In the New World, a massive ship with a whale head was anchored on the sea.
"Gurara-ra-ra-ra! That Redfield guy got his ass kicked by a bunch of brats! What face does he have to show me now, hahaha!"
A massive Whitebeard sat in his chair, laughing boisterously, a barrel of sake in his hands.
"Given he was up against two Shichibukai, plus Beckman and a host of other powerhouses, it was only natural for the Red the Aloof to fail."
Marco, looking at the latest newspaper in his hand, wasn't surprised. Even their Pops would probably have a hard time winning against that many strong opponents.
"Still, for someone to put something like the Vigor-Vigor Fruit up for auction… and to have missed that epic battle… it's a real shame," Vista said, shaking his head with a look of regret.
"It is. It's a shame the Whitebeard Pirates weren't there for a scene like that," Jozu said, his arms crossed. Like Vista, his face was full of regret.
"The Vigor-Vigor Fruit was stolen. I wonder what the person behind this is planning. I'm just afraid another 'Undying King' will appear. If so, the seas will be in for another storm," Thatch said, stroking his chin in deep thought.
"Gurara-ra-ra! Who cares about an 'Undying King'? I'm Whitebeard!" Whitebeard roared with laughter, his voice echoing across the entire Moby Dick.
"That's right! Pops is the 'Strongest Man in the World'!"
Hearing Whitebeard's bold proclamation, the pirates on the ship cheered with excitement.
However, in the middle of the crowd, a burly, rugged, middle-aged man with dark skin cheered a few times before lowering his head to read the newspaper in his hands again. When he saw the photo of the verdant green Devil Fruit, a hint of greed flashed in his eyes.
"The Vigor-Vigor Fruit... This is a good choice for my two abilities too, Zehahahahaha…" The man smirked, revealing a few missing teeth, and laughed coldly under his breath.
"Hey, hey, Teach, what's so funny?" A man beside him wrapped an arm around his shoulder, asking with a smile.
"I'm happy for Pops, of course! Zehahahahaha!" The man known as Teach replied, grinning widely.
"Hahahaha! You're right, we're happy for Pops, happy for the Whitebeard Pirates!"
And just like that, the atmosphere on the high seas became even more peculiar. The open conflicts remained, but behind the scenes, intelligence agents from all factions were scrambling around like mad dogs.
On one hand, they wanted to get their hands on the Vigor-Vigor Fruit themselves, but on the other, they wanted to kill anyone who consumed it.
Meanwhile, after spending a day on the Gran Tesoro, Aeridar's group went their separate ways. When a still-bandaged Aeridar arrived back in Nakor City, he was immediately greeted by a worried Millie and Mina, who escorted him back to the palace.
Truth be told, Aeridar had been through a lot in his years as a pirate. The only time he was more heavily injured than this was during his fight with Marine Vice Admiral Syrons in Alabasta, which was a testament to how severe his current injuries were.
Lying on the luxurious bed in his room, Aeridar closed his eyes and listened as Mina reported on the past few days. After finishing the mundane details, Mina suddenly said, "A couple of days ago, Death Gun asked for our help."
"Details!"
Aeridar's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp.
"Death Gun took on an assassination mission. His target was a normal marquis on Lecar Island in the Paradise part of the Grand Line, but when he went to take action, he was ambushed by a group of CP agents," Mina said calmly. "Although Death Gun broke out of the encirclement and escaped, he has been relentlessly hunted by both the CP agents and assassins from the underworld."
"What hornet's nest did that guy stir up to get hunted by both CP agents and underworld assassins?" Aeridar asked, confused.
"I had my people look into it. On March 17th, Death Gun took on an assassination mission to kill a nobleman in the Puddi Kingdom, a 68-year-old duke."
Mina handed a file to Aeridar and continued, "However, this duke's third son is a World Government official. What very few people know is that his third son is a powerful, high-ranking executive within the World Government who just so happens to have the authority to deploy CP agents."
"Duke of the Puddi Kingdom, Abner Asel… and World Government CP Headquarters Inspector General, Abner Brynn." Aeridar's brow furrowed.
"Exactly. Abner Brynn. When he found out his father had been assassinated, he immediately activated the CP agency's intelligence network to investigate. No intelligence network in the world can compare to the World Government's, so he quickly learned of Death Gun's identity. He then set up that trap on Magranchi Island and offered a huge sum of money to lure Death Gun there for an assassination… and it worked," Mina said nonchalantly.
"Heh. He mobilized over a hundred agents, including CP9 members and instructor-grade agents. He's certainly an Inspector General; his authority is truly vast," Aeridar said with a cold laugh as he read the intelligence file.
"That's right. A hundred agents, including CP instructors and CP9 members, plus ten thousand soldiers from the Magranchi Kingdom. Yet Death Gun still managed to escape, though he was severely wounded. He's been relentlessly pursued by a large number of CP agents and underworld assassins, and has tried to return to the New World several times, but was blocked each time," Mina said, a hint of mockery on her face.
"Wow. He must be in a pretty bad state." Aeridar shook his head, feigning a chuckle.
"After he asked for our help, my sister had some of our forces in Paradise give him a lot of assistance. Now, should we continue to help him on a larger scale?" Mina asked.
"A high-ranking World Government official, the Inspector General of CP Headquarters… heh. He's someone both Arlan and I have our eyes on. Abel has been wanting to stretch his legs, hasn't he? Have Betilla replace Abel as the one to oversee Micity Port, and send Abel to bring Death Gun back," Aeridar said, his voice turning cold as he gave his orders.
"What about Brynn? Since Death Gun killed his father, he probably won't let this go easily," Mina asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"He's just a World Government official. So what if he's high-ranking? If he doesn't listen, then we'll kill him. There are plenty of people who want his position anyway," Aeridar said coldly.
It wasn't arrogance; Aeridar genuinely had the power to back up his words. Whether it was his status as a national ruler and a Shichibukai, or his monstrously powerful abilities, he was one of the strongest men in the world.
In the Marines, only the Admirals and Fleet Admiral could talk to him as equals. In the World Government, Aeridar was someone who could speak directly with the Gorosei. An Inspector General of CP Headquarters was not enough to make Aeridar back down.
"Understood. I'll go and inform Abel," Mina said, nodding. A hint of enchantment appeared in her eyes as she looked at Aeridar.
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