69novels Chapter 355 Dadan, overjoyed and weeping, "It's so good that you little rascals are alive!
Chapter 355 Dadan, overjoyed and weeping, "It's so good that you little rascals are alive!
Chapter 355 Dadan, overjoyed and weeping, "It's so good that you little rascals are alive!"
In the admiral's office, two heavy smokers were staring at each other expressionlessly.
After a moment, Sakazuki said, "You said you just captured several marines, including a commodore?"
"right."
Sakazuki paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "So, you went to Sabaody Archipelago and not only failed to capture the Straw Hat crew, you ended up capturing your own people?"
Isn't this kid a bit too outrageous?
Even a troublemaker isn't this troublesome.
"They don't deserve to wear these clothes at all!" Smoker said bluntly.
Smoker trembled with rage at the thought of what that bastard had told him.
Oppressing civilians, abusing power, colluding with pirates... Does such a person deserve to be a member of the Navy?
Sakazuki, who had taken in Smoker's reaction, frowned slightly and then said, "Tell me, what exactly happened?" He only knew that Smoker had brought back a few Marines, but he didn't know what had happened.
"This commodore framed a little girl right in front of me, accusing her of being a pirate spy and intending to make her responsible for the failed attempt to capture the Straw Hat crew," Smoker said, staring into Sakazuki's eyes. "And this... is just one of many things he's done."
Sakazuki paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "What else did he do?"
"He used his authority as a commodore to bully civilians, and at the same time colluded with a pirate crew, extracting a lot of benefits from them," Smoker said. "Of course, these benefits were obtained at the cost of civilian lives."
Upon hearing this, Sakazuki's fingers, which were lightly tapping the table, immediately stopped, and his expression darkened.
How could such a scoundrel appear in his team?
Damn it!
Then, Sakazuki said coldly, "Now that the investigation is complete, let's get rid of them."
He will never tolerate such scum!
Smoker paused for a moment, then said, "Just kill them?"
"Otherwise what?" Sakazuki retorted. "You're not planning to send them to prison, are you?"
"Do they even deserve it?"
As a tough soldier, he couldn't tolerate such injustice.
So... these guys have to die!
Smoker fell silent upon hearing this; how could their admiral be even more radical than him?
But since the other party had said that, he couldn't say anything more. After all... he really did want to kill these guys with his own hands.
Thinking this through, Smoker nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. I'll take care of them in a bit."
Since the marshal has spoken, he naturally won't hold back!
Sakazuki nodded, then pushed a document in front of Smoker and said, "Take a look at this document; it's about the Straw Hat Pirates."
"This is what Sentomaru reported not long ago."
Upon hearing that the information belonged to the Straw Hat Pirates, Smoker stepped forward and picked it up.
After carefully reviewing the contents, Smoker frowned and said, "Two new members?"
"A Ghost-Ghost Fruit user and a Wood-Wood Fruit user?"
"That's right, there are two new members."
Sakazuki, a cigarette dangling from his lips, calmly looked at Smoker and said, "Do you think this Wood-Wood Fruit user... could possibly be that blood-eyed ninja?"
"How is that possible?"
Smoker shook his head and said, "This person was killed two years ago when he caused havoc in Mary Geoise. How could it be him?"
That was confirmed by the World Government itself, how could it be that person?
Stop joking, okay?!
"What if I told you that the World Government didn't get the Blood-Eyed Ninja's body two years ago?" Sakazuki said.
Smoker: ? ? ?
Smoker looked at Sakazuki with a face full of suspicion and uncertainty, hesitated for a moment before saying, "No bodies?"
"Yes," Sakazuki nodded and said, "Borsalino once said that after the Blood-Eyed Ninja died, his body was swallowed by Sea Kings."
"So what does that prove?" Smoker retorted. "Does it mean that because the body wasn't taken away, we can't confirm whether he's really dead?"
That's a bit of a stretch.
"Not exactly."
Sakazuki shook his head and said, "Borsalino said he was indeed dead."
Smoker: —
Why bring this up when it's already been confirmed?
