Chapter 587: Undercurrent in the East China Sea! (2 in 1)

Amid the cheers of the people, Ace led his marines to escort the captured pirates towards the direction of the Marine branch.

The people on both sides of the street spontaneously made way for them, and everyone's face was filled with bright smiles.

The security conditions in Rogue Town were not bad to begin with, but since the arrival of the two "little" leaders, Ace and Sabo, the security environment in Rogue Town has been further improved.

In the past, pirates occasionally invaded Rogue Town and attacked islands with great fanfare.

But since Ace and Sabo took charge, the pirates dared not loudly reveal their identities as pirates in public.

All the pirates hid their identities before landing on the island, and only wanted to quietly complete the supply on the island and then leave quietly, acting very low-key.

Only here can the people truly feel protected by the navy.

When people from other countries and towns travel to Rogue Town, they all express their admiration for the outstanding capabilities of the navy after seeing the security environment here.

The town of Roge has become an important place for the Navy to build its own political benchmark.

Coincidentally, this is the place where the Pirate King Roger was executed. Its political significance is far beyond people's imagination.

A golden signboard of the Navy Headquarters was thus erected.

After Ace led his men away, the bustling streets returned to their former order. The people on the street were still discussing what had just happened, praising Ace's ability and character.

The street vendors also pushed out their trucks, and soon the streets were prosperous again.

"Take a look!"

“Fruit drinks, special snacks~~~”

Watching the bosses' shouting voices echoing in the streets one after another, in just a few minutes, there were no traces of the battle when the navy just captured the pirates on the streets. The people here did not seem too surprised about what had just happened, and everyone seemed to have become accustomed to those scenes.

A tall figure in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of the stall selling fruit juice drinks. The owner was a local man in his early 40s. Seeing the man's attire, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, and a flattering smile suddenly appeared on his face. He asked with a smile:

"My dear guest, what do you need?"

"These juices are freshly squeezed and you won't be able to buy them anywhere else."

"And pancakes, they're delicious, would you like some?"

The boss entertained us warmly, but his eyes were looking up and down at the man in the black robe in front of him.

Several vendors around also cast scrutinizing glances over here.

"What is this blue juice?"

The man in black robe slowly raised his head, reached out for a bunch of large cups filled with blue juice in front of the stall, and asked.

Under the big hood was a young and handsome face. Although this guest did not look like a good person, surprisingly, the face under the black hood did reveal an inexplicable sense of affinity.

"."

The boss looked at Jiguo Yuanyi's face in a daze. After a while, he immediately realized his mistake and smiled and introduced: "Mulberries, mixed with some sugar water, shipped from Tata Kingdom, just arrived this morning, fresh!"

The boss was very honest, and his tone was high and full of pride when he introduced his products.

When he saw Tsugikoku Yoshiichi dressed in a black robe, he was actually already alert in his heart and prepared himself mentally to face trouble. However, he did not expect that the young man under the black robe looked very gentle, and his temperament was completely different from his dress, which made the boss feel at ease.

"Tata Kingdom?"

I had some understanding of the Tata Kingdom mentioned by the boss, which was an agricultural kingdom located about five days' sailing journey southwest of Rogue Town, and was rich in fruits and fish.

The products there can actually be seen on street stalls in Rogue Town, which shows how developed the trade is and how prosperous the economy is.

In the world of One Piece, this is the most peaceful East China Sea, and maritime transportation is also a risky thing.

Different countries have their own local crops for survival. The regional characteristics are actually very obvious, and the regional barriers are also very deep. Apart from the powerful large merchant groups, the only ones who can go out to sea are the ships of the nobles or fishing boats fishing near the coast.

Generally speaking, except for the nobles who would get some "imported" food to satisfy their appetites, it was very difficult for the lower-class people to produce and sell their own food.

The fact that crops from other regions can appear in places like Roge Town shows that the sea routes are unobstructed and the transportation costs have been reduced to a certain extent due to frequent trade.

It can be seen that Ace and Sabo have done an excellent job here.

At the very least, it has created a safe and reliable business environment and smooth sea routes.

Ace's action of catching pirates on the street just now was also seen by Yoshiichi Tsugukuni. Because the enemy was too weak, Yoshiichi couldn't figure out the depth of Ace's current strength, but what was certain was that as a navy, Ace was indeed loved by the people on this island.

