"A few days later, the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue struck again."
"Eliminated the Arlong Pirates and liberated the Conomi Islands!"
Another explosive headline appeared in the East Blue newspapers.
"It's only been a few days, and he already wiped out the Arlong Pirates?!"
The remaining pirates in the East Blue could hardly believe it.
Don Krieg had just been killed a few days ago, and now the Arlong Pirates were destroyed as well.
This was the Arlong Pirates, a powerful crew that had returned from the Grand Line.
Compared to the local tyrant Don Krieg, the Arlong Pirates were much stronger.
Yet in less than a week, the two strongest pirate groups in the East Blue had been eliminated by Caelan.
They really wanted to ask Caelan, don't you need to rest? Are we pirates really so worthy of your attention?
The few remaining pirates in the East Blue were now living in fear, not daring to loot openly.
For a time, the entire East Blue fell into silence.
Days passed without a single report of pirate attacks.
…
"What? The Arlong Pirates were destroyed?"
The villages that had been plundered by the Arlong Pirates were shocked.
The Arlong Pirates' headquarters was located in Cocoyasi Village, but their activities were not limited to that area.
From time to time, they would sail out and raid the surrounding villages.
Hundreds of villages had suffered under their brutality, and tens of thousands of villagers despised them to the core.
It could be said that the Arlong Pirates were infamous throughout the entire East Blue.
"Is it true? Did Lord Caelan really take them down?"
Countless villagers were stunned once again.
They had always known that Caelan was strong, but they never expected him to be this powerful.
In just a few days, the two major tyrants of the East Blue had been eliminated one after the other. The efficiency was unbelievable.
"Lord Caelan is here, and the skies have cleared!"
"Lord Caelan is here, and the pirates are gone!"
"Lord Caelan is here, and we have hope!"
Countless villagers wept with joy, shouting Caelan's name.
Half a year ago, before Caelan arrived, they had been tormented endlessly by pirates.
But in the six months since Caelan appeared, the number of pirates had steadily decreased, and their lives had improved day by day.
Now that both the Krieg Pirates and the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out, there were hardly any pirates left in the East Blue.
The entire East Blue had truly become the weakest sea, where pirates with bounties over three million were now extremely rare.
…
At the East Blue Navy's Office.
Kallen also received the news, but instead of feeling happy, his expression remained troubled. There was still another major issue weighing on his mind.
"Captain Nezumi from the 16th Branch has been missing for several days now, and there's still no sign of him?"
Kallen asked his two subordinates, frowning with concern.
Nezumi was the highest-ranking officer of the 16th Branch. His disappearance was a significant matter for the East Blue Navy.
"There are some clues, but…"
The subordinate looked at Kallen nervously, hesitating.
"It's already come to this and you're still hesitating? Speak!"
Kallen slammed the table, his anger flaring.
"We received information that Captain Nezumi went to Cocoyasi Village and never returned."
"You mean… he was killed by the Arlong Pirates?"
Kallen's tone eased slightly. With the Arlong Pirates destroyed, there was no need to make too much of it.
"It's unlikely. Captain Nezumi had long-standing financial ties with the Arlong Pirates."
The subordinate wiped the sweat from his forehead and cautiously handed over a stack of documents.
"What?!"
"This can't be true!"
"How could a Marine Captain be connected with pirates?!"
Kallen instinctively refused to believe it, but once he looked through the documents, he was stunned.
The contents were shocking.
Nezumi was not only closely associated with the Arlong Pirates, but he also had dealings with many other pirate crews within the jurisdiction.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang! Boom!
Kallen was furious, like an enraged lion.
He slammed the table three times, each strike heavier than the last.
On the third strike, the table couldn't withstand the force and shattered into pieces.
"The day Nezumi went to meet the Arlong Pirates… Caelan was there too!"
The two subordinates gritted their teeth as they reported. They knew just how much Kallen valued Caelan.
Kallen, who had been furious just moments ago, suddenly froze. His anger seemed to dissipate, leaving him silent.
He wanted to deny it instinctively.
Caelan was a bounty hunter. How could he kill a Marine captain? Was he not afraid of making the Navy his enemy?
But thinking about it carefully, Caelan was indeed the prime suspect.
Since debuting in the East Blue, Caelan had eliminated hundreds of pirate crews.
Among them were thousands of individuals with bounties, not to mention the countless small fry without bounties.
Would someone like him really be afraid of the Navy?
The Arlong Pirates were connected to Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Even the Navy had to show them some respect and had never dared to wipe out the Arlong Pirates.
But Caelan had shown no hesitation, killing them without a second thought and completely annihilating the crew.
With that in mind, killing a corrupt Navy officer like Nezumi would be nothing for Caelan.
"Should we issue a bounty?"
The two subordinates asked nervously.
A Marine captain, even if corrupt, was still a member of the Navy. Being killed by an outsider crossed a line the Navy could not allow.
But honestly, they didn't want to become enemies with Caelan either.
He was the hero of the entire East Blue. If they put a bounty on him, the whole sea would erupt in chaos.
Not to mention, Caelan's strength was terrifying.
Even if the entire East Blue Navy joined forces, they might not be able to stop him.
"What kind of bounty are we talking about? Do you think this is something a human could handle?"
The usually refined Kallen couldn't help but curse.
He was certain that if the Navy really put a bounty on Caelan, the man wouldn't hesitate to hunt down Marines as easily as he hunted pirates.
Kallen clearly understood Caelan's terrifying potential.
If they forced him into becoming the Navy's enemy, he might awaken Conqueror's Haki and establish a five-emperor balance in the New World.
Just thinking about that possibility made Kallen shudder.
If the man who had been slaughtering pirates like chickens turned to slaughtering Marines instead, it would be the Navy's worst nightmare.
All of this would happen simply because they executed the wrong judgment over the death of a corrupt officer.
The wave of public opinion would crush the Navy's reputation beyond repair.
"Caelan did not kill Captain Nezumi."
"Captain Nezumi was killed by the Arlong Pirates."
"Caelan remains the hero of the East Blue!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Kallen chose to clear Caelan of any suspicion. He would not allow this incident to drive Caelan into making an enemy of the Navy.
The two subordinates were completely stunned. They couldn't understand how things had turned out like this.
"What are you two standing around for? Spread the word immediately!"
Kallen needed to control the narrative as soon as possible. No one could be allowed to use this as leverage against Caelan.
"Yes, sir! We'll take care of it right away!"
The two subordinates responded quickly.
"Do you know where Caelan is headed?"
Just as they were about to leave, Kallen stopped them again.
"He's on his way to Loguetown, probably to claim the bounty."
The subordinates had already received this information.
"Good. I will personally meet with him and clear up any doubts he may have."
Kallen waved them off, then sat back down, deep in thought, carefully planning how to approach Caelan.
(To be continued.)