Chapter 981: Forget It, I'll Go In Person
Chapter 981: Forget It, I’ll Go In Person
“Report to Headquarters, Mr. Kuro?”
Klah watched Kuro deep in thought and asked hesitantly.
Kuro rolled his White Eye. “I’m the commander-in-chief of the ‘Sword.’ Gramps gave me the authority—mine is the final decision. What’s the point of reporting to Headquarters? Doesn’t the choice still rest with me? Did that Ethan Kadi say where the ‘Longsword Pirate Crew’ is headed?”
“They’ve only stirred recently. The entire crew hasn’t even departed yet,” Klah replied.
“Purpose? What’s their goal heading into the Grand Line?”
“Unclear. Ethan Kadi didn’t elaborate. He only claimed to be an old pirate from the Longsword Pirate Crew,” Klah said.
“Strength? How large is the Longsword Pirate Crew now?” Kuro pressed.
“Ten thousand strong.”
Klah continued, “This pirate crew has ten thousand members. Regardless of gender, every one is a battle-hardened pirate with considerable strength. According to Ethan Kadi, their captain wields dual-colored Haki and possesses the aptitude of a Conqueror’s Haki—a title held by the strongest captain in history.”
“So, Conqueror’s Haki, huh?”
Kuro fell into thought at those words.
A pirate captain with Conqueror’s Haki and a ten-thousand-strong crew. Judging by the circumstances, this wasn’t some insignificant small fry. Among ten thousand pirates, there must be several high-ranking officers.
Kuro never underestimated pirates from the Four Seas. Many notorious pirates hailed from the Four Seas, and some possessed Haki even without entering the New World. The numbers were low, but not nonexistent. After all, countless retired old pirates returned to the Four Seas, their experience intact.
Allowing them to enter the Grand Line? Not impossible. For a century-old pirate crew with ambitions toward the New World, Kuro would gladly let them through—let them stir up trouble for the New World pirates.
But only if the crew didn’t cause chaos in the Grand Line itself.
Yet, realistically, that was unlikely. A crew of this size would inevitably wreak havoc. If they all surged into the Grand Line, the Marines would expend significant resources to handle them.
After all, the South Sea’s geography, like the East Blue, allows passage to the Grand Line. However, reaching the latter half requires crossing the Red Line unless navigating through the Grand Line’s official routes. If they bypass this and head straight to the New World, it wouldn’t be an issue.
But if they’re denied passage…
Clashing would be inevitable.
This isn’t a simple case where defeating the captain would scatter the crew. Even killing the captain wouldn’t suffice. The Marines would have to eliminate their flag, leadership, and all members to erase the Longsword Pirate Crew completely.
“Forget it, I’ll go in person. Provide Ethan Kadi with support and have him report their position continuously. Also, alert the South Sea Marines to monitor their movements.”
Kuro stood, “Headquarters doesn’t have spare forces for this. I’ll handle it myself. Need to assess the situation firsthand—Ethan Kadi’s intel is too vague. Klah, prepare the ship.”
“Yes, Mr. Kuro,” Klah nodded and left to ready the Golden Lion.
“Lida, let’s move. South Sea awaits.”
“Alright.”
Lida rose from the Golden Lion Tiger’s soft fur, patted its head, and mounted it. “Let’s go, Lick Lick.”
“It’s called the Golden Lion,” Kuro corrected again.
“Roar—”
The Golden Lion Tiger let out a helpless roar, its massive limbs pounding the ground as it strode forward.
For Kuro, reaching the South Sea was straightforward—cross the Calm Belt into the Grand Line, then traverse the other side’s Calm Belt to the South Sea.
Soon, Klah mobilized the Marines and boarded the Golden Lion. The ship set sail toward the South Sea.
After Kuro entered his cabin, Klah placed the Longsword Pirate Crew’s wanted posters and documents on the desk.
The wanted posters formed a thick stack.
Kuro raised an eyebrow at the pile nearly an inch thick. “This many?”
“These are only the crew members with bounties over ten million Beri. Lower bounties weren’t included,” Klah explained.
South Sea indeed. Ten million Beri qualifies as a ‘major pirate’ even in the East Blue. In the South Sea, their strength wouldn’t be weak either. The Longsword Pirate Crew’s numbers were staggering.
“Who’s important?”
“I’ve selected them.”
Klah pulled out several wanted posters. “First, their captain, ‘Longsword’ Robert Henry. His bounty was eighty million Beri eight years ago.”
The poster depicted a cold-faced man with slicked-back hair, sharp eyes, and a longsword held before his face.
Eighty million Beri—extremely high for the South Sea.
Every Longsword Pirate Crew captain inherited the epithet ‘Longsword’ upon assuming leadership. As a legendary South Sea pirate crew, such a bounty was normal. According to Kuro’s knowledge, no Longsword captain ever had a bounty below fifty million Beri.
“This is Ethan Kadi. His bounty is twenty million Beri,” Klah added, presenting another poster.
The image showed a bespectacled, scholarly-looking young man.
“This photo’s outdated, right? From when he first became a pirate?” Kuro asked.
“Most likely. He hasn’t updated it in years,” Klah nodded.
While Ethan Kadi publicly defected after killing a Marine Vice Admiral, the truth was documented in the ‘Sword’ files.
The Vice Admiral’s death was an accident. Headquarters used this as a pretext to let Ethan Kadi defect, infiltrating the Longsword Pirate Crew.
Of course, this couldn’t be disclosed. Previously, only Gramps knew. Now, Kuro alone held the authority.
Besides these two, several Longsword Pirate Crew officers had bounties over twenty million Beri.
Interestingly, all these pirates’ bounties were years old—some posters dated back five years. Recently, only occasional reports mentioned Longsword pirates plundering here and there.
They operated discreetly, a tradition that had kept them standing in the South Sea.
Besides their elusive nature, their low-profile operations were why Headquarters never prioritized eliminating them.
Too many pirates, too few forces. When resources are stretched, dangerous crews take precedence.
With undercover agents tracking their movements, Headquarters deemed them manageable—no need to spare resources.
This situation had persisted for over a century. If they were a threat, they’d have been eliminated long ago. During Sengoku’s tenure, infiltrating an agent was hard-earned. But Sengoku’s era coincided with the height of the Great Pirate Era. There simply wasn’t time.
(End of Chapter)
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