One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Chapter 44 The Madman's Party

Karina had only two options: either escape while Robert was distracted, or risk everything and tie herself firmly to this crazy ship.

She left in a daze, and Robert didn't ask where she was going. Instead, he pulled Ah San and the others aside and started teaching them the new dishes.

"Making only jianbing guozi is too monotonous. Customers will quickly lose interest. So even if it's a casual meal, you have to broaden your menu. I will teach you several recipes at once. What you need to do is introduce a new dish every now and then to keep the business popular."

Ah San took out paper and pen and carefully wrote it down. Da Luo and Xiao Luo have recently gained confidence because of the success of the first step. They are no longer just executors, but have begun to study and think carefully.

When Karina returned, she overheard Robert explaining to the group how to make "Slow-cooked Crispy Panini with Black Pork Belly from Rare Animal Island".

When Robert saw Karina return, he knew she had made her decision.

"Have you thought about it?"

Karina giggled and smoothed her hair. "What have you decided? You don't think I'll take this opportunity to run away, do you?"

Robert stood up: "You guys do a good job. When I come back, it will be time for us to open a branch!"

Full of confidence, A-San and his group waved and led Karina into the darkness.

"Didn't you want to go through Mary Geoise? I can try to get you a spot on the cable car in three days."

Robert smiled and shook his head: "Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated. I can go by myself."

Seeing Karina's puzzled expression, Robert explained, "Not every place in Mary Geoise is heavily guarded. There have been quite a few people who have used their Devil Fruit abilities to cross the Red Line over the years. It's not a big problem for me to be careful."

Karina gave Robert a disgruntled look: "So when you asked me if I had any connections, you were just testing whether I was willing to go down the same path with you to the bitter end, weren't you?"

Robert showed no embarrassment at being exposed: "You're different from Raleigh and the others. We haven't been through thick and thin together, so it's not easy to get you to stick with me wholeheartedly, is it?"

Robert's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I don't know exactly how many days I'll be gone this time, but it won't be more than half a month. During this time, I need you to do a few things for me."

Karina also became serious. If she had been the one scrutinizing her boss Robert before, now it was Robert's turn to test her.

"Celestial Dragons frequently appear in the Sabaody Archipelago. Help me collect information on all the Celestial Dragons who have been on the island recently. It would be even better if you could find out about their past misdeeds."

Karina took a deep breath and didn't ask any more questions. All of Robert's plans were nothing short of insane, and now that he was about to involve the Celestial Dragons, it wasn't so hard to accept.

"The second thing is to keep an eye on that supernova named Bonnie. If she leaves before I get back, find a way to get this letter to her."

Karina agreed without asking any questions, which clearly showed that she knew about this supernova.

"Thirdly, here's a nursery rhyme to help me spread it across the Sabaody Archipelago: 'Heavenly dragons above, earthly flame gods below. With the Red Emperor above, calamity stays at your door.'"

Karina didn't understand the meaning of the simple nursery rhyme at first, but after a few seconds, she suddenly looked at Robert with a look of astonishment.

Robert handed Karina the various shellfish he had collected from the Sky Island. These things were no longer of any use to him, but they could supplement Karina's ability to protect herself, as she relied on her intellect.

With a calm wave goodbye, Robert vanished in a flash.

Although Mary Geoise on the Red Line is the residence of the Celestial Dragons, its defenses are actually not very tight.

More than a decade ago, the fishman Tiger climbed up the Red Line with his bare hands, and in Mary Geoise he set fire to the city, freed slaves, and eventually escaped.

Two weeks ago, Laffitte of the Blackbeard Pirates stormed into the Shichibukai meeting held in Mary Geoise, nominated Blackbeard to join the Shichibukai, and then left without incident.

Two years later at the World Conference, Sabo led a group of revolutionaries and caused another disturbance in Mary Geoise. This time, even Im intervened, but ultimately couldn't stop the revolutionaries from retreating.

Robert wouldn't compare himself to Tiger or Sabo, but he's at least gotten used to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power, which is better than Laffitte's current strength.

He still brazenly stormed into the naval meeting, while I only sneaked in by crossing over; it would be truly embarrassing if I got caught again.

The elevator was not open at night. Robert's elemental body disappeared from the ground and appeared directly next to the cable in mid-air, turning into a ball of electricity that ran along the metal cable to the top of the Red Line.

Mary Geoise was brightly lit even at night, but Robert had no interest in appreciating it. He deliberately avoided Pangaea, where the Five Elders resided, and quickly headed towards the other side of the Red Line.

The Red Line is hundreds of kilometers wide, with areas scattered throughout for the Celestial Dragons to enjoy.

