"Oh my goodness! Look, who do I see?" Morgan's camera flashed non-stop.
His face was filled with the excitement of witnessing a major news story unfold, his entire bird face flushed from overstimulation.
"The great pirate Shiki, who disappeared for seventeen years, has reappeared! And he's gathered with Kaido of the Beasts, Charlotte Linlin, and the great Pirate King Wang Zhi. This lineup is enough to make people tremble just thinking about it. Are they trying to recreate the forbidden pirate crew that cast a shadow over the entire world decades ago? Bignews! Absolutely bignews! My newspaper is going to sell like crazy."
Morgan, who was grinning foolishly, suddenly felt his camera lighten in his hands. Looking up, he saw the camera had landed in the hands of the burly Charlotte Oven, which infuriated Morgan.
"Oven! What are you doing? This is my treasure..."
Crackle!
Oven's right hand, wearing a black glove, quickly turned red as if it were a hot iron, crushing Morgan's camera to pieces with a crackle.
Ignoring the furious Morgan, he coldly dropped a sentence and turned to leave.
"All news here is temporarily blocked. Continue with the tea party, Mr. Morgan."
"Damn it! My camera! My first-hand bignews!"
Morgan cursed, stomping his feet.
He wasn't the only one. Other members of the crowd, who weren't from the Charlotte Family, had their communication devices confiscated by pirates who had rushed over and were told they were temporarily forbidden from leaving Whole Cake Island.
At the same time, the inner bay outside Whole Cake Island was blockaded by a large number of pirate ships. Large-scale interference Den Den Mushi, used to disrupt normal communication, were held high by pirates and placed in various corners of Whole Cake Island.
In the center of Whole Cake Island, in the shattered ruins, Stussy, who had just taken a Den Den Mushi out of her pocket, felt a terrifying killing intent lock onto her, causing her delicate body to tremble. She stiffly turned her head.
"Little girl, tell me, what are you trying to do?"
Shiki flew over, cigar in his mouth, looking down at Stussy. The shadow cast by his tall body enveloped her petite frame, giving her immense pressure.
Stussy forced herself to calm down, turning her head to look at Charlotte Linlin behind Shiki, squeezing out a gentle smile.
"I'm not doing anything. I was just worried about Linlin, so I came over to check on the situation."
In the distance, Charlotte Linlin noticed what was happening and was a little displeased.
"Hmm? Shiki! What are you doing? Stussy is a VIP at my tea party and my good sister. Don't mess with her."
With that, she, Kaido, and Wang Zhi walked toward them.
"Your good sister?" Shiki took the cigar out of his mouth, blew a puff of smoke at Stussy's face, and grinned. "You're right, she's your good sister, Linlin. It's just that I'm a little curious about her name."
He looked at Stussy's increasingly stiff face, his eyes full of amusement.
"Miss Bakkin, when did you change your name? Stussy, Jie hahahaha, interesting."
Hearing the name Bakkin, Stussy's face immediately turned extremely ugly.
In her line of sight, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Wang Zhi, all with puzzled expressions, were approaching step by step.
Seeing the amusement in Shiki's eyes and the look of interest on his face, Stussy's heart sank to the bottom.
"I never thought I'd be recognized by Shiki. Damn it."
Stussy, whose real identity was a CP0 spy, watched as her cover was blown.
Without a moment's hesitation, the clothes on her back were instantly torn apart by a pair of expanding bat wings. Four sharp fangs sprouted from her mouth.
Her small figure flickered in place, and she turned into an arrow, shooting up dozens of meters into the sky and flying away at high speed toward the sea outside Whole Cake Island.
Watching Stussy fly away, Shiki didn't give chase; he just watched.
At this moment, Charlotte Linlin came to his side and looked quizzically at Stussy, who was rapidly flying away with a pair of bat wings. "Shiki, what did you just say? Bakkin?"
"Linlin, didn't you notice that the woman just now looks a lot like that greedy woman Bakkin who used to pester Newgate?" Shiki asked back.
