In Mr. 3's eyes, Buggy was beyond saving if he couldn't repay his debts. It would be better to switch allegiances sooner rather than later. Even Buggy's old subordinates were thinking the same at this point.
"Hmph. Knowing you, you were planning to run away from the start, weren't you? You've practically finished packing up everything on the island. Where are you trying to go, Buggy?"
"Wasn't there a Marine attack? I was just planning to relocate and develop somewhere else…"
"Cut the crap. Pay up. If you can't, I'll just sell you on the black market to the Marines for your bounty. With such a huge business, don't tell me you don't have any private savings?"
"Well… Don't be fooled by how good Buggy's Delivery looks. It's actually really hard to keep it running. Feeding this many people costs a fortune. And with the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom's alliance taking up most of the business on the seas, we can only survive in the cracks. We broke out of prison together, didn't we? Give me a few more days~"
"It's precisely because of that history that I lent you the money. If you can't repay it, just end yourself. Better than being tortured by the Marines. The three of us are planning to establish a new company, and we're short on funds."
"Wait! Then count me in too! No matter what, I'm still a former Shichibukai. I've got all these men under me. I'll repay what I owe you with labour.
If you're starting a company, you need to make a big splash. I've got all kinds of professionals here—advertising design, printing, transportation—use them as you wish! Treat me like a servant and use me to your heart's content!"
After casting aside his dignity and signing what was essentially a contract of servitude, Buggy secured his chance to live. When it came to designing the promotional materials, Absalom also took part, making full use of his identity as a freelance writer.
At least judging from the promotional posters, it appeared to be an alliance of four people rather than one person ruling over the others. In this era of growing chaos, a prototype of an organization formed by four former Shichibukai appeared upon the seas.
Within Mandrell's territory, Tiger was teaching a selected elite squad of Fish-Men how to operate the torpedoes.
Even as Fish-Men, they had to master standard operating procedures. Getting stuck on a torpedo would be a serious problem.
"That's how you operate it. You don't necessarily need to get close. You can sneak in from the bottom of the sea. But remember one thing, we are not doing this to kill."
The goal of the Fish-Men was to let humans know they had the ability to fight back, not to spread terror. That was why Tiger had made his identity public.
He needed to rely on Morgans' news channels and the support of the Revolutionary Army to promote the Fish-Men's pursuit of peace. If the World Government controlled the narrative, the outcome might not be favorable.
"Our enemies are the Celestial Dragons—the nobles who want to enslave us—not ordinary people. For now, the attack plans mainly target ships. You've all followed me for years.
For the sake of Fishman Island, and for the sake of the youth of Fishman Island, be mindful of your actions."
Before the attacks had even begun, Tiger had already prepared for the battle of public opinion. Among human nations, support for the Fish-Men was currently split half and half.
His goal was to make those who rejected Fish-Men understand their capabilities and restrain themselves accordingly, not to make nations that already support equality hate Fish-Men.
There were many details to consider, so after the interview, Tiger planned to personally lead the operation.
At the same time, after finishing resupplying, Olga found a few more people gathered in front of her.
"Anyone else coming? If not, I'm leaving!"
Pulling out a megaphone from Elizabeth's backpack, Olga called out ahead. The "third generation" who had been vacationing here formed into neat lines.
"Mandrell, are you sure it's fine for you to leave?"
"No problem. Tiger won't be leaving for the next three days. Nereus will arrive tomorrow. With Feraligatr and Genesect here too, the island's security won't be an issue."
"I think you just don't trust me. You think I can't look after your kid."
"I didn't say that, Boss Olga, don't put words in my mouth. But honestly, can you really keep these three in line?"
"Heh heh heh, you're underestimating me. My abilities are more than enough to keep them from running around."
Her illusion powers had many convenient uses, including babysitting.
Olga could deceive their brains into thinking they were already doing what they wanted, when in reality they were just pacing in place.
"Forget it, Boss. You know yourself that using that ability on your own people isn't a good idea."
Illusions that were too realistic were like a mental toxin. Prolonged exposure could blur the line between reality and fantasy, so Olga usually just says that in jest.
"Even without my ability, I've got plenty of experience. Want to compare who's spent more time being a kid?"
With an irrefutable argument, Olga defeated Mandrell. She had over 150 years of experience as a mischievous child and understood kids extremely well.
"Well, it doesn't matter if you tag along. This Pirates Festival sounds pretty interesting."
