Robin, standing on the deck of the Traveler, immediately grew tense when she saw that the marine soldiers were actually preparing to board and inspect the ship.
Perhaps due to her deep-seated fear of the Marines, the calm she had maintained just moments ago completely vanished. She suddenly turned and ran, then directly steered the Traveler in another direction, fleeing at full speed.
The marine colonel who had just been about to lead his men down for inspection froze for a moment when he saw the Traveler suddenly change course and escape. Then he urgently shouted, "The Traveler is fleeing! Quick, pursue them!"
As soon as the order was given, the warship immediately adjusted its course and accelerated at full speed in pursuit of the Traveler.
"The ship ahead, stop immediately and submit to inspection!"
The colonel returned to the deck, holding a loudspeaker as he continued shouting toward the Traveler. But the more he shouted, the faster the Traveler sped forward.
Seeing this, the colonel frowned deeply.
Although this wasn't a pirate ship, in the chaotic waters of the West Blue, any vessel could be suspicious. Especially one that refused to cooperate with marine inspections—there had to be something wrong.
Without hesitation, he decisively gave the order:
"Prepare to fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
Several artillerymen beside him immediately sprang into action. In no time, the cannons aboard the warship adjusted their direction and locked onto the Traveler.
"Report!"
"Cannons loaded!"
After locking onto their target, the artillerymen all turned to look at the colonel.
"Fire!"
With the colonel's command, several naval cannons fired simultaneously.
Amid sharp whistling sounds tearing through the air, the shells exploded across the sea around the Traveler.
Although the Traveler wasn't hit directly, the massive columns of water erupting from the explosions caused the ship to sway violently.
However, since Robin had already chosen to flee, there was no way she would give up now.
Alone at the helm, she quickly steadied the ship. Then, with swift control, she turned the vessel, carving an arc across the sea and temporarily evading the warship's cannon lock.
But it was only temporary.
Because the warship had far more than just a few cannons. Once all of them were brought to bear, the Traveler would inevitably fall into grave danger.
"Bege, your ship's speed is pretty impressive!"
Standing on the deck of the large ship prepared by Capone Bege, Arashi gazed at the endless sea ahead and said with a smile, "If we keep sailing along this route, where will we end up?"
Bege blinked, slightly confused, and cautiously asked, "Mr. Arashi… aren't we going to chase after Nico Robin?"
"Well, if we catch up, we catch up. If not, it won't affect our journey."
Arashi withdrew his gaze and looked at Bege with a faint smile. "Bege, now that you're also a Devil Fruit user, have you ever thought about becoming a pirate?"
"A pirate?"
Bege's eyes lit up, a hint of longing flashing within them. "I am a bit interested. After all, the underground world of the West Blue doesn't hold any appeal for me anymore."
"If you become a pirate, how do you plan to build your reputation quickly?"
"That's simple!"
A ruthless glint flashed through Bege's eyes as he said bloodthirstily, "I'll hunt down those somewhat famous pirates… and take their heads!"
"Not bad. That's a solid approach."
Arashi nodded. "When I was traveling in the East Blue, I once encountered a pirate crew. Instead of competing on the seas, they went to the East Blue to bully helpless civilians. But their luck was terrible—before they could even establish themselves, they ran into that guy who likes slicing both people and ships apart…"
"…Mihawk."
"In the end, they were completely wiped out."
"So your idea is excellent, Bege. If you want to rise quickly on the seas, you need to target those notorious pirates. That's what a real man does!"
"Of course, before that, you still need to further develop your Devil Fruit ability."
"M-Mihawk?!"
Hearing Arashi casually mention Mihawk's deeds, Bege's face turned pale with shock. "Mr. Arashi… you know Mihawk?"
Bege's worldview was starting to crumble.
Arashi's strength alone had already left a deep shadow in his heart—especially the way he looked when holding a scalpel. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
And now, hearing that Arashi was acquainted with the world's greatest swordsman… his understanding of Arashi was completely overturned once again.
"Yeah. Had drinks with him a couple of times while traveling in the East Blue."
After a slight pause, Arashi walked over to a chair on the deck and sat down. Then he looked up at Bege, who had followed him, and said gently:
"Bege, after you drop me off at the next stop… you can leave."
"L-Leave?"
Bege was caught completely off guard. "If I leave, then Mr. Arashi's journey—"
"Haha, it's fine!"
Arashi waved his hand and said with a smile, "The guide thing was just a joke. Besides, we're friends now, right?"
"Godfather!!!"
"Mr. Arashi!!!!!"
At that moment, two mafia members rushed onto the deck in a panic. "There's a marine warship ahead! Should we change course and avoid them?"
"A warship?"
Arashi was slightly taken aback, then immediately said, "Bring me a telescope."
The moment he took the telescope and looked toward the sea ahead, black lines instantly appeared across his forehead.
Through the lens, he saw his Traveler being chased in circles across the sea by that warship.
And what he absolutely could not tolerate was—
That warship was firing cannons at the Traveler while chasing it!
"Quick! Hurry up!!"
Seeing that the Traveler could be sunk at any moment, Arashi didn't hesitate. He decisively ordered:
"Move in immediately! We have to stop their bombardment!"
"S-Stop… a warship?!"
Hearing Arashi's command, both the mafia members and Bege were utterly stunned, their eyes wide as they stared at him in disbelief.
"What are you all standing around for?!"
Seeing them frozen in place, Arashi roared,
"Move it! Damn it—how dare they attack even the Traveler! These Marines are seriously asking for a beating!!"
"Oh, right—and Nico Robin. If we catch her later, she definitely needs a proper lesson."
Arashi's fierce expression scared Bege and the mafia members so much that they scrambled into action, rushing off to steer the large ship and accelerate toward the battle ahead.
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