"Stussy and Bakkin?" Big Mom thought for a moment and nodded. "Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance. But Stussy is so young. If Bakkin were still alive, she'd be an old woman, right?"
"That's right, so I just asked a random question." A look of amusement appeared on Shiki's face. "The little girl got scared and immediately flew away. It looks like those cunning guys from the Marines have a good plan under your nose."
"What? Are you saying Stussy is a Marine spy?" Big Mom's face instantly darkened. She grabbed in front of her, and a facially-featured flame appeared out of thin air, rapidly growing, about to turn into a cloud of fire to lift her up.
Just then, Wang Zhi, a thin-faced old man with a long beard and a Qing Dynasty robe, who was standing beside her, slowly drew the white long sword from his waist. His figure flashed, and he instantly disappeared from the three of them.
Swoosh!
In the sky over a thousand meters away, Stussy, who was rapidly fleeing Whole Cake Island, changed her expression. Her body flipped, and a layer of black Haki quickly spread over her.
Puff!
Blood spurted out. A narrow-bladed long sword, flashing with cold light, pierced through her abdomen with lightning speed, drawing a trail of blood from Stussy's body.
"Wang Zhi!"
Stussy gritted her teeth, Haki covering her entire body. Her aura suddenly swelled, and her wide bat wings frantically flapped, accelerating her speed, leaving a black trail in the sky as she fled into the distance.
Wang Zhi, who had suddenly appeared in the sky, didn't give chase. He simply and silently sheathed his long sword. His figure flashed again, and he was back beside Kaido and the others.
Shiki and the others, who were used to his speed, ignored him and followed Big Mom toward the intact buildings on the island.
In the harbor, Katakuri looked up at the flying Stussy. He turned to the pirate beside him and ordered, "Send people to chase her. Don't give her a chance to land."
"Yes! Brother Katakuri!" A dozen Charlotte Family members immediately took the order and left.
Three days later.
New World Marine Branch, G-5 Base.
A Marine soldier on duty at a sentry post at the base saw the black silhouettes of several ships appear on the sea at the end of his vision.
Immediately, someone picked up a telescope to observe.
When the Marines discovered the red-lipped skull and crossbones flags embroidered on the ships, an indescribable panic instantly rose in their hearts. They didn't hesitate to blow the whistle hanging around their necks.
"Alert! Alert! Big Mom Pirates spotted!"
The sharp whistle soon turned into a loud bell, ringing throughout the entire G-5 island, alarming the training Marines and the office-working Marine officers in the base.
However, the expected situation of the Marines quickly and neatly gathering to defend against the approaching pirates did not happen.
On the contrary, the big and brawny Marines, all with roguish smiles and curses, slowly packed their weapons and equipment at the urging of their officers, crowding together in a chaotic and laughing group toward the naval port.
The Marine soldier at the sentry post couldn't help but look angry and cursed in a low voice, "These Marines at the G-5 branch are a disgrace to our Marines, a bunch of scumbags. They don't deserve to be Marines of justice."
The sentry soldier had been transferred from Marine Headquarters not long ago.
He had heard about the bad reputation of the Marines in the G-5 branch before he came.
He thought he was mentally prepared, but when he got here, he found that the situation was even worse than he had expected.
Instead of being an army representing justice, the Marines in the G-5 base were more like a bunch of hoodlums who looked more like pirates than pirates themselves.
"That's right. If it weren't for Vice Admiral Vergo being so capable, G-5 would have been completely ruined by this bunch of bastards," another Marine soldier chimed in.
In front of the naval port, in the chaotic crowd of Marines, Vice-Admiral Bilich, wearing shorts and with his chest hair exposed, frowned at the sparse Marines in front of him. He kicked out with his iron-armored foot, sending several Marines who were shoulder to shoulder flying and screaming.
"You bunch of useless slobs! Hurry up and grab your weapons and prepare to face the enemy! If you don't defend the G-5 base well, I'd like to see how Vice Admiral Vergo will deal with you!"
