On the other side, Karp and the three of them, led by the stern-faced Mok, took a serious look at Cocoa West Town. Their expressions shifted from disdain to calm, and then to a hint of shock.
Before them lay a vast expanse of clean and tidy cobblestone roads! Surrounding them were tall buildings that looked neat and uniform, all gleaming and clearly recently constructed. While it might not compare to the renowned tourist spots of the Grand Line, like the Sabaody Archipelago, they understood the uniqueness of that place. How could one not be amazed to see such clean, orderly, and spacious streets in this small town in the East Sea?
Especially the crowds moving along the streets—everyone donned clean clothing, with genuine smiles on their faces and eyes filled with hope for the future. This was not something one would see in the Sabaody Archipelago.
It's important to note that Cocoa West Village is just an ordinary and unremarkable small village in the East Sea Konomi Islands, with the only distinguishing feature being its location within the jurisdiction of the Navy's 16th branch.
Karp furrowed his brow, and his hand, which had been shoveling snacks into his mouth, paused slightly. At that moment, for some reason, memories of the island in the Goya Kingdom came to mind—the village independent from the Goya Kingdom that he protected, which was also his hometown, Windmill Village. Even with his protection, Windmill Village could never develop into something like this.
Soon after, he returned to his usual carefree demeanor, stuffing his face with snacks while laughing, "What an interesting fellow, hahaha!"
As he finished speaking, the navy sergeant Dasqi, who was eating delicately beside him, wore a serious expression. "It seems we've misunderstood Colonel Shache; he's a good person!" After driving away the Fishmen and Colonel Mouse, he not only protected the village as the base commander but also led the impoverished village to develop together. He was even willing to shelter refugees from other islands, giving them a new life.
Thinking of this, Dasqi couldn't help but express her admiration and respect, "That's truly commendable!"
However, in response to his subordinate's words, Smoker took the cigar from the corner of his mouth, flicked off the ash, and coldly said, "Foolish. You should know that this funding was all deceitfully obtained from the Navy Headquarters! Moreover..."
He glanced around at the vibrant civilians, his eyes flickering slightly, then turned to coldly glare at Mok beside him. "That guy, as a Navy colonel, has clear evidence of colluding with pirates—it's an irreversible crime!"
"Hey, hey, hey, you jerk! My captain is not a bad person!" Hearing Smoker insult his captain, Mok, already feeling guilty for bringing the navy here due to his mistake, became even angrier. "I absolutely will not allow you to insult my captain. Even if we are pirates, we haven't done anything wrong; the captain has always kept us in check!"
"As long as you are a pirate, you are the greatest evil!"
"Damn it! You bastard navy..."
However, before the furious Mok could roll up his sleeves to confront Colonel Smoker, a resigned voice suddenly came from behind them.
The three turned around, along with Mok, to see the navy soldier Udo, who had appeared behind them at some point. "There are about twenty or so villages like Cocoa West in the Konomi Islands. Cocoa West may have developed well, but it started as just a very ordinary village, and because it was close to Evil Dragon Park, it was even worse off than the other villages back then." Udo walked over with a helpless expression, shaking his head as he looked at the inspector trio. "I came from another village in the Konomi Islands and witnessed firsthand how this poor island, where people struggled to even eat, developed little by little into what it is now."
"Back then, under the rule of Colonel Mouse and the Fishmen, everyone struggled to survive. Each adult had to pay 100,000 Berries every month, and even newborns had to pay 50,000 Berries. How could such a small village possibly earn that much money in just a month? I still remember how desperate it was until the colonel arrived... people's lives only improved a bit then."
His gaze fell on Colonel Smoker, his tone filled with emotion. "Additionally, I have always been responsible for requesting military funds from the Navy Headquarters. Perhaps the colonel did use military funds to help us at first, but that was just to ensure we could have enough food. After that, I can guarantee that every single Berry allocated by the Navy Headquarters has been used for naval construction. As for the current development of the Konomi Islands... a mere East Sea naval branch wouldn't receive that much funding."
With that said, this time... Smoker fell silent as well. As another East Sea naval colonel, he understood that Udo's words were indeed true. The strategic deployment of the Navy Headquarters has always been in the Grand Line and the New World; a mere weakest sea could not possibly obtain too much funding. However...
Smoker still looked at him coldly. "That does not justify your collusion with pirates to deceive for military funds. I can hold off on arresting your colonel for now, but you must give me an explanation."
But then...
"Eh? We haven't colluded with any pirates!" In response to Smoker's questioning, Udo directly averted his eyes, speaking with a floating gaze. "We in the 16th branch don't know any Mok Pirate Crew at all."
"?!"
Mok, who was momentarily stunned, seemed to grow a bit smarter at that moment, understanding Udo's meaning. He also shifted his gaze and whistled at the sky, "That's right, I don't know any captain! I'm the captain of the Mok Pirate Crew; how could I know the navy?"
With that said,
"......" X4
The four of them looked at Mok with blank expressions. Did this guy even know what he was saying?
Especially Smoker... with a furrowed brow, he glared at Udo and Mok, as if insulted. "Are you taking me for a fool?"
The evidence was already conclusive, and they still dared to argue in front of him?
His right hand, clad in leather gloves, tightened around his weapon... the specially made six hands, ready to show them whether he was a fool.
But suddenly...
"Calm down, Smoker." Karp interrupted, then patted his hands, which were a bit dirty from finishing snacks, seemingly not angry at the earlier nonsense. He looked at Udo with a cheerful expression and said, "We’ve seen what we needed to see. I must say, it’s indeed a bit unexpected. Next... it’s time to have a good talk with your colonel."
With a meaningful look in his eyes.
"I’m curious to see how that kid will persuade me."
With that said,
"......"
Looking at that meaningful gaze, Udo couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. He knew that what was about to happen next was beyond his control, so he could only step aside and gesture for them to follow.
"This way, the colonel is already waiting for everyone."
Then, under Udo's lead, the three of them, along with the angry Mok, walked forward together.
Before long, they arrived in front of a solemn, grand white building.
Before Udo could enter to announce them,
"Hahaha, Shache kid, I'm here!" Karp boisterously walked past him, leading Smoker and Dasqi inside while shouting, "Have you thought about how to argue your way out of this?"
As the voice faded, the three had already entered to see Shache sitting behind the central desk, dressed in a white navy uniform and draped in a black fur coat, with his hands folded under his chin.
Beside him stood a girl in a white shirt and black skirt, with orange hair.
Before Karp, who was still picking his nose and about to say something loud again, could finish his words, Shache sighed, looked at him, and then said in a serious tone, "Vice Admiral Karp, we received word that your grandson has already gone to sea as a pirate."
With that said,
Udo, Mok: !!!
Smoker, Dasqi: ?!
Karp, who was still picking his nose: ...
His smile froze on his face.
Feeling the strange gazes around him, Karp’s expression darkened as he looked at Shache.
This kid... was a bit unpredictable!