"How so?"
"Tesoro's side received word. Someone paid a huge sum to invite them to perform there."
"Uta?"
"Uta and Ann. If Uta's going, that Red Hair will probably show up nearby too. If anything happens then… things are going to get really interesting."
The Pirates Festival wasn't something that suddenly appeared this year. It was a grand festival exclusively for pirates, held once every few years.
The organizers had always been mysterious. No one knew who was actually behind the planning of such an event.
However, a gathering of pirates is hardly a good thing. The total bounty of pirates at such illegal gatherings often exceeds 10 billion, and there are all sorts of shady dealings.
Marines and bounty hunters were naturally drawn there as well.
"In any case, nothing major should happen. You're coming along too, so we can handle any unexpected situations. And this might be one of the few leisurely times we get, right?"
"Probably."
On the Red Line, the situation with the Marines had yet to be compiled and reported here. Instead, these people were busy with something else entirely. Under the direction of York and Lilith, a large metal box was delivered to the site.
As the machine's exterior shifted and reconfigured, a drilling robot with a massive drill at its front appeared. It was designed to survey unknown tunnels within the Red Line.
"There's a palace down below."
The detection devices carried by the machine transmitted back their findings. The maze-like tunnels beneath, though seemingly chaotic, were interconnected, forming a peculiar living space.
There were also many large hollow chambers inside, resembling excavated mines.
"Wow, Lilith, can you believe it? Someone was mining down there."
"Do those tunnels really look like mines to you?"
"Not quite. It's more like an anthill, like it was deliberately constructed under the command of a queen ant."
As she spoke, York pressed a button and activated a new scanning device.
"No life signals. Looks like they moved out long ago. These tunnels have been here for over a decade. Maybe some unknown species."
The probe on the surveying machine didn't detect any fresh soil traces either. However, York's machine failed to notice that within the rock layers, a pair of red eyes had already locked onto it.
Crack!
Staring at the screen showing a lost signal, York rubbed her eyes and then smacked the instrument.
"Lilith, did you see any lifeforms approaching?"
"No. Probably a cave-in. Haven't those tunnels been collapsing every few days lately? The quality of your stuff isn't great."
"They kept rushing me, how could the quality be good? Whatever, let's just report it like that."
"Fine by me. They already found some Devil Fruit users to fill in those tunnels anyway."
In the end, York chose to merely go through the motions. Her goal was to enjoy life, not to slave away for the Celestial Dragons. So after putting together a half-hearted report, she hastily declared the matter settled.
Meanwhile, deep within the tunnels, a silver figure had just rolled over the detector. Since it was underground, not a single glint of light could be seen around, and only a few sharp edges were barely visible.
It wasn't until the figure descended further, reaching the subterranean magma layer, that the glow reflected off the lava revealed its true form.
A silver-gray body, a shovel-like jaw—Onix's evolved form, the Iron Snake Pokémon, Steelix.
These tunnels had originally been left behind by Onix. However, those Onix hadn't remained here forever. After mining out the minerals in this area, they relocated.
This Steelix had come to assist Ditto with certain tasks.
Gengar had made an emergency withdrawal back then, but Ditto had remained hidden here. Now that nearly everything had been gathered, it was time for this underground "train" to operate.
This Steelix had evolved from one of the original Onix. Under the immense pressure and heat underground, its body structure transformed. The iron elements it swallowed along with soil dissolved and recombined within its body, eventually forming a steel armor-like exterior.
Its eyes also possessed night vision. After spotting the robot, it circled behind and destroyed the strange device.
As for why the detector hadn't registered Steelix's signal, it was a Pokémon composed of metals. Though it could breathe and eat, its body structure differed from ordinary lifeforms.
Pokémon of this attribute simply fell outside the detector's scanning parameters and thus went unnoticed.
Whether the tunnels were filled in or not didn't concern Steelix. To them, these were abandoned mine shafts, long since vacated. Even if needed, their powerful digging abilities could carve out new paths in a short time.
It simply didn't want to be discovered by some strange entity, which was why it destroyed the detector, going so far as to disguise the damage as a cave-in, ensuring that the half-hearted York wouldn't notice anything unusual.
At the same time, as Steelix prepared to move, Ditto was also taking action on the Red Line. It had already disguised itself as a patch of grass on the ground, quietly observing Mjosgard's situation.
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