chapter 76

"Are you bounty hunters? What does Silver Rayleigh have to do with you?" Sengoku remained silent for a moment before continuing to ask.

"Bounty hunters? No, no, no... Our goal is not that simple. As I mentioned before, our hunter guild takes on various tasks. We accept tasks from pirates as well as from the Marines. For example, someone might offer a reward for the life of a Marine dog, or attack a certain Marine branch..." Mu Feng replied nonchalantly.

"You guys! Is this going against the Marines?" Sengoku asked, anger evident in his voice.

One could feel the anger Sengoku was suppressing at the moment. If it weren't for the phone worm, Sengoku would have likely shot Mu Feng directly.

"Marshal Marshal, the Marines cannot accuse the good guys wrongly. The Hunter's Guild simply posts missions. If anyone annoys the Marines, you can arrest them and send them to the Great Undersea Prison. Our Hunter's Guild will never protect them," Mu Feng clarified.

After a brief pause, Mu Feng continued, "But, Lord Marshal, there's no need to worry. For example, if there was a mission to kill you, the starting price would be ten Logia Devil Fruits. I don't think anyone, except those idiots in Mary Geoise, would take up the offer. And to take on a Marine Admiral, it would cost at least four or five Logia Devil Fruits, otherwise it would be too low. As for lieutenant generals and major generals, the price would depend on their strength..."

"Shut up!!" Sengoku growled, cutting off Mu Feng's tirade. Sengoku, sitting in his office as Marshal of the Marines, had veins popping on his forehead.

"Where is Silver Rayleigh? What does he have to do with you?" Sengoku demanded.

This was a question he needed a clear answer to. The situation with the Hunter's Guild was still unclear, but if the remnants of the Roger Pirates were involved, it could potentially create another Four Emperors-level force. And the last thing they needed was another powerful force emerging in the ocean.

"Silver Rayleigh, he was captured by me as a caretaker," Mu Feng replied with a smile. "Rest assured, our Hunter's Guild has nothing to do with the Roger Pirates." Mu Feng was aware of Sengoku's concerns.

Rayleigh, who had been standing beside Mu Feng, suddenly disappeared into thin air and reappeared with a confused expression.

Then he looked at Mu Feng with a resentful gaze. "I was just a caretaker when I was captured with you. I told you it would take three or four months for me to disappear. After all, I was the deputy captain of the One Piece, not a caretaker!"

Rayleigh only realized this at that moment, thinking back to all the things he had experienced with the Roger Pirates. "Damn it, Roger, you old bastard, you treated me like a caretaker too..." Rayleigh muttered to himself.

"Marshal, do you have any other questions? I'm going to hang up now... The red-haired guy hasn't paid his bill yet. I need to collect the debt quickly," Mu Feng said. "And please, Marshal, I'm not a pirate... Don't put a bounty on me. Otherwise, if I think the Marines consider me a pirate, I might just attack Naval Headquarters. Believe me, I can take on Big Mom. And if I run, I could even cripple Naval Headquarters."

"Are you threatening the Marines?!" Sengoku, no longer able to contain his anger, roared.

Mu Feng's words were nothing short of a blatant threat.

"Oh... yes, so what!?" Mu Feng replied casually.

After saying that, he tossed the phone worm to Nice, who was standing nearby. He smiled and said, "Major General, how about we have a discussion? We're heading to the Red Hair Sea, and it's still a long journey. Why don't you give me your battleship... I have a small boat that you can use while waiting for reinforcements. Hurry up, Kizaru should be able to arrive in half a day." Mu Feng, being a Marine Admiral, naturally knew where Kizaru was.

Then, almost effortlessly, he grabbed Nice and the Marines on the battleship and transferred them to his own boat.

With Rayleigh and the others on the battleship, they set sail towards the Red Hair Sea.

Watching the warship sail away, Nice couldn't help but feel helpless.

"Senju Hashirama, regarding the Hunter's Guild, I hope..." Sengoku, on the other end of the phone worm, fell into deep thought before speaking.

"Marshal Sengoku, it's me, Nice," Nice cautiously spoke up.

"Nice!? Where's Senju Hashirama? Hand him the phone worm," Sengoku demanded.

Nice looked somewhat distressed as he replied, "Um... Senju Hashirama has left. He took our battleship and left. Now the soldiers and I are crowded onto a wooden boat. Please... Marshal Sengoku, give us your instructions."

Nice wanted to request support, but he couldn't find the words, and Sengoku was already furious.

"He took the Marine battleship and left!?" Sengoku wanted to shout, but then realized that Nice was still on the other end of the phone worm. He suppressed his anger and said, "Major General Nice, wait for support in your current position. Admiral Kizaru will arrive in half a day."

...

After saying this, Sengoku hung up the phone worm, and Nice let out a sigh of relief.

In Marshal Marine's office, Sengoku, who had hung up the worm, narrowed his eyes slightly. It was a subconscious action he made when deep in thought. He muttered to himself, "Hunter's Guild? Senju Hashirama? Why have I never heard of them... If they can defeat Charlotte Linlin, their combat power is undoubtedly at the level of the Four Emperors. But even after looting the warship, they didn't kill Nice. It seems they don't have much malice towards the Marines, and there might still be room for negotiation."

...

In the waters of the Red Hair Pirates' territory.

The Red Hair Pirates had been engaged in a fierce battle with the Beasts Pirates for three days.

Led by Kaido, the Beasts Pirates attacked relentlessly, using their two calamities to their full extent. They had almost exhausted all of their combat power, aiming to eliminate the Red Hair Pirates once and for all.

However, the Red Hair Pirates were not ones to back down. The death of Jack, one of the "disasters," had left the Beasts Pirates without one of their high-end fighters. Over the course of three days, the Red Hair Pirates grew stronger and fiercer. They had pushed the Beasts Pirates to the brink of defeat.

Author's note: Ah, ah, ah... Today there are four more chapters, and this is the second one.