The Marines, who had some resentment after being kicked by Bilich, immediately became much more obedient when they heard the name Vice Admiral Vergo. They scrambled toward the port's defensive fortifications, taking their places in front of the cannons and setting up their flintlock rifles, looking at the five approaching pirate ships.
Just as Bilich was about to take out the binoculars tucked in his waist, he heard a series of gasps from the Marines beside him.
Then, a blood-soaked figure fell from the sky, hitting the hard rocky ground with a thud.
Bilich heard the cracking sound of bones breaking. He didn't know how many bones this woman, who had fallen from the sky, had broken in the fall.
"Hiss... What a beautiful woman, that figure, it's amazing. Chirp."
In a flurry of gasps, Bilich rudely pushed away the Marines in front of him, walked up to Stussy, whose bat wings were gradually retracting into her back, and frowned. "What is this woman? A pirate?"
"No, I know this woman, hehehe." In the crowd, several Marines with lewd smiles squeezed in front of Bilich, their eyes greedily scanning Stussy's exposed fair skin. They chuckled obscenely, "This woman is the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy. I've seen her ad in the World Economic Journal."
"Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy?" Bilich raised his eyebrows, squatted down, and leaned closer. He saw a tag tightly clenched in Stussy's hand, and he immediately reached out and took it.
The moment he saw the tag, Bilich's face changed.
He recognized this kind of identity tag.
To prevent accidentally injuring friendly forces during missions at sea, all Marine officers above the rank of commander had access to this information.
"This is the identity tag of CP0, the World Government's strongest intelligence agency."
Bilich immediately called for several Marines to take the severely injured and unconscious Stussy back to the base for treatment. He, in turn, took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, about to make a call, when he saw a man with a square face, wearing sunglasses, with lightning-bolt-shaped sideburns, and a piece of bread stuck to his cheek, walking through the parted crowd, carrying a bamboo stick.
Seeing the man, he quickly ran forward with the CP0 identity tag in his hand.
"Vice Admiral Vergo! This woman is from CP0."
"CP0?" Vergo's eyes behind his sunglasses moved slightly. He silently put Stussy's identity tag into his pocket and nodded. "Tell the military doctor to do everything he can to save her. When she wakes up, I want to see her."
"Yes!"
Vergo strode onto the defensive wall of the port, squinting his eyes at the six pirate ships whose pirate flags were now visible.
At this distance, the pirate flag with red lips and a captain's hat embroidered on the sail of the ship was clearly visible to him.
The Marine at the sentry post was not wrong; the approaching group was indeed the Big Mom Pirates.
Were these pirates here to chase Stussy?
Had Stussy's identity been exposed, or had she discovered some big secret of Big Mom?
Looking at the still-approaching pirate ships, Vergo wondered how he could use Stussy's secret identity to further his own status in the Marines.
More than a decade ago, he was entrusted by Doflamingo to go undercover in the Marines.
For so many years, he had been diligent and conscientious, fighting pirates all over the New World, going through life-and-death struggles, and making great contributions to the Marines, finally earning his promotion to a high-ranking Marine officer, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
After that, because of the fierce and ruthless style he displayed, he was sent to the G-5 base to be the base commander.
The real power he now held was already greater than that of some of the older Marine Vice Admirals at Headquarters.
However, Vergo was never satisfied with the status quo.
He still wanted to do more for his Young Master.
A Headquarters Vice Admiral was a very senior Marine officer, but the limitations were still great.
For example, as the commander of the G-5 base, if he wanted to lead the G-5 Marines to sea to wipe out the hostile forces of the Donquixote Family, he would still need to notify Headquarters, submit a report, and get approval from the Marine General Staff and Intelligence Bureau before he would be allowed to act.
But if he could go one step further and become one of the Marine Headquarters' top fighting forces…
No, becoming the third Admiral candidate would also suffice.
As long as he could become the third Admiral candidate for Marine Headquarters, his freedom would be greatly enhanced, and he would have the privilege of directly starting a war.
