Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

How could the navy not know about such a major event?

A man who claims to possess the permanent Log Pose to Laugh Tale is causing a stir in the pirate world no less than the Impel Down War two years ago.

All the well-known pirate crews in the New World are converging in the same direction, and the Straw Hat Pirates' whereabouts are even being tracked by Navy surveillance ships.

After causing a ruckus in the Golden City, I never expected to be caught up in a new storm so soon.

"The World Conference will also be ending soon, and the higher-ups should take some action regarding this matter."

Tashigi stood behind Smoker and adjusted her glasses.

Her rank had risen from sergeant in Loguetown to major general, and the stars on her shoulder insignia gleamed coldly under the lights, but she still maintained the habits she had when she was Smoker's deputy.

Smoker didn't answer immediately, but took another puff of his cigar.

Two years have changed a lot.

After the Dressrosa incident, he was promoted to Admiral Candidate as a representative of the middle generation of the Navy. There was no other way; the loss of senior combat power in the Navy was too serious.

Zephyr defected and ran away, Aokiji left the Navy and joined the Straw Hat Pirates' crew, and Gion even gave up his status as a candidate admiral and left without a second thought.

The Straw Hat Pirates practically treated the Navy like a wholesale market, managing to abduct two admiral-level fighters.

With Garp and Sengoku semi-retired, elite admirals like Smoker had no choice but to fill the vacant positions.

Even Tashigi is now capable of standing on her own.

"Does the Navy really have the strength to start a full-scale war with the Straw Hat Pirates?" Tashigi couldn't help but ask.

Smoker snorted and smoke billowed from his nostrils.

"A man who has already established himself is no easy target; defeating him is only possible if..."

Smoker scoffed at the idea.

Cooperate with pirates?

When did the Navy fall so low that it needs to rely on the power of pirates to fight pirates?

But in the current situation, even though he is now a candidate admiral and has real access to the naval leadership's decision-making level, he still can't figure out the true thoughts of those people.

The above does not refer to Fleet Admiral Akainu, but rather to the fact that even Akainu has to bow down to the Five Elders.

This One Piece Expo might be an opportunity.

A pirate's feast.

All the well-known pirates in the New World gather in one place, and the Log Pose, which Buena Festa has given as a prize, will undoubtedly make its holder the target of everyone.

In Smoker's opinion, there is only one candidate: Straw Hat Luffy.

No one can take what the Four Emperors want from them, and once the Straw Hats succeed, the other pirates will surely attack them en masse.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the navy might be able to stalk the cicada while unaware of the oriole behind.

"Douglas Barrett, Barrorick Redfield."

Smoker slowly read out the two names, tapping his finger on the edge of the intelligence file. "This incident is also connected to these two legendary prisoners from Impel Down. If the higher-ups want to use the pirates' power to eliminate them, this is their only chance. Hmph."

He sneered, showing no interest in such matters.

But he is very interested in fighting Luffy.

He had been chasing the man ever since that downpour in Loguetown.

In Alabasta and in Punk Hazard, the Straw Hat Puppet Master left him further and further behind in every encounter.

Smoker is no longer the reckless man he once was. He understands the gap between himself and the Four Emperors, but he still wants to know just how far he is from that goal.

Just like Tashigi's obsession with catching up with that green-haired swordsman, it has become a kind of obsession.

If anything happens to him that displeases him, Smoker now has the power to overturn the table; he can simply walk away.

Tashigi paused for a moment, then lowered her head, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.

Mr. Smoker can finally understand a bit of what Admiral Aokiji felt back then.

The navy is no longer a navy that fights for justice, but a navy of the world government.

When this understanding becomes clear enough, the choices available are actually not many.

......

"Dear pirates, drinking together without distinguishing friend from foe is also a kind of fun. We welcome all who come and do not pursue those who leave. Please be sure to attend this grandest feast in the world!"

Meanwhile, just as Luffy and his crew spotted the island in the distance, they could already hear the sounds.

The host in charge of the celebration began his speech on stage, instructing the pirate crews participating in the treasure hunt to prepare.

The host's voice was amplified through the Den Den Mushi, echoing across the sea and crashing against every pirate ship docked in the harbor.

Luffy stood on the lion's head of the Sunny and looked around.

"Wow, there are so many people here."

The sea ahead was densely packed with ships flying various skull and crossbones flags, and the air was filled with the smells of rum, barbecue, gunpowder, and seawater.

This is what a pirate gathering feels like!

"A pirate feast? That certainly sounds impressive."

