Marines/Roger/???  

"You're late, Sengoku," Zephyr remarked, his tone relaxed as he greeted Sengoku who had arrived from Mary Geoise.

Having departed a few days later, Sengoku's arrival was similarly delayed, causing him to miss the battle with Kanata and her crew.

With Sengoku present, the outcome might have been different. Even if it was just hindsight, Zephyr couldn't help but think so.

He wanted to pursue them immediately, but with all the warships sunk, there was no way to give chase. So he decided to wait for Sengoku.

"They escaped even with you there, Zephyr?" Sengoku questioned.

"Yeah. Her strength was enough to make me understand why she managed to throw you into the sea and escape. She's a genius. If she had joined the Marines, she could have aimed for the position of Admiral in the future," Zephyr replied.

However, climbing the ranks in the Marines required a proper background and education.

Garp might seem like he did things haphazardly, but he possessed the necessary knowledge.

Zephyr took a sip of water, settled back into the sofa, and thought about the girl he had crossed fists with.

"The fact that she could outsmart both you and me shows she's got brains. She can use Haki, she's a Logia Devil Fruit user, and she's got the strength to back it up. Did you look into her background?"

"Born in the West Blue, one of the founders of the George Family when they established themselves as merchants six years ago... but there's no record of her before that," Sengoku answered.

"No record? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. We've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of a child named 'Ka-na-ta' before that."

"...She's sixteen now. The Marines have records of her starting her activities as a merchant six years ago."

Her name was mentioned in a pirate damage report handled by Garp. That man might be careless, but his subordinates were meticulous with their paperwork. It was a record that indicated she had just begun her activities as a merchant.

Zephyr stroked his chin and furrowed his brows. "No record before the age of ten, huh... That woman is full of mysteries."

"We don't have records of orphans that far back, so it's probably around that time," Sengoku speculated.

"Even so, a ten-year-old girl being one of the founders of a merchant family? There's definitely something there."

Marx Island, where there should have been plenty of evidence and records, had been reduced to ashes by the Marines, albeit under orders from the World Government. Obtaining information from there was impossible.

Thinking about it, it could only be considered a failure, but for the World Government, appearances were everything.

The Marines, despite having a Vice Admiral as an escort, had suffered a major blow to their reputation with such a significant incident. Fleet Admiral Kong must have had a headache.

Sengoku sat down across from Zephyr, poured water from a pitcher into a glass, and took a gulp.

"What are your impressions after actually fighting her?"

"Her Armament Haki is strong enough to clash head-on with me, and her Observation Haki is just a step behind mine. You said she can use Conqueror's Haki too, right?"

"...She wasn't that strong when I fought her. My Armament Haki was overwhelmingly stronger, and so was my Observation Haki."

"Even so, that little girl outmaneuvered you. A clever Devil Fruit user is a real pain."

Even back then, Sengoku was exceptionally strong among the Vice Admirals. To outsmart him, knock him into the sea, and escape was no small feat.

It wasn't something that could be dismissed as mere luck. The fact that a fifteen-year-old girl managed to escape from Sengoku surprised everyone at Marine Headquarters. And now she had also escaped from Admiral Zephyr.

The Marines couldn't overlook this.

"It seems a new wanted poster has been issued, but her bounty didn't increase much," Zephyr remarked.

"I think it could have been raised more, but the concern is that if it gets too high, she'll attract attention and become a 'figurehead'," Sengoku explained.

A high bounty didn't necessarily equate to strength. It was a measure of the level of threat posed to the World Government, so there were cases where someone with little combat ability had a high bounty.

However, this wasn't one of those cases. Kanata had defied and even killed a Celestial Dragon, escaped from a Marine Vice Admiral, and remained hidden for a year without being found. And now she had even evaded a Navy Admiral.

Sengoku sighed and leaned back against the sofa, gazing at the ceiling as he muttered, "This is just me thinking out loud, but the Celestial Dragons do make a lot of enemies."

"...Ah, I see..." Zephyr understood.

No matter who gathered under her banner, the government feared that Kanata would become a figurehead for those who had been wronged by the Celestial Dragons.

An anti-government force, or perhaps a revolutionary army. If such a thing came to be, the World Government would have to prioritize fighting them above all else.

That's why the World Government deliberately kept her bounty low and entrusted her capture to the Marines. Dispatching Sengoku to assist Zephyr was a manifestation of that intention.

However...

"If that's the case, then what's with the 'Only Alive' condition? Is it for a public execution?" Zephyr questioned.

