Chapter 11: Mentioning the Rocks Pirates Again!

“Eh, leave this matter to Garp. Sengoku, take a look at this intelligence; I feel this is more important.”

Marshal Kong took a report from his drawer and pushed it to the edge of his desk. Sengoku walked over, picked it up, and read it, his expression changing drastically.

“This is going to be a major disaster!”

“Have you found out who spread these rumors? This matter must be treated with the utmost seriousness!”

Marshal Kong shook his head and sighed: “This is intelligence sent over by CIPHER POL. They haven’t found the source yet; they only know that it’s spreading not just throughout the Grand Line, but even in the Four Blues.”

“Is it already too late!” Sengoku’s brow was furrowed so tightly a mosquito could have been crushed in it.

“If that’s the case, then this rumor is definitely not a coincidence, but a long-planned operation. And there must be quite a few people involved—only then could it spread to all the seas at nearly the same time!”

“The Pirate King’s great treasure, ONE PIECE.”

He seemed to have guessed who was behind it.

Inside Pangea Castle in Mary Geoise, Imu sat upright on the Empty Throne, looking down from on high at the Five Elders kneeling below.

But his expression was even colder than his usual indifference, and his previously pleasant mood was now filled with immense irritation.

Regarding the rumors of the great treasure ONE PIECE, he had received the intelligence faster than the Navy, which was the main reason he was meeting with the Five Elders again.

This matter was one he could not afford to ignore!

“It must be those crew members of Roger’s spreading the rumors. Roger must have instructed them before he died. But what is their goal in doing this?” asked Shepherd Ju Peter, kneeling on the far left.

He was the highest authority in CIPHER POL and was responsible for essentially all matters related to intelligence.

“The Great Pirate Era!”

Imu, from above, coldly spat out the five words. He had just found a way to silence Roger at his execution and thought he could prevent this from happening, but he hadn’t expected the latter to have such a trick up his sleeve.

Although this method of spreading rumors through crew members across the world was far less shocking and influential than a loud proclamation at a public execution, the allure of the Pirate King’s great treasure remained unchanged; it just required more time to spread and ferment.

He could already see the scene in every corner of the sea: countless young and able-bodied men shouting “One Piece” as they hoisted their sails, surged into the ocean, and rushed toward Reverse Mountain!

The Five Elders’ moods turned heavy upon hearing the five words Imu spoke. In the future Imu had briefly described before, there had been mention of the Great Pirate Era.

It was said to be an astonishing era where the number of pirates was so great that even the Navy at its current stage could not suppress them.

For eight hundred years, the seas under the World Government’s rule had seen occasional waves, but on the whole, they had maintained relative calm and order. Yet, the Great Pirate Era triggered by Roger had caused the entire ocean to boil, regardless of the sea!

The Five Elders had also assumed such a thing would never happen again, but now... it had to be said that both they and Imu had underestimated this Pirate King.

“We should order the kings of the allied nations to strictly control their citizens from going out to sea, and also have the various Navy branches increase their patrols. At the same time, we should have CIPHER POL arrest those who dare to spread rumors to deter the world and the sea!”

Kneeling second from the left, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, holding the Shodai Kitetsu, proposed with a ruthless expression.

The other four nodded in agreement. Their approach was identical to that of the previous generations of Five Elders: suppression and erasure.

However, Imu, sitting on the throne, knew well that their methods would be of little use. The oceans of this world were too vast; although the Navy had many people and many warships, it was difficult to patrol such an immense sea with any real density.

Sensing that Imu-sama did not quite approve of their proposal, the Five Elders fell silent for a moment.

Imu pondered for about ten minutes before finally speaking.

“These people who go to sea to become thieves because of the rumors have the so-called great treasure as their main goal, and their destination is the ‘New World.’ From the Four Blues to the first half of the Grand Line, and then to the ‘New World,’ there are two nodes that must be passed.”

Kneeling second from the right, Jaygarcia Saturn, who had a hideous scar on his left cheek, responded: “Are you referring to Reverse Mountain and Fish-Man Island?”

Of course, he wouldn’t say Mary Geoise—joking aside, how could they possibly allow pirates to pass through here to enter the ‘New World’? So it could only be Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters below, and that rift at the very bottom of the Red Line.

“Correct. If we set up a Navy branch at the entrance of Reverse Mountain to specifically intercept and check the identities of passing ships, we could directly block the pirates from the Four Blues from flooding into the Grand Line!”

Imu’s idea stemmed from the customs of his previous life. The geographical environment of Reverse Mountain could make the function of a customs office nearly perfect.

For a ship to enter the Grand Line from the Four Blues, there were actually only two paths: one through the Calm Belt, and one through Reverse Mountain.

Of course, if one were strong enough, one could indeed pass through the Calm Belt, but how many pirates from the Four Blues could actually make it through there?

“A good plan, this is a brilliant plan!” Marcus Mars exclaimed in admiration.

“Exactly. And not only can we set up a Navy branch under Reverse Mountain on the Grand Line side, but we can also set up a branch at the entrance on the Four Blues side, or station several warships there long-term as a first line of defense!”

Topman Warcury, kneeling in the center with a birthmark on his forehead, felt as if a door to a new world had been opened, and many new ideas began to emerge in his mind.

“This is a good plan, but...” Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, holding the Shodai Kitetsu, hesitated.

Imu’s gaze turned toward him. “But what? Speak your mind.”

“But this places significant demands on the combat power and manpower of the Navy stationed at the Reverse Mountain branch. They would be facing countless ships from four different seas. If they were to check them one by one, they would need a branch base with enough space to accommodate the docking of so many ships and the queuing of so many people.”

“At the same time, the government personnel responsible for inspections and the Navy soldiers stationed at the branch cannot be few in number. They need places to live and reside, and there doesn’t seem to be a suitable island near the bottom of Reverse Mountain.”

Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro laid out his thoughts one by one, and Imu nodded inwardly; this was indeed a problem that could not be ignored.

The other four Five Elders struggled to think. What to do if there was no island? They couldn’t just conjure one out of thin air.

They had considered whether the first island of the seven routes in the first half of the Grand Line could serve as a Navy branch, but it was a bit far from the entrance of Reverse Mountain.

Although they could dispatch warships to wait at the entrance in advance and then urge ships to go to that island for inspection first, that would not only be very troublesome, but the possibility of accidents would also be very high.

They didn’t believe those who went to sea to become thieves would honestly accept the arrangements; they would likely try to force their way through. But how many could a few warships stop?

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck Imu. The thought made him feel somewhat excited, but he had to maintain his outward indifference.

“Do you still remember the Rocks Pirates?”