38 Corruption
"It's good to hear that" Catalina said, sighing with relief.
"The Conomi Islands are an archipelago in the East Blue, very close to this base. The problem is that two years ago, the Arlong Pirates arrived. It's a pirate crew made up entirely of Fish-Men and the most evil and powerful in all of East Blue" Catalina began to explain, her brow furrowing.
"What are Fish-Men?" Shun asked, completely ignorant about the topic.
Toma, upon hearing the name Arlong, had a fearful expression on his face; clearly, he had heard of these pirates before.
"Fish-Men are a type of humanoid species that inhabit and rule the seas alongside Tritons. They have human and fish-like characteristics, and the most dangerous thing about them is that they are born with ten times the strength of a human and double that in water" Catalina replied.
*So, it must be that guy with the strange nose. If I'm not mistaken, he had a bounty of 20,000,000 berries* Shun thought, having seen Arlong's face on the wanted posters he had recently picked up.
"Go on" Shun said.
"As I told you, two years ago, they arrived at the Conomi Islands and completely enslaved them" Catalina continued.
"To survive, adults have to pay 100,000 berries, and children 50,000 each month. But their goal isn't just to take over the Conomi Islands, it's to gradually take over all of East Blue" Catalina said in a serious tone.
"Do all pirates have the same idea? Gally was doing something similar" Shun commented.
"Since Arlong dared to commit such an act, many pirates followed his example. However, they won't last long because if Arlong finds out, he'll send his subordinates to kill them" Catalina remarked.
"If you know all this, why doesn't the Marine do anything?" Toma asked, startled.
Shun nodded in agreement with Toma.
Catalina looked around to make sure no one was listening and replied in a lower tone, "It's complicated... They've already met Captain Nezumi... Well, he's completely corrupt."
Toma's face shifted from astonishment to total disappointment. If he hadn't gone on this journey with Shun, his path would have been to join the Marines. And now they were telling him that a Marine base captain was corrupt and in alliance with a pirate who was tormenting an entire archipelago of islands.
On the other hand, Shun's expression remained the same, but his eyes exuded a cold demeanor; he had experienced such things before. The nobility of the Kingdom of Frauce used to buy slaves as if they were nothing. And these slaves were transported by pirates.
"Arlong bribes him with large sums of money to make Nezumi turn a blind eye to his crimes, and they are allies in the East Blue" Catalina explained through clenched teeth, filled with anger.
"If he's hiding his crimes, why is there a bounty poster on his head?" Shun asked.
"That's because Arlong and his companions didn't originate from the East Blue. They belonged to the Sun Pirates, a pirate crew that has since disbanded, and they were in the Grand Line. That's why Arlong already had a bounty on his head" Catalina replied.
"What!? He belonged to a Grand Line pirate crew!?" Toma exclaimed with surprise and fear.
"Shh" said Catalina
This clarified things because Arlong was so powerful compared to the pirates around here; he already had experience in the most dangerous ocean of all.
"I don't know the ranks in the Marine, but I doubt that mouse-like face is the highest-ranking Marine. Alert someone with more authority, and the problem will be resolved" Shun said.
"It's not that easy... Captain Nezumi keeps a close watch on everyone who knows about his dealings with Arlong. He even threatens our families" Catalina explained in a sad and powerless tone.
"Besides, I need to gather more evidence to prove his corruption. And that's where they come in" said Catalina.
"Do you want us to confront Arlong's pirates? Are you out of your mind?" Toma asked with a hint of fear in his voice.
"No, no, of course not. I wouldn't send you to your death" Catalina quickly responded, shaking her head.
Shun felt offended by both Catalina's negation and Toma's cowardice. He remembered Isao saying the same thing and ¿How did Gally end up? Cut in half in one move.
"They just have to complete two tasks. One involves this small camera" Catalina said as she pulled a small camera from her clothing.
She handed the camera to Shun and began to explain, "With this camera, you'll need to go to the Conomi Islands, specifically to two locations. The first one is the Village of Gosa, located in the northwest of the Conomi Islands. The village was destroyed because they couldn't pay Arlong the full amount of money. From what I've heard, all the buildings were destroyed, and they killed all the villagers..."
