How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 367 Silver and Copper

in the corner.

Katakuri, who had remained silent without uttering a sound but whose presence was impossible to ignore, looked at Gawain with apprehension.

He didn't have much of a conflict with Blackbeard, but Gawain was the murderer of his younger brother and sister.

He originally thought that after defeating his mother, he would be a powerful figure who could make a name for himself on the high seas, and could rival the Four Emperors. He was confident that he could fight Gawain during the Water Seven era.

Unfortunately, Gawain's sudden attack just now shattered Katakuri's will to fight.

Two years have passed, and this man's combat strength has not stagnated; in fact, his rate of progress is outrageous, reaching a level that is incomprehensible to most people!
With his Observation Haki, which allows him to foresee the future, he had mentally simulated the scene after he attacked everyone in the conference room.

Even though Hawkeye, Sengoku, and the two generals Akatsuki are strong, escaping would not be a problem even if they were defeated.

Gawain's single strike severely injured him, and even his physical body seemed to feel a stinging pain!
This man...

Katakuri remained silent, having already made up his mind that after the Marineford War ended, he would have Smuggle and the others abandon their idea of ​​revenge against Gawain.

That's just courting death!

Hancock and Doflamingo, standing nearby, were equally wary of Gawain.

Blackbeard slumped to the side, panting heavily.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

He slowly raised his palm, blood flowing between his fingers, and he could clearly see that his fingers were trembling.

Just a hair's breadth away, Gawain's knife could have cut him in two on the spot!

He hadn't felt this sense of impending death in a long time, yet it remained chilling, but more than that, it was filled with resentment and anger.

The pain in his chest contorted Blackbeard's face.

"I'll get my revenge for what I owe you today!"

Gawain looked down at him indifferently:
"If you weren't at Marine Headquarters today, you'd be going to hell to collect your debts."

"Thief, hahahahahaha—!"

Blackbeard simply lay back, his face covered in blood, his smile twisted yet brimming with unwavering confidence!
Gao Wenqiang?!
Very strong!

Beyond imagination!

Even the tip of the iceberg that was just revealed is enough to rival Whitebeard Roger at his peak, a fact that can be clearly seen from the horrified expressions on the faces of everyone present.

Even the two admirals who just suppressed Gawain, who are the Navy's top combat forces capable of rivaling the Four Emperors, were far from having an easy time.

But so what? !

Blackbeard possessed an almost blind self-confidence.

Any difficulty is temporary, and any formidable enemy can be defeated!

That's why.

No matter what predicament he faces, Blackbeard has the courage to confront it and the ability to make the choices that are most beneficial to him.

From leaving the Whitebeard Pirates to indirectly triggering the Marineford War, aside from Gawain being a variable, almost everything was within his calculations.

The same will be true next time!

Once inside Impel Down, thanks to the unique properties of the Dark-Dark Fruit, one can instantly assemble a force comparable to the Four Emperors.

My name should be mentioned in this era!

Do not!
This era should only have my name!

Blackbeard possessed such confidence, and the light in his eyes shone even brighter at this moment—a brilliance born of extreme darkness and malevolence.
"so!"

"Lady Luck is on my side!"

"Hahahaha—!"

Amidst laughter.

Gawain's gaze returned to Blackbeard, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Is he truly worthy of being the man corresponding to the Straw Hat, the protagonist? Even now, his aura is already on par with the Emperor of the Sea.

Unfortunately……

Even if it's Joey Boyle in person, the winner and loser will have to be decided after the fight!
One of the suspected inheritors of the will?!
That's a bit lacking!
Gao Wen shook his head; his goal had been achieved, and he was somewhat disheartened.

As for the grudge against Drum Kingdom, we'll settle it after the Summit War. After all, right now Gawain still needs to use Blackbeard as a cover to find Barrett and Sentomaru in Impel Down.

Gao Wen casually replied:
I'll be waiting for you in the new world!

Blackbeard's eyes were wide open, his face was deathly pale, but his aura remained fierce:

"it is good!"

Sengoku frowned upon seeing this, feeling a sense of threat from Blackbeard for the first time.

This man, who betrayed Whitebeard, captured Portgas D. Ace who was pursuing him, and handed him over to the World Government in exchange for a Shichibukai position, seems to be more than he appears.

