Amid the cheers of the people, Ace led his navy officers to escort the captured pirates towards the navy branch.
The people on both sides of the street spontaneously made way for them, and everyone's faces were 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 would occasionally invade Rogue Town and attack islands with great fanfare.
But since Ace and Sabo took charge, the pirates dared not loudly reveal their pirate identities 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.
Rogge Town 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, and its political significance is far beyond people's imagination.
A golden signboard of the Navy Headquarters was thus erected.
After Ace and his men left, 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.
Street vendors also brought 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. Everyone seemed to have become accustomed to those scenes.
A tall figure in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of a stall selling fruit juice drinks. The owner, a local man in his early 40s, raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw the man's attire. A flattering smile suddenly appeared on his face as he asked, "Who are you?"
"Sir, 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 them warmly, but his eyes were looking up and down at the man in the black robe in front of him.
Several vendors around here also cast scrutinizing glances at this place.
"What is this blue juice?"
The man in black robe slowly raised his head, reached out for a large cup of 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 Tsugikoku Yuichi's face in a daze. After a moment, he immediately realized his mistake and smiled as he introduced, "Mulberries, mixed with some sugar water, shipped from the Tata Kingdom. They just arrived this morning and are fresh!"
The boss was very sincere and spoke in a high-spirited tone, full of pride, when introducing his products.
When he saw Tsugikoku Yoshiichi dressed in a black robe, he was actually already alert and mentally prepared 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 also made the boss feel at ease.
"Tata Kingdom?"
The Tata Kingdom mentioned by the boss was an agricultural kingdom located southwest of Rogue Town, about five days' sailing journey away, and it was rich in fruits and fish.
The fact that the products there can actually be found on street stalls in Rogue Town demonstrates the development of trade and prosperity of the economy here.
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 Rogue Town shows that the sea routes are open 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 Yoriichi Tsugakuin. Because the enemy was too weak, Yoriichi could not figure out the depth of Ace's current strength, but what was certain was that Ace, as a navy, 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.
"Guests? Guests?"
"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."
Seeing that Jiguo Yuanyi was a little absent-minded, the boss 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 is recyclable. If you don't throw it away after drinking, you can exchange it for 20 Baileys."
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 way to start a conversation and asked casually.
"Hey! Young man, judging by the way you're asking, you look like 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, right?"
"Catching pirates is indeed not uncommon in our Rogue Town, but the truth of the matter may be a little different from what you imagine."
"The navy will only be dispatched if the pirates are causing trouble on the island."
"It was the navy who discovered the pirates' hidden identities and chose to take action!"
"I'm afraid you don't see things like this in other places, do you?!"
Yuichiro's question also got the boss talking. 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 the civilians and start doing evil. The navy will only go out after receiving this information.
Before this, the navy would not choose to attack if they only received intelligence about pirate sightings.
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 spare capacity to actively pursue pirates, and it is already a remarkable political achievement for the branches in the four seas to maintain stability in one area.
If you are 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, it was the navy's job to protect the people, and actively pursuing pirates was 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 lower-level navy and the pirates is a real hand-to-hand fight with real guns and swords.
We all have one life, and if we are shot, we will die.
The number of pirates far exceeds the number of ordinary navy officers in the navy 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 with 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 navy officers 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 still have the energy to dig out the hidden pirates and strike them. Such a thing is actually hard 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 do so.
"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, ever since Eski came to Rogue Town, many more people have come to settle down and travel to our town."
“Commerce has become more developed.”
"The town wasn't this lively before. This is all thanks to Ace Land."
"Alas, it's a pity that I don't have a daughter, otherwise I would definitely marry my child to him!"
The owner of a nearby jewelry stall also came over, speaking words of praise, and it was obvious that she was someone who loved being in 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, from every aspect, that Ace and Sabo had excellent 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 took it and was about to turn around and leave when the vendor hurriedly called out to Jiguo Yuanyi:
"Brother, don't rush to leave."
"I'm giving you a pancake. I just made it a while ago, but something went wrong. The previous customer left~"
"It'll get cold if you keep it here, so I'll give it to you!"
As he spoke, the boss handed a pancake wrapped in leaves to Yunyi 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. Is this... touching?
When was the last time I felt this kind of emotion? I think it was 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 Yoshiichi felt this kind of emotional fluctuation called touching since he came into this world.
He has always been an emotional person, and in fact some small things can make Ji Guoyuan feel such emotions.
But since then, Yunyi has never felt it again.
"Thanks."
Ji Guoyuan reached out to take the pancake handed to him by the boss, and then disappeared into the crowd.
Looking at Jiguo Yuanyi's departing figure, the boss couldn't help but murmur:
"He's 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 Branch of the Navy.
Sabo, who was doing deductions on the nautical chart, had a serious expression on his face, and his focused look exuded a unique charm.
“Boom!!!!”
"Sabo, I'm back!"
Suddenly, a loud shout made Sabo subconsciously shudder. He then raised his head and looked towards the door. Ace rushed into the office, threw the long sword in his hand on the sofa, closed the door, and lay down on the sofa, looking lazy.
“Be gentle!”
“It’s like this every time!”
“How many times do I have to say this!!”
Sabo, startled, shouted angrily. Although his words were full of protest, there was no anger on his face.
"Hey, sorry~"
"How's the investigation going on with that matter?"
"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 haven't been any reports of pirate sightings from the Marine 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 former navy officer."
"Since he's a former navy officer, he shouldn't be passing 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."
Talking about business, Sabo quickly got into the state and told Ace the information he had been able to obtain so far.
"Since Bell-Mel's former navy identity has been confirmed, let's go to the 16th branch and investigate."
"Apply to the headquarters for a transfer order!"
After hearing this, Ace made a decision quickly without any hesitation.
However, upon 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'll need to send someone higher up from headquarters."
Before Sabo could finish, Ace jumped up from the sofa and interrupted directly:
"Why bother with that?"
"Since there's 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)
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