Perhaps sensing Smoker's confusion, Sakazuki said calmly, "I just feel like something's not right."
But if you insist on finding evidence, he doesn't have any.
After all... this was just a response from his intuition.
Smoker thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't we just send someone to investigate the information of this Wood-Wood Fruit user?"
"I've already sent someone to do it."
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a man's voice came through.
"Marshal, the intelligence you asked me to investigate has been completed."
"Come in."
Upon hearing this, the man immediately pushed open the door and came in.
However, he paused for a moment when he saw Smoker, and then greeted him respectfully.
After finishing this task, he took the documents and approached Sakazuki.
After Sakazuki picked up the documents and started looking at them, the man said, "This person started being active on the high seas about six months ago."
"During that time, they wiped out three pirate crews with bounties exceeding 100 million, demonstrating their formidable strength."
"We initially thought this person was a bounty hunter and even tried to recruit him, but we gave up because we couldn't find him."
"As a result... six months later, the other party became a member of the Straw Hat Pirates."
By the end, the man's expression had become very complicated.
Who would have thought that someone who chases and kills pirates everywhere would become a pirate himself?
"Do you know the name?" Smoker asked.
"I don't know." The man shook his head and said, "All we know is that the other party has the Wood-Wood Fruit ability and comes from the West Blue."
I know nothing else.
Smoker paused for a moment after hearing this, then looked up at Sakazuki and said, "It shouldn't be that person."
"After all, that guy is a ninja. Even without eating a Devil Fruit, he possesses immense power, so there's absolutely no need for him to add a weakness like fearing the sea to his life."
The fighting power this person displayed during the Marineford War was truly terrifying. Would someone like this eat a Devil Fruit that would only increase their own weaknesses?
Moreover, the boost this Devil Fruit could provide didn't seem as high as he'd imagined, so he felt it probably wasn't that person.
This time, Sakazuki didn't say anything, but nodded and accepted Smoker's proposal.
After seeing this information, Sakazuki also realized that he was overthinking things.
Then, Sakazuki said, "Is the other Princess Mononoke, Perona, one of Moria's people?"
"Yes."
The man nodded and said, "This is the girl who has always been by the side of the former Shichibukai, Gecko Moria."
"Moria's men?"
Smoker paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why are Moria's subordinates hanging out with the Straw Hat crew?"
"Shouldn't they be enemies?"
If he remembers correctly, Gecko Moria was defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates.
How did these two groups of people come together under these circumstances?
"No, they have no grudge." Sakazuki shook his head and said, "Two years ago in the Sabaody Archipelago, Moria helped the Straw Hat crew."
"This is also one of the main reasons why I failed to catch them."
Sakazuki felt extremely annoyed when he thought about what that bastard Moria had done.
If it weren't for his meddling, I would have captured the Straw Hat crew long ago!
"I see..." Smoker said, frowning. "That explains why this girl is with the Straw Hat crew."
"This girl might be going to the New World to find Gecko Moria," the man said.
Upon hearing the man's words, Smoker recalled the news he had seen earlier, then nodded and said, "That's possible."
So, does that mean the girl wasn't part of the Straw Hat crew?
Is the only new member of the Straw Hat crew the Wood-Wood Fruit user?
"It's also possible that she joined the Straw Hat Pirates," Sakazuki said casually.
Who knows if that woman was entrusted to the Straw Hat crew by Moria?
Smoker, having understood Sakazuki's meaning, thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That is indeed a possibility."
If Moria passed on some kind of message to this woman or the Straw Hat crew before he died, this woman might indeed join the Straw Hat crew.
Then, Smoker looked up at Sakazuki and said, "Leave her to me too."
"also?"
Sakazuki asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to the New World to hunt down the Straw Hat Pirates," Smoker said seriously. "That's why I came here to find you."
The man next to him twitched his eyebrows upon hearing this. Was this guy speaking to the Marshal so rudely?
Should he not stay here any longer...?
Thinking of this, the man looked up at Sakazuki.
