Chapter 203: Louis's Considerations and Ambition
The shattered earth shimmered with a golden holy light, rapidly coming to life and possessing a temporary consciousness.
One after another, large hands made of rock and soil extended, grabbing the pirates who were trapped in their inescapable illusions and roughly stuffing them onto the Island Cloud that held the members of the Charlotte Family.
Inside the Island Cloud, the group, led by Smoothie, watched as the pirates fell from the sky like dumplings, and the corners of their mouths twitched slightly. This scene made them feel as if they were in a super-sized incinerator.
In a corner of the crowd, Charlotte Oven's face became even paler. He had murdered that pirate captain from the Whitebeard Pirates and framed the Archangel Pirates for it. If this act were to be exposed, Oven didn't even need to think to know what would happen.
Suddenly, a series of terrified sounds rang out.
"Don't stuff that guy over here!"
The noisy commotion made Oven freeze. He subconsciously looked up at the sky, only to find that it had become dim at some unknown point.
It wasn't until the last pirate was stuffed into the overcrowded Island Cloud that Louis casually reclaimed the life force from the earth, causing it to return to an inanimate object.
Then, Louis looked at the severely overloaded Island Cloud and fell into thought. He was contemplating just how high the possibility was of this overloaded cloud falling into the sea mid-journey. In the end, Louis decided that if it did fall, he would just bring a few people onto Avant Heim and let the rest be fish food.
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps sounded behind him, making Louis turn his head to meet a pair of cloudy eyes.
"Holden, you've gotten older."
An extremely aged voice sounded, responding to Louis's sigh. "Not that old. Just a little over a hundred."
Louis heard this, raised an eyebrow, and complained, "I heard that you've been claiming to be 'a little over a hundred' for a long time."
The newcomer was the current oldest elder of the Buccaneer race, Hughes Holden. At this moment, he was sitting on the back of a giant dog that was in its prime, and had unhurriedly come to Louis's side, his back to the charred forest.
Louis had sensed their presence the moment he landed on the island and knew that they were sitting with the "old muscle-head" (Amit). And now that the war was over, that uncommunicative old muscle-head had left without any warning, following his Vivre Card to go and stand guard over Baal. Only the old geezer from the Buccaneer race was left, slowly coming to find him.
Then, Louis controlled Avant Heim to separate a piece of cloud from the sky, which landed and brought the two people and one dog into its interior.
Seeing this, the Buccaneers all stepped forward to help the old man down from the giant dog's back. And nearby, the Lunarians all looked with great curiosity at this old man, who could be called the old muscle-head's master.
In the crowd, someone was whispering.
"I heard that back when the old muscle-head was just a young muscle-head, this guy was already very old, right?"
"How old is he now?"
The Lunarians were somewhat doubtful. The Buccaneer race, which was descended from giant half-breeds... had they also inherited the long lifespan of the giant race? Otherwise, there was really no way to explain how this old man's lifespan was so long.
Louis heard the conversation of his kinsmen and, while controlling Avant Heim and the other Island Cloud to return to Dressrosa, casually asked, "Holden, exactly how old are you?"
"Forgot." Holden shook his head, indicating that he had already forgotten.
Louis heard this, and a speechless look flashed in his eyes.
Then, Louis thoughtfully posed another question. "What exactly is the special ability of your Buccaneer race? I heard that you are the only one among the Buccaneers who has awakened this ability."
"Forgot that too," was the aged voice's reply, in the same blank tone.
"..."
After a brief speechlessness, Louis turned and left with a look of helplessness on his face. As expected, I shouldn't have been so confident. How could Louis get an answer by casually asking, when the old muscle-head and the other Buccaneers hadn't been able to get one after decades?
Louis walked at an unhurried pace, past the one after another pirates who were looking at him with admiration, and went straight to where the giants were.
His arrival made Gerd bend down directly, lift him up in her palm, and bring him close to her eyes. Her beautiful face showed a hint of seriousness and worry.
"Captain, are you sure nothing bad will happen if you bring Big Mom back?"
"That woman is extremely dangerous!"
Hearing this, Louis was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with relief. "Are you worried about this?"
To this, Hajrudin, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, said in an extremely apprehensive tone, "She's a monster of that level. Only people of your level, Captain, wouldn't be worried."
To this, the two who had personally experienced that terrifying incident still had a considerable shadow in their hearts.
Then, Gerd opened her eyes wide and asked again, "Captain, what exactly is your plan for bringing her back?"
To the curious Gerd and the others, Louis had no need to hide anything and casually told them his plan.
"I plan to extort a good price from Katakuri, and then let Big Mom and some of her executives go back."