"That seems to be a request from Saint Donquixote Homing, the younger brother of the slain Saint Donquixote Chrysaor. The government apparently approved it since they planned to hold a public execution anyway," Sengoku explained.

"The younger brother... wants to take revenge with his own hands?"

"No. I don't know why, but he wants to 'talk' to the 'witch' once."

"Talk? ...I don't understand what the Celestial Dragons are thinking."

Zephyr sighed and leaned back against the sofa.

Sengoku sat up and placed another wanted poster on the table – the one for Feiyun, the "Giant Shadow."

The photo showed Feiyun in her giant form, lifting a warship above the sea, making it look like a toy. They were roughly the same size. She could be called a humanoid giant battleship.

"Anyway, it seems she has subordinates who aren't pushovers either. Even if you and I team up, we can't let our guard down," Sengoku warned.

"Yeah... it was quite a sight to see her in person. I was so surprised I just stared with my mouth open," Zephyr admitted.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the photo either. I never imagined there could be a human that large," Sengoku agreed.

She was about ten times the size of a normal giant. Sea Kings of a certain size might have such a physique, but for a giant, this size was unbelievable.

Kanata's ship wasn't particularly large either. It was obvious that her size was due to a Devil Fruit ability.

Even so, in the shallow waters, with only her legs submerged, it would be difficult to completely nullify her powers. The strength she displayed in sinking six warships was a significant threat.

"According to my Observation Haki, there are at least two others who are considerably strong," Zephyr added.

"...They're a real threat. What were they doing on this island?"

"About that..." Zephyr stood up and retrieved some documents from another table. He handed them to Sengoku and sat back down, urging him, "Read it."

Sengoku quickly scanned through the few pages and made a puzzled expression.

"...Manual labor for levee construction? Subjugating dangerous creatures? What does this mean?"

"They hid their identities and earned money through manual labor, and they also took on a request from Prince Cobra to subjugate a dangerous creature, which they successfully eliminated. They've already been paid for both," Zephyr explained.

"Earning money... I thought they were just plundering," Sengoku remarked.

"According to reports, they've been quite well-behaved. They worked normally, earned money, and even became friendly with the construction workers."

It wasn't something pirates would typically do. Of course, they didn't identify themselves as pirates either, so they were tentatively called the "Witch's Crew"... but it was hard to call them outlaws.

Perhaps because of their merchant background, they acted in an orderly manner. There were pirate crews with strict discipline, but pirates this well-behaved were rare. They didn't seem to be harming civilians either.

"Their only crime is the murder of a Celestial Dragon, but that's what makes it such a shame... They're such talented individuals, I wish they were in the Marines," Zephyr lamented.

"It's the worst kind of crime. There's nothing the Marines can do about it now. I do feel some sympathy for them... well, to some extent," Sengoku admitted.

It was a serious matter. Both Sengoku and Zephyr felt sympathy for Kanata. But that was a separate issue. As Marines, they had to capture her. And for that, they needed more forces.

"Berg, the Headquarters Captain who submitted the report, was originally under Garp's command, but I decided to transfer him to my unit for this deployment. He's good with paperwork, and above all, he's strong. With more practical experience, he could rise even higher," Zephyr explained.

"We need all the manpower we can get. I'll request additional reinforcements from Headquarters as well," Sengoku replied.

"She was apparently heavily injured when she escaped from you, but I couldn't even scratch her when I fought her. We can't let our guard down, Sengoku. Stay sharp," Zephyr warned.

"To think she's grown so much in just a year... I won't let her escape next time," Sengoku vowed, taking another sip of water and renewing his resolve.

***

"Wahahahaha!! Hey Rayleigh, are you drinking!?" Roger boomed, his voice filled with cheer.

"Yeah, I am. You're in quite a good mood today, Roger," Rayleigh observed.

"How could I not be? Kanata is alive, and she escaped from Zephyr this time!" Roger exclaimed, laughing heartily with a drink in hand.

Rayleigh nibbled on a snack as he read the day's newspaper.

Navy Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr and the "Dragon-Slaying Witch" Kanata clashed off the coast of Sandy Island in the Alabasta Kingdom. They sank nine warships and escaped.

Not only had Kanata's bounty increased, but the giant who was presumably her subordinate also had a bounty placed on her head.

"She's about the same size as a warship. That's incredible. Is that also a Devil Fruit ability?" Rayleigh wondered.