After seeing the other person nod slightly at him, he turned around and left without hesitation, and thoughtfully closed the door gently behind him.
After the other person left, Sakazuki continued, "You should know your place, Smoker."
He wasn't angry at Smoker's attitude; after all, that was just Smoker's personality, and he was used to it.
But he hoped the other party would understand what the words "major general candidate" meant.
"Of course I know," Smoker nodded and said, "but that's precisely why I should go to the New World."
Isn't that right?
"Defeat the pirates and demonstrate the Navy's prestige—isn't that what you, Fleet Admiral, want to see?"
Of course, if Marshal Sakazuki disagrees...
Ha, even if I disagree, he'll still go.
Sakazuki paused for a moment upon hearing this, then, as if understanding something, said, "You want to be like Lieutenant General Garp."
Smoker didn't refute this, but calmly looked at Sakazuki, waiting for his reply.
Sakazuki, who had been staring at Smoker for a while, nodded, clearly understanding Smoker's thoughts.
Even if he disagrees, there's no way he can stop the other party.
As for punishment?
Don't joke around. It's not easy to find such a promising talent who could potentially succeed Borsalino. How could he possibly punish him?
However... dealing with such a troublemaker is really tiring.
Thinking of this, Sakazuki sighed silently.
Then, Sakazuki said, "Then hand over what you're doing and go to the G5 branch to become the base leader."
Smoker immediately objected, thinking that if he became the base commander, he would be confined to the Navy branch.
Sakazuki, who saw through Smoker's thoughts, said calmly, "Becoming the base chief of the G5 branch will not reduce your freedom."
You'll see when you get there.
Seeing that Smoker seemed about to say something, Sakazuki frowned and said, "That's an order!"
Smoker paused for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Yes, I understand."
He then turned and left without hesitation, clearly intending to deal with the matter as quickly as possible.
After watching the other person leave, Sakazuki rubbed his temples and said, "That troublemaker..."
I didn't even close the door for him when I left. Honestly.
A moment later, an old man with a full head of white hair appeared outside the door, chuckling and peeking inside at Sakazuki.
"Um?"
Sakazuki was speechless after glancing at Sengoku, who had a wicked grin on his face.
What's this guy doing here?
"Hehe, being a marshal isn't easy, is it?" Sengoku chuckled.
He knew all too well how troublesome it was to have troublesome subordinates.
Sakazuki's eyelids twitched upon hearing this, then he said expressionlessly, "Retirees shouldn't be loitering around here!"
You're deliberately trying to annoy him, aren't you!
"Hmph, you think I care?"
Sengoku pouted and said, "If I hadn't been passing by while looking for Kotsuru, I wouldn't have bothered to come see you."
This playful side of the old man completely silenced Sakazuki.
How come I didn't know this marshal had this side to him before?
After a moment of silence, Sakazuki lowered his head to work on his documents, ignoring the old rascal.
"Tsk, boring."
Sengoku pursed his lips, then gave up teasing Sakazuki and instead helped him close the door.
Before leaving, Sengoku said, "Good luck, Sakazuki, the tough times are yet to come."
Sakazuki: ? ? ?
"you..."
"bump!"
Looking at the tightly closed door, Sakazuki's words caught in his throat.
Damn it, I'm so angry!
Sengoku, standing outside the door, lost his smile, and his eyes gradually became complicated.
What he said wasn't just empty talk.
The Navy's future will likely be even more difficult than in the past.
However, if they can pull through, the future of the Navy might be even brighter!
After letting out a silent sigh, Sengoku composed himself and reverted to his usual playful, childlike demeanor.
Then, he turned and walked toward the office in the distance.
As he pushed open the door, Sengoku said, "Little Crane, I'm here again."
"roll!"
"Hehe, don't be angry~"
Sengoku wasn't angry at being scolded. Instead, he walked into Vice Admiral Tsuru's office with a smile and sat down in the seat next to him quite naturally.
General Tsuru was somewhat helpless at the sight. Why did this bastard always like to come here?