"Let them go?!" Although they had already faintly guessed, after hearing Louis say it himself, their hearts still skipped a beat.
Louis raised an eyebrow and added, "Don't jump to conclusions. I'm not finished."
The group heard him and looked at each other. "Then what?" they subconsciously asked.
"After I let Big Mom go, I'll find a time to throw the rest of her executives to the Marines and contact that Morgans to publicize it."
"..."
Hajrudin and the others heard him, dumbfounded. They instantly understood the intention behind Louis's move—to make the Big Mom Pirates and the Marines fight each other to the death.
This plan was something Louis had come up with on the spur of the moment when he had caught Big Mom. If Big Mom went to rescue those children, she would inevitably clash with the Marines. If she didn't go... then Louis would spread this news all over Totto Land, causing a rift between her and her children and executives, and sowing the seeds of dissent.
Either way, Louis would be happy to see it and would do his best to make it happen.
After this incident, Louis had realized that his previous vision of "Six Emperors" or "Seven Emperors" was not good. On the contrary, Shiki's idea was correct. Imagine this: you and another "evenly matched" opponent agree to a duel. But in the blink of an eye, four or five other sleazy guys of the same level crowd around, waiting to pick up the pieces after you've beaten each other's brains out. In this way, the originally agreed-upon true man's 1v1 would inevitably devolve into a chaotic melee of six or seven people.
This kind of thing... besides a madman like Kaido, no one could accept it.
After experiencing this battle, Louis had come to understand Shiki's intention of proposing to take out one or two competitors. And Big Mom was one of the candidates Louis wanted to kick out. Before she was out, Louis had arranged a grand stage for her—an advanced version of the Summit War.
As for her not going to the rescue... the result would be the same. Once the hearts of the people were scattered, even a pirate crew built on blood ties would fall apart sooner or later. This was also the reason why Louis hadn't killed Big Mom on the spot. Louis hoped she could give the Marines a hard time.
Besides Big Mom, Louis had also prepared a gift for Whitebeard, who had been rescued. The frozen Diamond Jozu and Oden's vassal, Izo... The two of them... when Louis saw Whitebeard return to the sea, he would throw them to the Marines as well.
After a long while, Gerd and the others recovered from their shock, looking at Louis, whom they held in their hands, with strange expressions. The other three also had similar expressions. This action made Louis turn to look. "What? Is there a problem with my plan?"
The group shook their heads, then replied with amazed faces, "No. It's just the first time we've seen you use strategy to achieve your goals, Captain."
The group tactfully expressed that in the past, whatever Louis did, he would just charge forward and smash things. They had never seen him use his brain to achieve his goals.
To this, Louis raised an eyebrow slightly. He had never thought that this was the image he had in his crew's hearts.
Then, Louis replied in a meaningful tone, "That's probably because we don't have much time left to fight. For the next few years, we probably won't be appearing on the sea frequently, but will be focusing on development and growth. Of course, Hajrudin is an exception."
As he spoke, Louis's eyes fell on Hajrudin. "Hajrudin," he said in an expectant tone, "for the next many years, I need you to help me with a very important matter. In the process of completing this matter, you will gain unimaginable growth, and there is even a faint chance that you will have the opportunity to challenge your brother."
Hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the several giants became abnormally excited. They leaned their heads in and asked with great curiosity, "An opportunity to let Hajrudin challenge Loki?"
Hajrudin heard this, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot, his breathing quickening. "What is it? I will definitely be able to do it!"
To this, Louis's gaze seemed to pierce through the Island Cloud, landing directly on a certain figure on the other Island Cloud. Then, he said pointedly, "This matter... has been done by someone five hundred years ago—"
At the same time, in the depths of the New World, a rare conflict also came to an end.
Red-Haired Shanks intercepted the giant prince, Loki, who was trying to participate in the great battle, forcing him to give up on intervening in the battlefield of Whitebeard and the Archangel.
In the depths of the New World, near the Land of Wano, Arcordon, who was battered and bruised, instantly sheathed his twin swords after receiving a call from the "old muscle-head." He turned into a searing white bolt of lightning and, at an extremely fast speed, broke away from the pursuing Azure Dragon and left.
And Kaido of the Beasts, furious that he hadn't been able to fight to his heart's content, successively sank more than a dozen unlucky pirate ships nearby.
One day later, the Golden Lion Shiki and Ochoku, relying on their aerial superiority, crushed the Marine fleet, forcing the Marine Hero Garp and the former Marine Admiral Zephyr to retreat with their remaining troops.
With this, the several great battles that had erupted at the same time in the New World had been decided, one after another.
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