Robert's journey through Mary Geoise went so smoothly that he could hardly believe it; fate hadn't given him any trouble. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he finally crossed the Red Line and appeared in the New World.

But then Robert faced a new problem: unlike the Sabaody Archipelago in Paradise, the other side of the Red Line was not a large living area. The nearest piece of land after flipping over was actually the Navy's G1 branch!

Although there are many docks around the G1 branch for those who have abandoned ship and taken the bubble cable car across the Red Line to buy new ships, Robert felt uneasy at the thought of waiting for others at the Navy branch.

Crouching on a huge rock, Robert decided to wait until noon the next day. If Morgans hadn't come looking for him by then, he would have to find another way.

Bored, Robert counted the stars, wondering if he should take a nap, when suddenly a seabird entered his mental field.

Although the night wasn't exactly overcast, it wasn't exactly starry either. The seabirds seemed to only spot Robert sitting on the rocks when they flew a few dozen meters away.

Robert could even clearly sense that the seabird was somewhat surprised before it flapped its wings and flew into the sky.

Robert would never have paid such attention to an ordinary seabird, but while he was waiting for Morgans, a newsbird wearing a hat and carrying a newsbox flew by, and turned and ran away after seeing him. This made it impossible for Robert not to be suspicious.

Without waiting in place, Robert vanished in a flash, his mind locked onto the newsbird, following it at a distance.

Seeing that the messenger bird was flying towards Mary Geoise, Robert was considering whether to continue following it. But at that moment, a huge creature appeared in Robert's mental perception from the clouds a few hundred meters away.

It was a huge airship, hovering over the red earth continent.

"Keep a close eye on him. Since that madman agreed to cross Mary Geoise to see me, he'll most likely set off tonight. Given his crazy personality, he's bound to cause some big commotion along the way. I need to get all the news footage from every angle for tomorrow!"

A well-dressed birdman excitedly directed his reporters, while a voice drifted over:

"How dare you call me crazy?"

"You dare to openly float above Mary Geoise? I think you're the one who's completely insane!"

"Morgans!"

Chapter 45: If I'm determined to run away, can anyone catch me?

Morgans, a media mogul, is a big shot with connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. He was invited to Big Mom's tea party, and the people in the pirate camp seemed to respect him a lot.

During the World Conference, the World Government also invited him and treated him with great courtesy.

Morgans showed no surprise that Robert could appear directly on his ship.

“You are indeed very good. I don’t mean that you were able to sneak onto my spaceship without making a sound, but that you were able to control your desires and quietly pass through Mary Geoise without causing any disturbance.”

Robert bowed slightly in politeness: "Thank you for the compliment, but I must clarify that I am not a madman. In a place like Mary Geoise, one must be cautious. I would even advise you to leave here as soon as possible."

Morgans shrugged, waved for his men to set sail, then gestured for Robert to proceed to his private office.

Sitting down in his large executive chair, Morgans spoke calmly:

"You've proven your abilities, so tell us about the big news you're going to create."

Robert sat down on the sofa with a smile on his face: "Let's talk about my terms first."

Morgans said, "You said you wanted to deliver a message, but I have to hear what the message is before I can make a decision."

Robert's smile vanished as he stared intently into Morgans' eyes. "My good friend, Ace, the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, fought the Blackbeard Pirates near Enies Lobby a few days ago. I'm sure he'll be defeated by Blackbeard and handed over to the World Government in exchange for a Shichibukai position. I need to get this news to Whitebeard as soon as possible."

Morgans's bird-like face revealed no emotion: "I know the beginning, after all, you caused quite a commotion back then, but how can you be so sure that Ace has already lost and been handed over to the World Government?"

Robert shook his head and said, "If you can't even confirm these things, then I have to question the King of News' abilities."

Morgans said, "Okay, we did monitor the battle between Ace and Teach, and we confirmed that Ace had been defeated and captured by Teach. But where did you get the information that he was handed over to the World Government in exchange for a Shichibukai position?"

Robert feigned mystery: "You should know that I originally defected from the Blackbeard Pirates. I know his abilities and ambitions better than anyone, as well as his plans to achieve them. So there's no need to question the authenticity of the information. Just tell me how long it will take to deliver it to Whitebeard."

Morgans said, "If I wanted to, Whitebeard would get the news by dawn, but whether he would believe it is not up to me. As for what he would do, that is even less up to me. So I have another suggestion, I don't know if you want to hear it."

Robert nodded solemnly, while Morgans' eyes held a scrutinizing look: "I can put you on a ship bound for the Whitebeard Pirates, and you can personally deliver this message there."