Thinking of this, Lieutenant General Tsuru laughed and scolded, "Why don't you enjoy your retirement life? Why are you always running around here?" "Isn't it because I have nothing better to do?" Sengoku said helplessly.
"If you really have nothing better to do, go out and catch pirates," Vice Admiral Tsuru said irritably.
"That won't work."
Sengoku shook his head and said, "If you're going to retire, you should act like one. What kind of business is it to go out and catch pirates?"
This is not something an elderly person who has retired should do.
Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Tsuru rolled his eyes at him and said, "So that's why you always come here to see me, is that it?"
"That bastard Garp went out without me, who else can I turn to if not you?" Sengoku said helplessly.
There are only a handful of people he can talk to, and there's nothing he can do about it.
Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Tsuru put down his pen with amusement and said, "Who told you to always steal his senbei?"
"Hey, I don't like hearing that," Zhan Guo said, pursing his lips. "Haven't he stolen enough of my tea leaves?"
"That bastard always takes something with him whenever he comes to my office."
He gets angry whenever Garp, that good-for-nothing, is mentioned.
Seeing Sengoku's somewhat indignant expression, Vice Admiral Tsuru chuckled and said, "You two really are the same kind of people."
They're all like little old children.
"That was yesterday."
Zhan Guo muttered, "They're all retired now, can't they relax a bit?"
If he still needs to live a life of constant tension... then what's the point of his retirement?
"That's true."
Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded, then said, "So, what brings you here this time?"
"Of course I'm here to have tea with you." Sengoku took out a tea set and said, "This is the latest variety that even that bastard Garp hasn't tried."
After saying that, Sengoku paused for a moment, then continued, "Oh, by the way, what did that bastard Garp do?"
Although he said he was very unhappy with Garp, Sengoku actually hoped that the old bastard could sit down with him, have some tea, and eat some senbei.
"Him..."
Lieutenant General Tsuru paused slightly in his hand holding the document, then said casually, "They should be back in the East China Sea by now."
"Back to the East China Sea?"
Sengoku asked in confusion, "Why are we back in the East Sea again?"
"Didn't we just go through that once six months ago?"
"This time is different," Lieutenant General Tsuru said softly.
"Why is it different?"
This time, Lieutenant General Tsuru didn't say anything, but instead took out a piece of intelligence and pushed it in front of Sengoku.
Sengoku glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru with a puzzled look, then, at her prompting, picked up the intelligence report on the table and glanced at it. "Hmm?"
Upon seeing the contents of the intelligence report, Sengoku immediately frowned.
"The Spade Pirates have appeared in the East Blue..."
Spades... Isn't this Fire Fist Ace's pirate crew?!
Hiss. — He understood!
After putting down the intelligence report, Sengoku looked up and said, "So, Garp is...?"
"Um."
Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded, then continued, "I am the only one who has this copy of the intelligence."
Upon hearing this, Sengoku paused for a moment, then picked up the intelligence report from the table and put it in Meimei's mouth, gesturing for her to eat it.
Meimei didn't refuse and habitually put the information in her mouth and started eating it.
And General Tsuru did not stop it, which can be regarded as tacit approval of Sengoku's behavior.
After doing this, Sengoku's expression became somewhat complicated.
Looking after grandson...
If Rosinan were still alive, his grandson would be about the same age as Ace by now.
Thinking of this, Zhan Guo sighed silently.
It was at this moment that the image of the little devil whom Luo Xinan had saved with his life surfaced in Sengoku's mind.
罗.
I wonder how that kid is doing now.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
At this moment, a pirate ship is anchored on the beach outside Windmill Town.
"This is it."
Looking at the very familiar village in front of him, Ace's eyes became a little moist.
Sabo, who was standing to the side, also gradually had tears welling up in his eyes.
After so many years, he has finally returned here.
Is the woman who treated them like sons doing well now?
Looking at the two people standing at the bow of the ship, Marco's face showed a hint of emotion.
Then he said, "Ace, leave the supply to us. You guys go do what you want to do."
"profound!"
Ace nodded upon hearing Marco's words, then smiled and said to Sabo beside him, "Let's go, Sabo."