"A pirate festival that's suddenly held every few years, I wonder how many familiar faces I'll run into."

Such a spectacle is truly rare to see. Apart from the last time I went to Big Mom's Whole Cake Island and fought a full-scale war with her, I rarely see so many pirate ships.

However, Bucky left with his crucifixion men after arriving there.

According to him, he was invited by the organizers to be in charge of security, and he said this with his chest puffed out.

"Don't worry about your safety, I, Bucky, have your back!" That's what he assured them, before turning around and running off with his men faster than rabbits.

Luffy didn't care. Let him go. Anyway, this guy has been like this ever since he came out of Impel Down.

What attracts him most now is undoubtedly this grand event, or rather, the thing behind the event that everyone is coveting.

"Ships, food, weapons, intelligence—everything is available here. It's said to be able to gather treasures from all over the world."

Nami, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, walked over holding the Log Pose.

Her eyes had begun to light up.

Could this be another golden city?

"It sounds like the pirate black market."

"It's similar to Golden City, except that a fight could break out here at any time."

This is true.

The Sunny slowly sailed across the sea outside the harbor, its hull cutting through the azure waters. Occasionally, one could see dilapidated pirate ships leaning precariously against the shore or simply half-submerged in the water.

On the decks of some ships lay pirates who had miraculously survived, dejectedly drinking from bottles of liquor, muttering things like, "They're all monsters, we can't mess with them."

As a result, one of them groggily looked up and saw the straw hat and skull flag fluttering in the wind atop the mast of the Sunny. The bottle fell to the ground with a clatter, and he tumbled and scrambled off the deck, nearly plunging headfirst into the sea.

"Straw, straw hat!"

"What are the Four Emperors doing here?!"

"Run!"

The pirates, who had been feeling dejected, instantly snapped out of their daze. They abandoned their ship and jumped into the sea to escape, splashing water all over the harbor.

"It's still suspicious, it seems a bit deliberate."

Nami withdrew her gaze, her brows furrowing slightly. "In the world of One Piece, it's normal for treasure hunters to do these mysterious things in order to monopolize treasures, but this time the scale is too large, you could even say it's a bit too ostentatious."

"Buena Festa, known as the world's number one celebration master, also has close ties with information brokers and arms dealers. He is a pirate with both a good reputation and a bad reputation."

Vivi walked out of the cabin, holding a prepared intelligence report. "He was one of the great pirates of Roger's era. Later, he switched to running a festival business, specializing in organizing these large-scale pirate gatherings."

It's held every few years somewhere in the New World, growing larger each time, but it hasn't been held for twenty years. Many people thought he was dead, so this grand celebration is indeed puzzling.

"A combination of fame and negative publicity?"

Bai Xing tilted her head, not quite understanding the word.

"It means he has a great reputation, but it's not a good one."

Robin smiled and explained, "In intelligence circles, Festa's reputation is roughly that of a conman. Although the festivals he oversees are grand in scale, pirates always disappear during the festivals, are betrayed by their comrades, or are attacked by unknown forces. It's just that no evidence is ever found, so no one pursues the matter."

"Isn't this blatant swindling?"

Usopp's eyes widened.

"It is precisely because it is so blatant that we must be even more careful."

Vivi handed the information to Luffy, saying, "No matter what, we absolutely cannot give up the Pirate King's treasure."

Luffy took the information, glanced at it, and grinned.

"Whatever conspiracy they may have, the treasure is there, just go and get it."

The island was quite lively, with pirates coming and going.

As soon as you step onto the main road of the port, you can see that both sides are lined with temporary stalls selling weapons, food, intelligence, and even recruiting crew members on the spot. The bustling crowds make the whole street packed with people.

Fights broke out among the crowd from time to time, with the sounds of fists and swords clashing echoing everywhere. Instead of trying to stop the fights, the pirates watching formed a circle and cheered, with some even placing bets on who would win.

This is probably what's called pirate-style social interaction.

If you don't like someone, you fight. After the fight, you either drink together or go your separate ways. It's simple and brutal, yet it has its own set of rules.

Deep beneath the island, in a heavily guarded building, dozens of screens display images from every corner of the island.

Buena Festa sat in front of these screens, the table in front of him laden with fine wines and food, and he looked quite satisfied.

Chapter 537 Even Bucky can't beat them? Let's just disband.

"Good, good, everyone is here."

Festa laughed, cut off a piece of roast meat with a knife and stuffed it into his mouth, grease dripping down his chin.