"Isn't there any other way, Sengoku?"
Zephyr's gaze was filled with unease as he stared out at the endless, desolate sea. His voice was heavy with concern.
"You're the 'Resourceful General'... You must have something."
With no leads at all, trying to find a single person in the vast, ever-changing climate of the New World was harder than climbing to the heavens. That's why so many pirate crews, risking total annihilation, still chose to dive 10,000 meters below the surface to pass through the base of the Red Line and enter the New World.
With unclear routes and countless unexplored islands, unless a pirate crew held fixed territory, even the World Government and Marine Headquarters—with all their intelligence networks—struggled to track them in these waters.
"Oh? I thought you said I was brain-dead now?" Sengoku replied, squinting and pouting.
Zephyr's mouth twitched, his smile turning stiff.
Tch, how petty.
Sengoku shook his head.
"Truth is, this search shouldn't have been this difficult."
"Normally, students from the Officer Training Camp are considered key prospects by the Marines. To ensure their safety, they're registered at Headquarters—and they leave behind Vivre Cards."
"With a Vivre Card to guide us, even here in the New World, finding Daren would've been relatively easy."
"But leaving a Vivre Card isn't mandatory. And let's be honest—how many of your students do you think actually left one at HQ?"
His tone was laced with helplessness, and he glanced instinctively at Borsalino standing beside him.
The latter seemed to be completely spaced out, pretending not to notice the look.
Zephyr sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Other students were one thing—most officers still cooperated and followed orders, staying within military discipline.
But expecting guys like Sakazuki, Borsalino, or Dragon to leave behind a Vivre Card that essentially exposed their location?
Those "monster" talents naturally had certain "privileges" that others didn't.
As long as their actions didn't severely impact the Marines or call their loyalty into question, Marine HQ tended to look the other way.
"So now we're stuck going island by island? How long is that going to take?"
Zephyr gritted his teeth, fists clenched tightly.
Sengoku wasn't any less troubled. Hands behind his back, he paced across the deck, brow furrowed in frustration.
Even he couldn't come up with a solid plan in this situation.
"Maybe... we could try looking into the underworld?"
At that moment, Borsalino, who'd been spacing out the entire time, suddenly spoke in his usual slow drawl.
Sengoku and Zephyr both blinked, turning toward him.
"Borsalino, what do you mean?"
Borsalino smiled lightly.
"Just a guess, really... But if the Beasts Pirates' main force is holed up in Kaidou's stronghold, there's no way they can handle all their supplies alone."
"Plus, Kaidou's been fueling wars across the New World these past few years. A lot of war-torn countries are getting weapons he's smuggling. That means he must have some connections with underworld trafficking rings."
"If we can trace that link... maybe we'll find something."
Sengoku and Zephyr's eyes went wide.
"This..."
"Borsalino..."
Without warning, Zephyr clapped Borsalino hard on the shoulder, eyes lighting up.
"You really are a genius!"
He turned to Sengoku with a mocking grin.
"See that, Sengoku? You're always giving Borsalino a hard time, but look who came up with the first solid lead!"
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
Battlefield tactics, strategy, leadership under pressure—those were what earned him the title of "Resourceful General." That was his true strength.
But now wasn't the time to bicker with that loudmouth Zephyr.
With a breakthrough at hand, Sengoku quickly pulled out a nautical chart. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleamed as he scanned the map.
Soon, he locked onto a target.
"This island... it's the nearest transit hub along our current route. Places like this are always crawling with illegal underworld operations."
His voice was low and serious.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move!" Zephyr urged.
Just the thought that Daren might be suffering under Kaidou's hand made his heart burn with urgency.
Every hour they wasted, Daren endured another hour of pain—another step closer to danger.
...
Physique +0.06
Physique +0.05
Physique +0.04
Physique +0.03...
In the dark, damp prison, Rogers Daren's bloodshot eyes gleamed as he endured the agony of the Mummy Virus. Even through the pain, he could clearly feel his physical stats rising at a rapid pace.
His whole body trembled as he let out a low, guttural growl. Veins bulged across his flushed skin like crawling centipedes.
He clenched his jaw, barely holding back a laugh.
Not far off, Bullet was also steaming, his entire body radiating white heat as if he were about to combust.
"Hehehehe... Feel that? This is a 70% dose of the Mummy Virus! The pain you're feeling now is twice what it was seven days ago!"
The pudgy, suspender-wearing Queen looked down at the two of them sprawled on the ground like dying dogs. His face twisted into a sly, gloating grin as he proudly puffed out his belly—and even broke into a little celebratory jig.
After days of testing, he believed he had finally collected the perfect data.
Queen was convinced that with the results from these experiments, he could further refine and upgrade the viruses he had developed—boosting their toxicity, contagion, and overall destructive impact on the human body.
As for these two? Judging by their near-death states and the overwhelming weakness pouring off of them, they probably couldn't hold out much longer... right?
"Why don't you two think it over one more time..."
Queen lit a cigar with a flourish, taking a deep, satisfied puff.
"If you just agree to join the Beasts Pirates, you won't have to go through this kind of punishment anymore."
Daren, panting heavily, gave a twisted grin.
"Oh? Honestly, this punishment just feels like a mild itch to me."
Bullet sneered, just as defiant.
"If you've got the balls, let us out."
Queen shrugged, snorting with amusement.
"Tch, still running your mouths."
Knock knock knock...
Just then, someone rapped on the iron door of the prison.
A Marine with a horned helmet poked his head in.
"Queen-sama, the transport ship's back. This time it brought a ton of the experimental gear you asked for."
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake