The atmosphere in the conference room was somewhat peculiar.
The Captain, however, failed to notice the tension and continued introducing the situation regarding Sean and Ain.
That was, until...
"How terrifying. To think that Sean and Ain actually became pirates?"
"Hmm? Admiral Kizaru, you know who they are?" The Captain paused, stunned by Kizaru's sudden interjection.
Based on Nezumi's report, he hadn't been given their names. If Admiral Kizaru already knew them, it was a huge relief; it would be quite awkward to issue a bounty poster without names.
"Well... the man is Sean, and the woman is Ain."
"I see!" The Captain quickly noted the names down.
Then, he continued, "Based on Captain Nezumi's descriptions, we have come up with suitable epithets for them. 'Bloody Butcher' Sean and 'Blue-Haired Witch' Ain. What do you think, officers?"
Aside from the oblivious Captain, every other person in the room felt their facial muscles twitch.
'Good grief...'
''Bloody Butcher' Sean?'
''Blue-Haired Witch' Ain?'
'Who on earth came up with those names?'
Fortunately, Zephyr was leading the assessment team in the East Blue and wasn't present. Otherwise, Headquarters would probably have to budget for another round of renovations to replace the tables and chairs in the meeting room.
"Alright, leave the files here. We need to discuss this further. As for the other pirates, issue the bounties as previously discussed. You may leave," Sengoku commanded.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Though he found it strange that the Fleet Admiral wanted to personally handle the bounties for Sean and Ain, the Captain didn't dare ask. He gave a crisp salute and left with a stack of documents.
Once the door closed, only Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Aokiji, and Kizaru remained.
"What do you all think?" Sengoku asked, glancing around the room.
"Fleet Admiral, I feel like there's some kind of misunderstanding here. Setting Sean aside, it's impossible for Ain to betray the Marine... unless..."
"There is no 'unless'!!" Sengoku snapped, glaring at Aokiji.
He knew exactly what Aokiji was implying. Unless Zephyr himself had defected from the Marines, there was no way Ain would follow suit. However, that was a truth to be understood, not spoken aloud. Thus, Sengoku cut him off immediately.
"Fine, my mistake. But if we rule out that possibility, nothing about this makes sense," Aokiji countered. "They have no reason to attack the Marine, let alone kidnap civilians!"
Because only Sengoku and Tsuru were privy to the details of Sean's current operation, Aokiji was genuinely baffled by the reports.
After a moment of silence, Sengoku turned to Garp. Unfortunately, Garp had been fast asleep since the meeting began. Seeing the snot bubble growing and shrinking in the man's nostril, Sengoku felt a vein pop in his forehead.
"Mmph... huh? Is the meeting over? I'm heading out then!" Garp suddenly woke up.
"You bastard, Garp! Sit back down!"
"Wasn't it finished? Is there something else?"
"The kid you brought back, Sean, has run into trouble in the East Blue!"
"Hmm? Sean? What happened?" For once, Garp's expression turned slightly serious.
Sengoku recounted the situation. After hearing it all, Garp blinked.
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it!"
"Why are you making this so complicated? Why not just contact them and ask?!"
'Contact them and ask?'
The conference room fell into a dead silence once again.
"Pwahahaha! You guys didn't even think of something so simple, did you?!"
"Shut up!"
"By the way, do you have the kid's Den Den Mushi? If not, I can give you his number!"
"Of course I have it!" Sengoku glared at Garp and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
A moment later...
'Purupurupuru...'
"Based on the look of this thing, it's Old Man Sengoku, right?"
The call connected, and Sean's voice rang through. It was clear that the moment the connection was established, Sean could already see the Den Den Mushi mimicking Sengoku's face.
"Sean, where are you right now?"
"In the East Blue. Old Man Sengoku, you didn't forget the mission you gave me, did you?"
At those words, everyone—except Tsuru—turned their gaze toward Sengoku.
'Good lord, this was your mission?'
'I wondered why this felt so strange. It turns out this was another one of your schemes, you sly old fox.' (That last part was Garp's inner monologue).
"Forget the mission for a second. What the hell did you do? I have bounty requests for both you and Ain sitting right in front of me!"
"What?! I have a bounty? Ain too?!"
"Correct. And the subordinates below have even given you nicknames: 'Bloody Butcher' Sean and 'Blue-Haired Witch' Ain."
"Old Man Sengoku... are you people insane?!"
"Ahem! Watch your tone! First, tell me exactly what is going on."
"Fine, here's the deal..."
A few minutes later, every face in the conference room was grim.
Nezumi wasn't just potentially involved in the events from three years ago; he was now colluding with the Arlong Pirates and enslaving civilians across twenty-some villages.
Had the Marine in the East Blue truly fallen this far?
"Sean, can the two of you handle the Arlong Pirates on your own?"
"Should be fine. The guy isn't even that strong."
"True. Then I'll leave it to you. As for Nezumi of the 16th Branch, bring him back. He will be interrogated here before sentencing."
"Old Man Sengoku, didn't you say that if I had conclusive evidence, I could handle it directly?" Sean pouted.
"You brat, I'm protecting you, don't you understand?"
"If it were just the previous situation, confirming Nezumi's actions from years ago would be enough for you to deal with him without the World Government bothering you," Sengoku explained seriously. "But now, this likely involves a massive web of interests, and there's a high probability that World Government officials are part of that web. If you act unilaterally, even with your noble title, it could lead to complications."
"Furthermore, taking down a single rat like Nezumi isn't enough. We need to dig more information out of his mouth. Understand?"
This realization hit Sean—he had been thinking far too simply.
It was true; Nezumi alone could not have kept a secret this significant for so long, especially not to the point where Marine Intelligence remained completely in the dark. Someone was clearly covering for him.
And anyone capable of shielding Nezumi, and even intercepting Marine intelligence channels, was no ordinary person. There was a high probability that it was a World Government official—someone not only high-ranking, but someone with enough influence to command or manipulate the CP organization to a great extent.
Spandam?
No, no. He hadn't come into his own yet; he hadn't even become the chief of CP9.
Then... Spandine?
That was a strong possibility.
In a matter of seconds, countless theories raced through Sean's mind, and Spandine emerged as the most likely candidate.
Gazing at the distant coastline beginning to emerge on the horizon, Sean shook his head to clear his thoughts.
After all, Cocoyasi Village... was just ahead.