Catalina struggled to say the last sentence. As a Marine, she was supposed to protect the weak, and her captain did the opposite, disregarding defenseless people.
Toma also wore an angry expression, as he had experienced this firsthand. If it weren't for Shun, his village could have ended up the same way.
"I want you to take pictures of the destroyed village, and if you manage to find a... corpse, take a photo of it too. The more evidence, the better" Catalina added.
"Alright" Shun nodded, understanding his role as the photographer.
"And finally, about 20 kilometers east of the Village of Gosa, there's another village that is still standing. I need you to interview all the villagers and have them provide testimony about what they've been through. Try to get at least 10 testimonies, with signatures and their names" Catalina explained the last point as she pulled out a book and a pen from another pocket.
*Where does she keep getting all these things?* Shun thought as he took the book and pen.
"And one more thing, do not, under any circumstances, approach Cocoyasi Village. That's where Arlong's pirate operations are based, and it's very dangerous" Catalina warned in a serious tone.
Toma nodded quickly; the last thing he wanted was to get close to Arlong's pirate base. Shun, on the other hand, remained silent.
"Do you understand?" Catalina asked again as she approached Shun and stared at him intently.
"Yes..." Shun reluctantly replied, turning away and starting to walk towards the boat.
"Wait!" Catalina said, tugging at Shun's arm.
Shun stopped and raised an eyebrow, looking at her.
"Take this; it will allow us to stay in communication" Catalina said as she pulled a small Den Den Mushi from her chest.
Shun couldn't believe she had kept that Den Den Mushi in such a place.
"I almost forgot, do they sell food here?" Toma asked, remembering this important issue. The provisions they had wouldn't last them even a day.
"We have a pantry, but it's impossible that Captain Nezumi would be willing to sell you anything. The trip to the Conomi Islands is not far; they're only a day away from here. I suppose you already have a map of the East Blue, right?" Catalina asked.
Shun nodded without mentioning their inability to navigate and read maps.
"That's good. I have to go; I've been away from the base for too long. We'll be in touch. Goodbye and good luck" Catalina said as she started to walk back towards the base.
"Let's go" Shun said, grabbing the bag of money and heading towards the ship.
"I knew that Marine with the rat-like face was up to no good" Toma said angrily as he followed Shun and carried the other bag of money.
"Yes, someone with that face can't be up to anything good" Shun agreed.
"We have to save all those villages. Our first adventure will be dangerous, but if we succeed, we'll have saved a lot of people" Toma said with determination.
Although Toma was afraid of Arlong and his pirates, their task wasn't to confront them directly. If they could accomplish what Catalina had asked of them, it would help in getting Nezumi arrested, and after that, the Marines could take care of Arlong's crew.
Shun nodded, even though his primary goal wasn't to save the villages; he needed to gather information about Eldorrago, so he had no choice but to go along with it.
He was also tempted to fight a pirate with a bounty of 20,000,000 berries. Two years ago, Eldorrago had a bounty of 10,000,000 berries, which was half of that amount. However, two years had passed, and his bounty should have been higher if he was in the Grand Line.
The problem was that Arlong wasn't alone, and Shun only had Toma, a guy with experience in the dojo but no real-life combat experience. However, he wasn't afraid of Arlong and his crew; he felt that with his significantly improved ability to sense presences and enhanced speed, he could take on many of them at once.
Moreover, he had developed an ability he hadn't used yet: hypersensitivity to the air.
In this year and a half of training, he managed to attain a high level of sensory sensitivity in the air. This allows him to detect threats and perceive his surroundings through air currents and by sensing vibrations in the air. He complements this with his observation haki (although he doesn't know what it's called), enabling him to predict his enemies' attacks, making it easy for him to dodge even with his eyes closed.
This is where his confidence comes from. However, he will focus on completing the tasks Catalina gave them and obtaining information about Eldorrago as soon as possible.
