A sudden clamor of noise drifted over from a distant ship.
Nami and Carina both found it a bit strange.
But since neither of them could make out exactly what the townsfolk were saying, they had no clue what was happening over there.
Will, with his sharper hearing, caught the shouts of the distant townsfolk clearly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Then, ignoring the commotion, he turned to Nami and said, "That docunt I gave you on the way—have you finished looking over the sea chart? You should be able to pinpoint the location, right?"
"I've gone through it," Nami replied with a quick nod, her tone growing serious. "The exact spot is northeast of the Conomi Islands' waters."
"It's not too far from here. We should be able to reach it by tomorrow noon at the latest."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but recall the contents of those docunts, her expression darkening. "Honestly, I never would've guessed."
"The atrocities those Marines have committed are even worse than I imagined."
"To complete their assigned missions, they've been secretly capturing civilians to use as prisoners..."
Carina, standing nearby, found it equally hard to believe. "Seriously, the people in the 16th Marine Branch are the most despicable Marines I've ever co across."
"When Will blew them to smithereens earlier, it was honestly too good a fate for them."
Will wasn't the least bit surprised by their reactions. Instead, he shifted the topic. "So, this 'Kingdom on the Bridge,' Tequila Wolf—have either of you heard any intel about that place before?"
In the original story, this location was barely ntioned, and Will had never gone out of his way to learn about it.
As a result, he knew next to nothing about the situation there.
Nami shook her head helplessly. "I've only heard of the place in passing."
"But since it's heavily guarded and doesn't seem like a spot with any treasure, I never bothered digging up more info about it."
Carina, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, as if she knew sothing.
After a mont of silence, she spoke up, her tone heavy as she began to explain what she knew about the place. "Tequila Wolf, also known as the Kingdom on the Bridge, or more fittingly, the Land of Labor."
"It's a massive bridge that's been under construction since long ago."
"By now, its length and scale have grown beyond asure—probably about the size of an island."
"That's why they call it the Kingdom on the Bridge."
"But even though it's dubbed a 'kingdom,' it's really nothing more than a giant prison built on that bridge."
"Most of the people there are citizens of nations unaffiliated with the World Governnt, along with criminals from various countries."
"On top of that, the pirates captured by the East Blue Marines are almost always sent there too."
"Every day, those people are forced to keep building the bridge beneath their feet, which is why 'Land of Labor' fits it even better."
"And across the entire East Blue, whether it's rchants or pirates, no one dares venture near that sea."
"Because if you get too close without enough strength, ordinary people have no hope of escaping that area."
"Besides the extre weather near the North Pole, there's also a heavy presence of Marine warships stationed there."
"Rumor has it even the East Blue's big shot, Creek—the guy who's already sailed to the Grand Line—nearly got his massive fleet trapped there and barely made it out."
"For an average person sailing in, they'd probably get nabbed by the Marine warships guarding the place and turned into another bridge-building slave."
"And of all the people who've beco slaves there, not a single one has ever escaped."
As she finished, Carina's expression darkened, her brow furrowing. "But I never imagined that among the 'pirates' those Marines captured, there'd be so many innocent civilians."
She knew full well that once those innocent people were sent there, no one would care whether they were actually pirates or not.
Because once they arrived, they'd be stripped of everything and given a single identity.
Slaves.
Nami, listening beside her, couldn't hide her surprise. "Wow, not bad, you little vixen. I didn't expect you to know so much about that place."
Then, puzzled, she asked, "Wait, don't tell you were planning to sneak in there and steal so treasure? But I've never heard of it being a rich spot."
"Pfft, hee hee hee," Carina giggled, covering her mouth as she teased, "What, do you think I'm you, you little thief cat? Always sniffing out intel just to score so treasure?"
"I was just curious about the place back then, so I dug up a bit more info."
"And with my skills, even if there were piles of treasure there, I'd never go anywhere near it."
"Fair point," Nami nodded slightly, her thoughts aligning with Carina's.
She loved treasure, sure, but that didn't an she wasn't afraid of dying.
Unless... the treasure there was so unimaginable it'd be worth the risk!
Will paid no mind to their banter, his tone calm as he spoke. "The reason those Marines resorted to grabbing civilians to pad their numbers is because of a secret transport mission assigned by Tequila Wolf."
"The mission demands a minimum of 100 people, and the more they send, the bigger the reward."
"That's why those Marines started targeting defenseless civilians to boost their 'prisoner' count."
"And the ones issuing the mission? They probably don't care one bit who gets shipped over."
"So the real masterminds are likely so higher-ups in Tequila Wolf with even more power."
"Maybe governnt officials, or maybe higher-ranking Marine officers—but to , that doesn't matter."
"I just can't stand the idea of soone more overbearing than existing in the East Blue!"
Carina blinked at that, then asked with a serious look, "Will, don't tell you're planning to go to Tequila Wolf to free the slaves?"
"Huh?" Will's brow creased, his expression clearly taken aback. "Free the slaves? What are you, joking?"
"I don't have ti to waste on sothing like that."
"The only reason I want to go is because there's a ton of criminals and pirates there."
"Which ans there's bound to be so decently strong people guarding the place."
"And my target? Those guards watching over the bridge. I just hope their strength doesn't disappoint ."
His original plan had been to wipe out the Marines at the 16th Branch and then head straight to Loguetown.
But after seeing the contents of those confidential files, a new plan sparked in his mind.
First Tequila Wolf, then Loguetown!
No sooner thought than done.
When it ca to his goals and plans, Will never hesitated.
Carina and Nami exchanged a wry smile as they caught the glint of anticipation in Will's eyes.
With Will around, they weren't too worried about safety.
But still—this was the mysterious, legendary place of the East Blue they were heading to.
So, naturally, a flicker of tension and unease crept into their hearts.
Seeing their thoughtful expressions, Will didn't pry. Instead, he said, "Alright, the goal's set. Nami, you're in charge of keeping the course steady."
"Everyone rest up tonight. Tomorrow, we head full speed to Tequila Wolf."
With that, he stood and walked into the cabin, ready to recharge for the day ahead.
Nami locked in the ship's heading, then chatted idly with Carina as they both headed back to their rooms.
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