Golden sunlight broke through the sea's embrace and shot towards the sky.
Then, refracted by the clouds, it showered down upon the entire world.
After a quiet night, the moment the sun peeked over the horizon, the entire street instantly regained its vitality.
Cries of vendors, shouts, loud reprimands...
The city was instantly filled with noise.
And the scene of hell on earth on the street last night seemed like an illusion, with not a trace left behind.
If not for the lingering smell of death in the air, no one would have believed that dismembered bodies littered this place last night!
However, this was a port city, and the inn was not far from the port. This faint metallic smell did not stand out too much and thus did not arouse the suspicion of passersby.
Only, the stray dogs that usually came here to scavenge, what was going on with them?
Not a single one could be seen on this street today.
...
The sun rose in the east and was already high in the sky when Kong Tai finally yawned and got out of bed.
He couldn't sleep last night, so he went to the top of the fountain in the center of the island to admire the moon, feel the wind, and drink wine all night.
It wasn't until dawn broke in the east that he returned to the inn to rest.
After washing up and dressing, he went out.
Meeting the gazes of everyone in the living room, Kong Tai paused, then scratched his head and laughed heartily.
"What are you all looking at? We're staying here for seven days, don't I deserve to sleep in?"
"Let me see what's for breakfast!"
Saying that, he walked to the table, craned his neck to look, and exclaimed, "Wow, it's so lavish!"
"Lavish, of course it's lavish!"
A Hua, pushing up his glasses, glanced at Kong Tai and said sarcastically, "It's lunch, after all!"
"Lunch?"
Kong Tai's head, which had been extended, froze again. Then, as if nothing had happened, he retracted his head, patted A Hua on the shoulder, and sat down beside him. Picking up the cutlery placed before him, he looked around and asked, puzzled, "Why are you still staring? Eat!"
"Oh!"
The others, after glancing at the grimacing and gasping A Hua, snapped back to reality. "Eat, eat, eat! Let's all eat, haha!!"
"Was everything alright last night?"
Just then, Kuina, sitting next to Kong Tai, rested her hands on the table, tilted her head towards Kong Tai, and asked gently.
Others didn't know that enemies had come to their location last night. But with Kuina's sensitivity to danger, she knew the moment Spandam and his men appeared around the inn.
However, she sensed Kong Tai's presence afterward, so she didn't get up and slept peacefully.
"It's fine, just some minor pests."
Kong Tai waved his hand, picked up a chicken leg, and placed it in the bowl in front of Kuina. He gave her a gentle smile and said, "Eat up! After this, we'll go explore this beautiful city."
"Mhm!"
Nodding, Kuina retracted her gaze and began to eat.
There were some things he knew, and they knew. Whether it was the giant eye he saw last time or the gate he saw this time, he had no intention of telling them.
Unless, one day, they could become world-class powerhouses, or unless he had the ability to protect everyone, he would not tell them.
Because there was no point in telling them.
Those things were too far beyond them.
If it weren't for his peculiar physique and strong spiritual perception, he wouldn't have been able to sense these things at all.
After breakfast, the companions dispersed and went to explore the island.
Just as Kong Tai had said, they were staying here for seven days, so they decided to treat it as a vacation.
...
Navy.
Sengoku only received the news of Silver Hair and his crew's arrival in Water Seven this morning.
Strictly speaking, everyone on Enies Lobby was directly under the World Government. Therefore, whether it was the Navy or CP agents, all reports went to the World Government.
Coupled with Spandam's failure to report immediately and his decision to lead troops to Water Seven to capture Robin in pursuit of merit, this resulted in Sengoku receiving the news so late.
The intelligence he held came from the World Government.
Staring at the papers in front of him, reading the intelligence, Sengoku's expression became unprecedentedly serious.
"You've finally started killing Marines?"
He recalled his last conversation with Kong Tai. Clearly, the man wasn't bluffing.
Although he didn't know why Kong Tai hadn't killed all the Marines, the fact that he had started targeting them suggested that such incidents were likely to increase in the future.
After all, this man was completely different from other pirates. The Navy couldn't escape him if they encountered him.
And with the current weapons the Navy possessed, they were completely useless against him.
A headache.
The Navy was too vast. Even as Fleet Admiral, he couldn't truly manage the entire naval system, especially the lowest ranks.
He had advised at meetings long ago to try not to provoke Silver Hair's crew.
He believed that after so many battles, the admirals of Marine Headquarters would surely listen to him.
But for those Marines not in Marine Headquarters, he was a bit out of his depth and couldn't control them.
Others might not know the terror of Silver Hair, but he, as Fleet Admiral, as someone who directly dealt with the World Government and the Five Elders, certainly did.
As the only person in the Navy, besides Kuzan, who knew the detailed intelligence of Lantern Island, he had already learned from Kuzan that Kong Tai was not an ability user at all.
If he wasn't an ability user, then there was nothing in this world that could restrain him.
Cartlidge, who was comparable to, or even surpassed, an Admiral, was instantly killed by this man.
Even without experiencing it firsthand, just from Kuzan's account, he could tell from the latter's shocked tone how terrifying this man was.
Therefore, even knowing that Silver Hair's crew was in Water Seven, even knowing that Kong Tai had started killing Marines, he could do nothing.
"I hope you can uphold your justice!"
Picking up the documents on his desk, Sengoku glanced again at the Navy Colonel who had reported to the Navy separately alongside Spandam, and read the description of the Marines killed by Kong Tai, murmuring to himself.
He then turned his chair, bent down, and handed the files in his hand to the white goat beneath the desk.
Although Enies Lobby was directly under the World Government, the Marines stationed there were dispatched by the Navy. Therefore, the commanding officers of the Marines stationed there had the right and qualification to report separately to the Navy.
He had no recourse regarding Silver Hair's crew at the moment. He could only hope that the analysis of Silver Hair killing Marines, as reported by that Navy Colonel, was true.
"Sigh!!"
...
Time passed quickly.
Kong Tai had always thought that the World Government would send someone to Water Seven, not necessarily a strong fighter, but intelligence personnel to find the whereabouts of CP9.
Unexpectedly, the World Government was quite decisive and sent no one.
Did they know he was here and dared not send anyone else to their deaths?
Hmm...
He had to admit, they were quite clever.
He sensed that even Kalifa, the beautiful woman from CP9 who was with Iceberg, had disappeared that very night.
That night, due to the appearance of the strange gate, he had forgotten about Kalifa, the beauty from CP9. By the time he remembered the next day, she was long gone.
But since she was gone, she was gone!
He didn't think it was a big deal that an unimportant person had escaped.
However, they hadn't waited for people from the World Government, but in the past few days, they had encountered many pirates and bounty hunters.
These individuals did not dare to launch a full-scale attack on Water Seven. According to the pirates they captured, a pirate alliance had already formed outside the waters of Water Seven and was waiting for them.
"Truly suicidal."