His observation Haki could sense the emotions of the people, and he knew that the previous praise and applause for Ace came from the heart, not just for formalities.

"Guest? Guest?"

"Would you like to buy some? I can pour you some to taste first. If you don't like it, you can try other varieties of juice."

The boss saw that Jiguo Yuanyi was a little absent-minded and reminded him in a low voice.

Hearing the shout, Yuan Yi suddenly realized it, glanced at the price tag, and then took out a few coins and handed them to the boss:
"Just mulberry juice."

"I haven't tasted anything like this in a long time."

A gentle smile appeared on Yunyi's face. The boss took the money and immediately smiled happily. He took another bamboo cup from his side and started to work:
"Sir, this cup can be recycled. If you don't throw it away after drinking, you can exchange it for 20 Baileys from me."

The boss's words made Yuanyi stunned. He didn't expect that the cup for juice could be recycled.

However, Yunyi didn't care too much. After all, in such a world, any resources are very scarce. After thinking about it, Yunyi also inquired about the information of Ace and Sabo:

"Boss, I saw the navy catching pirates on the street just now?"

"People on the street seem to be used to it. Does something like that happen often?"

Yunyi found a topic to start the conversation and asked casually.

"Hey! Young man, judging from the way you ask this question, you must be a tourist from out of town, right?"

"The navy leader just now is Colonel Ace, the base commander of our Rogue Town Navy Branch!"

“Cool, huh?”

"Catching pirates is not uncommon in our Rogue Town, but the truth of the matter may be a little different from what you imagine."

"The navy would only be dispatched if the pirates were causing trouble on the island."

"It was because the navy discovered the pirates' hidden identities that they chose to go out!"

"I'm afraid you won't see this kind of thing in other places, right?!"

Yuichiro's question also got the boss talking, and when he mentioned Ace, his words were full of pride.

In fact, Tsugikuni Yoriichi could more or less understand his pride and complacency.

In this ocean, the pirates are actually the more powerful party.

Many times the navy goes out not because they discover the identity of the pirates, but because the pirates attack civilians and start doing evil, and the navy will only go out after receiving this news.

Before this, the navy would not choose to attack if they only received eyewitness intelligence of pirates.

This is not entirely because the navy is afraid of fighting pirates, but because they choose to focus their limited energy on more urgent tasks.

After all, there are only a few naval branches that have the energy to actively pursue pirates, and it is already a remarkable achievement for the branches in the four seas to maintain stability in one area.

If one is unlucky enough to meet a naval base commander like Monka or Colonel Mouse, then people's lives will be really hard to describe.

The sense of pride that welled up in the stall owner's heart at this moment was actually difficult to understand for others. After all, protecting the civilians is the navy's job, and actively pursuing pirates is also within the scope of their duties.

However, only Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who has been in this system, can understand that the navy is sometimes not as strong as they appear, especially in places like the Four Seas.

The power of the branch is not as strong as people imagine, and the ability of the pirates is not as weak as others imagine. The battle between the navy and the pirates is a real hand-to-hand fight. Everyone has one life, and if they are shot, they will die.

The number of pirates far exceeds the number of ordinary navy officers in the naval branch. In this purest hand-to-hand combat, the navy is actually at a disadvantage.

The real elite of the navy are actually gathered in the first half of the Grand Line. Compared to the four seas, the individual strength of the navy there is stronger. Of course, they have to face more and more powerful pirates.

Normally speaking, it is impossible for navies of the strength of Ace and Sabo to appear in a place like Rogue Town. They can launch a dimensionality reduction attack on the pirates in the East China Sea. While maintaining the local security in Rogue Town, they also have the energy to dig out the hidden pirates and strike them. Such a thing is actually rare to see in other places.

Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates roam the sea all year round, and the navy's pursuit often takes place during the time when they land on the island.

Strictly speaking, this is not a dereliction of duty on the part of the Navy, but rather a result of the Navy's inability to cope with the situation.

"Colonel Ace?"

"Hearing what you said, it's really amazing!"

"It must be safe to live on an island like this, right?"

Jiguo Yuanyi added a sentence following the stall owner's words, and his slightly flattering words also made the owner smile.

"Of course!"

"You don't know, since Eski came to Rogue Town, many more people have come to our Rogue Town to settle down and travel."