It's time to go back and visit Dadan.
"Um."
Sabo nodded to Ace, then turned and followed him toward the distant mountains, intending to meet Dadan there first.
Marco watched them leave, and said with some emotion, "Who would have thought that the second-in-command of the revolutionaries would be Ace's brother?"
Recalling the previous scene, Marco's face was filled with emotion.
Just a month ago, they happened to encounter this revolutionary's second-in-command named Sabo, and a conflict ensued over some matters.
He had thought that a full-blown war was about to break out between the two sides, but Ace recognized the person named Sabo at a glance, and so... the two sides made peace.
Thinking of this, Marco sighed inwardly, "Fate is truly an unpredictable thing."
Just then, a pirate came running over in a panic, saying, "First Mate Marco, something terrible has happened!"
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?" Marco frowned. "Tell me slowly."
Upon hearing this, the pirate took a deep breath and then said, "We've discovered a warship."
"warship?"
Marco frowned upon hearing this and said, "Could it be that the navy discovered our trip to the East China Sea?"
"That should be the case," Vista nodded and said.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense why a warship would appear there.
Marco thought for a moment, then said, "Can you confirm who's leading this?"
"I don't know, but there's a dog's head on the front of the warship."
Marco:
Upon hearing that there was a dog's head on the warship, Marco was immediately silenced.
As the former second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, he knew very well what this warship meant.
"Should we do something?" the pirate asked.
If it were a matter of taking action, he would go and take down that warship with his brothers right now!
"There's no need for that," Marco shook his head and said, "As long as they don't attack us first, we can just pretend we didn't see anything."
That warship was Ace's personal vehicle, so... it's highly unlikely they'll attack them.
"Yes, I understand!"
Marco nodded upon hearing this, then looked at the other brothers and said, "Go to the village to buy some supplies, then go to the tavern to wait for Ace and the others."
"But remember, no one is allowed to harass the villagers, understand?"
"clear!"
The pirates nodded upon receiving the order, and then quickly ran towards the distant village.
The villagers, on the other hand, looked at the pirates with some curiosity, without the slightest fear of them.
It's as if...they don't care about these pirates at all.
Vista, observing the reactions of everyone present, remarked with emotion, "No wonder it's the hometown of naval heroes..."
"No pirates would dare to come here and cause trouble," Marco said with a smile.
The title of naval hero stands there for all to see; who would dare to provoke him?
"That's true."
Vista nodded, then turned his gaze to the direction the pirate had pointed, muttering, "I wonder if there are any skilled swordsmen on that ship."
For some reason, he always had a feeling that there was a powerful guy there, but he didn't know if it was just his imagination.
"What's wrong, itching to get your hands dirty?" Marco laughed.
"No, just out of curiosity."
"There's no need to take action against them just because you're curious," Marco said. "Once we get back to the New World, there will be plenty of opponents for you to fight."
Vista paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded and said, "That's true."
They're here to visit relatives with Ace, so it's best to avoid trouble.
With that thought in mind, Vista removed his hand from the hilt of the knife.
Marco smiled at the sight, then turned his gaze to the direction where the warships were hidden, muttering to himself, "Hopefully they won't come looking for trouble."
If possible, he still hoped that Ace's visit to his family would go smoothly.
And in the direction he was gazing at, there was someone else silently watching as well.
"Major General Bogart, we..."
Upon hearing this, Bogart looked at the marine with a puzzled expression. Did he not know what the relationship was between that pirate crew and Vice Admiral Garp?
Could this kid be a newbie?
After a moment of silence, Bogart said, "Just pretend you didn't see it."
"We'll discuss everything once Lieutenant General Garp returns."
"Yes."
"Hmph, what brings you here again?" Dadan said to Kap with displeasure.
She didn't want to give this bastard, who just watched from the sidelines during the Marineford War without lifting a finger to help, the slightest bit of kindness.
"Um?"
Seeing that Dadan didn't give him a kind look, Garp was stunned for a moment, then as if he remembered something, a look of helplessness appeared in his eyes.
