Chapter 262

Soon, under the soldiers arrangements, all the civilians boarded the transport ship in an orderly fashion. Though they wondered why this rogue group was recruiting people like them as soldiers, and suspected some ulterior motive, they quietly crowded into the cramped cabins just to fill their stomachs. Making noise would get them thrown overboard by any other crew.

As for Issho, the recruiter, Petty Officer Carl, didn’t make him squeeze in with the crowd. During their earlier conversation in the cafeteria, even though this blind man had only revealed a hint of his presence for a split second, Carl had felt it.

Terrifying.

He even felt it was more suffocating than Instructor Kuro’s killing intent. Though he didn’t know the ronin’s exact strength, he still gave Issho the respect a powerful fighter deserved, offering him space on the deck.

"We’re not far from the East Blue. I expect you to stay put here," Petty Officer Carl said, watching him intently. "It’ll avoid a lot of trouble."

"I understand." Issho paid the cautious words no mind, smiling with a polite nod. "I will stay right here."

"Sorry about the cramped conditions."

Hearing Issho’s agreeable tone, Carl breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to turn around and continue his supervisory work.

At that moment.

"Petty Officer Carl!"

A marine soldier ran over in a frantic hurry. "A slave ship has been spotted ahead!"

"Slave ship?"

Carl’s face froze in shock. A moment later, without any hesitation, he made an immediate tactical decision.

"Evade! We have too many civilians with us, it’s not convenient to fight."

Sitting nearby, Issho frowned deeply but said nothing.

"We can’t evade." The soldier’s face was pale with resignation. "That ship came straight for us the moment it saw our flag."

"Came straight for us?"

Carl’s face froze again. Seeing the soldier nod, he instantly realized the slavers were likely targeting their vulnerable cargo of refugees.

He snapped out of his daze an instant later. Without a moment’s hesitation, he barked his orders.

"Split the ships. Send one to ’negotiate’ with them. Let the civilians board the other and detour immediately to the East Blue. If they’re weaker than us, take them out and sink them to the bottom of the sea. If they’re stronger, talk to them and stall for as much time as possible."

His voice hardened into absolute resolve. "Notify Headquarters right away. We aren’t far from the border. If Captain Enel heads over, he should arrive very quickly."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier didn’t hesitate. After acknowledging the order, he headed straight for the cabins.

"Sorry, seems there’s been a little incident." Carl didn’t pause. He turned his head to look at Issho, who was gripping his cane. "Looks like you’ll need to change ships."

"Do you need my help?" Issho frowned at the officer. "I can hold my own."

"In that case, I’ll have to trouble you with leading the others on the detour." Carl nodded, looking at Issho seriously. "We’re short on hands to protect the civilians."

"I can help you deal with the attackers..."

Before Issho could finish, Carl turned away immediately. Having assigned the guest his task, the man went to arrange his men for boarding, a dark, murderous look on his face.

Slavers actually dared to attack the East Blue Marines? Did they not know what lurked in those waters?

Watching Carl’s retreating back, Issho sighed. He stood up slowly. Instead of following orders to board the fleeing ship, he gripped his shikomizue tightly and murmured, "Not being able to see is a blessing in itself. There are far too many vile and despicable scum in this world that one would rather not lay eyes on."

At the same time, at East Blue Marine Headquarters.

"Issho? The Blind Man?"

"Boss, is this person someone special?" Viola asked curiously, looking at Dante, who had suddenly frowned at the intelligence report. "Do you know who he is, Boss?"

Even though the information had only just arrived, she was well aware that her boss seemed to know many world secrets from unknown sources.

"Is he a Marine spy?"

"This man is incredibly strong. If he joined the World Government, they definitely wouldn’t sacrifice him by sending him out as a lowly spy." Dante smiled and shook his head, then frowned again, tapping the paper sent from the Grand Line station.

Skipping Marine HQ and coming to their rogue faction instead?

While he was extremely confident in his own military buildup, Dante still had self-awareness. The East Blue Marines... were essentially a well-organized, black-hearted enterprise on the sea.

He pondered for a moment, glanced at the profile, and looked up with a bright smile. "Tell Zephyr-sensei that we might be getting a true big shot over here."

Robin suddenly pressed a hand to her earpiece, her expression turning grave. "Boss, urgent message. A unit returning from the Grand Line has been attacked by slavers. The enemy’s strength far exceeds theirs. They’re requesting immediate backup from Headquarters."

Slavers? Which group of slavers would dare attack his ships? Did they have a death wish?

Dante’s face went cold. But before he could issue an order, Robin spoke up again, her eyes widening.