“Commerce has become more developed.”

"The town wasn't this lively before. This is all thanks to Ace."

"Alas, it's a pity that I don't have a daughter, otherwise I would definitely marry my child to him!"

The lady owner of a nearby jewelry stall also came over, speaking words of praise, and it was obvious that she was a person who enjoyed the hustle and bustle.

Yunyi smiled when he heard this. Being able to hear such sincere praise from the mouths of these grassroots people showed, in every way, that Ace and Sabo were excellent in governance.

And while they were chatting, the mulberry juice was ready, and a full cup of juice was handed to Yuichiro.

"thank you boss."

Jiguo Yuanyi reached out to take it and was about to turn around and leave, but the stall owner hurriedly called Jiguo Yuanyi:

"Brother, don't leave in a hurry."

"I'll give you a pancake. It was made not long ago, but something went wrong. The previous customer left~"

"It will get cold if you keep it like this, so I'll give it to you!"

As he spoke, the boss handed a pancake wrapped in leaves to Yuichiro and greeted him warmly.

His honest and simple appearance made Ji Guoyuan's expression serious, and there were inexplicable fluctuations in his heart.

It seemed like he hadn't experienced such emotions for many years. Was this... touching?

When was the last time I felt this kind of emotion? It seemed to be when Zefa brought me home that year.
At that time, Zefa gave to Yunyi the room that had been empty for countless years and was the place where he placed his longing for his child.

It seemed that this was the first time that Kuniyoshi Yoshiichirō felt this kind of emotional fluctuation called touching since he came into this world.

He has always been an emotional person. In fact, some small things can make Ji Guoyuan feel such emotions.

But since then, Yunyi has never felt it again.
"Thank you."

Ji Guoyuan reached out and took the pancake handed to him by the boss, then disappeared into the crowd.

Looking at the back of Jiguo Yuanyi leaving, the boss couldn't help but murmur:

"He is really a polite and good young man!"

"And he looks very familiar, making me feel like I've known him for a long time."

In the naval branch base in Rogue Town.

Sabo, wearing a military officer's uniform, was sitting upright behind his desk, holding a pen in one hand and doing deductions on the nautical chart on the table. Next to him were some reporting materials against the 16th Navy Branch.

Sabo, who was doing deductions on the nautical chart, had a serious look on his face, and his focused look exuded a unique charm.

"Boom!!!!"

"Sabo, I'm back!"

Suddenly, a loud shout made Sabo subconsciously startle and tremble. Then he raised his head and looked towards the door. Ace walked into the office in a hurry, threw the long knife in his hand on the sofa, closed the door, and lay down on the sofa directly, looking lazy.

"lighter!"

“It’s like this every time!”

"How many times do I have to say this?!"

Sabo was startled and shouted angrily. Although his words were full of protest, there was no anger on his face.

"Hey, sorry~"

"How's the investigation going on?"

"Is it authentic?"

Although Ace said words of apology, there was no apology on his face. Seeing that Sabo seemed to be angry, he immediately smiled and changed the subject.

"I don't know. There has been no reports of pirate sightings from the Navy branch near the 16th branch."

"But this report was sent to us by a retired navy officer on a merchant ship."

"Bellmeier's identity has been confirmed. He was indeed a member of the navy."

"Since he is a former navy officer, he shouldn't pass on false information to us."

"If you want to patrol across regions, you need a transfer order from headquarters."

"So there is no way to confirm the authenticity of the disappearance for the time being."

Speaking of business, Sabo quickly got into the state and told Ace the information he had been able to obtain so far.

"Since Bellmere's former navy identity has been confirmed, let's go to the 16th branch to check."

"Apply for a transfer order from our headquarters!"

After hearing this, Ace made a quick decision without any hesitation.

But after hearing this, Sabo shook his head and said, "It's not as simple as you think. Colonel Mouse, the head of the 16th branch, is at the same level as you."

"He's one level higher than me."

"If we want to investigate, we will need to send someone of higher rank from headquarters."

Before Sabo could finish, Ace jumped up from the sofa and interrupted directly:

"Why do you care about that?"

"Since there is a problem, let's do it first. Wait? How long do we have to wait?"

"Sabo, you stay at home, I'll take someone to check it out!"

(End of this chapter)