Natehuo is the name of the kingdom, but the island itself has another name, much like Alabasta is situated on Saint Ting Island, the land of the Natehuo Kingdom is called Donut Island, due to its appearance from above resembling a giant donut.
The island is ring-shaped, with a vast inland lake in the center, which covers more than a third of the kingdom's total land area.
The so-called great ebb tide is not a change in the sea outside, but refers to this inland lake of the kingdom; on the night of every full moon every three years, the water of the inland lake mysteriously disappears for three days, revealing the lakebed beneath.
John and his group have stayed here too long, and aside from waiting for this, Fleit could think of no other reason. However, the following events have little to do with him.
He was well aware of his own strength; although as a member of CP9 he was proficient in Rokushiki, it was enough to deal with pirates in the First Half of the Grand Line, but against a monstrosity like John with a bounty in the tens of millions, he had no ability to intervene. Monitoring from a distance was his limit.
At this point, he had already completed the mission transfer, and two members from Mary Geoise's CP0 took over his task.
"This is John's group's base; his men come here to procure supplies at 2 PM every day, and you can observe their movements from the top floor of the hotel where I reside."
Fleit briefed the two ordinary-looking middle-aged men on the intelligence he had gathered over the past few days. They seemed utterly ordinary, capable of disappearing into any crowd.
Not every CP0 mission operative wears white suits and masks; their main objective is to complete their mission, and to do so, they often assume many identities and choose appropriate clothing.
At this point, the subsequent work had nothing to do with him. Regardless of the outcome, Fleit's mission had been completed, and upon the mission's success, he would naturally receive his share of the credit.
Spandine was different from Spandam; besides knowing how to curry favor, he was capable in his own right. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so well-connected in various agencies, and he wouldn't seize the credit of frontline agents; he was very clear on what should and shouldn't be touched.
After handing over what he believed was Purilite's Life Card to the two CP0 members, Fleit was prepared to leave this place of trouble. John's money-centric life goal was well-known.
Approaching this treasure wouldn't likely be peaceful, and staying on this island was not a good thing for him.
Then he packed up to leave, but during his departure, he encountered Kaidou and his crew.
Olga was still wearing a purple dress, though it was not the same one as before. That particular dress held special meaning for her and had been put away. When they stopped to resupply on some island, she had a tailor make a dozen identical dresses.
Even the patterns on them were the same; those patterns were from Alkemi's ancient text.
To most people, they were just ordinary patterns, but to those knowledgeable, they were related to Alkemi.
Fleit wasn't a scholar of ancient texts, and the government didn't allow people to study such things. Only a specific government department was permitted to study these texts.
However, the restrictions weren't too strict yet, and Ohara was still around. Before they touched upon the forbidden, nothing would happen there.
But Fleit knew about matters related to Alkemi. Every year, new Heavenly Celestial Dragons, upon learning about the pure gold, would issue orders for its search; by now, this had become an effective way to scam funding.
However, fooling those Heavenly Celestial Dragons required effort; not all of them were fools, and no one would let a bunch of pure incompetents sit above them.
At the very least, a satisfactory report must be submitted. During this process, they also became well-versed in Alkemi.
One pattern could be a coincidence, but a whole series could not be.
Watching Arceus and their group pass by, he pulled out his Radio Snail, seeking a secluded place.
"Officer Spandine."
"What's the matter, Fleit? Have you made contact with the CP0 members?"
"Yes, Officer Spandine, we have completed the mission transfer. Is there any other task?" At the moment he got connected on the snail, he hesitated.
Spandine's success in the World Government was heavily reliant on his network; if he could connect with a Heavenly Celestial Dragon, his future would be much brighter. So why should he share this achievement with Spandine?
Thus, he didn't tell the truth and harbored thoughts of keeping it all to himself.
"No, whatever's left is up to you; assisting them or returning early, it's your choice."
"Understood."
He hung up the Radio Snail and retraced his steps. There was only one direction on this route; during this period, he was not yet in danger of losing them. Given the population flow within the Natehuo Kingdom, he hadn't attracted much attention.
However, Fleit made a rather rookie error for a spy. Distracted by the ancient text on Olga's dress, he failed to notice the tall man in a cloak beside him was Kaidou.
The central hotel of the Natehuo Kingdom cost the kingdom a substantial part of its finances. It was a place that combined food, lodging, and trade, claimed to accommodate even members of the Giant Race. As long as one paid, one could stay here, and no one cared about the identity of the guests; the only rule was no fighting inside the hotel.
This is why when Arceus and Elizabeth, such non-human beings, entered the hotel room, no one stopped them.
"You two should wait here. Once things are over, we'll leave. Queen, go find a new ship at the dock; they always have stock available here. By the way, haven't you sensed your Plate?"
Olga and Asie couldn't participate in such large-scale battles. Although Kaidou believed combat was the fastest way to improve, he wasn't about to let an intern face battles of this level.
Leaving them here was the safest option, then sending Queen to procure a ship. Although Arceus's plan to use Kaidou to fleece resources didn't pan out, they had acquired a substantial amount of funds from many fellow travelers along the way.
The Navy's bounty issuance had no identity checks; as long as one wasn't wanted, they could exchange it for bounty money.