Although he could only sense it through his Observation Haki, Arthur immediately recognized that the person approaching was likely a Marine Admiral.
In this world, everyone has a unique aura.
The aura of strong individuals is especially distinct, marked by strong personal traits.
Now that Arthur was nearing the peak of his Observation Haki, he could easily perceive these unique characteristics.
Arthur's vision was wide and colorful, thanks to his Thunder Fruit abilities. The more he developed his powers, the greater his range would become. However, he still had a way to go before reaching the peak or awakening his full potential.
Even though he had never encountered these two auras before, Arthur quickly guessed that the powerful icy aura belonged to Aokiji, the Admiral of the Marines!
Realizing that Marines had arrived, Arthur called an end to the meeting.
"Okay, the meeting is over! Some guests have arrived, and I suspect it's Marine Admiral Aokiji. Everyone, please return to your usual tasks. I will notify you when the Admiral arrives."
"I'll handle Visalia and the astronomers myself." With that, Arthur vanished from the hall.
On God's Island, atop the vines, Arthur appeared in the shrine.
In the palace, Jessica was giving Nami a bath when Arthur knocked on the door.
"Jessica, an Admiral from Navy Headquarters is here. Please come out."
The playful atmosphere inside froze momentarily, then Jessica wrapped herself in a towel, revealing her beautiful figure, and stepped out, drying her hair.
"An Admiral from Navy Headquarters?" Jessica asked, puzzled. This is a sky island—how did they get here, and what do they want?
"Yes!" Arthur replied. "They're only three hundred kilometers away. I need you to move Visalia away from Angel Island and take them to an altitude of 18,000 meters near Bika, then cover it with clouds."
"Okay!" Sensing Arthur's seriousness, Jessica quickly nodded and flew off to her room.
In the bathroom, Nuo's face turned red, and her breathing quickened. Meanwhile, Nami was completely unfazed, still humming happily.
"You can take your time. Jessica has something to do now. After she's done, just explore around here. She'll be back in at most three hours," Arthur said, holding back the urge to burst in and teleport away.
On the second layer of the island cloud was a special palace that served as Arthur's office.
In his office, Arthur used radio waves to communicate with Vine Island.
"Braham, gather a team of elite war angels!"
On Vineland Island, Braham was inspecting the Ten Legion Reserve. Upon hearing this, he quickly assembled twenty angels capable of flying to Apayado.
Five minutes later, Braham arrived in front of Arthur.
"Braham, the Marine's messenger is about 250 kilometers away in that direction. Go and meet them! Remember, do not let them discover Angel Island. Don't act recklessly; the other party is a Marine Admiral, and they are powerful!"
"Yes, God!" Braham nodded and flew off with his team of angels.
An hour later, two hundred kilometers from Apayado, Lieutenant General Tsuru and Aokiji stood at the bow of their ship, scanning the horizon.
"Twenty-one individuals of considerable strength are approaching quickly," Aokiji noted. While his Observation Haki wasn't as developed as Arthur's, it still had a range of over ten kilometers.
Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded and said, "It seems the kid sent someone after noticing us. It feels like there's no malicious intent."
As a user of the Wash Wash Fruit, Lieutenant General Tsuru had a keen sense of people's good and evil intentions.
About ten minutes later, Braham arrived, flying with thirty angels.
Lieutenant General Tsuru, Aokiji, and the Marines were taken aback by Braham and his team.
"Wings...what is going on? This doesn't match our records at all."
"Is there a way that kid can mass-produce angel wings so they can fly?" Lieutenant General Tsuru pondered, frowning slightly.
"Are you the Marine messengers sent by God?" Braham hovered thirty meters above the warship, flapping his wings.
"I am Lieutenant General Tsuru, staff officer of Navy Headquarters, and this is Admiral Aokiji. We are here to meet with your God," Lieutenant General Tsuru stated. Though his rank was second, his status was very high. Even Akainu and Kizaru showed him considerable respect.
"That's right. God has asked us to meet you and lead the way. Please follow this path. It will take you to the only gate that leads to the White Sea," Braham said, pointing towards the gate to the heavens.
Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded and instructed the Marines to follow Braham's directions, casually striking up conversation with him. Though it seemed like small talk, she was skillfully gathering basic information.
As a strategist on par with Sengoku, and perhaps even stronger, Lieutenant General Tsuru was very adept at casual conversation. It didn't take long before she learned quite a bit from the straightforward Braham, who had never experienced the outside world.
However, Braham was no fool. While he shared basic, unimportant details, he knew what to keep private.
From what she gathered, Lieutenant General Tsuru was able to piece together some crucial information.
Two hours later, as Lieutenant General Tsuru looked at Apayado, the island of dreams, even she, with all her experience, was impressed.
"It's a beautiful place, kid. Do you allow outsiders to live here?"
"The moment I saw this place, I thought it would be perfect for retirement," she said.
"Of course! You're welcome anytime, Ms. Tsuru!"
It wasn't Braham who responded but Arthur, who appeared on the warship just as Lieutenant General Tsuru finished speaking.
Arthur's sudden appearance startled the Marines, making them tense up in alarm.
However, neither Aokiji, Lieutenant General Tsuru, nor the angels were surprised.
"That's wonderful!" Lieutenant General Tsuru said, turning slightly to face Arthur, who stood about five or six meters away.
"What a handsome young man, but you've caused quite a stir. It's enough to get the attention of Navy Headquarters."
Arthur smiled and said, "Ah, it seems my trip to the East Blue caught your attention. Haha, I was just testing a new move. I didn't expect it would get you all worked up."
Arthur was well aware of Marine's intelligence network. He figured some of his activities in the Blue Sea had been reported. However, knowing and admitting it were two different things.
Arthur sensed there was more to Lieutenant General Tsuru's mention of him traveling from the Grand Line to the East Blue than she let on.
"This must be Admiral Aokiji, right? Hello, Admiral Aokiji!" Arthur greeted, looking up at the much taller Admiral.
Arthur himself was over two meters tall, but Aokiji was more than three meters tall.
Talking to a Marine Admiral, Arthur couldn't help but be impressed by their height. Even the shortest, Akainu, stood at three meters.
"You've come from far away, and I wasn't prepared. I've had some special fruit desserts from Sky Island prepared for you to try. Please, come this way!" Arthur gestured politely.
Then he added, "As for the Marine soldiers, please anchor the ship and follow Braham. We've prepared a special banquet for them elsewhere. I apologize for the modesty!"
Lieutenant General Tsuru turned to the seamen and, after a brief glance, nodded. "Thank you for the trouble, young man," she said.
After eight years in the world of One Piece, Arthur was meeting with a representative of the Marines, the World Government's most powerful organization, for the first time.
This meeting would bring significant changes to the seas!
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