Jewelry Bonney was stunned, her heart-shaped lips parting in disbelief.
"You… you want me too?!"
Luo Xing coughed lightly and said in a composed tone:
"Don't put it so crudely. I'm simply… a bit curious about you and your ability."
"Care to tell me? What exactly is your real identity?"
Someone who could alarm the higher-ups of the Marines and prompt them to dispatch an Admiral for rescue—
Jewelry Bonney's identity was clearly anything but ordinary.
Bonney immediately shut her mouth, glaring at Luo Xing in frustration.
She had just escaped the wolf's den, only to fall into a tiger's mouth.
What rotten luck.
Still…
Looking at the man in front of her, with his striking features, he was leagues better than that ugly Blackbeard.
If this man really wanted her…
Bonney didn't actually mind all that much.
She had never been with a man before, but her bold and fiery personality meant she didn't care much about such things.
And besides—
She liked handsome men.
If anything happened, who knew who'd be taking advantage of whom?
But when it came to her true identity, Bonney was deeply shaken.
As far as she knew, only the Marines were aware of it.
How did this man know?
Seeing that she refused to answer, Luo Xing didn't press the matter.
There would be plenty of time later…
to make this fiery little pepper submit.
Meanwhile—
Shiryu, Catarina Devon, and the others had already engaged the Blackbeard Pirates in battle.
Blackbeard had no intention of fighting. All he wanted was to escape.
But escaping was easier said than done.
Shiryu had consumed a Dragon-level monster cell, and the other four had all taken Demon-level cells.
Their overall strength far surpassed that of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Buzz!
With a single vertical slash, Shiryu unleashed a massive blade wave that split Blackbeard's small sailboat clean in two.
All the members of the Blackbeard Pirates were thrown into the sea.
At that moment, a wave crashed down—
Dragging their battered bodies into the depths.
As a Devil Fruit user, Blackbeard rolled his eyes the moment he hit the water.
Within seconds, he lost consciousness.
Just like that, the entire Blackbeard crew vanished beneath the sea—
Their fate unknown.
Aokiji had already witnessed the strength of Luo Xing's subordinates during the Sabaody battle.
He wasn't surprised in the slightest that they had crushed the Blackbeard Pirates.
What concerned him was something else entirely—
Jewelry Bonney, with her special status, had now fallen into Luo Xing's hands.
How could she be rescued?
Aokiji had no answer.
He raised his hand, signaling the warship to stop several hundred meters from the island.
His gaze remained fixed on Luo Xing, wary and cautious.
The Marines and the Beasts Pirates were now irreconcilable enemies.
After dealing with Blackbeard, it would be perfectly logical for Luo Xing to turn his attention to him next.
Aokiji had to stay on guard.
But Luo Xing showed no intention of attacking.
Holding Bonney—still restrained—by the arm, he looked toward Aokiji and spoke calmly:
"I hear your Fleet Admiral Sengoku is planning to step down."
"The next one will probably be chosen between you and Akainu."
"The Five Elders… likely favor Akainu more."
Aokiji remained tense, watching Luo Xing closely, unsure of his intentions.
Then—
Luo Xing said something that shocked him to his core:
"You won't win that battle for Fleet Admiral."
"Kuzan… with your personality, you'll leave the Marines, won't you?"
"When that happens, you might want to consider joining me."
"Justice… is something that constantly shifts. Only by changing your position and viewing the world from different perspectives can you truly find the answer."
After saying that—
Luo Xing led Bonney, along with Shiryu and the others, back through the Anywhere Door and disappeared.
Aokiji stood there, staring at the now-empty island.
Luo Xing's final words stirred a storm within his heart.
Would he really lose to Akainu?
How could that man be so certain?
And more importantly—
He had actually invited him to join the Beasts Pirates.
That was a path Aokiji had never even considered before.
After all, not long ago, he had fought them in a world-shaking battle.
But thinking it through carefully…
It wasn't entirely impossible.
Because if he failed to become Fleet Admiral, he would absolutely leave the Marines.
He had no intention of serving under Akainu.
That had always been his plan.
After leaving the Marines, he would either wander the seas alone…
or join another major force.
But in this world, there were very few forces bold enough to take in a former Marine Admiral.
Only the Yonko… and the Revolutionary Army.
Of the Yonko, with Whitebeard gone, only three remained—
The Beasts Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and the Red-Haired Pirates.
The Revolutionary Army didn't suit him.
Operating in the shadows, quietly overturning nations—
That wasn't his style.
As for Big Mom—
She was nothing more than a madwoman, with no sense of justice or future.
Red-Haired Shanks was another matter.
Aokiji vaguely knew that Shanks, like Bonney, had a special identity—possibly even tied to the Five Elders.
And after leaving the Marines, Aokiji had no desire to remain entangled with the World Government.
Looking at it this way—
The Beasts Pirates seemed to be his only viable destination.
Of course…
If Blackbeard managed to rise and take Whitebeard's place as a Yonko, that could also be an option.
But Blackbeard's fate was currently unknown—
And Aokiji didn't think highly of his crew anyway.
Countless thoughts churned through his mind, leaving him in a complicated state.
In the end, he ordered the warship to turn back toward Marineford.
Along the way—
He thought of Nico Robin, the "Devil Child" he had once spared at Ohara.
Back then, she had joined Crocodile's Baroque Works.
Now that Crocodile had been killed by Luo Xing, she had likely fallen into that man's hands as well.
Aokiji had let Robin go precisely because he wanted to uncover the truth of the Void Century—
To see what secrets the World Government was hiding.
And now, with Robin likely in Luo Xing's possession…
It gave him yet another reason to consider joining the Beasts Pirates.
Aokiji let out a soft sigh.
Whatever the future held—
For now, he would give everything to compete for the Fleet Admiral position.
If he could become Fleet Admiral and realize his ideals, that would be the best outcome.
…
Sabaody Archipelago.
After returning, Luo Xing locked Jewelry Bonney in a room and assigned guards to watch over her.
He then instructed Shiryu and the others to remain behind and defend Sabaody.
As for himself—
He stepped through the Anywhere Door once more—
And headed for the Germa Kingdom in the North Blue.
The Paramount War and the Sabaody conflict were only the beginning.
The flames of war spreading across the world would not fade—
They would only grow fiercer.
Luo Xing intended to use Germa's clone soldier army…
To take control of the entire North Blue.
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