Chapter 295: A Game of Pursuit in the New World

The other pirate captains, seeing the chaos unfold, hurriedly urged the coating craftsmen to finish their ship coatings so they could dive into Fishman Island.

None of them wanted to lose their main forces before even reaching the New World.

If a Navy admiral showed up, no one would escape unscathed.

Some ships were just too large to coat in time.

They had no choice but to sail their vessels to the far side of the Sabaody Archipelago, hoping to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

That move served as a wake-up call for the pirates arriving after—they realized that as long as they didn’t stir up trouble on the island, they’d be safe and sound.

Though, no one could say how long that kind of peace would last.

At least from this moment on, the Sabaody Archipelago would see a rare stretch of calm.

It was also from this day that a flood of pirates surged toward the New World. Most found their way blocked by the Flying Pirates, but a handful pressed deeper inside.

Meanwhile, far out in the depths of the New World’s sea…

A sudden ring from a Den Den Mushi echoed through a dog-headed warship, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Bogart strode over, Den Den Mushi in hand, and quickly shook Garp awake from his nap on the deck.

Garp, still groggy, picked up the receiver out of habit. “Hello?”

“Is that you, Garp?”

“Marshal Kong?”

The moment he heard Kong’s voice over the line, Garp snapped to attention.

He knew that if Kong was calling him directly, it had to be urgent.

The fact that the call was coming straight from Kong made it clear how important this was.

“Are you still tailing Roger?”

Garp was caught off guard by the question but glanced at the dark speck on the horizon and responded, “Reporting, Marshal Kong.”

“I can just barely make out Roger’s ship in the distance.”

“Wait, did something happen at Navy Headquarters?”

For a second, Garp wondered if someone had attacked headquarters.

Earlier that morning, he’d read the newspaper. Its story was partially true—and partially not.

“True” because, compared to the God Valley era, Navy Headquarters really had taken a hit in strength.

“Not true” since the Navy still had more than four Admiral-level powerhouses holding it down.

No random upstart could just waltz in and act tough there.

Besides, he hadn’t heard about any major moves from Karl, Whitebeard, or Golden Lion lately.

“Stop guessing!”

“Since you’re still chasing Roger, here’s your next order.”

“Keep after Roger and push him toward the Sweets Sea.”

Garp’s eyes narrowed—he immediately knew what was up. “Understood, Marshal Kong.”

“I’ll drive Roger into the Sweets Sea as quickly as possible.”

“Whether or not you succeed is up to you—just use your own best judgment.”

“Carry out the order.”

Click!

As Bogart stepped up to put away the Den Den Mushi, Garp stared at the now silent receiver.

“Vice Admiral Garp, what do you think the Marshal meant by that?”

Garp simply waved a hand and looked out toward Roger in the distance.

“This is the classic ‘use one tiger to fight another’—let the strong war it out.”

Garp wasn’t stupid; he just played the fool. The Marshal’s intent was painfully clear.

His eyes swept back to the table where a newspaper lay. He murmured, “Looks like the World Government is getting anxious.”

“Send out my orders. Change course.”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll even run into Karl face-to-face.”

Roger Pirates were the first to notice the change in Garp’s ship.

“Roger, what’s up with Garp? Why’d he suddenly alter his course?”

“And they’re picking up speed—are we about to fight again?”

Jabba scratched his head with his axe.

Usually Garp just kept chasing at an even pace.

When Roger Pirates took a break, Garp’d close in, they’d clash, and then Roger Pirates would slip away to sail on—the same game, over and over.

The routine had become so familiar they barely noticed it.

But now, this abrupt change shook them up.

Rayleigh adjusted his gold-framed glasses.

Studying the sea charts in hand, he traced the course with his finger, then looked up. “If you ask me, their aim…”

“Seems like they’re trying to force us into a run-in with Karl.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

They all crowded around, watching as Rayleigh sketched their projected route on the chart with a pencil.

To keep Garp from catching up too fast, they’d have to adjust their own heading.

And that new path would eventually lead straight into the Sweets Sea—the heartland of Karl’s crew.

Roger yanked the newspaper off his face and burst into laughter. “Then let’s give him what he wants.”

“At the very least, once we’re in the Sweets Sea, Garp shouldn’t be chasing after us—at least not right away.”

“I’ve never even been to the Sweets Sea before, so this should be interesting.”

“Full speed ahead, everyone!”

Seeing Roger’s excitement, Rayleigh pushed up his glasses and sighed, “Well, that’s our captain for you—a big kid at heart.”

“What are you waiting for? Get moving! Head straight for the Sweets Sea!”

Jabba glanced at Rayleigh, then at Roger, who was practically dancing with excitement.

He grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, what can you do when your captain’s this unpredictable?”

“Hahaha!”

“That’s right! Only our captain would come up with something like this!”

“Well, now that we’ve settled our destination, let’s get started.”

The Oro Jackson, flagship of Roger Pirates, pivoted and began its course straight for the Sweets Sea.

Watching Roger’s course change, Garp muttered to himself,

“Will things really go as smoothly as planned?”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse.”

As soon as Roger Pirates changed direction, Bogart ordered the Navy to slow down.

Staying back at a distance would do. Their mission was to push Roger Pirates into the Sweets Sea, not force a fight.

Word of Roger’s altered heading quickly reached Kahwa through his informants.

After Selma’s death, Kahwa was sent by his superiors to lead CP0.

The plan came from the Five Elders, but if it failed, someone would need to take the fall.

And Kahwa was the perfect scapegoat.

He’d expected as much the day he took the job, so none of this surprised him.

A spy handed him a sealed file he’d prepared.

“Get the word out. Whatever it takes…”

“Force a clash between Roger Pirates and Karl’s Pirate Crew, make sure a war breaks out.”

“That’s the only way you, me, all of us have a shot at staying alive.”

The agent saluted. “Understood, Lord Kahwa!”

“Your orders will be carried out.”

The agent tucked the file under his arm and dashed out the door. He needed to send the contents by fax to their informants scattered within the New World.

Their orders: do whatever it takes to stoke the flames between Roger and Karl’s pirate crews.

That was the only way they’d keep their own heads on their shoulders.