Chapter 662: Even Akainu Thinks It's Radical
Chapter 662: Even Akainu Thinks It's Radical
Sagel's announcement sent shockwaves through the seas. First, he declared war on two Yonko, and second, he revealed the imprint of a Landmark Poneglyph!
If the Sabaody Archipelago, located in Paradise, could receive the message, it meant the entire Grand Line had heard it as well!
And Sagel's broadcast reached every corner of the sea!
While his influence in the news industry was limited to his territory, it wasn't entirely absent elsewhere. Before Heinrich, news was spread via Den Den Mushi and then picked up by local news outlets.
Now, with such a major story, even the World Government's attempts to suppress it wouldn't stop the biggest news agencies from seizing this explosive scoop.
The Four Seas might lag behind, but the Grand Line was already abuzz with the news.
"See, I told you! I told you!"
"There will be a chance! We can also compete for the Great Treasure! We already have three, and if we find the Burnscar Man, we can go for the final Great Treasure!"
Kale Bali.
Buggy's hands flew, each holding a piece of paper, almost thrusting them into Crocodile and Mihawk's faces. He had another paper clamped between his teeth, ready to approach Hancock.
Bang!
Hancock kicked him away with her long, white legs, sending him crashing into the wall like a ball.
"Don't be so disgusting, you creep!"
Hancock's face was full of disdain.
At the same time, Crocodile hooked a golden claw into Buggy's palm, tearing a hole, while Mihawk's black blade sliced his hand in half.
Amid Buggy's screams, the two men took the papers.
"The Landmark Poneglyph, it's not much different from the regular ones. Ha, ha, ha, ha, Sagel is really generous", Crocodile said, puffing on his cigar and exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"It seems the last attack by Red Hair and Blackbeard was successful."
Mihawk frowned slightly. "No, it was likely a coincidence. Red Hair wouldn't team up with Blackbeard, which is why Ohara was spared the destruction."
"We know Blackbeard's reputation. If there's a chance to weaken others, he wouldn't pass it up. If he had killed two-thirds of the Disaster Triad and most of the Seven Star Butchers, Sagel would have been severely weakened."
Since a war was inevitable, any weakening would increase their chances of victory.
It must be mutual suspicion that kept Blackbeard from acting.
Similarly, while Mihawk understood Red Hair's temperament, if those people resisted to the death, their willpower would be more than just a few injuries and unconsciousness.
In the past, they were all Shichibukai, and they had heard about Moria's recent willpower. Without another Yonko's interference, they would fight to the death, and it would come to a killing blow.
A severely weakened Sagel.
"That would be the end of the world."
Crocodile sneered. "Pluton is in his hands, and I know his character. If you don't let him expand, he'll just pull everyone down with him. Are we supposed to go to the Red Line and build our utopia?"
A contract with the World Government?
It's just a piece of paper, right?
Maybe not even that. Sagel is illiterate, so it was just a verbal agreement. He adhered to it because he kept his word and didn't want to harm his plans.
After such a significant loss, what good is that contract?
Signed agreements are meant to be broken, right?
Can you really stop him from expanding? He'll fight you to the death.
An unbeatable pirate fighting to the death—who could stand against him? Look at now, with just this small setback, he's already declaring war.
At the time, he was certain that if Sagel didn't reclaim his losses, his name wouldn't be Crocodile anymore!
Though he didn't actually have a last name.
Unlike Mihawk, who clearly had noble ancestry, whether his family fell from grace or he rebelled against them, he had a last name.
Commoners don't have last names.
Of course, self-imposed names don't count, like his current last name, 'Sand.'
Sagel's last name, 'Norton,' was also recently confirmed. From underworld sources, it wasn't his adoptive father's last name but the name of a distant ancestor who was so outstanding that his descendants used it as a last name, not a noble heritage.
Similarly, his own 'Nico' came from the same tradition.
After all, who would use a woman's name as a last name? It sounds like one.
"These things don't interest me. The Great Treasure has nothing to do with me."
