As Cudius walked through the bustling streets of Mariejois, he held a Den Den Mushi to his ear, engaged in a versation. Behind him, Nia carried little A his arms, following respectfully.

  "I'm heading to the port of Mariejois," Cudius said casually. "Didn't I mention it before? I issioned a ship in Water 7, and Stussy just sailed it back here. I'm on my way to take a look at it. Why, did something urgent e up? Is this about the joint mission with Marine Headquarters?"

  Oher end of the line, Sengoku's voice sounded serious. "Yes, it's a request for assistance. We o resolve this matter quickly. If we don't, it could turn into a major sdal."

  Cudius paused, a bit taken aback. "That serious? What's going on?"

  "Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul has gue," Sengoku replied, voice filled with tension. "He broke protocol and released a highly dangerous prisoner from Headquarters. Both of them are on the run, and Marine forces are doing everything they to capture them. Given the circumstances..." Sengoku hesitated here.

  Cudius chuckled and said, "Spit it out, Sengoku. You know I'm ner to these kinds of secrets."

  With a sigh, Sengoku tinued, "You're right, Yhness. There's no point hiding it from you. You may have heard before that we, along with the Cipher Pol agencies, have been tasked with apprehending schors who have been sailing around the seas, studyiain… forbidden topics."

  "Ah, right," Cudius responded. "Now that you mention it, I remember hearing something about that. Isn't that Vice Admiral Saul one of Garp's men? Garp mentioo me ohat they'd captured a schor."

  "Correct," Sengoku said gravely. "The schor iion is from Ohara. We have irrefutable evidehat Ohara has beely researg forbidden history and a nguages. While their i might not be malicious, the study of these subjects has long been cssified as a major offense by the Wover, giveential sequences."

  Cudius houghtfully. "So, it's that serious, huh? Just studying history and nguages… it almost sounds absurd."

  "It may seem so on the surface," Sengoku replied, "but these subjects hold the key to awakening the A ons. The schors of Ohara may not io do harm, but they ck the power to keep suowledge secure. Imagine if someoh darker ambitions like Kaid Mom learned about the A ons through them."

  Cudius sidered this, his tourning somber. "That could be catastrophic. The entire bance of power in the world would be thrown off, and tless lives could be at risk."

  "Exactly. That's the danger of Ohara's as," Sengoku said. "Their thirst for knowledge, however noble, has created a massive liability. The Wover 't risk letting this knowledge fall into the wrong hands. We, the Marines, ot just turn a blind eye."

  "I uand," Cudius replied. "But what does this have to do with yiant Vice Admiral? What happened with Saul?"

  Sengoku fell silent for a moment, then admitted, "It appears that Saul was influenced by one of the Ohara schors, leading him to question the gover's stance. He ended up helping her escape from detention. Two weeks ago, a decision was made to initiate a Buster Call on Ohara. Saul was initially assigned as one of the mission's Vice Admirals. But now that he's defected, Ohara might receive advance warning, and if the sao scatter and spread this forbidden knowledge..."

  "The sequences could be dire," Cudius murmured.

  "Exactly," Sengoku said gravely. "The fallout would be beyond imagination. So, we at Marine Headquarters are dedig every avaible resource to capturing Saul. I'd also like to request assistance from your CP-X in the search. We've already mobilized the Buster Call fleet, and we'll soon be heading to Ohara."

  Cudius thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is there any ce I could reach Ohara first and salvage the books iree of Knowledge?"

  Sengoku was caught off guard, blinking in fusion at the ued shift. "Wait, what did you just say?"

  Cudius cleared his throat, sounding slightly embarrassed but also determined. "I've had a massive library installed on my new ship. I thought it would be a good idea to fill it with as many rare books as I get my hands on. The idea of the Tree of Knowledge beiroyed feels… wasteful. I mean, it's one of humanity's great treasures. I'm just saying, I could make an effort to save that cultural heritage."

  Sengoku couldn't help but sigh. "If you reach it in time, I won't stop you."

  "Perfect!" Cudius ughed. "My new ship is the fastest in the world; I'll be there in no time!"

  "And about Saul?" Sengoku asked.

  "Leave it to us at CP-X," Cudius replied. "I'll instruct my agents to assist in the searow, if you'll excuse me, I o get moving. 't let you Marines hog all the glory or destroy all the valuable knowledge, for that matter."

  The two exged farewells, and Cudius ehe call. Turning to his butler, Nia, he instructed, "Nia, head bad prepare our travel gear. We're heading to the West Blue. Also, meet me at the port after you've stocked up on supplies."

  Nia nodded, bowing slightly. "Yes, Yhness."

  Onia had left, Cudius tinued walking, his thoughts lingering on the events unfolding in Ohara. The revered isnd of schors, the ter of humanity's cultural heritage, would soon be wiped out by a Buster Call.

  Thinking about it, Cudius couldn't deny that Ohara's situation was the result of its own as. Sengoku's words rang true—Ohara had bitten off more than it could chew by delving into forbidden history and nguages. As schors, they might have felt righteous in their pursuit of knowledge, but their inability to protect such dangerous secrets was the problem.

  If their findings fell into the wrong hands, how many lives would be lost as a result? The risk wasn't hypothetical. Even Robin, the sole survivor of Ohara iure, nearly brought about a camity in the hands of Crocodile. If a schor with knowledge of the A ons fell into the clutches of someone like Kaid Mom, the world would be plunged into chaos.

  It was no wonder Sengoku and the Wover felt pelled to act. They couldn't afford to let Ohara's recklessness endahe entire world. If they refused to heed warnings and persisted in dangerous pursuits, then, sadly, the only optio was to silehem.

  "Ohara's real sin wasn't curiosity, it was a ck of strength," Cudius muttered to himself. "In the end, power dictates truth. Ohara was a bea of culture, but they failed to grasp something so basic."