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Standing at the bow of The Logan, Rojen didn't share Zeff's overthinking. He didn't feel like some bigshot at all.
To put it bluntly, he was just a "major fugitive" being hunted by the Marines across the seas, dragging his family along while running and hiding.
Well, this "fugitive" title was something the World Government forcibly slapped onto him.
If a Marine pointed a gun at his head, Rojen swore he'd absolutely make sure not to cause them any trouble, as long as they didn't hurt him first.
All he wanted was to live quietly in this world. Go fishing for Sea Kings when he had nothing to do, beat up some Celestial Dragons when he felt like punching someone, and head over to All Blue whenever he craved some fish.
Such a simple and beautiful life, isn't it?
What did any of that have to do with the Marines?
Why were they chasing him so relentlessly?
Rojen honestly didn't get it and felt kind of uneasy about it.
In their past encounters, Rojen admitted that, yeah, maybe he'd accidentally gone a bit overboard and caused serious physical and mental trauma to the Marines. But hey, it was totally unintentional.
Even so, they just wouldn't let him go.
For instance, at this very moment, reflected in the two-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes, he spotted a wooden surveillance bird teetering in the sky like it could fall into the sea at any second.
Rojen wasn't stupid. In fact, in some ways, he was even smarter than Roger.
One glance, and he immediately recognized it as some kind of tracking device.
So he took a deep breath, and the internal qi he had been cultivating over the past few days surged from his dantian, flowing through 365 acupuncture points, and within a flash, gathered in the palm of his hand.
"Go!"
With a thrust of his palm, golden light filled the sky, and a golden dragon burst forth from his hand, soaring into the air.
"Rooaaarrr!!"
The dragon's roar shook the heavens. The golden dragon coiled and flew upward at lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, collided head-on with the wooden bird.
With a loud crack, the fragile wooden construct was instantly shattered into pieces.
"What was that?" Jason looked at the shower of wooden debris raining from the air and asked curiously.
"Probably some special device the Marines use to track us," Rojen replied in a deep voice.
Lordling had watched everything clearly and now appeared visibly anxious. For some reason, it ran up to Rojen and started meowing non-stop.
"You're urging us to leave here quickly?" Rojen understood, and after nodding, instructed Jason to keep moving.
"Don't worry. Even if you didn't say anything, we were already planning to get out of here."
"Still, I didn't expect the Marines to be chasing us this closely."
Compared to their overwhelming presence in the Four Seas to suppress the restless pirates, the Marines' influence inside the Grand Line was far less.
So Rojen wasn't all that nervous. Plus, since they had crossed the Calm Belt from South Blue to get here, even the Marines would need some time to react and mobilize the right force to deal with them.
As their journey continued, three days passed, and Rojen began to feel confused.
In these three days, he hadn't seen a single Marine ship tracking them.
"Could it be… that wooden bird wasn't from the Marines?"
A flicker passed through his eyes as doubt began to form.
Thinking back carefully, the tracking method really didn't seem like something the Marines would use.
While Rojen was still speculating about the origin of the wooden bird, in the South Blue, near the edge of the Calm Belt, a small wooden boat was slowly approaching.
A man in a black suit stared at the calm surface of the Calm Belt, his brows furrowed, clearly not expecting this.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and spoke in a cold tone: "We lost them. The target crossed straight through the Calm Belt into the Grand Line. Estimated location, somewhere around Alabasta. The rest is up to you."
"Alright!"
"I'm leaving now. Don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry. I won't."
A firm voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
Nodding, the man in the black suit tucked the Den Den Mushi into his coat, glanced once more at the Calm Belt, and remained shaken by how Rojen and his crew had managed to cross it.
"They were able to control that giant bird? What a miraculous kid…"
Adjusting his black bowler hat, the man turned around, sat cross-legged in the wooden boat, and started rowing back the way he came.
He had done everything within his power and fulfilled the other party's request.
The rest was no longer his concern.
Honestly, he had no desire to provoke someone as mysterious as Rojen.
Throughout the journey, the wooden surveillance bird had transmitted everything it saw directly into his mind. If he had to summarize the group's actions in just four words:
Divine Assistance.
The giant bird, the Sea Kings being unusually calm during this season, and the complete absence of any sea disasters,
He was a superstitious man, and all of it felt like they were being protected by the gods.
A person like that… he couldn't afford to offend, nor did he dare to.
The wooden boat drifted slowly away from the Calm Belt, gradually vanishing into the sea.
The sea breeze gently stirred, and night fell.
Rojen, Jason, Rouge, and the cat gathered on the deck. They lit candle lanterns, brought out fragrant dishes, and began a romantic candlelight dinner.
"Over the past few days, I've figured out our location," Jason said excitedly.
"The nearest island to us now is Alabasta."
"Alabasta?"
Rojen's eyes lit up with interest, while Rouge also listened seriously as Jason explained.
"Speaking of Alabasta, it's very famous in this part of the sea. It's one of the member nations of the World Government's alliance of a hundred countries. The island itself is scenic, lush with greenery, though most of iit is sand, and even the air is filled with birdsong and floral fragrance. It's breathtaking!"
"If Rouge were to give birth there, it would be really beneficial for little Ace's future, too!"
Jason spoke quickly, though his eyes were still glued to the food on the table.
"Then let's set our course for that island," Rojen said with a smile.
"Yeah, I totally agree," Jason replied cheerfully.
"Alabasta has very little Marine presence. Since it's an official nation, any reckless entry by the Marines could bring trouble with the World Government."
"There's no way you came up with all that on your own," Rojen teased.
"I read it from a book on a merchant ship we ran into yesterday and decided to use it," Jason said with a sheepish laugh.
Everyone smiled helplessly, yeah, that level of detail clearly didn't come from Jason himself.
"We'll rest tonight. Tomorrow, we set sail for Alabasta!" Rojen made the final call.
"Rouge, this time… you can peacefully await Ace's arrival." Rouge smiled gently, feeling truly happy.
But as the group enjoyed their romantic candlelight dinner, less than 3,000 meters away on the sea, a pirate ship was silently drawing near.
"Captain, we've spotted a medium-sized wooden boat ahead."
"Destroy it. I don't want any obstacles on my path."
The voice was cold, frigid.
(End Of This Chapter)