After William escaped from prison, Kalmar City lost its strategic importance in the eyes of Garp and the other Marines. The city's successive rulers—one fleeing and the other eradicated—left it in chaos. However, neither Garp, Strawberry, nor Doberman, the three Vice Admirals involved, had any interest in restoring order. That was a task for after their most pressing matter was resolved. And what was the most pressing matter in their eyes?
Without a doubt, it was capturing Morgan William, dead or alive.
"Dead or alive"—those were Sengoku's exact words.
The three Vice Admirals split into two groups. Garp stationed himself at Loguetown, near Reverse Mountain, ready to block William and his crew should they attempt to escape to the Grand Line. Meanwhile, Strawberry and Doberman remained at Tequila Wolf, the newly established command center, to prevent any further incidents at the bridge, which was under the direct attention of both the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
Additionally, at Doberman's suggestion, they deployed all their available Marines to search the East Blue for William's possible secret base.
They were well aware that dispersing their forces carried the risk of their Marines being ambushed by William's crew. However, their greater concern was not their subordinates being attacked—it was William and his crew disappearing entirely.
At this point, Doberman and Strawberry no longer had the luxury of worrying about the safety of their men.
Unfortunately, the situation seemed to be unfolding in the worst possible way for the Marines.
The three Vice Admirals had their forces comb through the East Blue, leaving no stone unturned. Every island, whether inhabited or uninhabited, even the smallest islets, was thoroughly searched. Yet, there was no trace of William or his crew.
To be clear, not even a trace.
Four steamships, along with the additional sailing ships William had used to transport the laborers from Tequila Wolf, carried a total of over ten thousand people, including both combatants and non-combatants. And yet, not a single clue or sign of their presence remained. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
Strawberry and Doberman stood before a massive map of the East Blue, their expressions grim. After receiving yet another report of no sightings, neither spoke a word.
The Marines had already begun rechecking the inhabited islands, but Strawberry knew deep down that this effort was likely futile.
After a long silence, Doberman finally broke it, voicing his doubts. "Could it be that they've already fled to the Grand Line?"
Strawberry immediately refuted the idea. "Impossible. Vice Admiral Garp is personally stationed at Reverse Mountain, and we've confirmed with Headquarters that there's been no sign of William's crew in the Grand Line. In the Grand Line, William doesn't have the same reputation or public support that he enjoys in the East Blue. Moreover, the Marine presence in the first half of the Grand Line is far stronger than here. If he had entered the Grand Line, we would have received word immediately."
Hearing this, Doberman growled angrily, "Then it must be the people of the East Blue hiding them! I've come to realize something over these past few weeks—these East Blue folks are all criminals in disguise. To help a pirate, they're even willing to defy the Marines! Especially those from the Navia Kingdom. If we weren't so focused on capturing Morgan William, I'd lock up every one of those rebels who participated in the uprising!"
Strawberry shook his head again. "How could they hide so many people in one place? If they were scattered, we would have received news by now. Besides, if William just wanted to hide, why would he go to Tequila Wolf and take so many people with him? That bastard is provoking us. He's not the type to lie low."
William had taken over ten thousand people with him, most of them laborers from Tequila Wolf.
These laborers, having been isolated from society for so long, behaved differently from ordinary people. Their years of slave-like labor had left them with severe insecurities. Most importantly, while some of these laborers were innocent civilians from non-World Government nations, a significant portion were criminals. If they had been scattered across various regions, it would have been impossible for the Marines to have heard nothing about them.
"Traces. Over ten thousand people—how could they leave no trace in the East Blue?" Strawberry muttered, growing agitated. "Could they really have vanished into thin air? There aren't even any Sky Islands in the East Blue!"
Strawberry and the others were aware of William's use of airships during his battle with Golden Lion Shiki, but airships couldn't sustain supplies, and their capacity was limited. They couldn't possibly hide so many people. During the battle with Shiki, William had transported only about three thousand people into the sky, and that had required over sixty airships. The sight of so many airships darkening the skies had been impossible to miss, even without binoculars. Moreover, there were no Sky Islands in the East Blue, and sixty airships couldn't remain airborne for long. Their descent would have been even more conspicuous, and the Marines would have discovered them immediately.
"If they're not in the East Blue or the Grand Line, then where could they be? The Calm Belt?" Doberman slammed his hand down on the map, his frustration evident.
To his surprise, Strawberry's habitually squinted eyes suddenly widened, as if he had just had a revelation. Grabbing a pen, he began marking the map in front of him, drawing circles and triangles connected by lines. Occasionally, he paused to think before continuing.
Over half an hour later, Strawberry finally put down the pen. He stared at the East Blue map, now covered with circles, triangles, and connecting lines, his expression dark.
The marked locations were all Marine bases that had been attacked during the recent pirate uprisings in the East Blue. Some bases had been completely overrun, with nearly all personnel killed, leaving the local Marine forces entirely crippled. These locations were marked with circles. Other bases, which had suffered significant damage but retained some functionality, were marked with triangles.
Strawberry had connected the completely crippled bases with lines, forming a network. Most of these lines were intermittent, interrupted by the triangular markers of partially damaged bases.
This was to be expected. Even with weapons like the Buggy Ball and M.H.5, it was still difficult for pirates to completely annihilate a Marine base. Pirates lacked the discipline and morale for such feats.
(End of Chapter)
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