"Commander Shang Xiao! There's... there's an enormous battleship heading toward Cocoyasi Village!"
In the office, Rat Shang Xiao glared at his subordinate and scolded: "Couldn't you knock before barging in to report?"
"S-sorry Commander! But that battleship is incredibly large! By its class... it... it looks like an Admiral-class Battleship!"
Rat Shang Xiao was about to berate his stammering subordinate - "What's the big deal about an Admiral-class..." - when the realization hit him. He sprang up from his seat.
"Y-you're certain it's Admiral-class?"
"I-I don't know for sure, but I've never seen a battleship that huge before!"
"Understood. D-dismissed!"
Now it was Rat Shang Xiao who struggled with his words, the irony lost on him as the room fell silent again.
From the shadows emerged a towering figure - a fish-man with a long, sharp, saw-toothed nose.
"Rat, why would an Admiral-class ship come here suddenly? Did you betray us?"
"Arlong, who am I supposed to ask about that? How should I know why those Admirals left Marineford to come to East Blue? And why would I betray you? What would I gain?"
Rat Shang Xiao snapped irritably at the fish-man beside him.
"Regardless of why they're here, you took my money. We're in this together now. If I go down, you're coming with me!"
With that, Arlong leaped out the window. Using his fish-man strength, he bounded away through the jungle in a few powerful jumps.
To be safe, he decided to evacuate the other fish-men from Arlong Park first.
After all, he wasn't some ignorant fool - he knew exactly how terrifying an Admiral could be.Back at the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Kizaru, who had quelled the rebellion, had already been promoted to admiral by then.
That terrifying level of strength was something he could never have imagined.
After seeing Arlong leave, Rat Shang Xiao immediately rushed to the harbor to personally welcome Roya's arrival.
The reception was grand to the extreme, making it seem as though Rat Shang Xiao and this man were on extremely good terms.
This was all part of Rat Shang Xiao's scheme—to let the villagers scare themselves into cooperating with his act, ensuring they wouldn't dare expose his crimes to Roya!
The warship slowly docked at the harbor, and Roya and Kalifa disembarked.
[Ding, sign-in successful. Reward obtained: Noah's Ark! Noah's Ark is the Oath Ship. According to Neptune in the original story, Noah was part of a promise between humans and the mermaid princess during the Void Century, but it was never fulfilled, so it sank into the deep sea.]
[This is the New Noah's Ark. Accepting Noah's Ark means accepting the promise with the mermaid princess. Under specific conditions, the system will issue special missions.]
[Special missions are extremely difficult but come with luxurious rewards. Host, please confirm: Will you accept the New Noah's Ark?]
"Accept."
Roya didn't hesitate in the slightest and agreed immediately.
If he lacked even this much courage, how could he face the powerful enemies of the future?
[Ding, acceptance successful. Noah's Ark has been stored in the system space. The host may release it at any time.]
By the time Roya stood before Rat Shang Xiao, the system's electronic voice had faded away.
Rat Shang Xiao saluted Roya and said, "Welcome, Admiral White Pigeon, to Cocoyasi for inspection!"
"I'm not here for an inspection. I'm just stopping by to replenish supplies."
Rat Shang Xiao reacted swiftly, immediately turning to the nearby soldiers and barking, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and move the supplies! Do you expect Admiral White Pigeon to carry them himself?"
After speaking, he turned back to Roya and said, "Admiral White Pigeon, would you like to rest in the office? It might take them a while to finish."
At this moment, Kalifa spoke up beside Roya, "Roya, since we're already in Cocoyasi, why don't we take a look around? I've never been to an island in the East Blue before."
"Mm, as you wish."
Seeing this, Rat Shang Xiao bowed slightly and said, "Admiral White Pigeon, I know Cocoyasi Village well. Allow me to guide you!"
Roya nodded, saying nothing more.
However, he found it somewhat strange that Rat Shang Xiao was so bold as to personally lead them on a tour—was he truly unafraid?
Or had Rat Shang Xiao hidden everything so well that he wasn't the least bit worried about Roya's arrival?
Thinking this, Roya mused to himself: Interesting~
——
On the island, a gentle breeze blew.
Rat Shang Xiao walked ahead, introducing Cocoyasi Village to Roya and Kalifa.
In his words, Cocoyasi Village was like a paradise—thanks to his protection and management, it remained untouched by pirates, a veritable utopia.
Yet when they reached the village marketplace, Kalifa noticed something odd.
None of the villagers wore even a trace of a smile.
Instead, the moment they saw Roya's group, they all turned and walked the other way.She could even see the intense hatred on everyone's faces.
As Kalifa listened to Rat Shang Xiao continue boasting about his achievements, she interrupted, "Is it really as you say? Why don't I see even a trace of happiness on these villagers' faces?"
Hearing Kalifa's words, Rat Shang Xiao cursed inwardly: Damn woman, always causing trouble!
Of course, Rat Shang Xiao only dared to think it in his heart.
He smiled warmly at Kalifa and said, "That's just how they are. If you don't believe me, you can ask them directly. Surely they wouldn't lie to you?"
As he spoke these words, Rat Shang Xiao shot a fierce glare at the surrounding villagers when Roya and Kalifa weren't looking.
The terrified villagers immediately averted their gazes.
In their hearts, Rat Shang Xiao and the fish-man Arlong were insurmountable mountains.
Moreover, seeing Roya's expressionless face, they assumed he was the same kind of person as Rat Shang Xiao!
How could they dare to expose Rat Shang Xiao in front of him?
It could only be said that Rat Shang Xiao had long established his oppressive authority.
But living in the East Blue, they had no idea what the uniform Roya wore truly represented.
Kalifa then approached an elderly vegetable vendor and asked, "Grandma, do you think public safety has been good lately? Or is there anything in your daily life that makes you uncomfortable?"
The old woman stole a glance at Rat Shang Xiao before hurriedly shaking her head, saying, "Very good, very good. Life here is wonderful, especially since Rat Shang Xiao came to Cocoyasi Village. He's always thinking of us..."