While the villagers celebrated the arrival of the Marines, Sami and his crew also smiled.
But behind their smiles, a cold glint flickered in their eyes.
"So the Marines are here? That's reassuring indeed."
Sami said casually, while his mind worked rapidly.
For the villagers, the Marines meant protection.
But for pirates like them—
It was trouble.
The Log Pose hadn't fully stored the island's magnetic field yet. Setting sail now would be risky.
Yet staying near a village that would soon become an active Marine operation zone was clearly a bad idea.
Sami wasn't afraid of fighting Marines.
But there was no reason to provoke them either.
Their goal was Skypiea.
Starting unnecessary trouble now would only complicate things.
We need to leave.
And leave naturally.
Without raising suspicion.
After all, to these villagers they were just a group of curious "adventurers."
The decision flashed through his mind instantly.
Sami's expression shifted to one of serious concern.
He walked up to Chief Old Mushroom Head and pointed toward the forest.
"Chief, something is bothering me."
"That group of pirates didn't raid the village after landing, and they didn't seem to be looking for supplies."
"They ran straight into the forest."
"That's suspicious."
"I have a bad feeling they're planning something dangerous."
"So I'm going to take my people and check it out."
"We can't just let suspicious pirates roam the island freely."
"If they cause trouble and endanger your village, that would be terrible."
"What?!"
The chief and villagers were startled.
"No, no, you mustn't!"
"Young man, those are vicious pirates!"
"It's far too dangerous!"
"You should stay here and leave it to the Marines!"
Sami patted his chest confidently.
"Don't worry, Chief."
"We've sailed the Grand Line—we can take care of ourselves."
"Even if we can't defeat them, we're confident we can escape."
"Besides, we can't just sit here and do nothing if something bad might happen."
"That's not how adventurers behave!"
Behind him, Ardo and the others straightened proudly.
They perfectly played the role of a hot-blooded adventure team, radiating righteous energy and confidence.
The chief looked at the determined young men.
The words of persuasion reached his lips—but turned into a sigh.
"…If you insist."
"Please… please be careful."
"If anything goes wrong, run back immediately!"
"Don't worry, Chief. We'll be careful."
Sami then casually asked,
"By the way, how long does it take for the Log Pose to record the island's magnetic field here?"
"Recording here is fast," the chief replied.
"One day is enough."
"One day… I see. Thank you."
Soon, under the villagers' worried but admiring gazes, the "brave adventurers" set off.
They carried bags of supplies purchased in the village—mostly dried mushrooms and local specialties.
They marched bravely down the forest path toward the island's center.
Their figures gradually disappeared beneath the giant mushroom canopy.
"What courageous and kind young people…"
"I hope they stay safe…"
The villagers murmured as they watched them go.
But once the group moved deep enough into the forest—
Far beyond the villagers' sight—
Sami's heroic expression vanished instantly.
He raised a hand.
The entire team stopped.
"Change direction."
"Full speed back to the Arrowfish."
"Yes, Captain."
Without any further explanation, the group that had just been marching heroically toward the island's center abruptly changed course.
They sprinted toward the southeastern coast, where the Arrowfish was anchored.
Western Coast of Drumcap Island
"Colonel! Look over there!"
"That's the Mushroom Pirates' ship!"
Colonel Ronald of Marine G10 Base stood at the bow of the warship.
His sharp eyes swept across the messy rocky shore.
The gray-green pirate ship lay stranded on the beach like a dead fish.
Ronald was about forty years old.
His face was stern, with a faint scar on his chin—evidence of years spent hunting pirates at sea.
He narrowed his eyes.
"No surprise."
"They ran here after all… that lunatic Morris."
He waved decisively.
"Recon Squad One—board the ship and investigate!"
"The rest of you stay alert and prepare to land!"
"Yes, sir!"
A squad of Marine soldiers quickly rowed ashore in small boats and boarded the abandoned pirate ship.
Moments later—
"Report, Colonel!"
"The ship is empty!"
"Only a few scattered items remain."
"Judging by the situation, the crew landed less than two hours ago!"
"Hmph. Desperate struggle."
Ronald snorted.
"All units—land!"
"Advance inland in combat formation!"
"Morris's Devil Fruit ability may be enhanced on this island."
"Stay alert for abnormal fungal activity!"
"Our mission is to capture or eliminate Mushroom Tyrant Morris and his crew."
"To uphold justice and eradicate this threat!"
"Yes, sir! For justice!"
Southeastern Coast – The Arrowfish
On the deck, the returning teams had already regrouped and were sharing their findings.
"Hahaha!"
"Ardo, we practically carried half the forest back!"
Marcus leaned casually against a mountain of hunted animals and grinned.
"Look at you—empty-handed."
"Did you not even catch a single hair?"
"You—!"
Ardo's eyes widened as he prepared to snap back.
But Sami's voice cut in.
"That's enough."
"Situation has changed."
"The Marines have arrived on the island."
"Marines?"
Marcus's expression instantly turned serious.
"Is it the warship from a few days ago?"
"Did we fail to shake them back then?"
"No," Sami said.
"A different group."
"They landed on the west coast."
"Their target isn't us."
"They're chasing another pirate crew."
"Another pirate crew?"
Isaac stepped out from the cabin thoughtfully.
"Looks like Drumcap Island is quite lively today."
Marcus nodded.
"I actually ran into another pirate group in the forest."
He briefly described the encounter with Morris's crew and their mushroom-manipulating ability.
"They were in terrible shape."
"But they talked big."
"And their captain kept talking about becoming the ruler of the island."
A mushroom-controlling ability…
Sami tapped the railing thoughtfully.
Could it be the Fungus-Fungus Fruit?
No way… that fruit wasn't even part of the main storyline…
Marcus suddenly added,
"Oh right."
"That pirate captain introduced himself."
"Mushroom Tyrant Morris."
"He claims to be a great pirate with a 40 million berry bounty."
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