Marine Headquarters.
The Marshal's office.
Sengoku was lost in thought as he looked at the documents in front of him.
"What is that guy Hawk Eyes trying to do? He's been lingering in the seas outside Drum Island for four months now."
He opened another document and saw that it contained news about Kong Tai's crew.
When he saw the candid photos sent by the World Government, his eyes lit up.
"This guy has finally appeared."
After disappearing for so long without any news, he had almost thought that the silver-haired crew had been suddenly annihilated by something!
However, this was just wishful thinking. When he saw the news about the silver-haired crew again, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
Enemies, especially powerful ones, were better kept within sight.
The Marines were not afraid of overt enemies; they feared those who were strong and liked to conceal themselves.
Just like the Shiki of the past, who kept them on edge every day, fearing that he might suddenly fly over to invade Marine Headquarters and the various branches.
This might sound unbelievable, but it reflected their true feelings.
With Kong Tai's combat power rivaling that of an Admiral, his disappearance had caused the Marines to remain on high alert for a long time before they could relax their vigilance.
This was akin to the disappearance of a Four Emperors from the New World; they would also have to be vigilant for a long time.
This was the deterrence that world-class powerhouses brought to their adversaries.
Therefore, every Four Emperors' crew had not only numerous Marines and World Government spies monitoring them from the outside but also a considerable number of moles within.
Of course, this did not apply to smaller pirate crews like Red-Haired's and Kong Tai's.
The Marines and the World Government could not even send moles into their crews unless they, like other Four Emperors' crews, took in a large number of subordinate pirate crews, which would then allow them to send moles.
He looked at the news about the silver-haired crew, a slight frown appearing on his face. Then he turned to look at the news about Hawk Eyes again and muttered, "So you were waiting for the silver-haired one!"
He had always found it strange that although Hawk Eyes would occasionally travel the Grand Line when he had nothing to do, he never stayed in one place for so long.
Now, seeing the news about the silver-haired crew and correlating it with the time Hawk Eyes appeared near Drum Island, everything made sense.
He shook his head, closed the two documents on his desk, and handed them to the white goat beside his chair.
The goat's drowsy eyes immediately lit up as it saw the documents Sengoku was handing over. It raised its head, snatched the documents with its mouth, and lowered its head, munching on them with relish.
Whether it was because it had been raised by Sengoku since it was young or because paper was truly that delicious, this little goat had become inseparable from Sengoku's documents.
Sengoku patted the little goat's head and smiled. Then he raised his head and looked at another document, his expression becoming serious.
He knew the contents without even looking.
It contained the addresses of the various member nations of the World Government.
In a short while, the World Government Conference, held once every four years, would take place in Mary Geoise.
At that time, the Marines would have to deploy all their forces to escort the kings of these member nations.
During this period, it was also the most active time for pirates in various seas, and even on the Grand Line.
Every year, a large number of pirates who were not afraid of death would attack the escort teams, hoping to gain fame.
Thinking of this, he felt a headache coming on.
The Marines were truly like bricks for the World Government, moved wherever they were needed.
He looked at the folder and shook his head, deciding not to think about it any further.
"I should think about who to assign to the escort duty instead!"
...
While the Marines were operating on a large scale for the World Government Conference.
Kong Tai's crew had already left Little Garden a day ago.
In the past day, they had encountered many seagulls that seemed to be conducting aerial surveillance. It was likely that these seagulls belonged to either the Economy News Company or the World Government, or perhaps both.
He paid little attention to this surveillance.
Given how much the World Government valued his crew, it would be strange if there wasn't any surveillance.
He figured that the news of his reappearance should have already reached the World Government and the Marshal's office at Marine Headquarters by now.
Kong Tai looked ahead, stroking his chin, lost in thought.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't it be time for the World Government's quadrennial World Conference?"
He remembered that it was supposed to be around this time.
Four years ago, he had seen news about the World Conference, but the newspaper had not specified the exact date, so he was unaware.
Picking up his teacup, Kong Tai turned to Indigo, who was also reclining in a lounge chair to his left, and smiled, "Dr. Indigo, since when have you become so lazy!"
Indigo, sipping his tea, glanced at Kong Tai.
"Kukukukuku! After researching the viruses and plants in Little Garden for so long, can't I be allowed to rest and recuperate?"
"Of course, of course."
Kong Tai took a sip of tea, looked at Indigo, and then asked, "By the way, Indigo, do you know about the World Conference?"
"The World Conference?"
Indigo put down his teacup, sat up straight, and smiled at Kong Tai, "Captain, you're not planning to make a big splash as soon as you reappear, are you!"
"No..."
Kong Tai waved his hand and said, "I just want to know the specific time. There's someone I want to kill. I don't want to be late and miss the opportunity, letting that guy escape."
The person he was referring to was King Wapol of Drum Island.
That guy was quite idiotic. As the king of a nation, instead of focusing on economics and development, he had driven out all the doctors from his territory, turning a renowned medical power into a backward nation where it was incredibly difficult to get medical treatment.
And why did Kong Tai dislike this guy so much?
It was naturally because he was unfit to be a king!
This guy could be said to be the polar opposite of King Cobra of Alabasta.
He had originally intended to go directly to "Alabasta," but upon seeing Cobra, he couldn't help but think of this guy.
And when he thought of this guy, he couldn't help but want to kill him.
So, he asked Cobra for two permanent pointers, one of which was for Drum Island.
Since he was going to see Chopper anyway, killing this guy along the way would also spare the common people of Drum Island some suffering.
Wasn't it?
Who told him to be a "hero of justice!"
Seeing that Kong Tai didn't seem to be planning anything major, Indigo's excitement immediately subsided. He lay back down in his lounge chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Judging by the timing of the previous World Conferences, if the schedule hasn't changed, it should be in the next few days! If we're lucky, the guy you want to kill might still be in his country."
As for killing a country's king, Indigo considered it a minor matter.
Therefore, he was not excited; on the contrary, he felt it was a bit beneath them.
The total bounty on their heads as the Silver-Haired Pirates had reached an astonishing 2.35 billion Berries!
Silver-Haired was even hailed as the Fifth Emperor of the Seas.
For such a large pirate crew to go and kill the king of a small country, wasn't it degrading?