"Huh, it’s the exact same unit that just sent the message."

Dante paused. "Which unit?"

"The one that just sent back the information on Issho."

"Loguetown is just ahead."

Petty Officer Carl glanced respectfully at Issho, who sat cross-legged on the polished deck before him. "Once we clear Loguetown’s waters, we’ll reach East Blue Marine Headquarters before long, Mister Issho."

"There is no need for such a formal address, Petty Officer Carl." Issho regarded him with weary resignation. "I am merely an ordinary, blind ronin."

"..."

’Ordinary my ass!’ Carl gave a blank look at that. He hadn’t forgotten the brutal encounter. That slave ship had charged straight for them. The moment he spotted the men in black suits aboard and felt their formidable strength, he knew they had serious backing. Elite fighters, likely working for the World Nobles.

But why would a slave ship target them out of nowhere?

Of course, while he knew exactly who the enemy was, he also understood one thing: with their current squad strength, they were no match for those men in black suits. He had immediately decided to step forward and negotiate, hoping to stall until Enel’s lightning arrived.

He never got the chance.

Before he could open his mouth, a man in a black suit cut him off. The man muttered something about an unexpected windfall, waved a hand, and ordered his men to throw the "defective trash" into the sea and take the healthy refugees as slaves.

Left with no choice, Carl ordered the civilian ship to turn and flee while he brought his own vessel forward to fight. Just as those elite slavers began boarding, a massive figure appeared before them.

That’s right. It was this ’ordinary’ blind ronin.

His shikomizue effortlessly blocked the initial attack from the slaver captain. He even attempted to negotiate peacefully, hoping they would stop their assault there. But he was mocked and rejected again.

Finally, Mister Issho had sighed in profound resignation. "Not seeing is a blessing, for there are far too many filthy and despicable people in this world that one cannot bear to look at."

Then, those arrogant slavers charged.

A second later, they were completely defeated.

He took down the captain in a single move. Exactly one move. In the blink of an eye, a crushing gravitational force defeated every single slaver on deck, pressing them into the wood until they choked.

Even though Carl had guessed from his aura that Issho was strong, he never expected him to be a literal monster. Terror had frozen him to the spot.

After that, things ended up like this. They confiscated the slave ship and bound those men in black suits as prisoners. However, Carl had no idea how to deal with them. After all, once captured, those prisoners kept raving about offending the Celestial Dragons and how the entire East Blue would be purged by Admirals. Listening to it made his skin crawl. He could only order his men to gag them tightly and treat it as capturing a generic pirate vessel.

Upon hearing those threats, Issho had fallen silent for a moment... then calmly stated that he was blind and couldn’t hear a thing.

Carl sighed, looking at Issho earnestly. "Mister Issho, I still hope you can join us. The East Blue Marines value true talent, and a powerful fighter like you would certainly be respected by our Leader. Of course..." He paused, hesitating, but continued anyway. "I respect your choice as well. After all..." A grateful smile touched his lips. "You saved all our lives."

"I have done nothing, there is no need for this." Facing Carl’s recruitment pitch, Issho did not give a direct answer. He slowly shook his head. "Besides, I am grateful to you for the kindness of a meal."

As he spoke, he seemed to sense something on the horizon and frowned. "There is a ship ahead."

The words had just left his mouth when a lookout ran over in a hurry. "Petty Officer, Captain Smoker’s warship is approaching fast. Do we need to go and greet them?"

"Captain Smoker? Is he also with you?"

Hearing the slight question in Issho’s tone, Carl offered a quick explanation. "Captain Smoker isn’t one of ours. He’s from Marine HQ, and he officially commands the Loguetown waters. We haven’t secured this sector yet, so... we aren’t familiar with him."

"A HQ Captain?" Issho nodded, though his brow remained furrowed as his haki stretched out. "That ship is heading directly this way. There is a strong presence on board. It might be the Captain Smoker you mentioned."

Stunned disbelief crossed Carl’s face. "He’s close? How is he already close?"

"He is definitely close." Issho gripped his shikomizue. "Do you need my help?"

"No need, no need! Captain Smoker might be stubborn, but he has a strict sense of justice." Seeing Issho’s hand tighten on his blade, Carl offered a sheepish smile. "With so many civilians on our ship, he shouldn’t attack us unprovoked."

"Is that so." Issho nodded, his closed eyes turning toward the officer. "It seems you know Captain Smoker well."

"...I only know him a little." Carl nodded with another strained grin, deciding not to hide their awkward political situation from Issho anymore.

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