If everything so far has been part of his plan, then what is his purpose?
Sengoku gave Blackbeard a deep look before suppressing his apprehension, since the biggest threat facing the Navy was still Whitebeard.

He took a deep breath, and seeing that the situation was under control, he convened today's meeting.

There is only one goal!
The Marineford War, which will shake the entire world in just over two weeks, is about to begin!

……

……

……

Time flies.

Half a month passed.

There are only seven days left until Ace's execution.

It was at this time that messenger birds, flying out from various locations of the World Economic Herald, delivered earth-shattering news to the world.

The timing was extremely opportune, enough to spread the news throughout the world, but not enough for other forces to organize fleets and participate in the war.

"Three days from now, the Navy will publicly execute the Pirate King's son, Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of Whitebeard's crew, at Marineford?!"

boom!
Sabaody Archipelago, Forest No. 043.

In a bar, the scarred thief let out a cry of surprise, suddenly stood up, and smashed his glass to the ground.

He was splashed with wine, but seemed not to notice, his eyes glued to the news in the newspaper.

"This, this, this..."

"The bloodline of the Pirate King Roger is still continuing? And he even became the second division commander of Whitebeard's army?!"

"Something happened!"

"The entire ocean will boil because of this!"

The bar instantly became lively, with everyone's attention focused solely on the news in the newspaper.

Some were shocked by the impending major event, while others focused their attention on the elusive and mysterious Great Treasure!

"Roger's bloodline?!"

"This guy might know where One Piece is!"

"After all, he is Roger's bloodline. It is only natural for a father to pass on the One Piece to his child!"

Someone was loudly proclaiming their conspiracy theories in a bar, and they even garnered agreement from those around them.

"That's right!"

"Besides, I don't believe that Whitebeard would adopt his rival's child for no reason. If it's for the One Piece, then everything makes sense."

"No!"

A discordant sound came from the corner.

"That Whitebeard guy isn't that kind of person."

Everyone looked back.

The one who had spoken earlier was an old man sitting alone in a corner, wearing a straw hat and sunglasses, drinking alone, and for the moment no one paid any attention to him.

"Tch—!"

"What do you know, old man?!"

"You've never even seen Whitebeard, how do you know he wouldn't think that way?!"

The old man's lips curled into a broad, hearty smile:

"The kind of person you're talking about can't live up to the title of the world's strongest. To get everything you want, you have to take it by force!"

"A person without dreams cannot survive on this ocean."

Everyone was slightly taken aback, and then burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha-!"

"The old guy is quite old, but he still speaks with a rather dashing air!"

"You used to be a pirate, now you've retired?!" "Unfortunately, your era is over. Only the victor matters. No matter the means, winning is the only truth!"

"Your approach is outdated!"

……

"Yeah?!"

The old man reached out and touched his chin, seemingly puzzled, yet also sighing:

"Too."

"More than 20 years have passed, and he's already an old man in his seventies."

"But there are some things that even an old man has to do!"

The old man shook his head, left the money for the drinks on the table, and then turned and left.

Crash-!
The bar curtains opened, letting in sunlight that shone on the two short axes the old man held at his waist, making them gleam with a cold light.

Upon witnessing this scene, the people in the bar fell silent.

"and many more……"

"I feel like I've seen him somewhere before?!"

One of the drinkers let out a gasp.

At the same time, an old wanted poster hanging at the top of the bar's bounty board fell down and landed right in front of the scarred pirate.

He looked down and felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

"Skip Jabba the Mountain Eater, the left arm of the Pirate King Roger, bounty... That guy was a member of the Roger Pirates, a living legend!"

"Even such important figures are coming to join the war? Just how far will this war escalate?"

"Is the world coming to an end?!"

……

"Did you come to the wrong place? I was wondering why I didn't see that bastard Rayleigh!"

"Ha ha ha ha--!"

Jaba chuckled twice, ignoring the noise behind him, looked around, and headed towards the location of the extortion bar.

A dozen minutes later, outside the extortion bar.

Jabba reached out and took down the "Closed" sign hanging on the doorknob, pushed open the door and went inside. What he saw was a boy sitting amidst a mountain of food, eating voraciously.

It was Rayleigh who saved Luffy on Amazon Lily.

"meat!"

"meat!"

