"No problem!"
Seeing that Robin and the others were not seriously injured, Kaito Arisawa finally relaxed. He walked over and casually sat down between Robin and Neferpitou.
"Captain, since the issue with the Eight Treasures Navy has been resolved, should we head to the Grand Line next?" Trafalgar Law asked.
Kaito waved his hand dismissively.
"No rush. Before we go to the Grand Line, I'm planning to stop by East Blue first."
"East Blue?!"
Law and the others all looked surprised.
"Are you planning to visit Loguetown, Captain?" Robin asked after thinking for a moment.
When she heard Kaito mention East Blue, the only place she could think of was the town known as "The Beginning and the End."
For pirates, visiting the place where the Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born and executed wasn't unusual.
Kaito smiled slightly.
"Loguetown is definitely worth visiting."
"But that's not the main reason."
"I'm going there to recruit two people."
"Recruit people?" Lafayette asked curiously. "Are there talents in East Blue that caught your eye, Captain?"
Kaito nodded.
"More or less. One of them is a navigator with top-tier talent."
"The other is a swordsman who has the potential to become a Great Swordsman."
The two people Kaito had in mind were obvious.
Nami and Roronoa Zoro.
In Kaito's view, both of them were extremely rare talents worth recruiting.
Nami possessed extraordinary navigation talent.
Zoro possessed extraordinary swordsmanship potential.
If he had the opportunity to recruit them before anyone else did, there was no reason to let that chance slip away.
Hearing Kaito's description, Law and the others exchanged surprised looks.
At the same time, anticipation appeared in their eyes.
A navigator was absolutely essential for sailing the seas.
Although the War Pirates already had a navigation team led primarily by Lafayette, no one would refuse the addition of another exceptional navigator.
And then there was the swordsman Kaito mentioned.
A person who could one day become a Great Swordsman.
Such praise coming from Kaito was extremely rare.
The title of Great Swordsman represented the absolute peak among swordsmen.
Across the entire world, only a handful of people could reach that level.
If someone with that kind of potential joined the crew, it would undoubtedly add a powerful combat force to the War Pirates.
Meanwhile—
Far away from the battlefield.
Inside the headquarters of the World Economic News Agency, a familiar scene unfolded.
"Is the information confirmed?"
"The War Pirates really defeated the Eight Treasures Navy?"
The person asking was none other than Big News Morgans, president of the World Economic News Agency.
"Yes, President!"
The staff member standing across from him nodded firmly.
"The information is absolutely accurate."
"The bodies of the Eight Treasures Navy members who died at the Treasure Jade Iceberg have already been found."
"And the Vivre Card of Don Chinjao has completely burned to ashes."
Hearing this confirmation, Morgans immediately became excited.
"Excellent!"
"The Eight Treasures Navy is an extremely famous pirate force!"
"They're even considered the official military power of the Kingdom of Kano!"
"Now that they've been defeated… once this news spreads, it will definitely cause a worldwide sensation!"
Morgans' eyes sparkled with excitement.
"The War Pirates really never disappoint."
"Before this, they disappeared completely. I thought they were hiding from Admiral Aokiji."
"I didn't expect them to come back with such a massive move!"
After venting his excitement for a while, Morgans immediately shouted orders.
"Quick!"
"Organize all the information about the battle between the War Pirates and the Eight Treasures Navy!"
"This story will be tomorrow's front-page headline!"
"Understood!"
"Leave it to us, President!"
"Everyone move faster!"
"This information might already be reaching other news agencies. We must publish it first!"
Under Morgans' command, the entire news agency became a frenzy of activity.
Printers roared.
Editors rushed to assemble reports.
Journalists compiled witness accounts.
And the next morning—
The World Economic News published its newest edition.
The front page carried a massive headline.
"WAR PIRATES DEFEAT THE EIGHT TREASURES NAVY!"
As newspapers spread across the seas, the world erupted in shock.
"What?!"
"The Eight Treasures Navy lost?!"
"I've heard about them since childhood!"
"They were defeated by another pirate crew?"
"War Pirates again?!"
"Didn't they disappear for a while?"
"How did they suddenly appear again and defeat the Eight Treasures Navy?"
"I knew it!"
"A crew like the War Pirates wouldn't disappear so easily!"
"They must have hidden to avoid Admiral Kuzan!"
"Now that Kuzan has left West Blue, they've appeared again!"
"And Don Chinjao… wasn't he extremely powerful back in the day?"
"I heard he even fought Gol D. Roger on equal footing!"
"In the end, he was defeated by Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp, which forced him to retire from the Grand Line!"
Across the seas, people discussed the shocking news.
The defeat of the Eight Treasures Navy had become the biggest topic in the world overnight.
Meanwhile—
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside an office.
Admiral Kuzan sat quietly with a newspaper in his hands.
His brows were slightly furrowed.
"So they really hid…"
During his earlier trip to West Blue, Kuzan had searched extensively for the War Pirates.
But after half a month without finding any trace of them, he had been forced to return to headquarters.
Now, seeing this newspaper report, Kuzan's mood was far from pleasant.
Back then, he had already suspected that the War Pirates had learned about his arrival through the newspapers and hidden themselves.
Now it seemed that suspicion had been correct.
They had waited until he left West Blue—
Then reappeared openly.
"No…"
"I have to go back to West Blue."
Kuzan stood up, his expression dark.
Last time, he had failed.
But he believed that failure had been due to carelessness.
The World Economic News had somehow discovered that he was hunting the War Pirates.
Once the news spread, the pirates naturally went into hiding.
But this time would be different.
As long as he concealed his movements—
There was a good chance he could capture them.
With that thought, Kuzan walked out of his office.
Meanwhile—
On the massive whale-shaped ship Moby Dick.
The flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, sat on a large sofa.
Several sake bottles surrounded him.
He held a newspaper in one hand.
Reading the article about the War Pirates defeating the Eight Treasures Navy, his expression looked slightly nostalgic.
"So even that old guy Chinjao is gone…"
Whitebeard sighed softly.
Then he grabbed a bottle of sake and took a long drink.
On the deck outside—
One of the crew members noticed Whitebeard's mood.
He turned toward the First Division Commander.
"Captain Marco…"
"What's wrong with Pops?"
"He seems to be in a bad mood today."
Marco stood nearby, chewing lazily on a bone as he looked toward the cabin where Whitebeard sat.
He didn't answer immediately.
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