Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 498 The Navy's Traitor and Ungrateful Wolf

Just as the pirates were in despair, a voice rang out: "Why despair?"

A figure stepped forward, stood atop the warship's figurehead, and declared loudly, "The voyage isn't over yet! Father's orders are for us to return to the New World!"

"How can we stop here?"

It was Ace, battered and exhausted!

As a young man who had just come of age, his body was still quite thin, far less robust than Whitebeard's.

Marco could even see that Ace's body was trembling slightly from the pain of his wounds.

However, Ace stepped forward, his body standing tall atop the figurehead, the massive Whitebeard Pirates symbol behind him dazzlingly bright.

Marco felt a momentary daze, and Ace's not-so-robust figure reminded him of his stalwart father.

Sure enough, Dad was right; Ace and he were the same kind of man.

A leader who stands tall and upright!

Marco stared blankly at Ace, who was covered in wounds, and uttered his name: "Ace?"

"Ace!"

"Ace!!"

"Marco, Daddy's orders are not to be disobeyed!" Ace adjusted his cowboy hat and turned to say, "Our ship cannot stop until we return to the New World!"

"If anything dares to stand in our way—"

"Then let me wipe it out."

Ace's aura suddenly surged, and his awe-inspiring Conqueror's Haki burst forth, sweeping across the entire sea. Orange-red flames also erupted from his body.

With half his body already engulfed in flames, Ace leaped into the air, lightly soaring into the sky. He raised his left hand, which was ablaze with fire, and swung it downwards, unleashing a raging wave of fire.

Fire Fist

The orange wave of fire transformed into a giant flaming fist that crashed down from the sky, causing massive flames to erupt on the sea surface and sending up plumes of white mist.

A drop in the ocean often fuels the flame's eruption. With the help of the steam, the flame's temperature is further increased, and its color changes from orange to gold.

The raging flames clung to the sea surface and spread in all directions, as if the entire ocean was ablaze.

More than ten warships were engulfed by the flames in an instant, turning into burning torches and billowing black smoke within a few breaths.

The Whitebeard Pirates' ship seemed to be sailing on a sea of ​​fire.

Looking at the flames around them, the pirates felt a renewed sense of hope in their hearts, which had been ashen.

The Whitebeard Pirates are not dead, we have a new leader!

The Red Fox, having caught up, furled its sails. The members of the Red-Haired Pirates watched the sea of ​​fire and the pirate ship sailing away into the flames.

Shanks laughed heartily, "I gambled my future on the East Blue, on Luffy, but now it seems Ace is quite dissatisfied."

"However, he was probably attracted by Whitebeard and followed in Whitebeard's footsteps, effectively withdrawing from the competition to become the Pirate King."

"And then there's Xia Zuo. He suddenly went from hiding himself to being completely undisguised. Has he made all the necessary preparations, or has he reached a point where he has no choice but to rely on his power?"

Shanks laughed: "The future is getting more and more interesting."

On the beach in Marineford, Shanks was gone, but Shazor was still holding up Koby, the pink-haired guy, his strong right hand pinching him until he was crying and snotting.

The water flowed down, but they did not die.

Suddenly, Garp spoke up: "Shazo, let go of Koby. Shanks has already left, there's no need to keep up the act."

Xia Zuo smiled brightly: "Vice Admiral Garp, why would you think I'm acting?"

"A naval lieutenant, during wartime, in front of tens of thousands of sailors and pirates, stopped the navy from attacking the pirates in order to protect the pirates' lives."

"Vice Admiral Garp, what kind of behavior is this?"

Karp didn't answer; there was no way to answer that question.

Xia Zuo didn't expect an answer. Instead, he lifted Koby high in the air and shouted, "This is betrayal!!"

"In the name of utmost good, committing the most heinous betrayal!!"

"Traitor! Die!!"

As the word "death" was uttered, Xia Zuo twisted Koby's neck with his right hand.

At the same time, he raised his left hand high, blocking a huge black fist.

boom!!

The ground beneath Xia Zuo's feet suddenly sank, forming a bowl-shaped crater, a result of his inability to fully absorb the attacker's force.

The quantity is the result of having to release its power to the earth.

