The afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, and night, like a thick, black silk cloth, gently yet irresistibly covered the land.
Deep in the forest, a very secluded large cave quietly hid within it.
Inside the cave, several stone houses were built along the cave walls, and the people inside were busy around a warm bonfire.
By the flickering flashlight, one could see that they were the same civilians from the daytime, their faces now beaming with irrepressible joy as they happily cooked the Blood Bull Beast they had acquired earlier.
Flames licked the bottom of the pot, illuminating the surrounding small and simple stone houses.
Wisps of cooking smoke drifted out through the natural ventilation holes in the mountain, merging into the endless night.
The little girl Niu Niu stood by, staring unblinkingly at the stove. The scent of meat, like an invisible little hand, constantly teased her sense of smell, making her swallow repeatedly, and her stomach uncooperatively rumbled.
Niu Niu's Mama looked at her daughter's appearance, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
However, long-term hunger had made her cheeks sunken, and this smile, in the dim firelight, added a touch of eeriness.
"Niu Niu, just a little longer, and you'll be able to eat meat," she whispered softly, her voice full of love and tenderness.
"Mm! Mama, I'm not hungry yet!" Niu Niu tried to straighten her small body, pretending to be strong.
But no sooner had she spoken than her stomach let out another loud rumble. Instantly, her tender little face turned crimson, like a ripe, shriveled apple.
Looking at the somewhat embarrassed Niu Niu, Niu Niu's Mama couldn't help but chuckle. Then she sprinkled the last bit of precious seasoning into the pot, "Alright, it's ready to serve."
"Come, Niu Niu, hurry and eat." Niu Niu's Mama carefully scooped a bowl of meat broth for Niu Niu. The meat chunks tumbled in the soup, already stewed until tender.
"Thank you, Mama~ Mama, you eat too." Niu Niu excitedly took the bowl and, under her Mama's loving gaze, ate in small, precious bites, savoring every mouthful.
Only then did Niu Niu's Mama scoop a bowl for herself.
Inside the cave, the other families, like Niu Niu's, were immersed in this rare deliciousness.
It had been too long since they had tasted such a delicacy, and everyone felt that today was the luckiest day of their lives.
And all of this was thanks to that powerful man, whom they silently thanked in their hearts.
——
At another location outside the city.
The Mad Lion Pirates, who had originally occupied this area, were completely wiped out by Andy, the gangs suffered heavy losses, and the CP Agents sent by the World Government were nowhere to be found.
The Revolutionary Army keenly seized this opportunity, and a large number of soldiers, led by their generals, quickly returned to this city.
And leading them was Oster, who had conversed with Kuma today.
Oster was once the Captain of this city's guard, intimately familiar with every blade of grass and tree here.
Now, the retreat of the World Government's forces allowed their Revolutionary Army to return smoothly. The soldiers were all incredibly excited, and Oster was no exception, his eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.
In contrast, Kuma's mood was terrible.
He couldn't understand how Red Hawk knew the Revolutionary Army's secrets.
This question hung over him like a dark cloud, refusing to dissipate.
But he had no time to delve into it now. The immediate priority was to contact the Revolutionary Army West Army Headquarters and complete the mission Red Hawk had given him.
To protect the Revolutionary Army's secrets in other cities within the Silvia Kingdom, the West Army Headquarters weighed the pros and cons repeatedly and finally agreed to Red Hawk's terms, promising to help him gather intelligence on pirate crews passing through the Silvia Kingdom.
After receiving a definite response, Andy left Kuma's bar, found a secluded spot, and peacefully went to sleep.
Now, he just needed to quietly wait for the Revolutionary Army's intelligence and then collect enough Bounty Points.
——
Meanwhile, the remaining gang members in the city were in extreme panic.
They frantically reported what had happened today to their superiors.
And the World Government's intelligence personnel also immediately relayed the news that the CP Agents had been eliminated by Andy.
When the World Government officials received these reports, they were immediately furious, and the conference room erupted in curses.
"Shouldn't we dispatch the Marine to eliminate this hateful Red Hawk? If he keeps causing trouble, our plans will be ruined!"
"No, the Marine's movements are too conspicuous. While having the Marine deal with Red Hawk is indeed the best method, it would also greatly increase the risk of our World Government being exposed."
"Then send stronger CP Agents to carry out the mission. The West Blue is not lacking powerful gangs and pirates; let them cooperate."
"Hmm, let's do that."
After a brief discussion, everyone quickly made a decision.
Soon, stronger CP Agents were dispatched to the Silvia Kingdom.
They had been planning for so long, investing countless efforts and resources; they would never abandon their interests here because of one Red Hawk.
Next, they planned to secretly manipulate more powerful gangs and pirates in the West Blue to regain lost territory and seize the opportunity to eliminate Red Hawk.
——
In the following days, with the help of the Revolutionary Army's powerful intelligence network, Andy quickly received the information he wanted.
Two days later, the Candy Nursery Rhyme Pirates would pass through the Silvia Kingdom, heading for the Grand Line.
Andy knew about this pirate crew.
The Captain of the Candy Nursery Rhyme Pirates, Germa, was once a notorious poison maker in the West Blue and a key figure in a slave-trading syndicate.
She possessed a unique skill in making poisons, especially adept at creating various colorful and enticing candies that had a fatal attraction for children.
Once a child ate this candy, they would lose self-awareness within a short time and obediently follow Germa's commands.
Using these evil methods, the slave-trading syndicate she belonged to sold countless innocent children to nobles in various countries, earning huge amounts of Berries.
Later, due to long-term unequal profit distribution, Germa felt she had been greatly wronged and, in a fit of rage, betrayed the group, intending to work alone.
But she never expected that the reason their slave-trading syndicate had been able to operate with impunity for so long was because they had World Government officials backing them.
It was precisely because of this connection that they could act recklessly, and at the same time, they had to surrender a large portion of their profits to those corrupt officials.
After Germa defected, she was immediately pursued relentlessly by the World Government.
She believed her former group had betrayed her, and her heart was filled with resentment and unwillingness.
So, using her superb poison-making skills, she secretly eliminated her former gang with poison.
From then on, she became a wanted criminal with a World Government bounty of 56 million Berries.
Later, she formed the Candy Nursery Rhyme Pirates, and with cunning tactics and fierce strength, she successfully evaded Marine pursuits multiple times, and her bounty soared to the current 90 million Berries.
Germa's subordinates also included two wanted individuals.
The Vice Captain, Card Walker, whose weapon was specially made poisoned cards, had a bounty of 59 million Berries.
The combatant, Deep Anchor Barlow, was five meters tall, heavily built, and wielded a giant anchor chain hammer weighing 2 tons. His bounty was also 41 million Berries.
The Candy Nursery Rhyme Pirates were Andy's next target.
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