Over half a month flew by like the wind. It was as if Roya had vanished from everyone's memory. The promised mission from the Adjutant? It never materialized, not even a whisper of it.
Inside Commodore Murak's office at the Logue Town Marine Branch, Murak, with a banana-shaped cigar clenched between his teeth, flipped through a newspaper. Suddenly, Roya popped into his head, and a wave of irritation washed over him.
He had fully expected Roya to come crawling back, begging for a task, so he could deliver a stern lecture and ensure the young Major followed orders without question.
But almost a month had passed, and not a single sign of the black-haired upstart.
Murak was deeply annoyed. He bellowed for his Adjutant and demanded, "How's that black-hair Roya been doing lately?"
The Adjutant, beads of sweat forming on his brow, stammered, "Commodore Murak, Major Roya leaves early and returns late every day, so I'm not entirely sure what he's up to."
He truly didn't know!
If Roya had remained within the Marine Base, he could have kept a close watch, as he'd instructed everyone to keep their distance from the troublesome kid.
Isolating someone was supposed to be simple.
However, Roya wasn't playing the game as expected. He vanished from the Branch early each morning, only to reappear late at night.
Logue Town was vast. Who knew what the young Major was doing all day? He couldn't exactly send subordinates to tail him, could he?
"Hmph!" Murak snorted, his face turning red.
In Logue Town, his authority was absolute. How dare a mere Major from the backwaters try to slip from his grasp?
Yet, despite his frustration, there was little he could do for now. As a Marine, he had to maintain the appearance of following regulations, at least on the surface. He was left with petty tricks.
If the kid wants to play games, let him. There's no way he can cause any real trouble.
"Go."
"Yes, sir."
The Adjutant turned and hurried away, returning to the office, drenched in sweat, moments later.
"Commodore Murak, just now, Major Roya arrested the Wild Wolf Gang, a criminal organization deeply rooted in the Port, capturing a total of thirty-four members!"
"Is there a problem with that?" Murak asked, confused by the Adjutant's distress.
The Adjutant wiped his brow again, glancing nervously at the entrance to ensure they were alone before lowering his voice. "Commodore, the Wild Wolf Gang pays tribute every month."
"..."
Murak's expression subtly shifted.
The Branch's primary role was to safeguard Logue Town. Even if pirate ships sailed past the island, they weren't required to pursue them.
This meant that as the commanding officer, it was challenging to acquire any "extra income."
And in Logue Town, countless underground groups were engaged in shady activities like collecting protection money, running casinos, and managing entertainment venues.
Collecting "a little bit" of tribute while providing protection to these groups was his main source of funds.
As for the pirates who came to Logue Town...
As long as they didn't cause trouble, he would turn a blind eye. Pirates were "guests" with money to spend!
Spending money meant increased tax revenue!
The prosperity of the town relied on the contributions of pirates.
But now, Roya was disrupting the order.
He was cutting off Murak's source of income!
Murak's face darkened. "Find a reason to release them."
"Understood." The Adjutant nodded in agreement.
The gang members had to be freed. Otherwise, the other underground groups would be unwilling to pay tribute.
This concerned the interests of the entire Branch!
The Commodore might feast on meat, but they relied on the soup to survive. The meager income they earned as Marines wasn't enough to support their families.
"Commodore, Major Roya?"
"Wait and see for now. Observe him!" Murak shook his head, his face cold. He needed to determine if this was a coincidence or if Roya was deliberately defying him.
----
Night descended upon the Food Tavern.
Roya and the others, armed with hammers and tools, busily hammered on wooden planks, pausing to rest.
"Finally, it's almost finished," Roya said, a satisfied smile on his face.
After working for over half a month, the interior of the tavern had been completely renovated. After tidying up the facade in the next few days, they could officially open for business.
"Dinner's ready!" Ririka and Little Rika carried a delicious meal to the hall, complete with wine.
Everyone gathered around the table, eating and drinking heartily.
Once they were full, a map of Logue Town was placed on the table.
"Major, the intelligence on the Eastern District is almost entirely collected."
"The Southern District has also been gathered."
"The north--"
"Zoro, you're in charge of the west!"
No one had been idle during this time. They spent their days gathering information, returning to the tavern in the evenings to work on renovations, sharing information as they went.
Except for Zoro, who often spaced out, everyone else was doing well.
Dozens of red dots marked the locations of underground groups controlling each street, with an "X" marking the street where the tavern was located.
Fullbody pointed to the largest gang. "Major, the strongest underground force in Logue Town is the Cannibal Bartolomeo's Gang, with over a hundred members. They control over one hundred and fifty streets!"
"It is said that Bartolomeo has the power of a Devil Fruit, and even the Logue Town Marine Branch doesn't dare to provoke him easily!"
"The second-ranked is..."
Roya stared at the map, his eyes narrowed.
Cannibal Bartolomeo, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit user!
With his current resources, he didn't have a good way to deal with Bartolomeo, unless the man was foolish enough to be hypnotized by Jango.
He shouldn't be that stupid, right?
Even if Bartolomeo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he wouldn't cooperate with an enemy's unknown attack. He could simply look away or close his eyes.
That guy was a brain-dead fan of Luffy. He did seem pretty stupid, but before that, he was known for being cruel and ruthless.
Even now, Bartolomeo was a taboo in Logue Town. Even the local citizens didn't dare to utter his name.
"Bartolomeo!" Roya wrote down Barto's name.
A must-arrest target!
He couldn't deal with Barto now, but when he found an effective way to counter the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, he would definitely take down Barto and his gang.
Because Logue Town would be his, sooner or later.
He had applied to come to Logue Town not to work for his superiors, but to become the boss of Logue Town!
He hated people telling him what to do!
After Fullbody finished explaining the general situation in Logue Town, Roya turned to Jango and asked, "What's the Branch been up to?"
"The Wild Wolf Gang was released," Jango replied, his face filled with displeasure.
"As expected," Roya sneered.
After sending the Wild Wolf Gang to the Branch, he had instructed Jango to keep a close watch on things in secret.
A group of thugs not only blatantly robbed people on the streets with knives but also dared to demand protection money at their doorstep, confident they could get away with it.
There was only one explanation for such arrogance.
They had an umbrella of protection behind them.
If it was just one street, it could still be an accident, but the entire Logue Town was like this. It had to be a problem with the administrators, and not just one person.
The Marines here were rotten to the core!
A murderous intent surged in Roya's heart.
He had known that not all Marines could be as peaceful as those in the 153rd Branch. The greater the power, the easier it was for corruption to take root.
But the fact that the situation was rotten from top to bottom really made him angry. Judging from the actions of the underground groups in Logue Town, it would be a miracle if even one out of ten Captains and Lieutenants were innocent.
"Commodore Murak!"
"You have chosen death!"