Then he said, "Can't I even come to see you?"
"What's so interesting about me?"
Garp paused for a moment after hearing this, then said, "I know you're unhappy, but I have my reasons."
These words were like a match, igniting Dadan's anger.
"What hardship could be more important than family?" Dadan grabbed Garp by the collar, angrily saying, "Do you know that Ace and Luffy almost died?!"
She raised only these three little ones in her entire life!
As a result, one died young, and the other two almost died in front of that bastard Garp...
How could she not be furious?!
This time, Garp didn't say anything, but responded with silence.
But it was precisely this attitude that made Dadan even angrier.
Finally, she punched Garp directly in the face, knocking him to the ground.
After doing this, Dadan ignored the old bastard and went to sit down on her own.
Garp didn't mind, wiped his face, and stood up again.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Dadan said, "There's no food for you here, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard a voice from outside that she knew all too well.
"Dadan!"
"We've come to see you!"
"Huh?"
Dadan was stunned for a moment upon hearing Ace's words, then said in disbelief, "Is that Ace's voice?"
"That's right, it's his voice, boss!"
The underlings looked excited and were clearly pleasantly surprised.
"It really is him..." Dadan murmured.
Two years later... has this bastard finally decided to come back to see her?
Then, Dadan looked at Kapu and said, "So, your purpose in coming here is also to see your grandson?"
This time, Garp did not refute it, which can be taken as an admission.
Dadan nodded upon seeing this, and did not say anything more about telling Kap to get lost right now.
Then, she got up and went to the mirror to fix her hair, which had become a bit messy from her anger.
After finishing this task, Dadan walked outside with a smile on her face.
"Ace..."
"Huh?"
Dadan was stunned again when she saw the figure standing next to Ace.
"He...he is..."
"Dadan, I am Sabo," Sabo said softly.
"It really was you."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Dadan's pupils immediately shrank to their maximum size.
Then she said, "Didn't you already... more than ten years ago?"
"Yes, I almost died back then, but I survived in the end," Sabo said softly.
"Then why haven't you contacted us all these years?"
"Because I lost my memory due to a serious injury I sustained back then," Sabo said helplessly. "That's why I haven't come back to look for you."
"So how did you recover?"
"Isn't this back to Ace?" Sabo said. "I met Ace a month ago, and with his help, I regained my memories."
"If that weren't the case... I really wouldn't have remembered that I have two brothers."
As he said this, a look of relief appeared on Sabo's face, clearly relieved that he could recall those memories.
"So that's how it is..."
Dadan nodded, then asked, "What about Luffy?"
"Why didn't that brat come back with you guys?"
At this point, Dadan's expression suddenly changed.
"Could it be that he..."
"Don't worry, he's perfectly fine," Ace said. "You'll probably see him in the newspapers soon."
Sabo said that Nico Robin will reunite with Luffy and the others in two years, so... it won't be long before they're active on the seas again!
"It's good that you're alive...it's good that you're alive..." Dadan said with a sigh of relief.
Then, Dadan said, "Let's go, I'll cook you a good meal, you've all gotten so thin from hunger."
"I wonder if you two brats have been eating properly all these years."
"Honestly, she's such a grown woman, why do I still have to worry about her? I..."
Hearing Dadan's words, which sounded like those of a loving mother, Ace and Sabo were silent for a moment, then said with tears in their eyes, "Dadan."
"thank you.."
Thank you for loving us like a mother has always.
Upon hearing their words, Dadan's body trembled slightly, and then her suppressed emotions completely broke down.
Watching the two figures gradually blur, Dadan said in a trembling voice, "It's so good that you little bastards are alive!!!"
This woman, who had played the role of a mother her whole life, finally couldn't hold back anymore and started wailing and crying.
The other underlings inside weren't much better off; they were all secretly wiping away tears.
Then, one of them looked at Garp, who was secretly wiping his eyes, and said, "Vice Admiral Garp, aren't you... going out to check on things?"
Upon hearing this, Garp paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, let's give them some time first."