"I never expected to run into the two of you in a place like this."
After the two children walked away, Makima and Garp Zephyr chatted casually.
"This island is quite safe. Although some pirates pass by occasionally, most of them are ordinary people. You two are good at picking places."
Garp laughed, "Naturally so! The pirates here aren't even as strong as mountain bandits."
Actually, the main reason was that Garp and Zephyr had been coming to the East Blue too frequently.
Garp was fine, but Zephyr detested pirates. The scene of his family being murdered was still fresh in his mind. Since Uta had settled here, how could he possibly feel at ease? Thus, every time he came to the East Blue, he would conduct a massive sweep. By now, there were no strong pirates left in the East Blue.
Pirates and demons were essentially complementary. Where there were many pirates, there were also many demons, and they were stronger. This was because places with many pirates had more darkness, more fear, and more misfortune. Such situations would awaken the darkness within people, and demons would then appear.
Therefore, the East Blue generally didn't have very strong pirates. Zephyr was a little surprised that Makima had appeared here. He expressed his confusion, but to his surprise, Makima smiled and said, "Speaking of which, this demon has a connection with you two."
"Us?" Zephyr was a little surprised. Honestly, he had hardly interacted with demons at all. Just as The Black Order didn't concern themselves with pirates, the Marines basically didn't need to bother unless they directly encountered a demon causing trouble.
The Marines and The Black Order were clearly separated. Of course, if it were a world-ending catastrophe like a demon lord, they would still help.
However, there were currently two incidents involving demon lords. One was in the country of Jaltzburg, and the other was in Wano Country. It so happened that Zephyr hadn't gone to either, so he couldn't think of which demon had attracted Makima's attention.
Seeing his expression, Makima stopped being mysterious and directly said, "It's Little Demon Dragon."
Little Demon Dragon…
Zephyr and Garp frowned. They certainly remembered the name, and it was indeed a demon connected to both of them.
Little Demon Dragon first appeared in Dressrosa. Zephyr was on a mission there at the time and was the first Marine to see Little Demon Dragon.
Later, Little Demon Dragon appeared in Jaltzburg, summoned the great demon Sakaki, and then worked with Garp and other Marines to deal with Aatrox.
"How did he end up in the East Blue?" Garp couldn't help but be surprised.
After Jaltzburg, Garp hadn't had any further contact with Little Demon Dragon, but he occasionally heard news of him at sea. He was still searching for fragments of the Shikon Jewel. He wondered how many he had found by now.
"He's very cunning. After learning that my people had arrived, he disappeared. I followed the clues here, but I couldn't find him," Makima said. "Little Demon Dragon is related to the Demon Lord Sheng Zhu, which is why I came personally."
As the three walked, they arrived at a bar. However, none of them were in the mood to drink because the news Makima brought was quite shocking.
Garp and Zephyr's faces grew serious. They had already cleared out the pirates, and the villagers of Fuusha were simple and honest, unlikely to foster demons. They had thought this place was absolutely safe, but Little Demon Dragon's arrival made them feel a sense of threat.
Especially Zephyr. Whenever such things happened, he was reminded of his wife and children who were killed because he wasn't there. He clenched his fists and said, "You didn't find Little Demon Dragon, and you don't know his objective?"
Makima sat down on a chair and leaned back slightly. "We can probably figure out some things. He must have discovered the whereabouts of a Shikon Jewel fragment in the East Blue. Since he has already left here, it means either he has taken the fragment with him, or it wasn't here to begin with. So, we basically don't need to worry about this place becoming his target."
"Even so, a demon like Little Demon Dragon is still too dangerous for the East Blue…" Zephyr frowned. He wanted to look at the stars, but since they were in a bar, he couldn't see the sky. He couldn't help but say anxiously, "Little Demon Dragon wasn't much at first, but after all these years, he's been growing too."
"Demons have near-infinite lifespans, and their development cycles are very long. No matter how strong Little Demon Dragon is, he won't be too difficult to handle. What's difficult to handle is his identity," Makima corrected him. "He is the son of the Demon Lord Sheng Zhu and holds a noble position. Even great demons must obey his orders."
"He was able to summon Sakaki before, and he may still be able to summon other great demons now. That's why I came personally to capture him."
Garp and Zephyr nodded. They also understood the seriousness of the situation. Otherwise, Makima, as the Fleet Admiral of The Black Order, wouldn't have easily left headquarters.
Once one reached the rank of Fleet Admiral, many things were beyond their control.
"Since it involves a Demon Lord, it should be fine for the Marines to get involved, right?" Zephyr looked at Makima and voiced his thoughts.
"I was also planning to investigate Little Demon Dragon's matters."
Makima was about to reply but suddenly froze for a moment. However, she quickly regained her composure and said, "I just received notification. Little Demon Dragon has already left the East Blue. Do you still want to investigate?"
Left? Zephyr thought for a moment and still nodded, "Yes. I can't rest easy without thoroughly investigating Little Demon Dragon's objective."
Little Demon Dragon came to the East Blue, to the Kingdom of Goa. This matter weighed heavily on Zephyr. He didn't know if Little Demon Dragon had achieved his goal, nor did he know if Little Demon Dragon would return. All he could do was try to keep as close a watch on Little Demon Dragon as possible.
Garp didn't state his position. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in Little Demon Dragon, but it was enough for one high-ranking Marine to be involved.
Investigating was originally The Black Order's responsibility. It was one thing for Zephyr to get involved, but if Garp also investigated, it would be like saying The Black Order was incompetent, needing the Marines to help with their unfinished business.
Seeing their responses, Makima nodded. "Since that's the case, I have no objection. I will take my leave now."
With that, she stood up and left.
Watching Makima's departing back, Zephyr also stood up. "It seems our stay here has come to an end."
Garp clicked his tongue. "What about Uta? Aren't you taking her back to Marine Headquarters?"
After all, this place had been visited by Little Demon Dragon, so perhaps it wasn't so safe anymore.
"Marine Headquarters might not be safe either," Zephyr said, as if remembering something. He sneered, "There have been quite a few rats sneaking into headquarters lately. It doesn't matter if Uta is here or at Marine Headquarters."
Garp didn't say anything further. He was also well aware of the recent friction between Marine Headquarters and the World Government. Those people in the World Government loved to play these little games.
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