Island, Thor Island, and Jaya Island, are all under surveillance. Additionally..."

The staff officer's finger moved to the location of the Alabasta Kingdom.

"Considering they most likely obtained an Eternal Pose from Crocodile, we've also stationed surveillance personnel at several major ports along the St. Den Den Mushi River."

"Any news from any of these locations will be reported to you immediately!"

Sengoku stared at the red marks on the map, his frown deepening.

The deployment seemed as tight as a net, but that cunning brat seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. Could it be...

His gaze shifted downward, landing on a small, inconspicuous island diagonally across from Whiskey Peak. "Have we sent anyone to Little Garden?"

"Over there?"

The staff officer was taken aback. "Generally, no ships dare to pass through there. Not to mention the threat of the Island-Eating Goldfish, the island's magnetic field alone takes a full year to record, so we..."

Buru Buru~

The Den Den Mushi on the desk suddenly rang urgently, interrupting the staff officer.

"Hello? This is Sengoku, go ahead."

Sengoku picked up the receiver, and after listening for a moment, his expression suddenly changed. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain, Fleet Admiral!"

An excited voice came from the other end of the line. "We've been staking out for three full days, and just half an hour ago, we saw with our own eyes that the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates' ship has docked at Thor Island!"

"Where are they now?" Sengoku immediately pressed.

"They went straight into the city, spending lavishly at various entertainment venues. It seems they plan to indulge here for a few days! If headquarters sends someone now, they'll make it in time, Fleet Admiral!"

The air in the room instantly froze.

Sengoku slowly stood up and issued a command in a deep voice. "Notify the three Admirals to come to my office immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

The young staff officer saluted, his face filled with excitement as he left.

In less than ten minutes.

The three highest combatants of the Marine Headquarters appeared one after another in the Fleet Admiral's office.

Aokiji leaned lazily against the doorframe, his eye mask still askew, clearly having just been woken from sleep. "Ara ara... It's so late, and we still have to work overtime?"

"No helping it~~"

Kizaru sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, leisurely trimming his nails.

"After all, that rookie's momentum is truly terrifying. Right after setting sail, he took out Vice Admiral Onigumo and a Warlord of the Sea in succession..."

He dragged out his words, smiling. "If such a guy were allowed to continue developing unchecked, even I, as Fleet Admiral, would have trouble sleeping, right?"

"Shut it, Borsalino."

Sengoku glared at him. "Let's get straight to the point. You all know the situation. The news of Crocodile's death won't stay suppressed for long. We must arrest these people before public opinion explodes!"

"The lives of the others don't matter. The Blade Swordsman Xiano and the rogue hunter Smoker—these two, try to capture them alive. Under this premise, who among you is willing to go?"

"Ara ara..."

Aokiji yawned lazily and raised his hand, "Then I'll go. I've been on vacation for a while now, and it's been a long time since I last stretched my muscles..."

"No, I'll go."

Before he could finish, a deep voice abruptly interrupted him.

Both Aokiji and Kizaru were slightly taken aback and turned to look at the person who had remained silent since entering—

Akainu stepped out from the shadows, his eyes beneath the brim of his hat cold and indifferent:

"If I recall correctly, Kuzan, you and Smoker are quite close, aren't you? Whether you can truly harden your heart against a former friend... I can't trust you on that point."

"What do you mean by that?" Aokiji frowned slightly.

"Exactly what I said."

Akainu's expression remained impassive, "Such scum, tainted with evil and a threat to justice, should be completely eradicated. I don't want anyone hesitating due to personal feelings, allowing the rat in the trap to escape."

"Personal feelings?" Aokiji raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Are you referring to your eagerness to avenge Vice Admiral Onigumo?"

"Onigumo was our comrade, and he died upholding justice. Shouldn't we avenge him?"

Both men stared coldly into each other's eyes, the tension between them palpable.

"This atmosphere..." Kizaru blew on the dust on his nails and shrank into the corner of the sofa, "How terrifying~"

"Sakazuki!"

Sengoku barked sharply, "Have you forgotten what I just said? If you want to go, fine, but you must try to capture them alive. That's an order, do you hear me?"

"...Understood."

Akainu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded and turned toward the door, "But Fleet Admiral, the battlefield is ever-changing. Don't expect me to show mercy to traitors when it comes down to it."

With that, he strode out the door.

"..." Aokiji narrowed his eyes slightly.

In the end, he said nothing and followed out the door, though he headed in a different direction.

Sengoku watched their retreating figures, then glanced at Kizaru, who was still focused on trimming his nails, and sighed before sitting back down at his desk, buried under a mountain of documents...

——————

The latest novel is first published on 69shuba!

At dawn, the morning mist in Little Garden had yet to disperse.

Xiano stood in the open space surrounded by giant bones, stretching his sore shoulders and neck.

Last night's banquet had been too much fun, and he had opened up to drink with the two giants. The amount of strong liquor he consumed weighed dozens of kilograms, and his temples were still throbbing.

He looked up at the sky, where the sun had just peeked over the horizon. The air still carried the lingering scent of last night's bonfire.

"Oh, Xiano, you're up early!"

A thunderous voice suddenly came from behind, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

Dorry, carrying his massive sword that was over ten meters long, walked over with a smile. Brogy followed beside him, secretly using the flat side of his battle axe as a mirror to tidy up his messy beard.

When he noticed Xiano looking over, he hurriedly put the axe away and hummed a tune nonchalantly.

"Are you ready?"

Dorry grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "The special training from Elbaf won't go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Xiano twisted his neck, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Come on, old men, bring it on!"

"Haha, if that's the case..." Dorry suddenly raised his giant sword and slashed down without warning, "Then it's already begun!!!"

Whoosh!

The piercing screech of the giant sword tearing through the air stung Xiano's eardrums. Without a second thought, he activated Shave, darting to the left.

"Gahahaha, over here!"

Before he could even land, Brogy had already predicted his position, laughing heartily as he swung his axe horizontally.

Xiano was startled. Years of training had honed his instincts, and he instinctively arched his back, his upper body nearly touching the ground, barely dodging the axe's blade.

Whoosh!

The giant axe grazed past his scalp, the gust of wind it created causing Xiano's face to tremble violently. His pupils instinctively contracted, but this only made him even more exhilarated.

Starting off this intense already?

Compared to yesterday when he was just observing, now that he was directly facing this terrifying pressure, he could truly appreciate just how formidable these two legendary giants were.

Not only were they terrifyingly strong, but they also possessed an astonishing agility that was completely at odds with their massive size.

And most importantly.

They were extremely skilled at coordinated attacks. When they moved together, it was far from a simple one plus one equals two situation, putting unprecedented pressure on him.

This is it!

This was exactly the feeling he was after!

His eyes burned with intensity as he fixed his gaze on Dorry's giant sword, which was about to come down—

At this rate, it wouldn't take long. In fact, he might even master Observation Haki before the day was over!

"The warm-up is over, young Xiano!"

Dorry's voice rang out at that moment, "Be careful! Brogy and I are about to go all out!"

In the next instant, accompanied by the giants' roars, a bone-chilling sense of crisis suddenly surged, causing goosebumps to rise all over his back—

"Elbaf Spear, Country of Might!!!"

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