The attacker also suffered greatly. Under Xia Zuo's counter-force, three deep blood grooves were torn in his chest, and blood instantly stained his white military uniform.

Xia Zuo sneered, "Vice Admiral Garp, I remember when Admiral Sakazuki attacked Ace, you weren't this resolute and decisive."

"Is it because my status is inferior to Admiral Sakazuki, giving you fewer reservations, or is it because this pink-haired traitor is more important to you than your grandson Ace?"

"Oh, no, your grandson Luffy was also attacked by Admiral Sakazuki back then, and you remained unmoved, not worried about your grandson's life at all."

"It seems that this crybaby traitor is more important to you."

Garp clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands throbbing, clearly shocked and angry, but the black layer that represented his domineering aura had faded away.

"Don't talk nonsense! I just wanted to stop you from killing a marine. I'm the one I'm trying to save!"

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "I...don't...believe."

"But it doesn't matter, because I didn't kill the navy, but a traitor who betrayed us in the face of battle."

He raised his hand and waved it, saying, "Don't try to argue with me. I don't care what he says or thinks; I only care about what he does."

Sakazuki laughed loudly, "Although I still don't like Brigadier General Shazo, I think he's right!"

"Garp-senpai, no matter what Coby says, it doesn't change the fact that he blocked the Navy to protect the pirates."

"Conduct is the sole criterion for confirming a crime!"

Sengoku also spoke up, "Garp, Shazo did the right thing."

"His only mistake was that a period of time had passed since Coby's betrayal, and he killed someone without my permission."

Sengoku looked at Xia Zuo and said, "Therefore, I will demote you by one rank as punishment. Are you willing to accept it?"

Xia Zuoli stood at attention and bowed, saying, "I accept!"

Sengoku nodded in satisfaction: "That's settled then."

"Naval officers and men, treat the wounded, and those who are not wounded, clean up the battlefield."

"yes!"

The naval personnel disbanded in accordance with the marshal's orders and went about their respective tasks.

The Warring States Marshal also left; there were too many things to coordinate, and he had a lot to do next.

Admiral Borsalino, also known as Kizaru, left with Sengoku.

As a seasoned slacker, he had already exceeded the standard of seriousness and responsibility today, and he desperately needed a rest.

Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Aokiji, and Akainu stayed behind, seemingly having something to say.

Garp, relying on his seniority, was the first to step up to Shaza and ask, "Why did you kill Koby?"

Xia Zuo thought to himself, "Of course he just doesn't like him and wants to kill him."

In the world of One Piece, the person Xia Zuo most wants to kill is definitely Momonosuke, because—Momonosuke must die!!

But the second person he wanted to kill was Koby, whom he had just "slapped" to death.

He was kidnapped, bullied, tortured, and driven by pirates, but was educated, trained, and trusted in the Navy. However, he stopped Admiral Sakazuki from killing pirates in order to protect their lives.

"ungrateful wretch" is an understatement to describe him!

This bastard is a top-tier hypocrite among liberals!

Faced with pirates who committed countless atrocities, he tried his best to find the good qualities in these villains.

He proposed perfect conditions that were impossible to achieve, to the navy that was maintaining order.

So he deserves to die!

Of course, he couldn't say it directly, so Xia Zuo replied, "As I just said, he is a traitor to the Navy, so I have to kill him."

Karp shook his head and said, "Shazo, I know you very well, and I know you wouldn't kill someone over something so trivial."

"That only shows that you don't know me well enough," Xia Zuo retorted directly. "My 77th branch is the most disciplined. Anyone who violates the rules will be severely punished by me."

"If violating discipline is treated like this, then betrayal is even more so."

The two stared at each other for a long time, and in the end, Garp closed his eyes, revealing a pained expression, and chased after Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Admiral Aokiji walked over and sighed, "Xia Zuo, you went too far by killing Koby."

Xia Zuo picked at his ear with his little finger, indicating that he did not accept Kuzan's statement.

Admiral Akainu was the last to walk over: "You've impressed me today. I have to admit, you did a great job."

Xia Zuo smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Admiral Akainu, my 'simple justice' and your 'absolute justice' are different, but in the specific environment of the battlefield, it just so happens that our justices are exactly the same."

