The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

"El-sama, the Rocks Pirates and Roger Pirates have both set out!"

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

Within Totto Land's waters, atop Atlantis, the "Shapeshifting Witch" Sally was reporting to El:

"Thunder Calamity and Fire Calamity have already departed with Little Oars, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, Griffin Moss, and the other Eight Guardians, ready at any time to intercept Roger's crew!"

"There's been a slight change in plans: Linlin will remain to defend Totto Land, while Gerd is heading to the first half of the Grand Line with Thor, Sif, Francis Bangi, Hajrudin, and the Ace brothers."

"Meanwhile, over at Hachinosu (Pirate Island), Sea Tiger and Sebastian are also standing by with their Fish-Man troops… If any resistance appears, Redfield, the Shichibukai, will assist us."

"I see," El nodded slightly, offering no objections.

As members of the Kukulkan family, if they enjoyed Totto Land's privileges, they were naturally obligated to shoulder some responsibilities. Thor and Sif already had the strength to help relieve Totto Land's burden, and they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves without El worrying.

"Then we'll leave this place to Linlin…"

Without hesitation, El gave his instructions:

"I may head out in person later on!"

He didn't intend to join the fight—only to watch for an opportunity when the Rocks Pirates might be defeated, and then see if he could acquire any noteworthy Devil Fruits. Whichever side the World Government was on, the Dark-Dark Fruit used by Rocks, the Float-Float Fruit wielded by Golden Lion, or Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit would all be great trophies.

"Oh, by the way, El-sama…"

Sally recalled something and added,

"Because of the Fallen Angel Pirates' high-profile movements in the first half of the New World, the Navy has taken notice! Admiral Sengoku the Buddha and Black Arm Zephyr are already stationed at G-1 Fortress with utmost vigilance. Even Iron Fist Garp, who was on leave, has been urgently summoned back by Steel-Bone Kong.

Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John—those three now serving as Shichibukai in the first half of the Grand Line—also appear uneasy, presumably after receiving news about God Valley!"

In recent years, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John—now three Shichibukai—had bought large numbers of artificial Devil Fruits from the Hell Trading Company, becoming some of the biggest customers aside from the Rocks Pirates themselves. El had sold to them without concern for "arming the enemy," so long as they could pay. At present, those three pirate crews collectively boasted around two thousand artificial Devil Fruit users, while the Rocks Pirates, after their own recent transactions, had about 3,500. Even the Navy couldn't afford to brush them off.

"Oh?"

El arched a brow, narrowing his eyes with a cold smirk:

"So you're telling me that… which makes me suspect something…"

"Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John have all supposedly built up fortunes—back when they split from the Rocks Pirates, they took a portion of the Heavenly Tribute, and since becoming Shichibukai, they've continued raking in loot. Theoretically, it's feasible they could afford so many artificial Devil Fruits…"

He paused, adding bluntly:

"Yet I doubt those three have that kind of nerve. At least John, who's notoriously obsessed with wealth, wouldn't happily spend that much. Could it be that they and Rocks had this planned from the start—putting on a big show for the World Government, or even the entire world?"

That was his bold hypothesis. After all, with Rocks' reputation, if he were truly bent on punishing Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John for defecting, would they have been safe merely by fleeing to the first half of the Grand Line?

"Tsss—"

Sally's pupils contracted:

"That… might really be possible!"

Thinking back, although Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John's forces in the first half of the Grand Line couldn't compare to the Rocks Pirates, let alone the Fallen Angel Pirates, they had still expanded at a surprisingly rapid pace, using their Shichibukai privileges to corner many black-market businesses. According to CP investigations, their influence extended across numerous nations and islands there.

It wasn't that Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John lacked power, but they didn't seem capable of so much success on their own. If, from the outset, they had never truly left Rocks, and had merely joined the Shichibukai ranks to become the Rocks Pirates' moles within the World Government, then their developments would make perfect sense—each portion neatly complementing the Rocks Pirates' needs while avoiding joint crackdowns by the World Government and Fallen Angel Pirates, all the while secretly expanding and building up strength.

"Mamamama, if that's the case…"

Linlin, who had just walked over, widened her eyes in surprise, then chuckled ominously:

"Things at God Valley are about to get a whole lot livelier!"

Given the current Rocks Pirates plus whatever Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John had up their sleeves, that was enough to worry anyone… if, from the start, they had planned for such an eventuality. Perhaps they had also taken precautions with all these artificial Devil Fruits. Otherwise, even Totto Land might need to be wary.

"Indeed, it'll be more interesting than expected!" El nodded. He seemed unconcerned, letting out a small laugh:

"But no matter how they try, they're just a group bound by profit—ambitious and scheming, each with their own hidden agendas. Even if they're allied, they'll switch sides at a moment's notice, or stab each other in the back. There's no loyalty among them. Once things look grim, they'll certainly bail. Rocks will be undone by that, sooner or later."

"Papa, Mama, and Mama Linlin… Big trouble!"

At that moment, from high above the water, Willie—the fourth child—flew in.

His youthful, handsome face was laced with alarm as he reported anxiously to El, Sally, and Linlin:

"Eden, Frey, and little Ares—they took off earlier this morning because Aunt Gerd didn't include them on her expedition. Somehow they caught wind of the Celestial Dragons' hunt at God Valley and the rumored top-tier Devil Fruits among the rewards, and they just ran off! I'm so sorry—I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen!"

"What!?"

"Those brats…"

"Unbelievable…"

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 70+ Chapters Ahead of Others! (Completed)