Elburn narrowed his eyes, his gaze reflecting deep suspicion. "Miss, why are you revealing such important information to us? What do you want?"
Facing Wind Calamity, one of the Three Calamities, in addition to a great pirate with a bounty exceeding 700 million Berries, Baccarat was naturally very nervous, but she maintained a composed and unwavering exterior. "Tesoro-sama simply wants to avoid offending the Government and the Yonko, so he has chosen a middle ground."
"Though we couldn't personally deliver the Devil Fruit, we have provided you with the intelligence. We hope that when we cross paths with your crew again in the future, you will show some mercy. Good day."
Leaving a message similar to the one Tanaka gave the Immortal Pirates, Baccarat walked to the side of the Sabre-Tooth ship, leaped onto her own vessel, and sailed away.
"What do you think? Is the little lady trustworthy, Wind Calamity-sama?" Elburn turned to look at the man dozing on the throne.
Wind Calamity slightly opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let's go."
"No, I was asking if you thought what the girl said was credible," Elburn asked again.
Wind Calamity yawned once more, sounding utterly disinterested. "It doesn't matter. If there's an issue when we get there, we'll just destroy them."
A completely lazy personality, yet his words carried immense deterrent power, that was Wind Calamity, one of the Three Calamities.
"Perhaps you're right," Elburn nodded, waving to the helmsman. "Let's go. Head to Sabaody Archipelago. We should still have time."
…
The Government was already aware of the Immortal Pirates and the Beasts Pirates intervening in the Devil Fruit transaction, but they overlooked one thing: the actions of the Big Mom Pirates.
Although Charlotte Linlin herself rarely took action personally, she still frequently dispatched her subordinates to handle matters. Smelling a potential conflict brewing between Alucard and Kaido over a Devil Fruit and their readiness to challenge the Government, she also sent a small unit.
Their goal was not to seize the Fruit but to gather information.
Big Mom dispatched Charlotte Smoothie, the 14th daughter of the Charlotte Family and one of the Sweet Commanders, along with Charlotte Galette, the 18th daughter of the Charlotte Family. With these two at the head, a reconnaissance squad was formed to gather intelligence.
Zephyr also learned from Ivalis that the transaction location was the Sabaody Archipelago. Driven by the conviction that the Government's military power must not be allowed to increase further, he led the current Trash Disposal Unit to the archipelago.
Suddenly, countless powerful pirates were converging on Sabaody Archipelago, a situation no less intense than the great battle waged here by Alucard, Redfield, and Kong over a decade ago.
…
"Hoo~~"
In Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in Grove 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky exhaled a plume of smoke and said, "The Beasts Pirates' Wind Calamity and Elburn, the Big Mom Pirates' Smoothie and Galette, plus the Immortal Pirates' Z and your former crewmate Ivalis... How high do the combined bounties of all these great pirates total?"
The man sitting at the bar had light gray hair tied back in a ponytail with a piece of hemp rope, a fringe left hanging over his brow. He held a glass of alcohol in one hand and looked utterly listless.
Benn Beckman!
The missing First Mate of the Red-Haired Pirates since Shanks' death, rumored to possess the most brilliant mind among pirates.
Creak…
The bar door opened, and Rayleigh walked in from outside, quipping, "Frightening, simply frightening. I just saw the Big Mom Pirates' ship at the dock near the casino. I was so scared I immediately ran back here."
"Naturally," Shakky took another puff from her cigarette and blew out the smoke. "Didn't you and Roger steal a Road Poneglyph from Big Mom years ago? If she knew you were here, she'd immediately rush over in a fury, wouldn't she?"
"Ahahaha, let's not bring up the past, shall we?" Rayleigh laughed shamelessly. Indeed, one of the four Road Poneglyphs Roger had collected was "borrowed" from Alucard, and another was "stolen" from Big Mom.
He would rather run into the Immortal Pirates and the Beasts Pirates than the Big Mom Pirates.
Seeing Beckman still looking utterly dejected, Rayleigh stepped forward and slapped him on the back. "It's about time you made a decision."
For a year and a half, Beckman had basically been loitering with Rayleigh. He hadn't joined the Immortal Pirates like Ivalis, nor had he joined the Whitebeard Pirates like Lucky Roux and Yasopp. Furthermore, after Shanks' death, he had ignored the advice of most of the crew to strike out on his own. He had simply wasted away, drifting aimlessly for two years.
Even Rayleigh couldn't stand it anymore. It was fine for him, an old man with one foot in the grave, to be idle, but Beckman was still young, just in his early thirties. Rayleigh found it a shame for a man with such formidable strength and a brilliant mind not to set sail.
Rayleigh sat down next to Beckman and asked Shakky for a drink. He lowered his voice. "Don't waste your vitality, young man. Conveniently, isn't your old friend Ivalis on this island? Why don't you go see him?"
Beckman remained silent for a long time. Finally, he put down his glass, stood up, and walked toward the door.
"Hey, wait a minute."
Just as Beckman placed his hand on the doorknob, preparing to leave, Rayleigh called out to him again.
Beckman turned around, and suddenly a long flintlock pistol was tossed toward him. Beckman raised his hand and caught it; it was his weapon.
"As a pirate, how can you forget your weapon?" Rayleigh smiled.
"..."
Beckman nodded, and with a metallic click, he opened the door and walked out.