You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395
"Marco flew all the way from the New World to the Sabaody Archipelago, only to stay for half a day and leave immediately..."
Sengoku frowned deeply. "Ever since he left, our operatives in Sabaody have only been able to track Rayleigh's movements, with no sign whatsoever of Giorno or Jolyne... Damn it, we've been played! Marco wasn't after Rayleigh at all! His real purpose for coming to Sabaody Archipelago was those two from the JoJo Pirates… wait a minute!"
Sengoku suddenly recalled recent intelligence reports about Giorno Giovanna's involvement with the "Human Resources Agency" on Sabaody Archipelago.
He snarled, "If we calculate the timing, Marco must have flown straight here from the New World the moment he heard Giorno had appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago, right?"
Admiral Sengoku leaned back irritably in his chair, the Justice coat draped over its back.
Despite his reputation as the "Resourceful General," he had overlooked Giorno Giovanna and his companion simply because the names Whitebeard and Rayleigh had overshadowed them.
After all, this was the man who had defeated the former Shichibukai, Laut Haiyna!
Moreover, he possessed the unique ability to seize Devil Fruits without killing the target... The mere thought of that possibility filled Sengoku with a sense of helplessness and frustration.
"That's not necessarily the case," Garp countered. "Maybe he just talked with Rayleigh and left?"
He chuckled, "After all, they're pirates, not like us Marines with our unrestricted flying capabilities. Their actions might not have any special purpose! Who knows, maybe they just heard Rayleigh was on Sabaody and came to catch up..."
Sengoku's voice deepened, "Rayleigh has been off the radar for nearly a decade. Yet, it wasn't until the recent incident that we learned he'd been hiding on Sabaody Archipelago all this time! For ten years, he remained undetected, a ghost in plain sight. During that incident, Zephyr encountered him on the Sabaody Archipelago, but what about the days that followed? He vanished again without a trace... But on the very day Marco arrived and left, Rayleigh was repeatedly spotted by ordinary Marines on Sabaody Archipelago. Garp, don't you find this suspicious? If Rayleigh wanted to remain hidden, how could he possibly be found so easily by ordinary Marines?"
"..." Garp's expression turned serious. "You're right."
"Unless he deliberately exposed his whereabouts! He's trying to divert our attention..." Sengoku crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, glaring at a corner of the ceiling, his voice growing louder. "Garp, let's be honest: even if you and I personally went to Sabaody Archipelago, would it be so easy to find that old fox Rayleigh?!"
"Calm down, calm down, Sengoku," Garp urged quickly. As Sengoku's emotions surged, the desk, floor, and walls began to tremble slightly. After all, the Great Buddha Fruit possessed shockwave-generating abilities!
Sengoku took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Garp held up the bag in his hand and suggested, "Want some senbei?"
"Don't lump me in with you!" Sengoku snapped, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
Garp nonchalantly crunched on senbei, "Didn't you say our people at Sabaody saw Marco fly off alone?" He paused, his expression turning serious. "No, wait... shouldn't we say... just his bird?"
Sengoku wanted to kick him to death. 'How old are you? Why are you still acting like a clown?'
"Maybe the other two were riding on Phoenix's back and remained unseen, or he used some Devil Fruit power to evade our surveillance..." Sengoku frowned. "It's also possible that Giorno and Jolyne have already taken a Coated Ship to Fish-Man Island..."
"Should we send someone to confirm at Fish-Man Island?" Garp asked.
Sengoku ignored him.
Fish-Man Island lay ten thousand meters beneath the sea!
Despite the pirate frenzy to reach the New World, swarming toward it like moths to a flame, fewer than one in ten actually survived the perilous journey to Fish-Man Island.
Though coating technology existed, it wasn't foolproof. If the coating ruptured during the descent, humans without Fish-Man physiques would face certain death!
The pirates were reckless and desperate, but Sengoku, as a commander, couldn't casually risk his Marine subordinates' lives on such a perilous journey to Fish-Man Island for information that, while important, wasn't critical enough to justify the extreme danger.
Every descent to Fish-Man Island was a gamble with no guarantee of return.
This very reason explained why Fish-Man Island's Dragon Palace Kingdom, despite joining the World Government over two centuries ago, had never received genuine protection from the World Government. There had never been a permanent Marine garrison on Fish-Man Island.
More than a decade ago, before the Whitebeard Pirates planted their flag on Fish-Man Island, this nation—a member of the World Government's Allied Kingdoms—was constantly harassed by pirates and received no assistance from the Marines.
A member of the World Government's Allied Kingdoms forced to seek refuge under the banner of pirates? Absurd, wasn't it?
Shortly after, another Marine officer knocked and entered, saluting Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp before delivering a concise report.
Sengoku's expression darkened further as he listened.
"In the day since Marco's departure, the rookie bounty hunter 'DragonLan,' who had been highly active in recent days, has also vanished without a trace?"
"Several pirates he captured and turned in for bounties claimed that 'DragonLan' once called himself 'Joestar Joseph'?"
"Joestar Joseph... Giorno Giovanna... JoJo... How similar! Heh heh heh..."
Sengoku slammed his fist on the desk in fury, growling, "No wonder they call themselves the JoJo Pirates!"
"A skilled bounty hunter suddenly appears with such a name. He's not even trying to hide his identity, is he?" Garp muttered, munching on a senbei. "Then why did he change his appearance?"
Sengoku glared at the new bag of senbei in Garp's hand, then glanced down at the desk drawer. "Garp! You stole my senbei again!!" he roared.
"But you never eat them!" Garp protested, genuinely surprised.
Sengoku didn't bother responding. His right arm transformed into a massive, golden hand of the Great Buddha, several meters long, snatching Garp's bag of senbei. He resentfully shoved two handfuls into his mouth, squinting as he chewed. "He probably used some Devil Fruit power to alter his appearance... But wicked, that damn brat's special ability—does it have no drawbacks or limitations? Just how many Devil Fruits has he stolen? Are all the Devil Fruits he's stolen Eternal ones?
"Wait... he hasn't used the Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) he stole from Caesar in ages... Did it vanish?"
"Can he freely switch between different Devil Fruit abilities? Is it a temporary usage with a limited number of uses, or can he use them at will? Are they single-use only?"
A barrage of self-directed questions tumbled from Sengoku's lips.
"It's just a Devil Fruit," Garpindifferent said. "No matter what ability it grants, it all comes down to who's wielding it! Even without a Devil Fruit, that kid defeated Laut Haiyna and held his own against Zephyr... That proves he's already a formidable force to be reckoned with!"
Sengoku's expression remained grim as he muttered to himself, "But Garp, you must have considered this too, right? If Marco really is acting on Giorno's behalf... what could his true motive be?"
"Hahahaha! Isn't it obvious?" Garp chuckled, reaching for a senbei only to find his hand empty. His eyes remained hidden in shadow as he grinned. "A son wanting to restore his old man to health? That's only natural..."
"Marco wants to use Giorno's Phoenix-Phoenix Fruit to heal Whitebeard's ravaged body!"
"If Whitebeard truly returns to his prime..."
Sengoku's somber words hung in the air. Even the ever-optimistic Garp couldn't help but grow serious. After all, he was still a Marine, and witnessing the pirates' rising power was no cause for complacency.
Blue Flame Phoenix, accompanied by a green Den Den Mushi soaring high above, suddenly veered from the Calm Beltsea, turning west toward the Grand Line Sea!
"We're almost there," Phoenix said with a smile, adjusting his glasses.
(End Of This Chapter)