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South Blue, Baterilla Island.
The hurried footsteps of a squad of soldiers echoed through the town’s streets as they marched swiftly, their sharp eyes scanning the passersby, particularly the women.
Leading the group was a lieutenant, who had been ordered by his superiors to search the island for pregnant women and compile a list.
Naturally, this was just the initial screening. A larger military force would arrive later to conduct a more thorough investigation.
The search for the Pirate King Roger’s bloodline couldn’t be taken lightly. The entire South Blue Marine system was already on high alert.
In a secluded alleyway, three figures silently watched the Marine squad pass. Only after the soldiers had moved far enough away did they emerge.
“Should we…?” Bullet’s right hand lightly traced across his neck, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
“Don’t alert them,” Crocodile said. “They’re not our target.”
Crocodile said calmly, “And…”
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the figure beside him: the Thunder Puppet, whose eyes were dull, expression cold, and body stiff.
From its outward outline, the puppet was nearly identical to Kojin, save for its artificial-looking metallic skin, which occasionally crackled with faint electrical arcs.
It was clear that the Thunder Puppet possessed a faint trace of consciousness.
Suddenly, the electric light intensified, and in the next second a cold, electronic voice rang out.
“Go find Portgas D. Rouge and take her away. Once that’s done, this mission will be over.” The Thunder Puppet spoke.
Its speech was a little sluggish, but both of them could recognize Kojin’s voice.
“Hurry!”
The Thunder Puppet fixed its gaze forward, looking at the Marine squad of four or five people, and spoke again.
After that, the three of them pulled their hoods and hats over their heads and vanished from the spot in an instant.
When they arrived at Rouge’s courtyard, they did not see anyone there.
“Wait for her to return!” The Thunder Puppet said.
Crocodile’s eyes flickered slightly as he lit a cigar and began to puff out smoke.
Bullet, on the other hand, wore an expression of impatience. He preferred a good fight to such a low-skill mission.
During this time, the Thunder Puppet stood there quietly, completely motionless.
As evening approached, a figure approached, her face etched with fatigue and worry. She gently stroked her abdomen with her right hand and sighed.
It was Portgas D. Rouge.
She had had a premonition about this, but she hadn’t expected the Marines to come so quickly. Moreover, the ports leaving the island had already been sealed off by the Marines, there was no way to escape.
“What should I do now?” Rouge murmured, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Could she still protect the child within her womb?
Rouge could die, but she desperately wanted Ace to be born safely and grow up healthy.
In a daze, Rouge arrived at her house. She took out her key, opened the door, entered, and then closed it tightly behind her. After all that fuss, she finally collapsed weakly onto a chair.
“Ace! My poor child.” Rouge said in a trembling voice, but very quickly, determination filled her eyes.
“Don’t be afraid. Mommy will definitely protect you. No matter what the cost.”
Suddenly, the door began to shake violently, followed by heavy knocking.
“Who is it?” Rouge’s heart quivered as she asked, forcing herself to stay calm.
During the daytime inspection, the Marines hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her. She hadn’t been pregnant for long, and her belly hadn’t started to show yet.
“Open the door!” A low voice sounded, tinged with impatience. “Otherwise, we’ll kick it in!”
Hearing this, Rouge froze for a moment. After hesitating briefly, she got up and opened the door.
Then she saw three burly, powerfully built men.
“Portgas D. Rouge!” The Thunder Puppet lifted its hood, forcing a stiff smile onto its face.
“It’s you?!” Rouge froze.
She recognized the three men in front of her. They were precisely the ones who, at the wedding banquet a year ago, had claimed to be Roger’s friends.
“Come with us now. Immediately,” Crocodile said, exhaling a plume of smoke. His voice was deep and authoritative.
Seeing the confusion in her eyes as she looked at the Thunder Puppet, he added an explanation.
“This is Kojin’s puppet. We’re here to take you away from this place.”
Rouge took a step back, her eyes flickering.
It was common knowledge throughout the world that Kojin was the one who had captured Roger.
“You have no choice. Come with us now!” Bullet snapped impatiently.
Rouge’s heart trembled. She turned around and said, “I need to pack some things.”
Bullet was about to say something more, but the Thunder Puppet reached out and stopped him.
The three burly men stood quietly in front of the house, waiting for the woman inside.
Night soon fell.
At some unknown moment, a streak of lightning flashed and vanished from the sky above Baterilla Island.
On the other side, Kojin, who had already arrived in the South Blue aboard a battleship, slowly let out a breath.
“So, you encountered Roger in the South Blue?” Sengoku asked in a deep voice.
“That’s right.” Kojin nodded and replied with a smile.
Rouge had already been taken away. That counted as settling the one thing he had been most worried about.
“Which island?” Sengoku asked.
“On the sea,” Kojin answered. “More precisely, he was the one who found me.”
Sengoku’s eyes flickered slightly. “Oh?”
“We only fought briefly, and then he chose to surrender.” Kojin said with a sigh.
Sengoku fell silent.
Before coming here, he had still hoped to get some other information from Kojin, but the result was undoubtedly disappointing.
“This operation to search for Roger’s bloodline is very important.”
“Kojin, you will assist from the sidelines. Exercise restraint and avoid giving others any grounds for criticism or leverage.”
Sengoku said in a deep voice.
“I understand!” Kojin nodded.
The search operation commenced swiftly. Kojin himself remained relatively idle, as Sengoku personally issued most of the directives.
Days turned into weeks, and before long, half a month had passed without yielding any results.
Sengoku’s expression grew darker with each passing day.
“Could the intelligence be flawed?” Kojin asked.
“It’s accurate,” Sengoku replied, shaking his head. “My greater concern is that the woman carrying Roger’s bloodline has already gone into hiding.”
Kojin smiled faintly and said nothing more.
He had received word from Crocodile that Rouge had been safely relocated to a secure, undisclosed location.
Another half-month passed.
Sengoku’s expression was grave, the pressure from Kong and the World Government giving him a headache.
“Nearly every island in the South Blue has been searched, but no matter what, we can’t find anyone matching the Information’s target.”
“Where could she possibly be hiding?”
Hearing this, Kojin’s brow furrowed slightly. “Are we truly so afraid of Roger’s bloodline?”
Sengoku lifted his head, meeting Kojin’s gaze. “It’s not that we’re afraid.”
“It’s…”
He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
But Kojin understood. Those at the pinnacle of the world were acting out of fear—or rather, a desire to eradicate any potential threat.
At the same time, it was a warning!
A brutal, chilling message to the world.
Ten more days passed, and the Marine remained fruitless in the South Blue.
It was at this time that an order arrived from the World Government.
“Damn it, have they gone mad?” Sengoku growled, his face contorted with anger and hesitation. “It’s just a simple tip-off letter! Why resort to such drastic measures?”
Kojin approached him. “What’s wrong?”
“They’re ordering the execution of Baterilla Island—all pregnant women suspected of harboring Roger’s child!” Sengoku said through clenched teeth.
Kojin’s pupils constricted, and his heart jolted violently.
“And!” Sengoku turned away, his gaze unable to meet Kojin’s. “They’ve assigned you to personally carry out this mission!”
(End of Chapter)
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