Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

Moreover, during my collaboration with Judge these past few days, I've heard him recount many stories about his time assisting Dr. Vegapunk, and his admiration for Dr. Vegapunk is evident in his words.

"Of course, we used to belong to the World Government! We researched many topics together. His bloodline factor experiment would never have been completed so quickly without my help!" Caesar said with a proud look.

"Bloodline factor? Has he already completed that experiment?" the doctor asked, frowning.

The doctor instinctively felt a bit averse to the topic of lineage factors, but he also knew just how difficult it was to study them.

While researching lineage factors, Vegapunk even made some unexpected discoveries, which, although unrelated to the final outcome, significantly boosted the Navy's strength.

Caesar's words made both the Doctor and Judge look at him in a different light. What did a scientist comparable to Vegapunk mean for the Whitebeard Pirates? It meant that in the future, they could very well enter a period of rapid development by relying on him.

However, the Doctor and Judge did not understand Caesar's abilities, but how could Sachi not know? Before coming over, Reina had already explained it to him carefully, so that he would not be fooled by Caesar.

Even Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, was fooled by this guy.

So when Sachi saw this, he immediately whispered Caesar's abilities to the Doctor, something that Reina had specifically told him to do before he came.

After hearing Sachi's explanation, the doctor's gaze toward Caesar became strange.

"Frank, lock this guy up for now! We don't need him for our experiments yet! Just make sure he doesn't die, the rest is up to you!" Dr. Asie thought for a moment and then gave the order to Frank.

“Okay, Doctor!” Frank shrugged and replied.

Although he felt that imprisoning a scientist comparable to Vegapunk was a waste of talent, as a core member of the Whitebeard Pirates, even Reina wouldn't refuse the Doctor's suggestion when Whitebeard wasn't around.

Furthermore, the Doctor rarely interferes in the affairs of the pirate crew except for his experiments, but once he speaks up, even Whitebeard will consider it very seriously and most of the time will not refuse the Doctor's words.

"Huh? What did you say? Lock me up? Are you sure you're not mistaken...?" Upon hearing this, Caesar immediately tried to resist, but the Whitebeard Pirates members around him didn't give him a chance. Under Frank's instructions, they simply dragged Caesar away.

"I still can't handle this kind of troublesome matter, so let's just lock him up for now and let Marco handle it when he comes back!" The doctor yawned and then left with Judge.

"That guy Marco actually left Xuan Yue Island at a time like this. Doesn't he know that he's the only fighting force on Xuan Yue Island right now?" At this moment, Sachi remembered Marco's departure and said to Frank with a little displeasure.

"You can't blame him for that. His sister-in-law's parents are here, and given Captain Marco's personality, it's impossible for him not to go and greet them personally!" Frank said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Nojiko should be giving birth soon, right? Is everything arranged?" Sachi asked with a smile when Nojiko was mentioned.

“Of course, everything is ready! According to the ship's doctor's prediction, it should be soon! So during this time, Captain Marco has been staying by Sister-in-law Nochigo's side!” Frank nodded with a smile and replied.

"Alright, make arrangements for the people I brought back. We'll discuss everything after Marco returns!" Sachi said with a smile.

Little did they know that Marco, who had set off earlier, still hadn't seen Bellemere and A-Jian by this time.

"What's going on? Judging by the time, they should be here by now, right?" Marco asked his subordinates with a frown from the bow of a whale ship.

“Yes, according to the route map given by Lord Frank, they should have arrived here by now!” The subordinate nodded, also looking puzzled.

"Could something have happened?" A member of the First Squad asked with a worried expression.

Marco frowned. If something happened to Bellemere and A-Jian, it would be really bad.

This is a critical period for Nochigo's production. If Bellemere and Ken get into trouble, it will be a huge blow to Nochigo.

"Send out the reconnaissance ships to search the surrounding area. Report back immediately if you find anything!" Marco decided not to wait any longer and took the initiative to search.

"Yes, Captain!" The subordinate nodded and immediately went to make the arrangements.

