After fooling Cassius, Kuro breathed a sigh of relief.
He was a member of the 153rd Division of the Navy.
Yes, it's the branch ruled by the axe-wielder Monka.
It was also Luffy's first stop.
Zoro's capture signifies the start of the story. In the next few days, Luffy will arrive there, defeat Morgan, and liberate the 153rd branch, which is under strong control.
He didn't want to have anything to do with Luffy.
Anyone who's likely to cause trouble will be blacklisted by him, and he'll never see them again.
Otherwise, why would he frequently request to lead patrol ships out to sea? Wouldn't it be better for him to stay safely at the branch until he dies?
Furthermore, what if the plot changes if we go back now? What if Zoro doesn't stick with Luffy? Wouldn't Luffy then have to search for a new crewmate in the East Blue?
What if he doesn't find someone suitable? What if he stays in the East China Sea for too long?
Given his troublemaking nature and strength, if he really caused trouble in the East China Sea, very few people could handle him. If it got to the point where I had to arrest him, wouldn't the matter never end?
What if he gets hurt and Garp gets entangled with him? What if his strength is exposed and he gets conscripted to headquarters and then sent to the New World to arrest pirates? Wouldn't that be incredibly troublesome?
He wasn't afraid; he simply didn't want to change the plot.
Yes, that's it.
A day later, the warship arrived at the location described on the treasure map.
"Sergeant, it's Garmorro Island."
On the bow deck, Sergeant Cass held binoculars, looking at a ring-shaped volcano island ahead, and said to Kuro beside him.
Upon hearing this, Kuro felt completely relieved.
He had visited Garmorro Island two years ago and bought supplies there. It's just an ordinary town on the island; there's no way there could be any treasure there.
That means there is no danger.
"Sergeant, there's a pirate ship!"
Suddenly, Cass shouted.
"What flag?" Kuro asked hastily.
"A relatively unknown pirate flag... the bounty should not be high."
Kuro believed him. Cass was a very serious person, and he remembered wanted posters just as well as bounty hunters. If he said the bounty wasn't high, then it wasn't high.
It's safe now.
"Fire! Sink it!" Kuro said.
Boom boom boom!
The cannons fired, and several cannonballs landed near the pirate ship. One of the cannonballs hit the pirate ship and exploded.
There was no movement from the other side.
The pirate ship seemed to be deserted.
Several more cannonballs were fired, but the pirate ship remained motionless. If there were pirates on board, they should have started moving by now.
However, Kuro had no intention of stopping the cannon; if it could be sunk, why not?
After more than a dozen shells were fired, one of the warship's shells hit the enemy's ammunition depot, causing an explosion, and the ship slowly sank.
Through the telescope, Kuro saw that there was no sign of any living people on the ship.
As the warships approached, a group of marines boarded small boats and went to the wreckage of the pirate ship. After examining it, the marines returned and reported back.
"Sergeant, there is no one or anything on the ship. It's an empty ship."
"Got it, then don't worry about it. Let's dock and go check out the town."
Kuro nodded and gave instructions to the Navy.
The small town on Germora Island is located at the foot of the mountain near the volcano. Kuro and his men stopped as soon as they landed.
"Sergeant, what's wrong?"
Seeing that Kuro's expression was off, Cass asked.
"Send a team forward to scout ahead and be aware of any dangers."
Something's not right.
It's so desolate.
Kuro is cautious in his actions, and he remembers every island he visits.
This island was completely different from the one he had visited a few years ago; the vegetation had obviously increased a lot, and there were no traces of animals to be found.
The Four Seas, with their relatively stable weather, are not as unpredictable as the Grand Line, and there is no way for an island to undergo such rapid transformation within a few years.
The current vegetation is clearly the result of a lack of animal ecological cycles, leading to its rampant growth, and this only applies to inedible vegetation.
Kuro hadn't seen a single decent wild vegetable along the way.
There were no traces of large animals nearby, so it didn't seem like any ferocious beasts had moved in.
Soon, Kuro arrived in the town.
A few years ago, this small town was quite populated, and the houses were very clean.
But now, he sees various plants growing on the houses. He remembers there were fields nearby, but now more than half of them are abandoned.
At the intersection, several thin, pale-faced children were squatting there playing games. When one of the children saw the approaching people, he paused for a moment and then ran into the town.
"The Navy, the Navy is here!"
The doors to the houses opened, and the townspeople came out and gathered around Kuro and his companions.
The townspeople were also emaciated, looking like they had been starving for a long time. A frail old man walked up to Kuro, suddenly knelt down, and cried, "Marine, please save our town!"
As the old man knelt down, the remaining townspeople followed suit, sobbing uncontrollably.
Kuro looked at the old man and asked uncertainly, "Mayor Mendel?"
...
At the mayor's house, Kuro sat in a chair, observing his home.
They were truly destitute.
He came here a few years ago, but back then the mayor's family was still very wealthy.
"No rush, eat slowly. There's still some left on the boat if you're not full," Kuro said kindly, watching the mayor wolf down his food across from him.
"Uh-huh."
The mayor kept nodding, but his hands didn't slow down.
These people were starving. When they saw the navy coming, the first thing they did after kneeling down was to ask for food.
Fortunately, Kuro brought a lot of food.
With safety as its top priority, Kuro will naturally make thorough preparations for its sea patrols.
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