Five days passed after the auction.
Ash received another call from Sali. From the update, Ace had already recovered from his injuries, crossed Reverse Mountain, and attempted to break through the blockade at Twin Capes. However, before Sali could even finish greeting his children, Ace was knocked out with a single punch and sent flying back into the East Blue.
Ash didn't know what to say.
It's said that injuries involving bones and tendons take a long time to heal, yet in this world, someone with a broken leg recovered in just a month.
Was that even normal?
Whether it made sense or not, Ash didn't dwell on it. It was just a brief distraction.
A few more days later, Ash came across a report in the World Economic Journal about a rising rookie pirate in the first half of the Grand Line.
Cavendish, known as the Pirate Prince and captain of the Beautiful Pirates.
He was once a prince of the Bourbon Kingdom. Rumor had it that his looks caused chaos in the kingdom, as women refused to marry anyone else, leading to a severe drop in the birth rate. Eventually, the king exiled him.
The story sounded ridiculous, but Ash knew the truth.
Cavendish suffered from severe sleepwalking and killed people unconsciously during those episodes. That was the real reason for his exile.
Ash curled his lip.
Sharing the same kind of condition as someone like that? What a joke.
Kings in this world really had strange ways of handling things. No matter how serious their sons' crimes were, they preferred exile over execution.
The king of Drum Kingdom exiled Wapol after his tyranny, while Cavendish was sent away instead of being dealt with properly.
None of them were innocent.
After being exiled, Cavendish ended up in the Rommel Kingdom, where his condition led to a series of nightly murders. The people had no choice but to seek help from the Marines.
Even the Marines couldn't stop the killings.
The unknown murderer became known as the "Rommel Weasel."
Only after Cavendish learned to control his condition did he set sail and become a pirate. Yet despite knowing the truth behind the killings, he still enjoyed the fame attached to that name.
Ash judged him as nothing more than a beast.
If someone like that crossed his path, there would be no mercy.
Thinking about Cavendish also reminded Ash of his prized weapon.
Durandal, a famous blade with immense value.
That alone made him worth paying attention to.
Five more days passed.
At Soap Bubble Park, while buying ice cream for the children, one of Disco's subordinates approached Ash cautiously.
The message was simple. Another rare Devil Fruit would be auctioned at the next event on the tenth of the following month. Disco hoped Ash would attend.
Once a month.
That meant sixty Devil Fruits in five years.
Ash felt satisfied. He had secured a reliable long-term source.
As for Donquixote Doflamingo, dealing with him could wait.
Meanwhile, pirates who knew Ash was staying in the Sabaody Archipelago were growing increasingly frustrated.
Crews in need of ship coating deliberately avoided Zones 30 through 49.
The reason was simple.
Zones 30 to 39 housed Soap Bubble Park, and Zones 40 to 49 were filled with restaurants and entertainment spots, all places Ash frequented.
In just over a month, the security in those zones had improved dramatically. Even the nearby lawless zones, Zones 10 to 29, had become noticeably quieter.
Slave traders had lost most of their stock, and criminals like drunken pirates, kidnappers, and gang members had all but vanished from the streets.
Most of them had relocated to Zones 50, 70, and Zone 0, where the auction house stood, despite those areas being close to the Marine base in Zone 60.
It was clear how much fear Ash inspired among pirates.
At Marineford, after reading reports about Ash's recent actions, Sengoku removed his glasses and rubbed his brow.
He felt both satisfied and troubled.
Satisfied because Ash had lived up to expectations.
Troubled because a pirate hunter had become more intimidating than the Marines themselves.
"Tsuru, do you think we've been too lenient with pirates?" Sengoku asked, glancing at Tsuru.
She chuckled lightly. "Don't let his reports cloud your judgment. Pirates have always been arrogant."
"The difference is in perception. Our actions still leave room for survival, but his do not."
"From the outside, even challenging a Yonko crew leaves a chance to live. But encountering him means there's no way out."
"With everything he's done, defeating Gecko Moria, killing Don Chinjao, attacking Celestial Dragons, clashing with Silvers Rayleigh, and even confronting Kaido without suffering losses, it's no surprise pirates avoid him."
Sengoku sighed with a faint smile.
Leading the Marines was nothing like leading a single crew. There were too many factors to consider.
Youth had its advantages.
He opened his drawer, only to find it completely empty.
"…Garp."
Sengoku shut it with irritation.
"Forget it. I've contacted him enough. You inform him this time. Hopefully, he doesn't cause trouble."
Tsuru nodded and picked up a Den Den Mushi.
Back in Sabaody, Ash was in the middle of a takoyaki eating contest with children when he received the call.
"A Celestial Dragon is attending next week's auction?"
After listening, he smiled slightly.
"Don't worry. I don't like them, but as long as they don't provoke me, I won't act."
"Oh? You'll be there too? That works. See you then."
Ash hung up and handed the Den Den Mushi back to the Marine officer nearby.
The officer saluted and left.
The snail wasn't even his.
Ash kept multiple Den Den Mushi for important contacts, including Sengoku, Tsuru, Sali, Wyper, and his crew, but he only carried one regularly.
Since he had been staying in Sabaody, Sengoku and Tsuru simply sent someone whenever they needed to reach him.
Not many people received that kind of treatment.
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