"meat!"

In just a few breaths, most of the food in front of the boy had disappeared.

At that time, Rayleigh was entrusted by Hancock to temporarily stay on Amazon Lily after she left, in order to prevent it from being attacked by the Navy or other forces.

After all, the Navy has mastered the technology of sailing in the calm zone, and it's hard to guarantee that pirates won't obtain this technology.

The calm zone that once surrounded Amazon Lily is no longer as insurmountable as it once was; if attacked, it could be destroyed.

It was there that Rayleigh rescued Luffy, and after learning about Luffy's relationship with Shanks and Ace, he brought him there to participate in the plan to rescue Ace.

Jabba looked at the boy's face and raised an eyebrow slightly.

This face vaguely reminded him of a marine who had chased them for decades and was as strong as a monster.

But the hat on the boy's head was undoubtedly the one Roger had once used; it should have been in Shanks' possession.

"A junior that Shanks has taken a liking to?!"

Upon hearing Shanks' name, Luffy looked up at Jabba, grinning to reveal a set of white teeth:
"My name is Luffy!"

"The man who will become the Pirate King!"

"What a wonderful dream!"

Jabba smiled back, then turned to look at Rayleigh beside him.

The two got up, walked to the side, and looked at Luffy who was actually eating, their eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.

"They look very similar, don't they?!"

Rayleigh's gaze fell on Luffy, but he saw another man wearing a straw hat instead.

"what."

Jabba nodded:
"That bastard was just as carefree when he first set sail. Is he the one Roger was waiting for?!"

Rayleigh nodded, but then, recalling Gawain passing through this place two years ago, he shook his head and murmured:
"maybe."

"But there are too many variables in this era, and it has even given birth to a monster that surpasses Rocks. It is hard to say whether it will still develop in the direction Roger expected."

"A monster surpassing Rocks?!"

Jabba's pupils contracted slightly.

He had been involved in the battle at God Valley alongside Roger, so he naturally knew just how powerful Rocks was back then.

Of the Four Emperors who dominated the New World for two years, apart from the rising star Shanks, the other three were all once members of Rocks' crew. This even included Whitebeard, who was known as the strongest man in the world and had fought Roger dozens of times without defeat.

It was only by combining the efforts of Garp and Roger that they were able to defeat Rocks.

A monster surpassing Rocks...

"Are you serious?!"

"Of course, he hasn't reached Rocks' level yet, but in the future..."

"Surpassing Rocks is inevitable!"

Rayleigh nodded, his gaze gradually becoming serious.

Jabba's heart skipped a beat when he saw this:
"Don't tell me he'll make a move this time too?!"

"If you're lucky enough to rescue them from Impel Down, then you don't need to."

Jabba's lips twitched:
"Go to Impel Down and snatch people?"

He completely ignored Rayleigh's explanation:

"opposite?!"

"Correct!"

"Ha~"

Jaba chuckled softly, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

His heart was pounding uncontrollably, blood was rushing through his body, and he began to feel a long-lost excitement:
“I can’t just stand by and watch Roger’s only descendant be executed.”

"I really miss the days when Roger and I used to cause all sorts of trouble!"

"Then let me see just how strong this man, whom you rate so highly, really is!"

At that moment, Luffy, who was in the middle of the bar, put down the bone in his hand, looked up at Rayleigh in the distance, and his eyes burned like flames.

"Rayleigh, I'm going to save Ace!"

Even if he's in hell, I'll pull him back!

Rayleigh looked at Luffy, shook his head, and said:

"Now is not the time."

"Imperial City isn't far from here; we can get there in a few hours at full speed. But to break through Imperial City head-on is almost impossible."

"In the past few centuries, only the Golden Lion has successfully escaped from the advance."

"Our only chance is that when the Navy takes Ace out of Impel Down, the gates of Impel Down will open briefly."

"and……"

"And what?!"

Luffy was somewhat confused.

Rayleigh continued:
"You're still too weak; you're not qualified to interfere in the battles between the world's top monsters!"

"We will be giving you special training over the next few days!"

"How much you can learn and how much you can grow depends on yourself."

Jabba paused, glanced at Luffy, and a smile crept across his face as he recalled the days when Garp chased and beat him.

The laughter was extremely cruel.

"Count me in."

(End of this chapter)