The news that the entire Roger Pirates had been captured spread through the Sabaody Archipelago like the plague.
By the time Makoto's group pulled the prison cart onto the main street, both sides of the road were already packed with people.
Pirates, bounty hunters, information brokers, merchants, even ordinary islanders… everyone was surging towards this spot.
Some came to gawk, while others' eyes held undisguised greed.
"R-Really, it really is the Roger Pirates?!"
"Look at that guy in the straw hat, who else could it be but Roger?!"
"Damn, isn't that the guy next to him Gaban? Monsters with bounties over a billion, locked in cages like dogs..."
Whispers spread like a tide from all directions.
Makoto's group, as if deaf to it all, walked in front of and beside the prison cart.
They looked exactly like the prison guards escorting criminals.
Yu walked at the very front of the prison cart, his right hand always resting on his left arm, ready to transform at any moment.
His gaze occasionally swept over the crowd, accurately catching every onlooker with an abnormal expression.
"Senpai, third row on the left, that scar-faced guy is looking for an opening to strike."
"Probably a bounty hunter?" Makoto sat on the prison cart and smiled.
Anyone could tell at a glance who the leader of this group was.
"And the guy in the hat, right front, several people around him are restless."
"They're probably about to make a move."
Makoto didn't seem to care at all.
Yu didn't say anything more, but his stance didn't change.
Sure enough, when the prison cart passed an intersection, someone finally couldn't help themselves.
"Brothers, let's go!"
A roar exploded from the crowd.
Seven or eight bounty hunters with swords and guns rushed out from both sides, led by a burly man with a fierce face. His eyes were fixed on the cage holding Gaban.
A great pirate with a bounty over a billion... if he could catch him and take him to the Marines for the reward... damn, he wouldn't have to worry about money the rest of his life.
In fact, he really wouldn't have to worry for the rest of his life!
The burly man's sword was already raised above his head, about to strike the chains of the prison cart.
Bang.
A gunshot rang out.
A bloody hole appeared in the center of the burly man's forehead. He fell backwards as if hit by an invisible sledgehammer, his sword clattering to the ground.
His corpse hit the stone-paved road, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Yu was expressionless.
The other bounty hunters froze in place, their feet seemingly nailed to the ground.
"Run!" Someone shouted first, and the rest scrambled into the crowd, disappearing in an instant.
However, Beam dove into the grass like a mud dragon entering water.
Soon, heart-wrenching screams came from the crowd.
The onlooking crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even greater turmoil.
"Wh-What just happened..."
"That man, his hand turned into a gun?"
"Did someone just jump into the ground? Like swimming? Is he a Devil Fruit user?"
Returning from the dirt, Beam emerged and reported: "Chainsaw-sama, all done."
"Good work." Makoto nodded.
The prison cart continued on its way.
With this 'demonstration', no one dared to act rashly for the rest of the journey.
The greedy eyes hidden in the crowd had all turned to caution and fear.
And so, under the gaze and following of countless people, the group passed through the layered blocks of the Sabaody Archipelago and finally arrived at Grove 66.
This was the location of the largest Marine base on the archipelago.
And the agreed-upon site for the exchange.
The scene in Grove 66 was far more 'grand' than Makoto had anticipated.
Blue-and-white Marine uniforms and black-suited World Government' agents almost packed the entire area to the brim.
Hundreds of elite Marines stood in formation, among them towering giant soldiers… they stood at the rear like blue-and-white fortresses.
The Sabaody Archipelago was the Celestial Dragons' playground... the military strength here naturally couldn't be lacking.
Among these giants, one figure was particularly conspicuous.
A giant a full head taller than the average giant, with two curved horns on his head, a rugged and dignified face, standing there like a mountain peak.
The current king of the giants' country, Elbaf… Harald.
Makoto's gaze paused on him for a moment, then moved on.
He remembered now.
Harald had always wanted Elbaf to become a member nation of the World Government.
And the World Government had been stringing him along with this issue… imposing various harsh conditions, making Harald and even the entire Elbaf work for them.
In the end, Harald even had himself branded by Imu, sacrificing everything, but still failed to achieve his wish.
Seeing him here today, Makoto could guess the reason with his toes.
Ninety-nine percent chance it was those old schemers, the Five Elders, telling him: "If you kill those guys and bring Roger here, we'll let Elbaf join the World Government."
In the original work, they had also deceived Harald like this… "Kill Rocks, and Elbaf can become a member nation."
'Heh.'
He shifted his gaze to Kong's side.
Two Marine officers stood there, one man and one woman.
The man was tall, with an afro and a square jaw… Sengoku the Buddha.
The woman was slender, with delicate features, dark hair in a ponytail, her eyes sharp and calm… Tsuru.
The insignia on their shoulders indicated they were still Vice Admirals at this point.
Makoto noticed that Tsuru could indeed be considered a beauty at this stage… of course, not comparable to the women by his side.
As for Garp...
Makoto scanned the area but didn't see that iconic dog-head hat.
The Marines had probably considered the ambiguous relationship between Garp and Roger and deliberately kept him out of this mission, fearing complications.
This was within expectations.
Makoto withdrew his gaze and looked again at Kong, the current Marine Admiral and future Commander-in-Chief of the entire military.
Though Makoto wasn't clear on the difference between 'Commander-in-Chief of the entire military' and 'Marine Fleet Admiral'…
Could he actually command the World Government's forces?
The two looked at each other.
"The goods are here." Makoto spoke first. "Where are the items?"
Kong didn't answer immediately.
His gaze passed over Makoto and landed on the prison cart behind him.
In the cages, Roger, Gaban, and all the executives of the Roger Pirates were a ragged mess, emanating an indescribable stench.
Kong's brow furrowed slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
He signaled to Sengoku beside him.
Sengoku nodded, holding two treasure chests.
"The training manual for the Rokushiki of the Marines." Sengoku first opened the left chest, revealing a notebook inside.
"Logia-type, Magma-Magma Fruit."
He then opened the right box… a blood-red Devil Fruit lay quietly inside, shaped similarly to the Flame-Flame Fruit, but darker in color, as if one could feel its scorching heat just by looking at it.
Makoto looked at the Magma-Magma Fruit and said nothing.
"And the sword?" Yu's voice came from the side.
"It's called the Shodai Kitetsu, right? That sword was also part of the agreed deal."
As his voice faded, a hoarse voice came from the group of World Government' agents behind the Marines: "If you want this old man's sword, there is an additional condition."
The agents parted ways neatly.
An elderly bald man in a dark kimono and glasses stepped out.
In his hand, he held a large nodachi.
The most cursed sword among cursed swords, the Shodai Kitetsu.