Those who came out with Marco this time were all combat members of his First Division. They were very powerful and could be considered elite combat members of the Whitebeard Pirates. This was also specially arranged by Reina, after all, Marco was responsible for the safety of Crescent Moon Island.

Chapter 751 Marco's Horror

After the reconnaissance ships had all left, for some reason, Marco felt a deep sense of unease.

He couldn't imagine what would happen to Nojiko if something happened to Bellemere and A-Jian!

So now all he can pray for is that they were delayed by something, and that nothing unexpected happened.

But soon, all the reconnaissance ships that went out returned, and the news they brought back was that there were no clues whatsoever.

"Have they all returned?" Marco asked in a deep voice.

"One ship hasn't returned yet!" the subordinate replied after looking around.

Marco had almost given up hope, but at this moment, his hope was rekindled.

Sure enough, a little while later, the last reconnaissance ship brought them back with news.

"Captain, we've spotted the wreckage of a pirate ship ahead, but we're not sure if it's ours!" the returning crew member said to Marco, panting heavily.

Marco was startled and said, "Lead the way, let's go take a look!"

When Marco arrived at the location, he immediately recognized from the wreckage that it was indeed a ship belonging to their Whitebeard Pirates.

“Search around...see if there’s anything else you’ve found!” Marco gasped, his face grim.

"Yes!" Everyone was Marco's own team, so they naturally knew what it meant that this ship was theirs.

"Captain, we haven't found any bodies. Judging from the damage to the wreckage, they must have been shelled shortly before we arrived!" a subordinate reported after a careful inspection.

"Captain, the absence of a body proves that the person may have been captured!" Another team member, seeing Marco's worry, quickly stepped forward and said.

“I know. Give the order to expand the search area, and send someone back to find Frank and have him send reinforcements… Remember, whatever you do, don’t let Nojigo know!” Marco took a deep breath and said.

"Yes!" The subordinate nodded and immediately arranged for someone to go back and request support.

With such a small number of people, they simply couldn't search the nearby sea area.

Because there are not many of them left on Xuan Yue Island, they have kept a low profile after anchoring in the nearby waters.

Even so, Frank had surveyed the surrounding waters and knew where any pirate crews or forces existed.

Marco wasn't interested in these things, so he was unaware of any forces operating around him.

Not long after, Frank personally led his men to meet up with Marco.

"Captain Marco, what's going on?!" Frank asked anxiously as he boarded Marco's ship.

Marco shook his head and told Frank what he had learned.

"Don't worry, since we haven't found the body yet, the situation might not be the worst!" Frank took a deep breath and said.

At this moment, he was also anxious. Putting aside Bellemere's identity, the fact that someone dared to attack their Whitebeard Pirates' ship was the biggest provocation against them.

For safety reasons, the ship that previously welcomed Bellemere flew the Whitebeard Pirates' flag.

"Captain Marco, this is a nautical chart of the surrounding seas that I made. It has the markings of the major powers on it. Let's go to the closest place to here first!" Frank said, taking out a nautical chart.

“Alright, let’s go!” Marco nodded and replied directly, “Also, just in case, spread out our men and expand the search area to see if it was done by passing pirates!”

"Captain Marco, rest assured, I've already given the orders. Thirty ships have been dispatched from Crescent Moon Island to begin searching the entire sea area! They're all equipped with the Doctor's Den Den Mushi, so we'll receive any news!" Frank nodded and replied.

Marco nodded and patted Frank on the shoulder.

No wonder Reina said that there wouldn't be any problems if he handed things over to Frank. If it weren't for Frank, things on Crescent Moon Island would definitely not be like they are now.

This is why, despite not being particularly strong, Frank held a position similar to that of a captain, belonging to the core of the Whitebeard Pirates, and no captain objected to this.

This is quite rare for a pirate crew, because for ordinary pirates, strength means everything.

Guided by Frank, Marco and the others soon arrived at the nearest small island.

When the whale ship flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag appeared at the island's port, the pirate crew stationed on the island were on high alert.

After all, the name of the Whitebeard Pirates is known throughout the world, even on deserted islands.

