Early the next morning, the Wind Rider crossed the Calm Belt and returned to the East Blue.
"After two and a half months, I'm back in the East Blue. Feels like the sea has changed, and so have the people."
"Back then, I was the renowned savior of the entire East Blue and a guest of the Marines."
Caelan looked out at the calm sea, filled with emotion.
"And now, you're the great enemy of the World Government, the notorious villain hunted by the Marines."
Gion spoke quietly, also feeling a surge of emotion.
Just two months ago, Marine Headquarters had considered promoting Caelan as a candidate for Admiral, and she had supported him.
In the blink of an eye, she had been abducted by this brazen man, and now the World Government had placed a bounty on her head.
Just thinking about it made her grit her teeth.
"It doesn't matter who opposes me. I'm still me. I won't change because of others."
Caelan smiled, his tone calm.
Is this what it means to walk your own path…?
Gion pondered Caelan's words silently. As someone from the intelligence branch, she could sense the overwhelming confidence behind them.
Self-centered, moving according to his own will, unaffected by others' opinions.
That kind of mindset was typical of the Yonko ruling the sea.
But compared to them, Caelan showed more compassion for civilians, and he had his own bottom line.
With a personality like his, it was no wonder he clashed with the World Government.
Gion analyzed Caelan's temperament and felt a quiet sense of unease.
Ignoring the dazed Gion, Caelan turned to Nami. "Any news about the Golden Lion?"
"The last reported sighting was at Cozia Island. After that, he disappeared."
Vivi sighed, sounding helpless.
The Golden Lion's pirate crew was airborne, making tracking their location extremely difficult.
"He fights when he wants to, escapes when he wants to. Completely free to advance or retreat. A truly troublesome opponent."
Gion held her forehead, visibly frustrated.
"Don't worry. The Golden Lion's movements are being monitored by the Marines, so his activity range is limited."
"Let's study his previous flight path. Maybe we'll find a clue."
Caelan rubbed his chin and remained calm.
"Right!"
The girls nodded and began analyzing the Golden Lion's path of movement.
Nami, Robin, and the others gathered all known sightings of the Golden Lion and marked them on the map. A winding but clear path took shape.
"Following the route, the next stop would be the Conomi Islands."
"Wait… That's Cocoyasi Village!?"
Nami's pupils shrank as she shouted.
"Cocoyasi Village... That's your hometown, right?"
Vivi tapped her chin, recalling the story Nami had once shared.
"I didn't expect the Golden Lion's next target to be my village. My hometown is in danger."
Nami's expression darkened with worry.
How could he target innocent people?
She had been angry about the Golden Lion's destruction across the East Blue. But now that his path led to Cocoyasi Village, her rage flared several times over.
What had the innocent villagers done to deserve this?
If someone wanted to challenge the world, then face the Celestial Dragons and defy the World Government like Caelan. That was true strength and courage.
Slaughtering civilians just to show off power? What kind of pirate was that?
That so-called "legendary pirate" wasn't even fit to be compared to Caelan.
"Don't worry. Now that we know his destination, we can intercept him."
Tashigi gently rubbed Nami's back, comforting her softly.
"Let's pick up the pace. We're heading for Cocoyasi Village!"
Caelan gave the order to the great shark pulling the ship, and the Wind Rider immediately accelerated.
"Right!"
Seeing everyone rally around her, Nami's spirits lifted.
Nojiko, villagers... please wait for me to come back in time!
…
In the waters near Sambas, aboard a high-speed Marine warship.
Tokikakke, now demoted to Rear Admiral, stood on the bow, practicing swordsmanship. Behind him stood other Vice Admirals. They watched him with mixed expressions.
In the past two days, they had been cleaning up the beasts unleashed by the Golden Lion. It was exhausting.
Tokikakke's intensity was even more extreme. Whenever he had a spare moment, he was training.
"His growth is way too fast!"
Onigumo, a master of the Eight-Sword Style, was stunned as he watched Tokikakke's movements.
Tokikakke's swordsmanship used to be average, nothing noteworthy.
But in just a few days, his progress had become visible to the naked eye, improving drastically by the day.
He had already surpassed Onigumo, and he was still getting stronger.
Even Onigumo couldn't help but feel jealous.
"Envious? If you went through what he did, you might be able to reach that level too."
Momonga leaned over and whispered to Onigumo.
"No thanks!"
Onigumo shuddered and rejected the idea outright.
Tokikakke had lost his beloved and was rejected in love. He had been demoted to Rear Admiral and his career was falling apart.
Onigumo wasn't willing to suffer like that just to grow stronger.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Tokikakke slashed furiously, pouring out all his frustration.
After learning that Gion had been labeled the criminal and was now worth 3 billion Berries, his heart had completely shattered.
He also realized how much Fleet Admiral Sengoku had done behind the scenes to protect him.
Because of that, when the Golden Lion began his rampage and with Sakazuki injured, Garp recovering, Aokiji managing Marineford, and Borsalino on patrol in the New World.
Tokikakke had volunteered to head to the East Blue to deal with the Golden Lion, hoping to redeem himself with merit.
But things weren't going well.
Thanks to the powers of the Float-Float Fruit, the Golden Lion was completely at home in the sky above the East Blue. He could come and go as he pleased.
For two straight days, they had only been able to clean up the aftermath. They hadn't even seen the Golden Lion in person.
This legendary pirate was playing them for fools, and it was humiliating.
The more Tokikakke thought about it, the more frustrated he got. His sword strikes became fiercer, splitting waves with each slash.
Just then, the intelligence officer rushed over.
"Reporting, sirs! The Golden Lion was spotted heading toward the Conomi Islands. Also, Caelan, the God Slayer, was detected in the same direction. He appears to be heading toward the Golden Lion as well!"
The Golden Lion alone was already enough of a headache, even with his legs crippled and his mental state damaged. They still had confidence in dealing with him.
But Caelan was different.
He was a world-recognized Four Emperors-level threat. They had no chance against him.
Even if Caelan was going there for the Golden Lion, what were they supposed to do if they encountered him?
While the Vice Admirals were lost in thought, Tokikakke's voice rang out with resolve.
"Full speed ahead to the Mezoda Islands!"
He stopped his sword practice, eyes burning with murderous intent.
One was the man who stole Gion from him. The other had humiliated him for days.
His sword was already thirsting for blood.
The intelligence officer exchanged looks with the other Vice Admirals, and together they chose to follow Tokikakke's orders.
No matter what, they had to go.
(To be continued.)
***
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