Nojiko quickly took care of the relevant matters.
Lu Yue and the others had already returned to the disguised merchant ship. It was still morning, and the three of them planned to rest for a while before noon, including their lunch break.
This time was all for Nojiko, allowing her to handle her village affairs.
Those captured pirates should consider themselves lucky; they obediently followed orders and didn't take the ship or attack the villagers while trading goods. Otherwise, if Lu Yue and the others had returned, they would probably be long gone… Meanwhile, on the other side.
Something else happened: Axe-Hand Morgan, while being escorted, took advantage of Garp's foolishness of eating donuts and falling asleep, using his son Helmeppo as a hostage. Koby also blocked the Marine's cannon.
He successfully escaped, finding a small sailboat.
Helmeppo, who wanted his freedom, and Koby, who genuinely wanted to become a true Marine, showed their resolve here.
But ultimately, they were no match for Morgan, who threw them into the sea before escaping.
However, this also made Garp notice the courage of the two. Koby and Helmeppo, who were originally supposed to receive permanent exile, were instead taken back to Marine Headquarters to be properly trained.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Rear Admiral Bogard, it's not good, something has happened."
Suddenly, a Marine Soldier ran over in a panic.
"What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?" Garp grumbled, annoyed that he had just taken on two promising recruits.
"Mr. Garp, something has happened. About an hour ago, our Marine's 16th Branch in the East Blue was completely destroyed. The Marine Soldiers stationed there, including Captain Mouse, were all killed," the Marine Soldier said, his face drained of color.
"What?" All the Marines who heard this were shocked, shouting out, including Koby and Helmeppo.
Someone actually committed such an atrocity against the Marines!
Bogard and Garp immediately became serious. Destroying a Marine branch and killing all the Marines in it was no small matter; it was a complete provocation against the Marines.
If not handled properly, and the criminals responsible brought to justice, the Marine's public reputation would surely decline, which was something neither Bogard nor Garp wanted to see.
Moreover, they didn't believe that the other party, knowing they were in the East Blue, would still dare to act.
"Could it be those people…?" Garp suddenly thought of his old rivals. Could one of them have made a move?
If so, this vacation trip to the East Blue would require a bit more work.
Adding the two girls from before, this trip back was more interesting than he had imagined… Hmm? Wait a minute.
Garp's eyes suddenly widened. He wondered if those girls were responsible for this? Their strength was at least at the Vice Admiral Candidate level, and they were certainly capable of such a thing.
"Full speed ahead to the 16th Branch," Garp immediately ordered. Since the opponent had appeared there, going there first was the best course of action.
"Yes." The Marines on the entire warship immediately sprang into action, including Koby and Helmeppo. After the ship was fully prepared, it set off again, heading towards the Marine's 16th Branch… Time flew by, and soon it was one o'clock in the afternoon.
"Uncle Gen, and everyone, goodbye." Standing on the deck of the disguised fishing boat, Nojiko had two tear streaks on her face, but she still smiled as she bid farewell to the villagers.
"It's alright, Nojiko."
"Yes, go and achieve your dreams with your sister."
"Goodbye, work hard."
"Take good care of yourself and strive to become stronger."
At this moment, a large number of villagers had gathered on the beach. They were all seeing Nojiko off, just as they had Nami before. For these sisters, they felt only gratitude and a touch of guilt.
After all, these two sisters had sacrificed too much during the reign of the Arlong Pirates.
"Nojiko, you and Nami must bring honor to our village, and also pay attention to your own safety. Don't worry, I'll take care of the tangerine grove," Gen shouted loudly. Although he was a bit reluctant, he would never stop these two sisters from pursuing their dreams, one after the other.
He would take care of the tangerine grove and Cocoyasi Village, listening for news of them on the high seas and waiting for their triumphant return.
Moreover, whether it was the current Nojiko or her crew and captain, despite being young girls, their strength was immense, beyond his imagination. Any one of them could easily overpower the former Arlong Pirates.
So he was relieved.
Soon, under the watchful eyes and escort of Uncle Gen and the villagers, the disguised fishing boat slowly disappeared over the horizon.
After a while, the villagers and Uncle Gen also returned. After all, they still had their own things to do, such as taking care of the tangerine grove left behind by Nami and Nojiko.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Captain Lu Yue, what's our next destination?" Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Nojiko turned around, smiling, and said to Lu Yue.
