When Captain Rat discovered Ivan, Ivan had long since noticed Captain Rat.
Seeing the warship carrying Captain Rat draw closer and closer, the smile on Ivan's face deepened.
He couldn't even be bothered to wait for the ships to come alongside. Turning to Nami beside him, he asked, "Nami, do you want to personally slaughter this disgusting rat?"
Nami's eyes were filled with hatred. Without hesitation, she gritted her teeth and nodded. "Yes, of course I do!"
Ivan laughed heartily, wrapping an arm around Nami's slender waist and whispering, "Blue・Moon Step!"
In the next moment, the two of them leaped swiftly, soaring toward Captain Rat's warship!
On the warship, Captain Rat noticed Ivan and Nami flying toward him. He clasped his hands behind his back, his triangular eyes narrowing into slits as he stared coldly at the approaching Ivan.
With a resounding thud, Ivan landed steadily in the center of the deck. The immense impact spread from his feet, causing the hard deck to crack like a spiderweb.
Captain Rat's mouth twitched violently as he cursed inwardly:
Just as expected—a reckless brute with no sense of order, cut from the same cloth as Arlong!
He composed himself, stepping forward with a sneer twisting his repulsive face. "Major Ivan, barging onto my warship without an invitation—isn't that a bit too irregular?"
"My apologies, Captain Rat," Ivan said, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I've come to you this time because there's an urgent matter to attend to."
"Oh, what a coincidence. I also have something to settle with Major White Dove," Captain Rat replied, his expression growing colder.
As if oblivious, Ivan leisurely raised a hand, gesturing politely. "Then you go first."
Seeing this, Captain Rat pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, smirking triumphantly.
"Major Ivan, it's been said that you've been leaving Roguetown without authorization to enforce the law illegally in other branch territories. I didn't want to believe it, but it turns out it's true. I imagine you wouldn't want the Naval Headquarters to find out about your illegal activities, would you?"
Listening to this, Ivan's expression gradually turned peculiar.
Why does this tone sound so familiar? Could it be that Captain Rat has also been influenced by people from that country?
Ivan raised an eyebrow, responding dismissively, "And then? What are you trying to say?"
Even at this critical moment, this guy still dared to act so arrogantly!
Captain Rat could no longer maintain his fake smile. His face instantly darkened as he snarled viciously:
"Hand over the heads of those Fish-Men, and from now on, you are forbidden from setting foot in the waters under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch! As long as you comply, I'll delete all the photos I've taken. Otherwise, you can wait to be dismissed and investigated by the Naval Headquarters!"
Captain Rat was certain Ivan would never dare to refuse this proposal.
No matter what schemes Ivan had, his identity as a Naval Major was the foundation of his existence.
Without that uniform, without the authority of an officer, everything he currently possessed—power, confidence, even future wealth and glory—would all vanish into thin air!
Having experienced such prosperity now, how could he possibly want to return to the days of being a lowly nobody?
Ivan saw right through Captain Rat's calculations.
In the end, this greedy rat was nothing but a weakling. He simply didn't understand that in this chaotic and lawless sea, power was the only truth that decided everything!
So, Ivan decisively shook his head. "Sorry, I refuse!"
"How dare you!" Nezumi's pupils suddenly contracted, his voice sharpening. "It's just a matter of a few tens of millions of Berries. Are you really willing to give up your identity as a Marine captain for this?"
Hearing this, Ivan's smile grew even brighter, but a cold killing intent surged in his eyes. "It seems you've forgotten something very important."
Nezumi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively pressed, "What is it?"
Ivan spoke slowly, his tone calm. "If I kill you, no one will ever know about my illegal enforcement."
Nezumi: "???"
Before Nezumi could react, Ivan and Nami instantly vanished from their spot, reappearing in mid-air.
Ivan drew his long sword, coating it in a deep azure, and said solemnly, "One Sword Style: Azure Horizontal Slash!"
This slash was executed with Ivan's full strength, far more powerful than the one he had used earlier to kill the Fish-Man with his finger.
With a piercing sound tearing through the air, the azure slash cut through the atmosphere, instantly bisecting Nezumi at the waist.
After slicing through Nezumi, the azure slash continued unabated, splitting Nezumi's warship cleanly in half!
The overwhelming sword energy even severed the seawater on both sides of the warship, carving a vicious scar amidst the turbulent waves.
"Ahhh!"
"What's happening? Run!"
The Marines on the deck instantly plunged into panic, their screams and shouts mingling into chaos.
Ivan landed once more on the gradually sinking deck of the warship and said to Nami:
"Nezumi is yours. I'll deal with the remaining trash."
Nami nodded. After Ivan left, she turned her gaze to the bisected Captain Rat.
The bloody scene before her didn't make her flinch in the slightest.
Instead, she clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, grinding her teeth as she spat out each word:
"You damn bastard, so it was you colluding with Arlong, huh? I'll never let you off!"
The next second, an agonized scream erupted, drowning out the cries, shouts, and crashing waves on the deck, echoing across the sea for a long time.
...
At the port of Loguetown, the fruit shop owner looked up and noticed the gradually approaching warship.
He quickly said to the old lady selling snacks, "Granny, look, White Dove is back. Huh, why are there a few more orange trees on his ship?"
The old lady didn't have as sharp eyesight as the fruit shop owner, but anything related to White Dove piqued her interest greatly.
As long as she could be the first to learn some news about White Dove, she could boast about it to her old friends all day:
"Come on, let's go see what achievements White Dove has brought back this time!"
By the time the fruit shop owner and the old lady reached the dock, the warship had just berthed.
Then, the two of them saw White Dove's subordinates carrying dozens of small, blood-dripping bags, heading straight for the Loguetown Marine base.
Since they were close, they caught a glimpse of the contents inside the bags—each one contained the severed heads of Fish-Men!
Among them, one head looked particularly familiar. The moment they saw it, the fruit shop owner exclaimed in shock:
"That's the captain of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Berries! Major Ivan actually killed Arlong!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire port grew even more lively, and all the townspeople looked at Ivan with even more fervent admiration!
How fortunate it was to have such a powerful and kind-hearted Marine stationed in Loguetown!
The Marine Headquarters must not transfer Major White Dove away!
However, they also knew that possibility was very slim.
After all, after Major White Dove killed Arlong and wiped out the Arlong Pirates, the recently promoted Major White Dove was absolutely certain to be promoted again!