Part 10 - Who ordered sushi? 11/??

Lowering the only intact lifeboat — which was not coincidentally the only one intact — he quickly rowed towards the shore. Although he had no doubt about Johnny and Yosaku's victory, he still couldn't help but worry. Especially after Buggy. He might have been weak and a complete fool, but the danger he posed was no joke. Seriously! A couple of months ago, Buggy managed to throw Johnny and Yosaku into the water, even though by that time, they knew everything about him. The guys underestimated him. Of course, it didn't ultimately help Buggy, but the fact remains! If there had been no one else around Johnny and Yosaku, "The Clown" would have won. After all, strength is one thing, but experience is another.

Buggy not only knew a thousand times more about the world than a weak idiot like him should have, but he also started pirating long before Johnny and Yosaku were even born. If it weren't for his almost criminal weakness, he would have deserved considerable respect... And this very fact worried Zoro. I mean, Arlong came from the Grand Line, had been pirating for just as long as Buggy, and, according to rumors, was a hundred times stronger. So it turned out that Arlong, if the rumors were to be believed, was a kind of improved version of Buggy. And as mentioned earlier, Buggy could sometimes be truly dangerous. So, while Zoro didn't plan to interfere in Johnny's and Yosaku's battle —another order from Luffy, given to him secretly from the rest of the family— he didn't want to leave them unsupervised. That's why, after dealing with the marines, he immediately set off back, adjusting his route using Observation Haki.

Zoro didn't know that the SOS signal he activated was received literally at the moment it was transmitted. And it was received by a specific person for whom it was originally intended. Just ten to fifteen minutes after Zoro set off for the island, a small sailboat with a single passenger on board approached the Marines' ship. The passenger was a well-built, short-haired man who appeared to be around thirty years old. He was dressed in a white sleeveless fitted T-shirt, dark green shorts, and ordinary rubber slippers. A camera hung around his neck, and as soon as he was on the Marines' ship, he immediately started taking pictures of everything around him. Only after finishing with the photos did he approach the Den Den Mushi, still lying on the unconscious body of Nezumi, and dial the number of the nearest Marine base.

"This is the communications officer of the 16th Marine Branch speaking!" responded the Den Den Mushi in a brisk male voice.

"This is Riord Draf, a reporter for the Weekly Gazette. I have just witnessed a brutal massacre of your captain and his men," Riord spoke in a calm, measured tone.

Judging by the slight smile on his lips, he found the situation amusing.

"W-What?!"

Riord's smile grew a bit wider.

"Let me repeat: Captain Nezumi is near death, all his men are dead, and the ship is severely damaged."

"I-I understand, message received," the voice of the communications officer was still full of confusion, but he managed to regain his composure. "Please provide me with your current coordinates. I will immediately contact the nearest patrol ships, and help will arrive within an hour."

Riord obediently gave his coordinates, and the communications officer immediately relayed them to the patrol ships via another Den Den Mushi.

"You said you witnessed the attack?" The communications officer returned to the conversation after a short pause. "Can you provide the exact or approximate number of attackers? Or perhaps you know the identity of the attacker?"

"No problem," Riord's smile widened even more. "There was only one attacker, and his name is Roronoa Zoro, also known as 'Pirate Slayer Zoro."

"WHAT?!" The Den Den Mushi, through which Riord was speaking, faithfully mimicked the shocked expression of the communications officer, with its mouth wide open and eyes bulging.

"You heard me correctly: 'Pirate Slayer' attacked Captain Nezumi and his men. And I can guarantee you that Captain Nezumi survived by no accident. Roronoa cut off his arms and legs, but made sure the captain wouldn't die from blood loss. Moreover, it was Roronoa who sent the SOS signal."

"Do you… do you realize how serious your statement is?" the communications officer asked after a brief pause.

"I understand perfectly," the smile disappeared from the reporter's face. "That's why I won't wait for the patrol ships. I saw where Roronoa Zoro headed, and now I'm going to follow him."

"Wait, you can't just leave the ship!" The communications officer immediately panicked. "At least wait for the patrols!"

"The ship's sails are badly damaged, so it's practically standing still. But just in case, I'll light a flare for the patrol ships so they won't miss it. There's nothing more I can do for Captain Nezumi right now, so I don't see any reason to waste time. Over and out."

Without waiting for a response, Riord placed the microphone back in its holder, ending the transmission. The first stone had been cast—within a week, everyone in East Blue would know about the actions of the "Pirate Hunter." However, without proof, it would all remain just rumors, and Riord's task was to collect and then present this proof to the world. To be honest, Riord had no idea what his employer had planned —at first glance, the employer seemed like a harmless guy, but in reality, he was either a madman or a genius with a completely unhinged mind— but Riord wasn't about to clarify. Even though he was being blatantly used and they weren't even trying to hide it, all that was required of him was to report the truth and nothing but the truth. Moreover, considering that, most of the time, this very truth looked wilder than any lie, Riord had no problem with such a deal. One of the world's most famous pirate hunters had become a pirate himself… the bonus to his salary promised to be staggering. For the sake of such sensational news, it was indeed worth shaking hands with the Devil.

Around the same time that Riord returned to his boat and Zoro landed on the shore, Johnny, Yosaku, and Nami arrived at Arlong Park.