"Scan result one: 'Phoenix' Marco. Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix, Mythical Zoan–type user. Bounty: 1,374,000,000 berries."
Miss Bakkin arched her thin eyebrows and grinned, revealing a set of unnervingly perfect white teeth for someone her age.
"So it's Marco, the eternal second-in-command. Hehehe… looks like we've caught ourselves a big fish today. With Mr. Green Bull here and my precious son, killing him will be a breeze!"
Weevil clapped his hands excitedly.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Aramaki felt a little intoxicated by Miss Bakkin's praise, grinning with a proud, dismissive confidence.
Marco was indeed a top-class fighter—a true heavyweight.
Aramaki had never had the chance to cross blades with someone of Marco's caliber. Today might finally be the day he tested where his true strength stood in the New World.
Just then, the Pacifista issued two more cold mechanical reports:
"Scan result two: 'Buggy.' Bara Bara no Mi user. Bounty: 695,000,000 berries."
"Scan result three: 'Schemer' Kuro. Bounty: 726,000,000 berries."
"…Huh?!"
Aramaki momentarily thought he'd misheard. He turned back and told the Pacifista to repeat the results, but they remained the same.
He took out a telescope and confirmed the Jolly Roger on the black ship—it was indeed the tentacled flag of the Davy Jones Pirates.
Looking more closely, the ship was unmistakably the Davy Jones Pirates' Terror Ghost—that iconic sharp-beaked prow was unforgettable to anyone who had seen it once.
Cold sweat poured down Aramaki's back, and his heart grew increasingly chaotic.
"'Schemer' Kuro and 'Thousand-Clown Buggy'? Aren't they subordinates of Davy Jones, one of the Three Emperors? Why would they be in Whitebeard's old territory… and meeting with Marco?"
"The Terror Ghost is here, so there's no doubt. They're definitely meeting."
His brows furrowed tightly. He recalled confidential intel he had seen at Marine Headquarters: a report stating that the Davy Jones Pirates and the Whitebeard Remnants might have formed an alliance.
The evidence was a rumor from the silent war between the Davy Jones Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates—some pirates boasted they'd spotted Marco.
The intel was never confirmed, but now that the Pacifista detected the three of them on the same ship at the same moment, the alleged alliance might very well be real.
This was an extremely dangerous sign.
Aramaki immediately realized it—if the Whitebeard Remnants joined forces with the Davy Jones Pirates, the sea would plunge into even deeper chaos.
He resolved to report this intel to Fleet Admiral Sengoku at once and find a way to stop these two "extreme evil forces" from merging. Otherwise, the consequences would be catastrophic.
At this point, Aramaki already wanted to retreat.
Marine HQ outwardly acted tough, but internally they had issued repeated orders:
Do not provoke Kaido or Davy Jones under any circumstances.
The Marines were still recuperating. They couldn't afford another war. If another erupted, countless main pillars, backbone elites, and promising young talents would die yet again.
Based on Sengoku's decades of experience dealing with Roger, Newgate, Rocks, Shiki, and other infamous pirates, he had concluded such conflicts were simply not worth the cost.
Only with patience and endurance could the Marines hope to reach a brighter future. It was an unfortunate but necessary stance.
But Aramaki had already bragged, already strutted in front of Miss Bakkin and Weevil, treating the Whitebeard Remnants like mere insects.
And now he'd turn tail simply because he saw two high-ranking members of the Davy Jones Pirates and one ship?
Wouldn't that completely destroy his dignity?
What would happen to the dignity of the Marines?
What would remain of an admiral's majesty?
Miss Bakkin, cunning as any veteran schemer, saw through his silence instantly.
She absolutely refused to let such a valuable, powerful tool she had manipulated into helping them retreat now. She had to squeeze every drop of usefulness out of him.
If she didn't use this "admiral candidate" to borrow the government's authority and crush the Whitebeard Remnants to expand her own turf, she'd never get a chance like this again.
She abruptly rapped her cane against the ship's railing to draw Aramaki's attention.
"Admiral Green Bull, surely you're not scared by two little pups from the Davy Jones Pirates? It's not like the actual 'Demon King' himself is here. What's to fear?"
Weevil parroted her, as always.
"Yeah, yeah! What are you scared of?"
Miss Bakkin gave a sly smile. She purposely addressed him as "Admiral Green Bull," certain that such provocation would ignite his competitive spirit.
Aramaki did feel a spark of anger, torn between pride and reason, hesitation and doubt—yet he still couldn't make up his mind.
Suddenly, the Pacifista spoke again—catching all three off guard.
"Scan result four: ' Demon King of the Deep Sea' Davy Jones. Bounty: 4,700,000,000 berries."
"Da…Davy Jones what?!"
The Pacifista's words were like a cannonball exploding in a shallow pond. Everyone who heard it instantly went pale, staring in disbelief at the machine.
But the Pacifista never explained anything. It simply repeated its results faithfully and precisely.
"Repeat. Repeat. Scan result four: 'Demon King' Davy Jones. Bounty: 4,700,000,000 berries."
This crushed all remaining illusions.
Miss Bakkin's lips trembled violently.
"Da… Davy… Why… why would he be here…?"
No one could answer her.
Weevil tugged nervously at Miss Bakkin's sleeve.
"Mama, Mama… isn't Davy Jones one of the people you always say we must never provoke?"
Miss Bakkin suddenly turned and smacked Weevil's head repeatedly with her cane, her wrinkled face twisting with fear and fury.
"How many times have I told you?! Don't speak their names aloud! They're enemies we absolutely cannot deal with!"
"Oooh…"
Weevil lowered his head pitifully and fiddled with his fingers.
Panic-stricken, Miss Bakkin looked toward Aramaki on the Marine battleship.
"Admiral Green Bull, I admit my voice was a bit too loud earlier—far too careless. Since that person is here, we should leave immediately. We've already sunk two ships—that's good enough. Let's quit while we're ahead."
Aramaki kept his face calm, but his heart raced wildly.
How had things escalated this far?
How had the main body suddenly shown up?
Could the strange rumors within the Marines be true—that Davy Jones possessed some ancient, curse-like magic, and merely speaking his name summoned him?
I should've known… the Terror Ghost and Davy Jones always appear together. Only on rare occasions are they ever apart…
Aramaki swallowed hard. Hearing Miss Bakkin offer him a graceful exit, he rolled his eyes slightly and decided to accept it.
"Ahem… Miss Bakkin, I believe you're right. We should indeed 'quit while we're ahead.' Besides, our battleships are running low on fuel—we need resupply nearby."
"Yes, yes! Our pirate ship also needs its regular maintenance at the shipyard."
"Then let us withdraw. No need to stir up more trouble."
"Yes, yes, we'll leave at once!"
But just as Aramaki and Miss Bakkin frantically urged their fleets to turn around—
—the black ship moved.
Like a shark catching the scent of blood, it surged toward them.
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