Above Pirate King - Chapter 112
When Gion returned to the Marine branch, it was already late at night.
Upon returning to his room, she casually placed the items he bought in Blood Harbor Town to the side.
“Phew…”
Gion let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
“Purupurupurupuru!”
At that moment, the nearby telephone bug started ringing, and Gion abruptly sat up and answered the call.
“Hello!”
“Good evening!” A female voice came from the other end of the line.
“Big Sis Tsuru!” Gion greeted casually.
“Today, you’ve already arrived at the branch, right? How does it feel to be in charge of a branch?” Tsuru asked with a smile.
“I feel… something’s not right!” Gion frowned.
“Oh!? Something’s not right?” Tsuru asked curiously.
“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like this second-in-command, Holt, is too enthusiastic and cooperative!” Gion furrowed his brow.
“Hehe, isn’t cooperation a good thing?” Tsuru chuckled.
“It’s not that it’s bad, but I have this feeling that he has some ulterior motive. Originally, he could have become the base commander of this branch, but now that I’ve been parachuted in, he’s not only not angry but also very enthusiastic in cooperating with me!”
“That’s what makes me feel uneasy. In general, in this kind of situation, even if not angry, his attitude shouldn’t be too good, right? The best-case scenario should be handling business professionally, but the way he is now actually makes me feel uncertain!”
Gion confided everything to Tsuru without any reservation.
“Have you considered the possibility that he’s trying to please you because he knows about your background?” Tsuru chuckled and said.
“Uh…” Gion was taken aback, thought for a moment, and realized that there was indeed such a possibility. However, she still frowned and said, “There may be such a possibility, but I still feel there’s something wrong with him!”
“Hehe!” Tsuru chuckled softly, “In a situation like this, I can’t make a judgment right away, but in the time you’ll be staying there for one or two years, you can observe slowly. No matter what his intentions are, they will naturally reveal themselves over time!”
In fact, if Tsuru wanted to know Holt’s intentions, she had many means at her disposal. However, her goal was to train her sister, so she let Gion observe for herself.
After all, methods could be taught, but there were some things that could only be gained through firsthand experience!
“Okay, I understand!” Gion nodded in understanding. Then, changing the subject, she said, “By the way, Big Sis Tsuru, even though I’ve only been here for a day, I’ve noticed that the situation at this branch is not good!”
“Not good?” Tsuru frowned.
“Yes, although the soldiers in the base are well-trained, not inferior to the soldiers at headquarters, there’s one thing—they, including Holt, frequently go to Blood Harbor Town in the Kingdom of St. Martin and engage in intense battles with the people of the Kingdom of St. Martin!”
Gion paused for a moment and continued,
“I think it’s highly likely that someone among them has been bought off by the Kingdom of St. Martin!”
“Cases of being bribed like this happen more or less in every Marine branch, it mainly depends on how you handle it. If handled well, it’s a good thing; if not, it’s a bad thing!” Tsuru smiled and said.
“A good thing!?” The inexperienced Gion still didn’t understand.
“Yes, a good thing!” Tsuru paused and explained,
“As long as you can roughly identify who the undercover agents are, you can use them to transmit false information. This way, you can gain an advantage and take the upper hand before the battle. Otherwise, you might suffer losses! So, you have to carefully discern them.”
“Oh, I see!” Gion suddenly realized, nodding her head.
“By the way, today you went to Blood Harbor Town and encountered Arthur, didn’t you?”
Did you notice any clues?” Tsuru asked.
“When I finished dinner with Arthur and was about to leave, I suddenly asked him, and his expression was completely blank, as if he had no idea about it! However… I couldn’t tell if he was genuine or pretending!” Gion recalled and furrowed her brow.
“Well, observe carefully in the next few days. If it is indeed the Kingdom of St. Martin, they will set off within these two days. So, these two days are crucial! And if you feel you can’t trust the people in the branch, use the people you brought along for surveillance. Most of the people you brought are my old subordinates, and they can be trusted!” Tsuru said seriously.
During these past few days, the Marine had received information from an undercover agent that the Charlotte family was planning a marriage alliance with a certain kingdom in the West Blue. This alliance was significant for the kingdom in the West Blue, as it involved something important to them.
The undercover agent, being of low status within the Charlotte family, couldn’t gather information on what exactly that important thing was or which kingdom it concerned.
But it didn’t matter. The Marine knew Charlotte Lingling very well. Anything she considered important and even went crazy for must be valuable!
Whatever it was, the Marine wouldn’t easily let her obtain it!
However, the undercover agent didn’t know which kingdom it was, only that it was in the West Blue.
Therefore, the Marine had to deploy surveillance everywhere, monitor all the stronger kingdoms in the West Blue, and conduct strict blockades and searches near the Reverse Mountain, where the Charlotte family resided.
And as for the Kingdom of St. Martin, it naturally fell under the responsibility of Gion, who had just taken office.
“Understood!” Gion casually agreed.
“Don’t take it lightly. The Kingdom of St. Martin is one of the most likely candidates. If it were an ordinary kingdom, the Charlotte family wouldn’t form a marriage alliance but would directly plunder their belongings!” Tsuru’s voice turned serious, and she explained further.
“Only more powerful kingdoms would be chosen by the Charlotte family for a marriage alliance to exchange for valuable things. Similarly, only ambitious kingdoms would form an alliance with a pirate family like the Charlotte family!”
“Okay!” Gion nodded solemnly. Then, as if she remembered something, she said, “By the way, I found a large number of Skypiean Dials in Blood Harbor Town today!”
“We received a similar report at headquarters. The Kingdom of St. Martin has seen a large influx of Dials. While the shells from Skypiea can be used in the Blue Sea, they can only be cultivated on Skypiea, and only Skypiea have such a large quantity of shells. Based on the volume being sold by the Kingdom of St. Martin, there should be a stable channel from a Skypiea to acquire these shells. Pay attention to this and try to identify their source!” Tsuru advised.
“Alright! I understand!” Gion nodded, then couldn’t help but yawn. “Ah…”
“It’s late now. Go to sleep!” Tsuru smiled and said.
“Big Sis Tsuru, you should go to sleep too. If women stay up late at night, they’ll age quickly. I’ve noticed some crow’s feet around your eyes last time!” Gion teased playfully.
“You little brat! Just wait until you come back. I’ll teach you a lesson. Well, go to sleep now!” Tsuru said sternly.
“Okay, goodnight!”
“Goodnight!”
In fact, even goddesses need to use the bathroom!
The next morning, after Gion woke up, she went to the bathroom.
And then, she understood!
Why that hot pot restaurant was called “Spicy Bottom”!
At the same time, she could no longer look at them the same way!
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