Hancock didn't care at all. She was one of those uninterested in the Great Treasure.
"Perhaps this news about Sagel will introduce some new variables for us."
She may be love-struck, but she’s no fool.
With only one piece of the Great Treasure left, Pirates from all over the seas will swarm to find the Burnscar Man and claim the final piece. This will plunge the world into chaos once again, and as one of the Yonko, they will undoubtedly face even more challenges.
This doesn’t align with their plans.
"One Piece is a treasure hunt! There’s nothing to fear!"
Buggy, with his head emerging from a pit and half his face swollen, shouted, "We’re not just any Pirate crew. We’re collaborative. Think about it, we’ve had many strong warriors willing to join us recently! And the new faces coming to the New World can also join us!"
"By then, our power will grow stronger! The Great Treasure could be ours! Friends, let’s get fired up and make our dreams—"
Swoosh!
Mihawk sliced Buggy’s head in half, silencing him, then sat back down. "Stop dreaming. In the current seas, only three people can read the Poneglyphs: Sagel, the Three-Eyed Tribe under his command, and his sister, Nico Robin. While this treasure will indeed draw many to the seas, if no one can decipher it, it might as well not exist. I’ve never agreed with your treasure hunt idea, so stop talking about it."
Sagel may not be literate, but that doesn’t mean he can’t read ancient text.
He brought Pluton to life.
He’s from Ohara.
Do you really believe he can’t read ancient text now?
Fool yourself if you must, but don’t fool us.
"Hmm."
Crocodile nodded thoughtfully, "But his suggestion has merit. Recruiting more people will show our benefactors that we are growing stronger. When the world descends into chaos, we can follow Sagel’s example and seize a resource-rich nation, then establish our ideal country."
"Now that the secret passage is open, we can enter the New World and Paradise without any losses. Sagel is one of our benefactors, and we have a good relationship with him. If it comes to that, we can ask him for the technology to cross the Calm Belt. We won’t have to stay in the Grand Line; we can go to the Four Seas."
No matter how passionate Buggy’s words are, the current issue is a formidable obstacle, a giant tiger blocking the path to the New World.
Even if they manage to claim the treasure, it won’t make much of a difference. These powerful figures know that some things are different.
If it’s fame they seek, Buggy might have a chance. If the Cross Union follows this plan, they might even become the Pirate King.
The problem is, they won’t be able to hold onto it.
Sagel is right there. With such a significant treasure, if no one can find it, that’s one thing. But if it appears, Sagel will definitely go for it.
"What’s the point of an empty title? Do you want to end up on the execution platform like Rozairogy?"
Crocodile glanced at Buggy, who looked resentful, and said, "You’re Above. If they try to behead you, you won’t die."
Buggy’s ability is peculiar. Like how the Straw Hat can withstand physical attacks, Buggy is impervious to cutting attacks. Even with the addition of Haki, a cutting attack is just a cut, and Buggy doesn’t care about cuts at all.
"Let’s do it this way, but we need to be cautious. If any new arrivals challenge us, we need to teach them a lesson to protect the reputation of the Cross Organization and maintain the trust of our benefactors."
He will never forget the Straw Hat incident!
While the Pirates were discussing their plans, the Marines were in even more turmoil.
"Can’t you suppress it?"
In the Fleet Admiral’s office, Sakazuki stared at the Marine officer reporting to him and said sternly, "These are crimes! They include forbidden major crimes. How dare they publish them! Arrest everyone! The newspaper’s editor, the staff, and anyone who bought these newspapers, arrest them all!"
"Fleet Admiral—"
The Marine officer pursed his lips and said, "We don’t have enough manpower. This issue is too big. The editor has stepped down, and the staff have all ‘resigned,’ but the newspaper is still being printed. The ones we catch are just scapegoats. There are too many people; we can’t arrest them all."
It’s impossible to suppress it.
The papers reached Paradise and were immediately seized, but the newspapers, like sharks smelling blood, continued to print despite the bans.