This privilege was a recognition from Marine Headquarters for powerful Marine officers, a privilege unique to Marine Admirals and Admiral candidates.
As long as he could become an Admiral candidate, he could use the strength of the Marines to clear the way for his Young Master, helping him to advance further, from one of the Shichibukai to an Emperor of the Sea, like Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
And now, Vergo saw a glimmer of hope in this CP0 who had fallen from the sky.
As the strongest intelligence agency of the World Government, every member of CP0 had a very secretive and important identity.
For example, this CP0. If she hadn't appeared directly in front of him, Vergo would never have thought that the esteemed Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, would actually be an intelligence agent for the World Government.
If he could use Stussy to get a great merit from the World Government, plus a powerful Devil Fruit ability prepared for him by his Young Master, Vergo believed that with his strength and seniority in the Marines, he could definitely compete for the position of the third Admiral candidate, a position that had been vacant in the Marines for many years.
Thinking of this, Vergo waved his hand, telling Bilich, who was standing beside him, to shout to the pirates.
"This is the G-5 Marine Base! All pirates are forbidden to approach! You scoundrels from the Big Mom Pirates, if you don't want to cause an unnecessary war, turn back now and leave! Otherwise, we will open fire!"
Bilich, holding a megaphone, shouted with full force, his loud voice echoing across the sea in front of them.
The pirates on the ships naturally heard him clearly.
"What should we do, Brother Hifate?" Several young Charlotte Family members looked at Charlotte Hifate, the oldest among them.
Hifate was the 20th son of the Charlotte Family and a tall, burly man.
Hearing his brothers' question, Hifate didn't hesitate. He stood directly at the bow of the ship and shouted with a loud voice, "Marines! Listen to me! I am Charlotte Hifate, a combatant of the Big Mom Pirates! Mama's order is to bring the traitor Stussy back! I order you to hand over that woman, Stussy, immediately! Otherwise, you will face Mama's wrath!"
On the naval port, the G-5 Marines looked at each other, hearing the arrogant voice from the other side.
Bilich turned to look at Vergo. "Vice Admiral, what should we do?"
It wasn't that he was being a coward.
If it were regular pirates, G-5 would have already opened fire. What's the point of shouting?
But this was the Big Mom Pirates, the subordinates of the Emperor of the Sea, Charlotte Linlin, who ruled over thirty-five islands, with tens of millions of citizens and a massive fleet of over a hundred thousand pirates.
As long as they were in this sea of the New World, no matter who they were, they had to consider the consequences of offending the Big Mom Pirates.
Just as Bilich was wondering if Vergo would compromise, he saw Vergo wave his hand heavily, and a cold voice came from his mouth.
"Big Mom Pirates? Hmph! This is a Marine base that symbolizes justice! Behind us, we protect countless innocent civilians on this sea! To think you can make us hand over an injured innocent person with just one sentence is a pipe dream! We have already given you a chance. Since you are so stubborn, then die! Open fire! Sink them!"
The powerful and resounding voice came from Vergo's mouth, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the Marines on the naval port.
"So cool! Vice Admiral Vergo!"
"Kill them! Who cares about an Emperor of the Sea! We are the world's strongest force for justice, the Marines!"
"Open fire! Open fire!"
The thunderous roar of cannons fired toward the six pirate ships on the distant sea.
The corners of Vergo's mouth gradually turned up.
An Emperor of the Sea?
Heh.
If he were a subordinate of the Donquixote Family, he would immediately surrender and turn back.
But now, he was a Marine, the commander of the G-5 base. If the sky falls, the Marine Admirals will hold it up. What is there to be afraid of!
I'm increasingly feeling like there are too many bugs in the manga. Stussy is a clone of Bakkin. Bakkin was a member of the Rocks Pirates. Three of the four Emperors of the Sea in the New World were also members of the Rocks Pirates. How can she be a spy? And Vergo, an undercover Marine, didn't even change his name. It's ridiculous.
(End of Chapter)
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