Sakazuki nodded: "I understand, but I still have to say: well done."

After saying that, he left.

Xia Zuo noticed that the strongest general was staggering, each step was slightly difficult, obviously his injuries were so serious that they were difficult to control.

He then understood why Akainu had acted out of character and compromised when faced with Shanks' threat.

It turns out that Sakazuki had become so weak that he could barely stand.

Suddenly, Xia Zuo thought of Blackbeard Teach and wondered if the guy had survived the burning of the Phoenix's purifying fire.

I'll go check it out whenever I think of it.

Blackbeard is gone, and with him also "Fighting Champion" Zishas Barshas and "Devil Sheriff" have disappeared.

Lafitte, Shiryu of the Rain.

The ice sculptures of "Death" Doc Q and "Big Barrel" Bacchus Jolt are still there, but they have been smashed.

Xia Zuo smiled.

Blackbeard's departure was a good thing; it shows his strength was immense, and even more so, his luck was unparalleled. He was absolutely destined to survive in the New World.

The Blackbeard Pirates, weakened by their own actions, were now facing off against the Whitebeard Pirates, who had also been weakened by the Navy.

Blackbeard is clearly stronger than Ace, but the Whitebeard Pirates are clearly stronger than the Blackbeard Pirates.

With Ace as their new leader, the Whitebeard Pirates will no longer be a disorganized mess. The two equally matched pirate crews, each with their own advantages and irreconcilable differences, will surely stir up trouble and disrupt the peace of the New World.

While they were fighting fiercely, Kaido's Beasts Pirates and Big Mom's Big Mom Pirates were able to refrain from getting involved in this battle for the Sea Emperor's supremacy.

The Red-Haired Pirates can use their reputation to block the Marines, but they can't use their reputation to block a pirate crew that is also a Pirate Emperor, let alone their strength.

If Shanks had the ability to take on two opponents at once, he would have already taken action against Kaido and Big Mom.

For the past ten years or so, Whitebeard has been plagued by injuries and illnesses, and his dejection is visibly obvious; he's completely out of control.

In short, the balance of power in the new world has been broken, and what follows is a great chaos.

Old kings will fall, and new kings will rise.

The navy will also undergo its own renewal amidst the great chaos, and the current 77th East China Sea Branch will rapidly expand into a behemoth within the navy.

This is why Xia Zuo, despite possessing invincible power, still chooses to stay within the Navy; he has already devoured...

Why abandon all the preparations of the entire navy to become a pirate?

After all, the limits of pirates are limited.

Given the restless nature of pirates, the two-tiered pirate crew structure represents the limit of pirate organization, so there will never be a greater achievement than that of the Pirate Emperor.

The so-called Pirate King is ultimately just a king.

The only forces truly capable of conquering the world are either navies or revolutionary armies.

Judging from the development of the revolutionary army in the past two years, Xia Zuo is not optimistic about them, because he had seen a real revolutionary army and a real revolution in his previous life.

The revolutionary army established by Long was still at the level of "acting on behalf of Heaven" in Liangshan Marsh; they were just resolute in their revolutionary attitude and did not want to be recruited by the government.

If it weren't for this attitude, Xia Zuo would have not only wiped out the nobles in the East Blue, but would have definitely wiped out the revolutionary army as well.

For example, three years after Shazor had made preparations and captured Tetchra Wolf, he discovered that Barney Joe of the Revolutionary Army had been secretly preparing for an uprising among the slaves.

Shazor did not expose Barney Joe, nor did he pay attention to him. Instead, he continued his work of freeing slaves, leaving the revolutionary in distress: his work had been done by the navy, so was the mission completed or not?

The World Government did not value this so-called "Bridge Country," treating it merely as a dumping ground for its enslaved population, using an impossible task as a pretext to justify eliminating what they considered garbage.

Therefore, the World Government's control over this area is very weak, with virtually no surveillance whatsoever, and they failed to detect even such obvious activities as Barney Joe's.

To this day, Tetchla Wolf has been under Shazo's control for three years without being discovered by anyone.

Because the official documents state that the Land of Bridges is still operating normally, ship after ship of slaves are still being sent there every month, and then become marines under Xia Zuo's command.

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