"Of course, we'll continue to invite companions to join us and expand our strength. We'll go to Syrup Village; there's a good doctor there who would be a great addition to our crew."
Lu Yue smiled, her sweet little face full of confidence.
"I'll immediately confirm the direction. Speed normal, weather normal, currents normal, turn 30 degrees to the right."
Nojiko immediately performed her duties and displayed her abilities as a Navigator. Her first display astonished even the Navigator among the captured pirates, who couldn't believe this young girl possessed such strong navigational talent and ability.
But now, was there nothing for him to do on this ship?
"Don't worry, it won't be long before I invite two more companions, and then you can leave. I keep my word," Lu Yue said with a hint of a smile to the somewhat bewildered captured pirates.
This immediately put them at ease. After expressing their gratitude to Lu Yue, they returned to their posts.
Lu Yue nodded in satisfaction, then immediately turned her head to look.
At this moment, Kuina was diligently practicing her sword techniques, working hard.
In her words, she said, "I'm still not close enough to being the world's strongest swordsman and some of the top powerhouses on the high seas. I need to continue to get stronger and strive to improve."
After glancing at her, Lu Yue walked into the cabin, then entered Platinum Longlong's room. Platinum Longlong was sitting at a desk, seemingly tinkering with something.
"How is it? Is it done?" Lu Yue asked, stepping forward.
"It will still take some time. Although I have the materials, the parts must be crafted by me personally. From the final assembly, to the relevant tests, and ensuring safe use, it will still require some time."
Platinum Longlong turned around and said. Her desk was covered with a large amount of metal materials and parts. She seemed to be assembling something, and it looked very delicate and small, like some small decorative items.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Lu Yue said, waving her hand, and then immediately left. As the Captain, she actually had some free time.
Of course not, she planned to return to her own bedroom to cultivate properly. She still had a large amount of memories about Gliza's abilities that she hadn't fully digested.
"Now, a new mission will be assigned to the host."
"As a pirate, you are destined to be an enemy of the Marines. Take the initiative to destroy any four Marine branches or patrol ships in the East Blue. Current progress: 1/4."
"Mission reward: One summon card, one special Devil Fruit."
"Special Devil Fruit: The energy and power contained within it are no longer limited to the Pirate World."
Lu Yue, who had already returned to her bedroom, taken off her small shoes, and was sitting on the bed, preparing to close her eyes and cultivate, suddenly widened her beautiful eyes.
Goodness, a mission already? And they even counted the Marine's 16th Branch they had destroyed earlier towards the completion progress.
And a special Devil Fruit? That meant it was a manifestation of power from another world, embodied in this Devil Fruit.
This was truly exciting, and for this mission, Lu Yue couldn't help but show a mischievous smile, licking her tongue.
She truly loved it… Just like that, they continued sailing. Lu Yue and her crew eliminated a total of four Pirate Crews along the way, acquiring a considerable amount of wealth.
The amount of Belly alone had reached 200 million, not to mention supplies like food and alcohol.
The ship's hold was almost overflowing. In any case, they now had ample supplies, no worries about money, food, or water.
The large sum of money Platinum Longlong spent on her small inventions, the cost of materials purchased from Cocoyasi Village, had also been recovered.
In the following days, besides pirates, they naturally encountered Marine patrol ships. On the seas of the East Blue, after pirates, Marine patrol ships were the second most common sight.
Lu Yue and her crew encountered two, both of which they quickly eliminated.
However, considering that some Marines in the East Blue were decent, they made sure to investigate before acting. Since the Marines on these two warships had no negative records, they merely destroyed the warships. The casualties among the Marine Soldiers were very low, but there were many with minor injuries, severe injuries, and unconsciousness.
It was a pity that there was no money on either warship, but there were many other supplies. But that made sense; pirates robbed gold and treasures, while Marines didn't. When sailing the seas, they needed more supplies, such as food and water.
So, pirates had much money but little food, while Marines had little money but much food.
Bounty Hunters would indeed exchange pirate heads for bounties at Marine bases, but not these patrol ships; they would go directly to Marine branches.
That was where the Marines kept large amounts of money.
Nevertheless, Lu Yue's mission progress had reached 3/4. It was a shame that they didn't encounter any Marine patrol ships after that, and they had to keep heading towards their destination, so they wouldn't encounter any Marine branches either.