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Liam was running effortlessly across the streets of City Town, his movements quick and agile as he vaulted over buildings with ease.
Yamakaji leaped up and appeared behind Liam, swinging his long blade in a backward slash.
Clang!
Robin, who had followed closely behind Yamakaji, kicked out and intercepted the blade with a clash.
‘Tekkai? She can use it too?’ Yamakaji was both surprised and somewhat frustrated. When did Rokushiki skills become so commonplace? Even these two half-grown kids were so proficient in them!
“You are still chasing us?” Liam swung his Iron Rod at Yamakaji from behind, “We’ve been at this for a while, and you still haven’t managed to win. Maybe you should give up!”
“No way!”
A thick plume of white smoke enveloped the area, and a fist emerged from it, aiming straight at Liam’s face.
“As long as you’re pirates and we’re Marines, this will never end!!”
Smoker’s stern and youthful face appeared in the smoke, but quickly turned to shock as his punch landed on Liam — but the blow was barely effective.
“Useless, this is utterly useless! That punch was too weak!”
Liam and Robin switched opponents, moving from one end of City Town to the other, fighting their way through the streets…
The two Marines wouldn’t give up.
Whether it was Jolyne or Chopper, Marine Colonel Yamakaji couldn’t immediately take them down, and Marine Staff Sergeant Smoker was panting heavily, starting to show signs of fatigue.
‘Where did these two rookie pirates come from?’ Yamakaji’s usually composed face showed signs of frustration as he chased after them. How did these kids have such stamina?
The headquarters had set an exaggerated bounty of 100 Million Belly on them, and it was clear they weren’t undervalued at all!
“What’s that?” Yamakaji looked up and realized that while they were chasing the pirates, they had inadvertently reached the seaside.
Ahead, a massive pleasure ship was slowly pulling away from the shore, heading deeper into the Grand Line.
On the shoreline, a crowd of people, either still eager or envious, watched as the flag of the Pleasure District fluttered in the sea breeze, bidding farewell.
Whoosh, Whoosh — two black shadows flew in from behind, creating a gust of wind as they landed atop the heads of the people on the shore, heading towards the sea.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the pleasure district!” Liam laughed.
Robin allowed herself to be pulled along, glancing back to see the two Marines still in hot pursuit. The Marine who could transform into smoke was about to continue chasing them when the other Marine loudly stopped him.
“To the Justice Marines on the shore!” Liam shouted at the people on the shore, “Thank you for your generous sponsorship. I, along with our Captain Jolyne, will definitely have a great time at the Pleasure District! Ha ha ha ha…”
With a whoosh, he and Robin soared into the air, catching up with the still-nearby massive pleasure ship.
The departure of the two left the shore in uproar.
“What does that boy mean?” The man who had previously looked longingly at the pleasure ship was now shocked, “Chopper and Jolyne—aren’t they the pirates with the 100 Million Belly bounty from a while ago?”
“Wow!! You Marines actually sponsored pirates to enjoy themselves at the pleasure ship?! Can I get a bit of that…”
“I misjudged you, filthy Marines!!”
“Hey, isn’t anyone surprised about how those two kids walked in the air…”
“I really want to board that pleasure ship…”
“Who cares about that? The Marines are useless!! Not only can they not catch two little pirates, but they’re also giving them money to enjoy themselves?!!”
Marine Colonel Yamakaji, known for his gentle demeanor, listened to the crowd’s misunderstandings with a helpless expression on his face before he patiently tried to explain the situation.
Smoker was infuriated, his head literally smoking as he roared, “Enough! Do you believe everything pirates say? Who’s funding them? It’s obvious that this nonsense is fake!!”
“Oh yeah? Are you still threatening us?” The crowd grew even angrier, their emotions boiling over. Some men who had disembarked from the pleasure ship were trying to mediate, their faces showing signs of calmness.
“Smoker, how can you speak to everyone like this?” Yamakaji said in a deep voice, holding back the impulsive Smoker. After all, he was only 15 years old. Though he was exceptionally talented, he was still just a teenager, much like that Giorno.
But Giorno was younger than Smoker, yet somehow much stronger…
Colonel Yamakaji, reflecting on this, took a long drag from his cigar.
Smoker, still smoking with rage, said, “Colonel Yamakaji, why did you stop me earlier? I could have used the Smoke-Smoke Fruit to catch up!!”
“That’s a pleasure ship, Smoker,” Yamakaji said, waving his hand to disperse the smoke. His expression grew more melancholic. “These gray industries can’t be explained easily with just a few words…”
“What are you talking about? Those pirates are already on that ship!” Smoker was bewildered, his worldview shaken.
Yamakaji replied with frustration, “That’s why I said it’s not something that can be explained easily…”
“So, we can’t chase them because they’re on that ship?!” Smoker raised his voice, “What kind of ridiculous rule is that?!”
Yamakaji, trying to remain calm, said, “Smoker, we’re stationed on this island’s branch. That ship is outside our jurisdiction…”
“Then whose jurisdiction is it? I want to transfer there!” Smoker was fuming, unable to contain his anger. It was bad enough that he couldn’t defeat a girl, but to let them escape so brazenly was a serious blow to his Marine spirit! Justice should triumph over evil, but now evil seemed to be taking refuge in another less glamorous place.
Yamakaji paused, shaking his head.
Seeing this, Smoker suppressed his anger, the smoke around him gradually dissipating. He questioned, “So… does only the Headquarter have the authority to handle matters on their pleasure ships?”
Yamakaji took a deep drag from his cigar, his expression grim. He thought to himself, why does he have to ask about this frustrating matter?
Finally, under Smoker’s calm gaze, Yamakaji shook his head and said, “The Pleasure District’s operations… are related to the World Noble. Beyond that, I really can’t say much.”
World Noble…
Smoker was stunned by this revelation.
For a moment, it felt as if the world before him had changed filters.
The vibrant and colorful world turned back to a grayscale reality.
Memories of the World Noble’s lavish and excessive lifestyle, which he had only heard rumors about before, resurfaced in his mind…
Smoker silently watched the pleasure ship receding into the distance.
Was the Pleasure District… an industry created to serve the hedonistic desires of the World Noble?
“Which direction is that pleasure ship heading?” He asked a passerby.
The man he grabbed, irritated, adjusted his clothes and said, “It’s heading to the Sabaody Archipelago! What do you want to know?”
………………
Back to the earlier moment.
Clang! Clang! Clang!…
Liam and Robin, using Geppo, caught up with the pleasure ship, gracefully landing on the deck like birds.
Meanwhile, behind a window in the ship’s cabin, Stussy lowered the curtain and muttered to herself, “What an impressive little brother… What do you think, Father?”
On the sofa in the room, the old priest was playing with the flamboyant younger sister, clearly not listening to Stussy’s murmurs.
……
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