A few days later.
Xia Wen sat leisurely in a reclining chair, reading the latest issue of “World Economic News” in his hand.
In a remote corner of the newspaper, there were two news stories about the East Blue:
“Shocking!
‘Lightning Queen’ Appears in East Blue!
Several Pirate Crews Suffer Thunderous Judgment!”
“Sea Restaurant Incident!
Mysterious Bounty Hunters Command a Giant Sea Beast, Racing Across the Sea!”
The first news story was about a short-haired, orange-haired girl who wielded terrifying lightning.
She had destroyed several notorious pirate crews, including remnants of East Blue outlaw groups and small-time marauders who preyed on civilians, crushing them with overwhelming force.
She was suspected of having consumed a Devil Fruit related to lightning, granting her extremely powerful combat abilities far beyond normal pirates in the East Blue.
What was most incredible was that this girl, who clearly acted as a bounty hunter,
After defeating those pirates,
Did not claim the rewards for herself.
Instead, she handed the bounties over to the villagers and victims who had suffered under pirate oppression, allowing them to rebuild their lives.
Every time this girl, who called herself Nami, won,
She would tirelessly promote a place called “Miracle of Fate” to those she rescued from pirate raids.
She claimed it was a shop that could fulfill all dreams, change one’s destiny, and grant power that could rival even the Grand Line.
The second news story was much shorter, yet equally strange.
It described that near the famous Sea Restaurant Baratie,
Two mysterious bounty hunters were seen controlling a massive sea beast with a single horn and an enormous body, resembling a Sea King-like creature but far smaller in scale.
However, they did not attack any ships or civilians.
Instead, they used the beast to drag their small boat across the sea at incredible speeds, far faster than ordinary sailing vessels.
Whenever they encountered other ships or coastal residents, they would loudly shout:
“Have you seen our big brother?!”
“Brother Zoro, where are you?!”
“This is the invincible Sword God Orb we obtained from the shop!”
“And we’ll become stronger than ever!”
Their speech was chaotic and disorganized, and their actions were extremely bizarre, making it impossible to determine their true intentions.
Xia Wen chuckled, slowly putting down the newspaper.
“As expected of my publicity ambassadors, this kind of advertisement is quite effective.”
Especially Nami, she was working far harder than he had anticipated.
Although the report never directly mentioned the Jar Shop,
Anyone paying close attention would inevitably become curious about this so-called “Miracle of Fate.”
This was already more than enough as a first step.
As long as Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku continued stirring up waves across the East Blue,
Sooner or later, the key figures of this sea would be drawn toward Cocoyasi Village.
Leaving aside Monkey D.
Luffy, who was still in Foosha Village preparing for his journey,
Roronoa Zoro and Sanji of the Baratie were both extremely valuable targets.
They had talent, potential, and most importantly, a strong desire for strength.
Perfect candidates to be harvested into his system.
As for Usopp,
With the current changes to the storyline,
It was uncertain whether Luffy would even follow the original route to Syrup Village.
And at this stage, Usopp neither possessed the strength nor the drive to seek power from the Jar Shop.
At that moment, another figure currently active in the East Blue surfaced in Xia Wen’s thoughts.
“If Smoker counts as one slot, then Buggy should count as well.”
Buggy the Clown, a former member of the Roger Pirates, certainly had enough notoriety.
However, his personality was fundamentally different from those who pursued power relentlessly.
He valued survival, trickery, and status far more than actual strength.
Xia Wen was not entirely certain whether such a person could be attracted by the promise of the Jar Shop.
At the same time,
The port of Cocoyasi Village quietly welcomed a special Marine warship.
The ship bore no standard Marine insignia on its sails, yet its structure was thick, stable, and carried the unmistakable presence of a high-ranking command vessel.
As the gangplank was lowered,
Three figures stepped onto the dock, escorted by a squad of elite Marine soldiers.
“Tina is puzzled.
Tina does not understand why she was transferred from the Grand Line to the East Blue.”
“And furthermore, why Tina must accompany Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru to such an ordinary village.”
Tina spoke while holding a cigarette between her fingers, her long pink hair swaying lightly in the sea breeze, her expression filled with confusion.
She had originally been assigned to Loguetown, the town of beginnings and endings.
Garp, wearing his signature dog-head hat, burst into loud laughter.
“Little Tina, don’t be so impatient!”
“You’ll understand very soon, and you might even thank this old man!
Ga ha ha ha!”
Tina fell silent.
Why couldn’t he just explain things clearly?
If this involved confidential orders, then why bring her along in the first place?
At that moment,
Smoker, who had already received advance notice, hurried over from within the village.
“Reporting!
Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru!”
“And…
Tina, long time no see.”
Tsuru’s sharp gaze swept across Cocoyasi Village before settling on Smoker, who stood upright but slightly tense.
“Has that shop remained stable recently?”
“How many people have opened jars?”
Shop?
Jars?
Tina’s confusion deepened further.
What kind of establishment could warrant the personal attention of both Garp and Tsuru?
Was this some newly established Marine intelligence code?
And Smoker being stationed in such a remote village felt like an obvious misallocation of combat power.
Tina even began to suspect that he had offended someone at Headquarters.
“The shop is operating normally.
No one has opened jars in the past few days, however…”
Smoker’s expression turned somewhat complicated as he handed over a newspaper he had prepared in advance.
“This is today’s paper delivered by the News Coo.”
“I believe the girl named Nami mentioned here is very likely the same Cocoyasi Village resident who defeated the Arlong Pirates.”
Tsuru’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She took the newspaper and immediately focused on the marked sections.
After carefully reading both reports,
She let out a slow breath, her expression turning subtly complicated.
Just as Garp had predicted,
The former customers of that Shop Owner had already begun spreading its influence across the East Blue.
And judging from the strength displayed by the so-called “Lightning Queen,”
It would not be long before she entered the Grand Line.
Once that happened, the existence of the Jar Shop would spread far beyond the relatively isolated East Blue.
At present, two separate groups had already begun promoting the shop publicly.
There was no way to know how many other individuals had opened jars in silence, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
The Marine’s attempt to contain the information had effectively failed before it even began.
Tsuru half-closed her eyes, forcing her tone to remain composed.
“Garp, our strategy must be adjusted.”
“Inform Sengoku.
Have officers from all branches make time to come to the East Blue and open jars as soon as possible.”
Since secrecy was no longer possible,
There was no reason to risk damaging the Marine’s relationship with the Shop Owner through unnecessary probing.
“Let’s go.”
“Time to meet this…
Mr.
Shop Owner who can ‘sell miracles.'”
Garp, who had already lost patience, dashed forward toward the village with Bogard following closely behind.
“Ga ha ha ha!
This old man is going to open the tastiest senbei in the world!”
After running a few steps, he suddenly stopped, scratching his head as he looked around in confusion.
“Eh?
Where is that shop again?
I don’t know the way!”
Silence fell.
A trace of helplessness flashed across Tsuru’s eyes as she watched Garp’s reckless behavior.
She could only gesture toward Smoker.
“Lead the way.”
In truth, even she felt a deep curiosity.
Could those so-called jars truly grant anything?
And more importantly,
Who exactly was that mysterious Shop Owner?
During their journey to the East Blue,
Marine Headquarters had already conducted a thorough investigation.
They reviewed records from the Grand Line and the Four Seas, filtering through every outstanding individual from recent years.
Yet not a single person matched the identity of this Shop Owner.
It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere, without any past, without any trace.
“Who exactly are you…”
Tsuru murmured softly as her gaze drifted deeper into the village.