Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

Click, click.

The crisp sound of a bullet being chambered echoed through the conference room.

Even Steele, who had initially been dismissive, began to take things more seriously.

Although he was a killing machine for CP9, he was still ultimately a human being.

Even if someone knows the Six Powers of the Navy and Armament Haki, it's not an easy task for them to take on the entire base by themselves.

Moreover, he had no reason and could not possibly attack so many naval soldiers.

Although the World Government and the Navy have a hierarchical relationship, it has little to do with CP9.

If the Navy is in a good mood, cooperating with the investigation is not a problem. However, if CP9 members kill Navy soldiers without cause, they will be subject to extremely severe punishment.

Given the current situation with so many people involved, Steele isn't sure if the World Government will protect him if they take action.

"So, you've decided to rebel against the World Government's rule?"

Steele was now in a difficult position, but he had come under orders from the World Government.

There are naturally sufficient reasons to suppress the navies of these four sea branches.

In his mind, these naval soldiers were utterly incapable of disobeying the World Government's orders.

After a rapid, labored breath, Bellemere stopped Duncan beside her with one hand.

Then he said in a hoarse voice:

"We have no intention of rebelling against the World Government, but your actions just now will be seen as a provocation against the Navy."

"I will not answer your questions until you provide a reasonable explanation."

"I am Private First Class Bellmer of Branch 127. You have no right to interrogate me without an arrest warrant issued by the World Government."

Steele's face immediately darkened.

Previously, whether facing nobles of the kingdom or admirals in the navy, he almost never refused to cooperate.

But now, in this weak East China Sea, there are still people who defy his orders.

At that moment, the air fell into a deathly silence.

Both held their breath, waiting for the other's next move.

Will it be a battle between the two sides, or will Steele back down, or will the Navy back down?

-------------------------------------

"Phew, it's been a long time since I've been to the East China Sea. I didn't expect it to be so peaceful."

On a huge warship, a middle-aged man with purple hair stood at the bow.

With broad shoulders and a burly build, he wore a large cloak of justice, making him appear majestic and imposing.

"Yes, Professor Zephyr, I never expected to see you again."

Colonel Flying Squirrel, standing nearby, was explaining to Zefa the efforts of their 133rd branch.

During their time at the Naval Academy, Zephyr, Sengoku, Garp, and others served as instructors, teaching Raleigh's class.

"That kid Raleigh, I heard he's already been promoted to the position of Vice Admiral of the Four Seas. How come you're only a branch manager, you flying squirrel?"

Zephyr seemed very dissatisfied with Raleigh, looking at the flying squirrel beside him with a hint of resentment.

"Back in military school, he was always lazy and slacking off, never putting in any effort in training. In my opinion, he completely wasted his talent."

"If he could put in a little more effort, your class might have produced two monster-level talents."

"And you, kid, I told you back in military school not to hang out with Raleigh. You're not as talented as them, you need to work harder."

The flying squirrel chuckled sheepishly, too embarrassed to refute Zefa's words.

"However, Raleigh did a good job. I saw the 133rd Branch's achievements many times when I was at headquarters. You always took the lead and charged forward without fear, and you did not disgrace the Navy."

The flying squirrel puffed out its chest and said:

"I'm glad I didn't let Professor Zephyr down."

"Hahaha, as long as we work hard to catch pirates, it's a righteous act no matter where we are."

Zefa was very pleased that he had taught a group of outstanding disciples.

However, he did not forget his mission in coming to the East China Sea.

"Headquarters heard about the annihilation of the Kingdom Guard and is worried that this might be related to you. After all, according to the records, Raleigh happened to be passing through Povo Village when the massacre occurred."

"I've seen information about the Mad Blade Pirates in past reports. It seems this pirate crew only plunders other pirate crews and never attacks civilians, is that right?"

The flying squirrel quickly organized its thoughts, cleared its throat, and said:

"After Brother Luo Li went to Beihai to take up his post, we spoke on the phone a few times, but he never told me about the massacre in Bowo Village."

"I only learned about this from the newspaper. I think it's unlikely that Brother Raleigh has any connection with the Mad Blade Pirates."

"Because the Mad Blade Pirates set sail from the defense zone of Branch 133 at the very beginning, we fought against them once, but at that time our overall strength was relatively weak, and they managed to escape."

At this point, the flying squirrel seemed quite annoyed by the matter.

He then ordered the messenger to bring him his notebook.

......

A moment later, the messenger brought over the flying squirrel's notebook.

Opening the notebook, the first few pages contained details of the battle with the Mad Blade Pirates.

The flying squirrel pointed to what was written on the paper and explained to Zephyr:

"Zeff, it was on our fourth day at Branch 133 that we received information about the Mad Blade Pirates."

"At that time, Brother Raleigh led us to immediately set sail to find the Mad Blade Pirates. We searched for a whole day before finally starting a battle with them on a deserted island."

"However, the Mad Blade Pirates are all highly skilled swordsmen. Their leader, Nisuke Kazuki, had already reached the Iron-Cutting Realm. We fought them fiercely for half the night, but in the end, they still managed to escape."

The last line of the notebook, with the battle conclusion written in red pen, also shows that the flying squirrel was not at peace at the time.

Zephyr nodded; he didn't actually care whether there was any connection between the Navy and the Mad Blade Pirates.

What he wanted was to prevent the world government from finding out if there was any connection between them.

After all, it's not unheard of for the Navy and pirates to cooperate.

Just a few years ago, during the God Valley Incident, if they hadn't joined forces with the Roger Pirates, they might not have been able to defeat the Rocks Pirates.

After all, the Rocks Pirates at that time could be considered the only overlord of the New World.

"Alright, I'm taking this notebook. If the World Government wants to use this to pressure our Navy, we have enough evidence to prove we have nothing to do with it."

Zefa carefully put the notebook away.

He has now completed his mission and found the crucial physical evidence.

I'll go to Branch 127 later and find that female naval officer mentioned in the intelligence report to be my witness.

"Since we're just idling around anyway, why don't I teach you a few moves of the Six Styles of the Navy? That way, you'll get hurt and bleed less when you're capturing pirates."