"Oh, the pirate crew that even you, Tsuru, treat so seriously seems to be another troublesome bunch, huh? What are they called?"
Although Tsuru is a Vice Admiral in the Navy, just like her nickname "Steel Bone," she excels more in combat. As for administrative matters, they are usually handled by her subordinates. Moreover, with the mess caused by the Rocks Pirates, she hasn't had time to pay attention to other pirate crews at sea.
"They're called the Roger Pirates, a rapidly growing pirate crew. They have strong officers on board, and they follow an elite path.
Apart from the captain, there are two individuals we need to focus on, namely Rayleigh and Gaban. From what we gather, their strength is currently on par with Navy Vice Admirals. Additionally, they have a group of powerful combatants. According to intelligence, they have clashed with both Whitebeard's crew and the Golden Lion Pirates, who are under Rocks, but the battles were evenly matched."
Vice Admiral Tsuru honestly conveyed the intelligence.
After careful consideration, Kong nodded. "Indeed, they seem like a tricky bunch. However, we currently don't have the spare resources or manpower to deal with this pirate crew. The Rocks Pirates are our most pressing concern now. As for the Roger Pirates, Tsuru, have the staff at the headquarters focus on them. We'll deal with them after we've dealt with the Rocks Pirates."
Upon hearing Kong's words, the young and beautiful Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned slightly. However, she didn't say much because everything Kong said was true. But thinking about the intelligence on the Roger Pirates, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
She believed that the Roger Pirates were no less a threat than the Rocks Pirates. However, one was a future threat while the other was a threat already looming. She knew which one took priority.
What could she do? She couldn't do much. She couldn't expect herself, a civilian official, to wield a sword and confront those monsters head-on.
Meanwhile, Garp heard about the Roger Pirates, and his eyes flashed with a complex expression.
A few years ago, when he went to the East Blue to see his son, he encountered the Roger Pirates. Back then, the Roger Pirates were just a small group. They even had a drink together after a fight.
He didn't expect that guy to become famous now, just as he said when they drank together. He had started to make a name for himself on the seas.
While the Navy was in a meeting, Nicholas and others on Taji Island were having their discussions.
"Who's this, Captain?" Simon asked curiously, looking at Katie behind Nicholas.
"She's going to be our chef from now on," Nicholas replied.
Upon hearing Nicholas' words, Simon smiled kindly at Katie.
Beside them, Stussy stood up and looked at Katie, who was holding onto Nicholas' sleeve.
"Katie, let me introduce you. This is Stussy, that's Simon, and the big guy is Vista."
"Stussy, Simon, Vista, Hello" Katie greeted timidly.
"Stussy, is it done?" Nicholas asked Stussy.
"Yes, it's done."
Stussy then went to a window in the castle, took off her gloves, revealing her pure white hands. With a gust of wind, a purple smoke flew out from Stussy's hand and quickly spread to every corner of the island.
The werewolves, who were wreaking havoc on the island, fell to the ground after inhaling the purple smoke and slowly turned into a pile of liquid emitting a strange odor under the sunlight.
Almost at the moment when these werewolves disappeared, one of the three mysterious figures on the ship suddenly looked towards Taji Island, obviously in disbelief.
The next day, Nicholas and his crew began to sail back.
As for the ravaged Taji Island, it had nothing to do with them. After all, indirectly saving their lives was already a big deal.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, as the pirates on the lookout observed through their telescopes, they suddenly spotted a black dot in the distance.
"There's a ship appearing at three o'clock! They've also spotted us and are heading towards us!"
Nicholas, who was watching Vista exercise on the deck, swiftly moved.
When he appeared again, he was already on the lookout tower.
At this moment, the pirates on the lookout finally saw clearly the flag on the sails and the distinctive figurehead of the ship approaching from the stern. Especially when they saw the person standing on the bow, their pupils contracted.
Then, a cry of surprise rang out suddenly.
"That flag! It's—"
"The Oro Jackson!!"
Upon hearing this distinctive ship name, Nicholas took the telescope from the pirate next to him, and the once distant black dot suddenly became closer.
On the undulating waves, a pirate ship with red sails was sailing swiftly towards Nicholas' location.
A red skull flag rushed into their sight, with two curly mustaches clearly indicating the identity of the ship.
The Oro Jackson!
Nicholas' expression turned grave as he looked at the ship.
Through the telescope, the first thing that caught his eye was a man sitting cross-legged at the bow, wearing a red captain's coat and a yellow spotted headband. He had a mustache, and it seemed like he noticed Nicholas' gaze, grinning widely.
"Roger!"
Nicholas felt a shock, then took a deep breath.
"Do you want my treasure? If you want it, you can have it all! Go find it! I've put everything I own in that place!!"
This last sentence, uttered before his death, drove the world into madness and prompted countless people to venture into the sea, heralding the era of pirates.
Looking back, a man with short golden hair, standing straight with a smile on his face, came into view.
The Dark King! Silvers Rayleigh!
Scopper Gaban!
...
"Everyone, be on high alert! Hoist the sails, change course, and retreat at full speed!"
Eight large letters resounded throughout the ship, stunning everyone.
Immediately, the pirates on the ship began to bustle about.
As for tangling with Roger, if it were just Nicholas alone, he wouldn't mind engaging in a battle with the Pirate King himself. After all, even the Rocks Pirates couldn't stop him if he wanted to leave. But now, he wasn't alone; he had his comrades.
And this wasn't a story with over a thousand episodes, where deaths could be counted on two hands; this was the real world.
He didn't believe that the other side would show mercy in a fight.
Standing at the bow, Nicholas' eyes were sharp as he stared at the growing black dot behind them.
Pirate King Roger!
The Oro Jackson was sailing very fast, seemingly not intending to let them go.
After all, in the New World, they had been chased by the Rocks Pirates more than once. Now that they had the chance to vent their frustrations on a pirate crew under Rocks, why would they let it go so easily?
"Oh? Interesting, that pirate ship is accelerating. It seems they intend to flee without a fight."
Rayleigh chuckled, his eyes showing curiosity.
"The captain of the Seventh Division, Nicholas, is indeed an interesting person," Gaban said, taking a swig from his bottle. It could be said that encountering the main force pirate crew under Rocks, both sides were basically in for a fight, so it was the first time they had seen someone run without fighting.
"Rayleigh, they're about to attack. Get everyone ready!"
Rayleigh, noticing the approaching threat, immediately prepared his crew for battle.
Sitting cross-legged at the bow of the ship, Roger suddenly dropped his smile, his expression subtly changing. He stared intently at the faint blue glow emanating from the stern of the approaching pirate ship, a sensation of unease gripping him.