In the conference room, Rear Admiral Sicily looked at Disli and said, "It's been eight days, and there's been no trace of them. I plan to report to headquarters and withdraw from here. So, Brigadier General Disli, what's your opinion?"
"Then let it be so."
Brigadier General Disli said with some distress, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling she had missed an opportunity.
If she could capture Robin, she could be promoted to Rear Admiral, but now it seemed unlikely.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a voice rang out. A sailor rushed in with a Den Den Mushi, shouting, "We received news from the front! We've found traces of someone suspected to be Robin."
"Give it to me."
Rear Admiral Sicily took the Den Den Mushi and put it to her ear. "This is Rear Admiral Sicily. Uh, is there any proof? How long ago did they leave?... Mm, I see. Continue the search, and we'll discuss it."
After a full minute, Rear Admiral Sicily put down the Den Den Mushi.
"Rear Admiral, what news did you get from the front?" Brigadier General Disli asked concernedly.
Rear Admiral Sicily said, "Colonel Weevil's fleet found a clue to Robin's whereabouts, about seventy nautical miles to the southwest. There's a deserted island there with a wooden house. Inside, many items were found, showing signs of long-term habitation, and there were Giant Beast footprints. It's highly likely this is where Robin was living."
"Then let's go there too," Brigadier General Disli said, standing up.
Rear Admiral Sicily shook her head. "But the remaining food inside has rotted. Robin left at least two days ago, so I suspect she's already gone."
"But we can determine the direction she left," Disli said immediately.
Rear Admiral Sicily looked at her, helpless. "The island she was on is not far from another route. If she left without us discovering her, she could only continue southwest, which would lead her to another shipping lane. That's beyond our exploration area. And the ocean is so vast, with so many islands. If she casually finds one to live on, how could we possibly find her? So, since headquarters said we can withdraw, why don't we just..."
"Then I'll go myself."
Disli stood up and said, "I'll take a fleet and pursue in that direction."
With those words, Disli left the room and disappeared into the distance.
"Sigh!"
Rear Admiral Sicily watched this scene with some helplessness.
"Rear Admiral, what should we do?" another Marine Colonel asked.
Rear Admiral Sicily said, "Then let Weevil rendezvous with her, and we'll search a bit more."
"Yes."
...
"So, we've been discovered?"
Xia Qiu looked at the island in the distance. Several Marine warships were gathered on the shore, and not only that, but there were also seven or eight warships on the distant sea.
That was the place where he and Robin had lived. He had stayed there for two full years.
He had originally hoped the Navy wouldn't find it, so it could remain as a memento, and he could even return occasionally when he had time.
But it was ruined now. Yesterday, he had asked Zala to go ashore and take some items, such as the contact information of various cadres that he had Robin leave behind, and some storage points. It was a thick book.
The other items had no practical significance.
He was leaving.
Xia Qiu didn't stay there but headed straight for Whiskey Peak.
The Navy's furthest search had reached Drum Island. Beyond that was Little Garden, which was marked as dangerous. Because it was isolated, it was inhabited by a large number of Dinosaurs. Even a Rear Admiral would encounter danger there.
Since it was dangerous, it would be difficult for Robin and the Giant Beast to live there. If they did live there, relying on the dangerous terrain, without a Vice Admiral accompanying them, they would all die going to the island.
Xia Qiu didn't reach Whiskey Peak until the next morning, but he didn't go up. Instead, he went to another island, climbed it, and entered the depths of the forest, where a figure was already waiting.
The figure in front of him was sexy, with long blue hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a black leather jacket over a black tank top, her ample chest threatening to burst out of the clothing. The hem of the tank top was above her navel, revealing her slender waist.
She wore leather pants that encased her long legs, and a pair of long boots on her feet.
"Is my outfit okay?" the woman asked Xia Qiu.
She really likes wearing leather pants.
Xia Qiu shook his head helplessly, but compared to her original attire, it wasn't as strange.
This woman was Zala, but Xia Qiu was very dissatisfied with her original outfit. It was too revealing, and her style was very bizarre. She wore a brown leather bra and had leather straps wrapped around her abdomen, which was very peculiar.
Her outfit at the cafe seemed too ordinary. So, Xia Qiu asked her to change into something more normal and to get rid of the afro.
Thus, Zala became like this. However, she still wore leather clothes, but her afro was replaced with long hair. With her body more covered, she looked much more capable.
So, Xia Qiu nodded. "It's fine."
"As long as you're satisfied," Zala said with a smile.
Xia Qiu then said, "I have something for you to do next."
"Just tell me," Zala replied immediately.
Xia Qiu said, "First, you need to convey a message to the hunters at Whiskey Peak: after killing Pirates, do not bury them. Bring their bodies here."
Xia Qiu needed Pirate corpses. He didn't have time to wait for them to be captured himself, and the hunters at Whiskey Peak liked to bury Pirate bodies on Cactus Rock.
So, Xia Qiu planned to have them bring the bodies here so he could feed directly.
"Bodies?"
Zala heard the request and was slightly taken aback, then said, "This matter is very simple."
Xia Qiu added, "Secondly, you can find people to build some houses here. For at least a period of time, this will be my contact point with you."
"I will arrange for people to do it," Zala said immediately.
Xia Qiu nodded and continued, "Also, Robin has already notified every agent via Den Den Mushi about you taking over as Vice President, but you still need to meet them in person. At the same time, you need to assess the new agents, especially the senior agents. There are quite a few vacant positions right now, Mr. 1 and his partner, Mr. 3 and Mr. 4's partner. We need to rebuild our high-end combat power."
Zala immediately replied, "I will complete it properly."
"That's good."
Xia Qiu looked at Zala and said, "Take care of these first. I will tell you about the rest later."
"Okay."
Zala nodded, then asked, "Mr. 0, you just said Mr. 1 needs a replacement. Where is the original Mr. 1 now?"
"Mr. 1?"
Xia Qiu looked at Zala and said, "I originally wanted him to be the Vice President, but he chose to refuse."
"So you killed him?"
Zala asked cautiously.
"No."
Xia Qiu shook his head. "After all, he worked for me for so long, how could I possibly kill him? Daz Bones, or rather Mr. 1, has returned to the West Blue to continue being an assassin."
"So that's how it is."
Upon hearing Xia Qiu reveal his name and hometown, Zala let out a sigh of relief. "I will find suitable candidates as soon as possible."
Mr. 1 was her partner. Although they rarely worked on missions together, they had known each other for some time and knew each other's names.
Knowing that Mr. 1 was still alive, Zala felt relieved.
"Then I'll contact you again in a while."
Xia Qiu left these words and turned to enter the ocean, disappearing into the distance.
The source of Reinforcement Energy was already secured: the Pirates killed by the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak.
Although most Pirates who had just entered the Grand Line had little Reinforcement Energy, if the quantity was large, it would accumulate into a considerable amount.
Most importantly, it was relatively safe with no significant risks.
And once the Marines' search operations wound down, he could try hunting Marines. However, he couldn't undertake large-scale actions, as it would be difficult to search in this sea area.
Moreover, the time cycle was very long, and he had to find the right opportunity.
In addition to this, his body needed to continue evolving, developing a more reasonable physical structure.
Xia Qiu already had a destination in mind for his next evolutionary direction.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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