"Probably. I'd love to meet her sometime," Roger said.

"If it's her, she'll eventually come to the New World. There's no need to rush," Rayleigh reassured him.

Conquering the first half of the Grand Line wouldn't be difficult for them. The problem would be when they tried to reach Fishman Island.

They would need to coat their ship at the Sabaody Archipelago to descend to Fishman Island, and Marine Headquarters wouldn't miss that opportunity.

After all, Marineford, the town where Marine Headquarters was located, was right next to the Sabaody Archipelago.

It wasn't hard to imagine them deploying a large number of forces, including Admirals.

"Don't worry, she can overcome any opponent," Roger said confidently.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in her. That's unusual for you," Rayleigh commented.

"Yeah. Normally, I'd think, 'What can a little pipsqueak like that do?'" Roger admitted.

But, he continued, pouring sake into his mug and taking a sip, savoring the taste as he swallowed. He filled Rayleigh's empty mug and said with a grin, "This is just a hunch. And my hunches are usually right, aren't they, partner?"

"...That's true. Your intuition is eerily accurate. How about becoming a fortune teller?" Rayleigh joked.

"That's boring! I'm happiest when I'm free to be a pirate!" Roger declared, digging into his food.

Rayleigh chuckled and returned his attention to the newspaper. It seemed like the World Government wanted to keep this matter under wraps, but the reporters from the newspaper company were quite spirited.

Now that the bounty had increased so much and their location was gradually becoming known, they would be targeted not only by the Marines but also by bounty hunters.

It was unclear if there were any bounty hunters who would dare to target someone who even a Navy Admiral couldn't capture.

"Fufu... I look forward to seeing you again, Kanata," Rayleigh said with a smile, looking at the wanted poster. He saw a resemblance to someone in the face depicted there.

***

"I haven't heard much about you lately, so I thought you might have kicked the bucket, 'Golden Lion.' What brings you here?" Whitebeard inquired.

"Jihahahaha! You're still as sharp-tongued as ever! But today, I have something I want to ask you, 'Whitebeard'," Shiki replied.

In a corner of the New World, two great pirates were having a conversation aboard Whitebeard's ship, the Moby Dick.

It was a fact that would make the World Government and the Marines faint, but Shiki could fly through the sky thanks to his Devil Fruit ability. He could easily bypass the Navy's blockades.

He lit a cigar, took a puff, and pulled out a recent newspaper from his pocket.

"Come to think of it, Marco mentioned something about a 'remarkable rookie'," Whitebeard thought, stroking his beard, wondering if it was related.

"Look at this. Don't you recognize her?" Shiki asked, pointing at the newspaper.

"This is..."

"Jihahahaha. I was surprised too when I saw it. To think that woman is alive... But that's impossible. She should be dead."

"Yeah, I can vouch for that. She definitely sank into the sea."

"Then who is this?"

A year ago, when Kanata was wanted for killing a Celestial Dragon, they had investigated her thoroughly. They had even sent people across the Calm Belt to search the West Blue in case she was still there.

And now, there was this incident that had once again caused a stir in the newspapers, along with two wanted posters.

Upon seeing the wanted poster with a clearer image of the "Dragon-Slaying Witch's" face, Shiki couldn't sit still and rushed to Whitebeard's ship.

Whitebeard frowned and pondered, then came up with the answer that was most likely correct.

"...Her daughter?"

"Well, that's probably about right. But the next question is who the father is."

"...She was beautiful, but her personality was the worst. There were more people who tried to hit on her and almost got killed than I can count on my fingers and toes," Whitebeard recalled.

"Gyahahahaha! It's true that she was a looker!" Shiki laughed.

"She always wore a mask on the ship. Not many people knew her true face," Whitebeard added.

"But," Shiki said with a grin, "if this little girl is her brat... what are you going to do?"

"There's nothing to do. I'm not a member of that crew anymore. I have no obligation to do anything," Whitebeard replied.

"Is that so... Then I guess I can have her?"

"Do as you please." Whitebeard called for some sake, indicating he had no intention of discussing it further.

Shiki decided to have a drink before leaving and sat down, examining the wanted poster once more.

The woman Shiki knew had a wanted poster, but she rarely showed her true face to anyone. Even among her crewmates, few knew her real appearance, and her origins were a complete mystery. But her beauty and strength were exceptional.

"The more I look at her, the more she resembles... Octavia. To think the brat of the woman who was on Rocks' ship would show up now," Shiki thought.