This is big news!
The hottest story!
If they get in trouble later, they can always throw a temporary worker under the bus.
And if the papers are seized, even better!
They’ll just print more!
Another round of sales!
Some newspapers, to avoid getting into trouble, had their editors-in-chief step down, handing over their positions to temporary staff.
After all, it was just a position; the real control remained in their hands. They could take it back once the storm passed.
The legal representative and the actual controller are two different things. Although the financial sector of the sea hasn't fully grasped the concept of controlling shares, there are still corresponding means available.
And as for catching the people who bought the newspapers—
They couldn't.
If they were to catch them, they would have to arrest even the families in the Haijun headquarters area, as they had also bought the newspapers.
For the Haijun, this was a huge and intractable problem.
"Oh~ That's really scary."
Kizaru, standing beside him, looked at the newspaper that had just been printed, which contained the information distributed by the Worldslider, word for word.
"But, ancient script and all, they can't understand it, can they? Even someone as smart as Big Mom can't read it. And even Rozairogy needs to see the poneglyphs in person."
"We still need to be prepared."
Akainu clenched his fist, but finally, he exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigar. "You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
The Haijun officer saluted and quickly left.
As soon as he was gone, Akainu's clenched fist turned crimson, burning a hole through the desk.
"That evil brat has done it again!"
Akainu raised his hand to touch the large scar on his chest, growling, "Why did he do this? Didn't he sign a contract with the higher-ups! A guy who doesn't want to become the Pirate King is truly a headache!"
It turned out that so-called iron-fisted methods only worked when the numbers were small.
Wiping out an island, no problem.
Sinking a refugee ship, no problem.
Even when Sengoku ordered the pursuit of Rozairogy's children in the South Blue, and killed all the children born in that period on the island and its surrounding islands, that was no problem.
Because it was a 'minority' compared to the whole world.
This time was different.
Just like the global broadcast issued by Big Mom, which revealed some truths about the sea, the World Government couldn't stop it.
Similarly, the information released by Sagel involved too many parties, so much so that even Akainu, with his iron-fisted approach, couldn't issue an arrest warrant.
What?
Was he supposed to wipe out all the affiliated countries in the Grand Line?
He might as well open the Gates of Justice and invite Sagel in.
"Can't be done, Sakazuki."
Kizaru smiled. "Why not wrap things up and explain to the higher-ups?"
"I can explain, but the Five Elders won't, especially the new one who wants to do just that."
Even the radical Akainu found this too extreme.
Or perhaps, after becoming the Fleet Admiral, the eyes under his lowered cap had become somewhat kinder.
The more he knew, the more Akainu understood the need for compromise.
These high-ranking officials knew a lot, including everything Big Mom had said.
"That's all we can do, given that Sagel's base was attacked."
Kizaru chuckled. "Why not let them fight it out? We can focus on defending the first half of the Grand Line. Those pirates won't stay here long; they'll eventually enter the New World. There's no World Government presence there anymore. We might as well watch quietly. After all, we have a lot more to deal with, including the additional pirates and the Rebel Army seizing the opportunity to attack. They are our top priorities."
Sagel's unification has both advantages and disadvantages for the World Government.
The disadvantage is that, apart from the area around the Red Line, which is still under the Navy's control, the rest of the New World has nothing to do with them.
And the higher-ups are thinking of completely letting go, sending Akainu back to Marineford.
He hasn't agreed to this yet and is still resisting, but he also knows that they are waiting. Once Sagel's war shows an advantage, the new headquarters will eventually disappear.
The advantage is that the New World will truly be out of their hands, giving them more freedom.
And now, the Navy has its own 'war' to fight.
"The Knights of the Divine seem to be on the move as well."
Akainu exhaled a deep breath, gradually unclenching his fist. "We have no choice. The new generation of leaders isn't bad. We can only wait and see how we handle this chaos first!"
Once it's resolved, only they and the victors of the New World will remain on the seas.
At that time, a great battle is inevitable!
(End of Chapter)
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