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'The Logan' glided smoothly across the sea, cutting through the waves with ease. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
During this time, Rojen meticulously went over the plan in his mind, discussing every detail with Jason and Lordling until they had refined it to perfection.
The Marines had no concrete knowledge of Rouge's appearance or exact whereabouts— they had only managed to narrow down a general region. This area centered around Baterilla Island and extended outward across a vast stretch of the surrounding sea. Given these circumstances, the chances of successfully extracting Rouge remained overwhelmingly in their favor.
However, their top priority was staying hidden.
"The Marines don't have all the details on Rouge yet. At this stage, they've only received preliminary intel and lack any definitive information."
"That means our first objective is to remain unseen."
After securing Rouge, their next destination was Baterilla Island—right where Marine forces were concentrated. But before anything else, they had to ensure their own safety.
"I've always been a high-priority target for the Marines. Anyone traveling with me has likely already drawn their attention as well."
This much was obvious. From the moment he entered South Blue, Rojen had noticed something strange— most people here didn't seem to recognize him. That alone raised suspicions. The Marines must have enacted a specific strategy against him.
Defeating Dragon and evading Marine pursuit should have put him at the top of their hit list. Under normal circumstances, his bounty would have skyrocketed, and he would be relentlessly hunted across the world.
But that didn't happen.
Not only was there no increased bounty, but upon arriving in South Blue, Rojen couldn't find a single Wanted Poster of himself anywhere.
"The Marines have deliberately erased my existence."
His gaze darkened as he arrived at this conclusion.
"What are they afraid of? Are they trying to prevent the world from knowing about me?"
He spent two full days contemplating the answer.
"Roger… The Marines only captured me because of him. That means their wariness toward me must also stem from him— or more precisely, from those who once followed him."
It all made sense now.
Influence alone meant little without strength. Pirates, by nature, followed power, not words. Without power, no one would heed him. But if he proved himself as a force to be reckoned with, everything would change.
What would those remnants of Roger's crew think when they realized his younger brother had also become a formidable pirate?
The Marines weren't willing to face that reality.
They were terrified of the implications—so much so that they chose to suppress all information about him, burying his existence in secrecy. They preferred to handle him quietly, eliminating any potential storm before it could gather momentum.
"And that means they'll be keeping an even closer eye on me."
There was a good chance Marines were already tailing him.
Throughout the journey, he hadn't bothered disguising himself—not even with a mask. Too many people had seen his face. If that was the case, how could the Marines not know his precise location?
The only reason they hadn't made a move yet was likely because they understood his objective.
"The Marines… They're far from simple."
Rojen exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
A formidable force isn't just defined by raw strength—intelligence and strategy play just as crucial a role.
Tracking Rojen's movements, the Marines quickly deduced that his objective aligned with their own. In response, they intensified their patrols in the waters surrounding Baterilla Island, bolstering their military presence.
They were waiting for him, anticipating his arrival.
Meanwhile, Rojen, piecing together clues from tavern whispers, Marine activity, and other gathered intelligence, carefully analyzed the situation—fully displaying his tactical prowess.
"Baterilla Island is dangerous for me right now."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he came to this conclusion.
But no matter how perilous, he had to go.
This was his war.
A battle he had to fight— one he couldn't run from.
"Captain, Marines ahead."
Jason suddenly hurried over, lowering his voice.
Rojen looked up and saw a Marine warship slicing through the rolling waves, swiftly approaching.
"Ignore them. Keep sailing."
His gaze flickered, but his tone remained indifferent.
Since the Marines expected him to come, they would have prepared for every possible move he could make.
"Yes, Captain!"
Jason responded firmly, his eyes shining with a battle-ready spirit. Yet, there was no trace of fear in them.
Before long, 'The Logan' sailed past the Marine vessel. At such close range, the two sides exchanged fleeting glances.
"Commodore, should we inspect them?"
A Marine soldier turned to the Lieutenant Commander standing nearby, whose face was red from drink.
"Inspect? Inspect what?"
"Sir, headquarters instructed us to monitor all passing ships. They want to prevent pirates from slipping through."
The soldier lowered his voice.
"Look at that ship— there are just two people aboard! What the hell are we inspecting? There's nothing there."
The Commodore waved a hand at 'The Logan' and cursed loudly.
"You really are dense. It's obvious at a glance, and you still want to inspect them?"
The soldier's expression tightened with frustration. How had this drunken fool risen to such a high position?
Recently, a batch of new officers had been dispatched to South Blue— temporary assignments from Marine Headquarters. They all had one thing in common: they came from powerful families.
Some were diligent and competent, but others, like the man in front of him, were worthless, spending their days drinking and chasing women. The absolute bottom of the barrel.
"Do you know why I outrank you?"
As 'The Logan' slowly disappeared into the distance, the Commodore's slurred words reached the soldier's ears.
"Because I'm not as smart as you."
Grinding his teeth, the soldier lowered his head and answered.
"Idiot! It's because you're too stupid."
"There are things you should get involved in… and things you shouldn't."
"You still don't understand the difference."
With those drowsy words, the Commodore shut his eyes and promptly dozed off.
"Useless scum."
The soldier spat in disgust at his superior's slumped figure.
Meanwhile, aboard 'The Logan', Jason scratched his head, watching the Marine warship fade into the horizon.
"Captain, they didn't even bother checking us."
"Yeah, I noticed."
Rojen nodded, his expression deepening.
That Marine vessel was a smaller patrol ship, manned by only a dozen soldiers. However, the ranking officer in charge suggested something significant.
"South Blue has changed a lot lately."
Rojen exhaled slowly, his face turning serious.
At that very moment, on Baterilla Island…
A massive Marine warship slowly docked at the harbor, followed closely by five or six mid-sized warships.
Lining the port, thousands of Marines stood in formation, their faces solemn as they awaited the arrival of someone important.
The sheer scale of the display made it clear— someone of great significance was about to arrive.
(End Of This Chapter)_