"Are you the pirate crew that took over this place?" Marco asked, standing at the bow of the whale ship without disembarking.

"Gulp... It's actually Marco the Phoenix?" The captain of the opposing pirate crew swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. "I wonder why the members of the Whitebeard Pirates are here?"

“I only have one question: Did you go out to sea today? One of our ships was attacked nearby!” Marco said with a grim face.

"What?" Marco's words immediately caused an uproar among the opposing pirate crew.

"Who is it? How dare they attack the Whitebeard Pirates' ship?" The vice-captain of the Black Gold Pirates asked their captain in shock.

"Whoever it is, the fact that the Whitebeard Pirates have come knocking on our door proves that this really happened! And it's not far from our base!" the captain of the Black Gold Pirates said with a dark face.

"Captain... do you mean... the Whitebeard Pirates are here to cause us trouble?" the first mate asked, his eyes wide.

"What do you think? If our people were attacked near some small island, would you suspect the pirate crew that occupied the island?" the captain said with a stern face.

"Of course! Who else could it be but them recently?" the first mate replied matter-of-factly, but then looked at the captain with a shocked expression and asked, "Captain... are you saying... the Whitebeard Pirates suspect us?"

"Whether we did it or not, now that this has happened, if I were a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, I would never let us off the hook!" The captain nodded and replied.

"But...we didn't do this!" the first mate said anxiously.

"Do you think they'll believe that?" the captain asked in a deep voice, looking at the Whitebeard Pirates who were already preparing for battle.

"Gulp..." The first mate swallowed hard and said, "Captain, do you think they'll believe us if we explain? The Whitebeard Pirates have always had a good reputation, and the island's residents can vouch for us! We really didn't go to sea today!"

Chapter 752 Blockade

"We really didn't go out to sea today, and it's even more impossible that we attacked the Whitebeard Pirates' ship. The island's residents can all testify to this!" The captain of the Black Gold Pirates explained, even though he knew the other party might not believe him.

Marco, standing at the bow, merely glanced at the other man, nodded to Frank beside him, and turned to leave.

Frank immediately understood Marco's meaning and sent someone to the island to inquire. He learned that the other party had indeed not left the island that day.

"Um... Captain Marco, if you don't mind, our Black Gold Pirates are willing to help you find the culprit! After all, we're quite familiar with this area!" The captain of the Black Gold Pirates said excitedly as he watched the Whitebeard Pirates prepare to leave.

He didn't expect that the other party would actually believe them and let them go so easily.

To be honest, if they said that to the other party, they wouldn't care whether the other party was innocent or not, especially since the other party was the Whitebeard Pirates, the world's number one pirate crew. If their people were killed, it would be normal for them to turn this sea area into hell.

So when he saw the other party preparing to leave, the captain of the Black Gold Pirates unconsciously said those words.

"Captain!" The first mate tugged at the captain with some concern.

The fact that the other party was willing to let them go is already a great favor. If they don't hurry up and get rid of these plagues, but instead rush forward, wouldn't they be courting death?

Marco glanced at the other party, squinted, and said, "We don't know who they are right now, but we found the wreckage of our Whitebeard Pirates' ship nearby. If you'd like to help, we would be extremely grateful!"

"Captain Marco, don't worry. We're quite familiar with the people in this area. If they're outsiders, we'll definitely be able to find them! And if it was done by some local power, there will definitely be some clues!" The captain of the Black Gold Pirates said with delight upon hearing this.

If they can actually find someone, it would be like they've latched onto the Whitebeard Pirates' coattails. Who would dare to attack them in this sea area after that?

"Frank, give them a Den Den Mushi!" Marco nodded and said to Frank beside him.

Frank didn't say much, simply tossing a Den Den Mushi to the Black Gold Pirates captain and saying, "If you find any clues, contact us immediately. Don't act rashly! They may have captured our people, and our primary objective is to ensure their safety!"

"Don't worry, we know how to do it!" the captain of the Black Gold Pirates said excitedly.

After Marco and his men left, the captain of the Black Gold Pirates immediately gathered his men and prepared to set sail.