New World, Sable Island.
Taro only arrived at this barren small island after a day of non-stop flight.
On the island was a small country called Nama; because it couldn't pay the "Heavenly Tribute," this small country naturally didn't qualify to be a member of the World Government.
If it weren't for a man claiming to be Whitebeard's son destroying the Andre Pirates—one of the 43 pirate crews under Whitebeard's banner—on this island a few days ago, perhaps no one would even know such an island existed in the world.
And as for the Andre Pirates, Taro hadn't heard of them either; only after looking at the intelligence did he learn that Captain Andre was a tall pirate with curly hair who used a giant sword.
"M-M-Marine!" An aboriginal's jaw almost dropped in surprise when he saw Taro, and he stammered out a cry.
The civilians on the shore looked over curiously, and then, they scattered and fled in a panic.
Taro tapped his feet lightly and leapt in front of a middle-aged man. "Uncle, let me ask you: a few days ago, a pirate ship was sunk here on the shore. Why can't I see any traces of it at all?"
Hearing Taro's question, the middle-aged man knelt on the ground with a "thud" in fright. "I'm innocent! It wasn't me!"
Nonsense, do you even have the capability?
Taro's mouth twitched as he pulled the man up. "Don't kneel, just answer properly!"
"M-My Lord, that ship was already destroyed. W-We only picked up useful things to take back and use. This wasn't... I didn't do it alone; everyone had a share!"
The man trembled for a long time before he finished speaking.
Taro's eyebrows shot up as he listened. I was wondering why I couldn't see any traces; turns out you lot picked it all clean!
Sigh, in the end, it was because this island was too poor. Even a destroyed pirate ship was full of treasures in their eyes.
"My Lord, p-please don't kill me. I... those things... I'm willing to return them..."
The man was crying a river, his legs going weak as he prepared to kneel again.
"Stand up straight!" Taro frowned and shouted angrily, "I'm not here for those things!"
"I'm asking you, where did those people go?"
Hearing that Taro didn't intend to reclaim those items, the man felt slightly relieved and pointed fearfully toward the distant hilltop.
Taro's expression tightened. Grabbing the man by the neck, he made a few leaps and landed on the hilltop.
New graves stood one after another, numbering in the hundreds. Each grave was merely marked with a randomly placed wooden stick, with nothing else; it seemed the islanders had buried them.
Taro's gaze turned cold, and his voice carried a chill. "Where is the person who killed them?"
The man almost wet himself from Taro's icy tone. "Three days ago, he... he left!"
Hearing this, Taro released the man, smoothed out the wrinkles on his collar, and said softly, "Thank you!"
The man was visibly stunned to hear Taro's thanks. Seeing Taro turn to leave, he hurriedly added,
"My Lord, he wasn't alone!"
Taro didn't turn back, just raised his hand and waved behind his head. "I know."
Then, he soared into the sky, heading toward the next island.
On Gagashiko Island, which belonged to the same island chain as Sable Island.
The Image Pirates were about to leave after purchasing supplies.
Absalom of the Clear-Clear Fruit was pulling up the anchor, shouting without looking up:
"Wan Luo, how's it going? Have there been any battles on those islands these past few days?"
Captain Wan Luo was studying the sea chart in the cabin and didn't look up either. "No, perhaps that person is no longer on this route!"
On a nearby lounge chair, Gekko Moriah took a leisurely sip of black tea.
"Kee-hee-hee-hee! That man has destroyed three pirate crews under Whitebeard. What on earth is he trying to do?"
The girl Wan Shi walked out of the kitchen carrying some snacks, about to distribute them to everyone, when Moria suddenly put down his teacup, his expression serious.
Absalom, who was walking into the cabin, looked startled and instantly entered his invisible state.
Wan Luo put down the magnifying glass in his hand. "Stay inside, I'll go out and take a look!"
On the pier's trestle, three people wearing white uniforms and masks stood proudly on the shore.
One of the men had a white pigeon on his shoulder. The pigeon extended a wing and pointed at Wan Luo, speaking:
"You're Wan Luo, right? That freelance writer?"
Wan Luo frowned. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
The pigeon flapped its wings. "Then we've found the right person!"
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh."
The three of them moved simultaneously, leaping into mid-air. Treading as if on solid ground, they stepped through the air and jumped toward Wan Luo's ship.
"Mark Recall!"
Wan Luo gave a low shout. He drew an "X" in the void before him with his index finger, then pulled it downward. The "X" symbol instantly fell and merged into the ship's hull.
"Vwoom—chuh!"
The space vibrated, and the Image Pirates' small ship actually seemed to be folded up, rapidly shrinking until it finally turned into an "X" mark and dissipated into the air.
"Lucci, Kaku, what ability is this?"
The tallest man among the three spoke in a shocked tone.
Lucci and Kaku glanced at each other and shook their heads. "No idea!"
"However, having this kind of ability only proves further that he is the one we are looking for!"
On Bantafa Island of the same island chain, an "X" symbol appeared out of thin air, followed by a pirate ship slowly unfolding like an opened package.
"Kee-hee-hee-hee! Wan Luo, this ability of yours is truly top-tier for escaping!"
Moria walked out of the cabin.
Wan Luo shook his head with a light laugh. "Now only the mark on Gagashiko Island is left. If we encounter danger here, we can only mark back again!"
"It seems you were right, kee-hee-hee-hee!" Moria looked at the hilltop on the shore of Bantafa, his tone somewhat playful.
Wan Luo was stunned and looked off into the distance.
Although their faces couldn't be seen clearly, under the moonlight, the tall figure holding a naginata and the small figure beside him were very recognizable.
"It's that guy!"
"Kee-hee-hee-hee! Do you think they'll cause trouble for us?"
Moria spoke in an indifferent tone; it was unclear if his recent self-cultivation had taken effect.
Wan Luo shook his head. "I don't know. More than that, I want to know who those people were that came looking for me just now!"
Moria took a small sip of black tea and smiled. "That's CP0, the highest secret intelligence agency directly under the World Government, kee-hee-hee-hee!"
Absalom deactivated his invisibility, looking surprised. "What do they want with Wan Luo? Our recent reports don't seem to have broken any taboos, have they?"
Wan Shi walked over worriedly and took Wan Luo's hand. Wan Luo gently patted the back of his girlfriend's hand, his tone calm.
"Who knows!"
Just then, the projection of a giant Falcon swept over their heads, briefly obscuring the moonlight.
The group looked up at the sky and saw a white dot diving down at high speed.
Suddenly, a cold light flashed from the white dot, and a matchlessly powerful Sword Qi slashed toward the hilltop.
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