“As for your earlier question, maybe they really are all geniuses, but this environment makes people lose the will to strive, leaving them without any motivation to improve.”
In response to the agent’s question about Vegapunk’s former colleagues, Vegapunk replied very casually, not taking it seriously.
Similarly, the World Government’s envoy did not press further, as his objective had already been achieved.
Previously, their intelligence department had analyzed that Vegapunk had something in his possession but had not revealed it, and bringing up Judge and the others was primarily to create a sense of urgency within Vegapunk.
The World Government funds Vegapunk with resources unmatched by anyone else, yet he fails to produce appropriate results, which seems fishy no matter how you look at it.
Initially, they thought Vegapunk was the most honest member of MADS, but now it seems he’s a seasoned schemer, adept at slacking off and swindling funding.
If they don’t put pressure on him, he’s genuinely capable of loafing around.
Looking at the former members of MADS, the most diligent one nowadays is actually Queen. Judge is his own boss and uses his own funds, while Caesar is another slacker with absurdly audacious behavior, swindling funds from the Four Emperors to live a carefree life.
Currently, Buckingham doesn’t have any projects, and Vegapunk’s goal is also to use the government’s funds to research his own interests, but Queen is different.
If he dared to imitate his former colleagues, then the only thing he would be talking with is kanabo.
Queen was already receiving the best treatment possible, and his hobbies were mostly satisfied, and he even has a Shaymin as a companion. Under such circumstances, if he dared to slack off and swindle funding, he’d truly get an early glimpse of hell’s gates.
By this point, the Pacifista had entered mass production, with the cost of a single warship still within an acceptable range.
Moreover, based on the envoy’s testing of the prototype’s power, he believed the Pacifista was sufficient to handle most pirates, significantly bolstering the core combat power of the lower-level Marines.
…
Time continued to pass, yet the calm seas were shaken by another major news: a bounty was issued by Whitebeard.
Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach—had violated the one ironclad rule of the Whitebeard Pirates: never kill a comrade.
For the sake of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he finally revealed the fangs he had hidden for years, killing Thatch, who had obtained the fruit, and began his escape.
Right now, Whitebeard hadn’t yet reached the point where he was covered in IV drips. Though old, with the help of medication, he was still relatively robust, and immediately issued a bounty for Blackbeard across the seas.
This news shocked many across the seas. Before this, no one had ever thought that a member of the Whitebeard Pirates would dare to violate Whitebeard’s taboo.
Even within the Beasts Pirates, this news caused quite a stir, along with a sense of vigilance in Yamato, as she was currently facing Kaido.
Her hands gripped Takeru 7.0 tightly. Takeru 7.0, inheriting the will of the previous six generations, did not suffer the pain of dying young. It has persevered until today and has become Yamato’s most reliable weapon.
“Father, what did you want to talk about?”
“Worororo, no need to be so nervous. Honestly, I just want to have a talk with you, my silly daughter.”
“Cut it out! I don’t believe you! Dad isn’t here right now. You just want me to lower my guard so you can hit me with your kanabo and mock me afterward, saying I’m still too weak! I won’t fall for it again!”
“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this! Nobody would lose the same way twi—uh, five—um, anyway, I just don’t trust you!”
Reflecting briefly on past experiences, she realized she had been tricked by Kaido more times than she could count. This time, she wasn’t planning to lower her guard. As she spoke, she immediately shifted into her Human-Beast form, showing just how seriously she was taking Kaido.
“Tch…”
“You just clicked your tongue, didn’t you?! You must be plotting something!”
Realizing his daughter wasn’t so easy to fool anymore, Kaido was slightly annoyed but still tossed a recent newspaper toward Yamato.
“Here’s the latest news on that old guy Newgate. One of his sons killed another one of his sons. He must be losing his mind from rage—no, knowing him, he’s probably overwhelmed with grief.”
“When I sailed with him back in the day, he was an oddball. He didn’t care about treasures or fame. All he wanted was the so-called ‘family.’ But Yamato, do you know why Newgate is like that?”
“W-why?”
“Because his so-called sons are too weak!”
Hearing this, Yamato shivered all over. Every time Kaido said someone was too weak, she often ended up in trouble. Fortunately, this time Kaido didn’t attack immediately and instead picked up his gourd and took another swig.
“That old guy, as long as someone calls him ‘Pops,’ they can pretty much join his crew right away. And no matter who it is, as long as they call him ‘Pops,’ they get his protection.”
“How could someone like him not run into trouble? If his sons were strong enough that no one could kill them, wouldn’t there be far fewer problems?”
In Kaido’s eyes, most things could be summed up with one phrase: lack of strength. To him, if you’re strong enough, there’s nothing you can’t solve.
Kaido had been preaching this philosophy for years, but Yamato still felt something was off. As the smell of alcohol wafted into her nose, she finally realized the problem—this didn’t seem like his usual strong liquor; it was the product of that one accident.
“Wait, Father, what are you drinking?!”
“Oh? Eggnog, that’s all. Today, I’ll teach you something else. When there’s a gap in strength, even if you discover the enemy’s scheme, it’s useless. Compared to scheming, conspiring openly is far more terrifying.
Drunken Dragon… Bagua!”
This time, Yamato didn’t fall for it, and Kaido was relatively satisfied—this was part of her growth.
But that didn’t mean he would stop. Even though Yamato didn’t lower her guard, Kaido could still launch a frontal assault. Despite Yamato being fully prepared, Kaido’s ferocious attack still managed to suppress her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each clash between the two, thunderous booms echoed continuously. All the pirates on Onigashima knew that their Governor-General and their young miss were once again engaging in their daily sparring match.
No one thought much of it and continued with whatever they were doing. Only Page One, who was fishing, looked utterly frustrated. The fish was just about to take the bait, but because of the commotion, it got away.
And the one who got away wasn’t just that fish—there was also Blackbeard. Whitebeard didn’t manage to intercept him in the New World, allowing him to slip through Fish-Man Island. Blackbeard even injured several of the island’s guards in the process.
In this regard, it wasn’t that Whitebeard didn’t want to pursue, but rather that he couldn’t. The clashes in the New World were fiercer than ever before. If he left the New World to hunt Blackbeard, the other pirates eyeing his territory would surely not hold back and would undoubtedly stab him in the back without mercy.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!