Robert took a deep breath. It would be great if he could deliver the letter himself, but that would definitely take a long time.

The Whitebeard Pirates' territory was located in the latter half of the New World, as evidenced by the fact that they had to pass through Kaido's territory on their way to Marineford. Big Mom also mentioned that Whitebeard's territory was closer to the end of the world.

Even if there are no obstacles along the way, it will still take a lot of time to travel by ship through the first half of the New World. By then, the news that the Navy will publicly execute Ace might arrive before he does, so what's the point of him delivering the message?

To be honest, if someone could get me a copy of Whitebeard's Life Paper right now, I'd be the fastest way to get there, like a whirlwind of lightning.

“I really want to tell Bai Tuan this news in person, but traveling by boat is too slow. Do you have any permanent pointers or life papers? It would be faster if I went there myself.”

Morgans laughed and said, "It will indeed be faster, but the chances of being killed as an intruder are not small. Young man, don't think you're so great just because you've achieved some feats. You know best how much of the story about injuring Aokiji is exaggerated, don't you?"

Robert never considered his sneak attack on Aokiji to be a great achievement: "I don't think I'm that great, I just want to get in touch with Whitebeard as soon as possible, or you can help me contact them with Den Den Mushi."

Morgans waved his hand: "Don't worry, the ship I found for you is very fast. It will definitely reach the Moby Dick within two days and let you face Whitebeard."

Robert gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, then I'll do whatever you say."

Morgans sat up straight: "So now you can tell me your big news, right?"

Robert said, word by word, "The Navy will smooth things over with all the connections in the shortest possible time. At the latest, within a month, they will announce Ace's execution. What do you think the Whitebeard Pirates will do?"

Morgans frowned: "These are all your side of the story, but I won't ask you how you came to this conclusion. I'll only ask you how certain you are about this matter?"

Robert said firmly, "Absolutely! And I'm certain that their goal is to lure the Whitebeard Pirates to a decisive battle and eliminate this strongest sea emperor in the world in one fell swoop! If you don't believe me, you can observe the movements of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. At most a week later, some of the Seven Warlords should be heading towards Marineford."

Morgans frowned even more. For journalists, even if there is only a 10% chance of such a big news story, they will do their best to follow it up, let alone with a high probability hypothesis put forward by someone like Robert who was a witness to the event.

Robert didn't wait for Morgans' reply and began to analyze the movements of both sides: "Whitebeard values ​​his family the most. If Ace is in trouble, he will definitely lead his entire army to attack. On the other hand, the Navy will definitely mobilize all its forces to ambush. At that time, from the Fleet Admiral's achievements to the three Admirals, to the Seven Warlords of the Sea and many mid-to-low-level Navy fighters, both sides will gather at Marineford. This incident will definitely not end well."

Morgans stared intently into Robert's eyes and said, "So what role do you want to play in this? Or rather, what do you want to gain from it?"

Robert's eyes gleamed with a crazed light: "Being involved in this kind of event is the biggest gain in itself, isn't it? If we can rescue Ace from the heavily guarded Navy, that would be even more interesting!"

Morgans squinted. Robert's analysis of Whitebeard's next reaction was completely in line with his judgment. There was no need to execute Ace. As long as Whitebeard knew that Ace had fallen into the hands of the Navy, he would definitely find a way to rescue him.

But when Robert said he had no other interests in this matter, Morgans didn’t believe him at all.

“That level of battle is not something a newbie like you can participate in. What exactly do you want? I want to hear the truth.”

Robert practically gritted his teeth as he revealed his plan: "If, and I mean if, you could get me a live Den Den Mushi that the whole world could see, I'm prepared to ruin that bastard Akainu's reputation!"

Robert narrowed his eyes: "I can even assure you that in a week or two at most, I can send you a gift. There will be a lot of excitement in the Sabaody Archipelago, and after that, your problem will no longer be a lack of news, but rather not knowing which story to choose as the headline."

Morgans chuckled, though he was certain this wasn't Robert's whole plan, but that didn't stop him from finding it amusing.

"I'm quite satisfied with what you call big news, so I will keep my promise. The ship is right below us; I've already made arrangements. I don't think I need to send you off, do I?"

Robert smiled slightly: "Of course not. Then I hope that next time we meet, we can achieve a deeper level of cooperation."

With a flash of lightning, he vanished from his spot, and Robert flew out from the gap in the airship.

Looking down from a thousand meters above the ground, a ship on the sea appears as small as a grain of rice.

There was only one ship in the nearby waters, and Robert casually transformed into lightning and rushed towards the sea.

A strong sense of danger suddenly struck him, and Robert instinctively stopped his fall, teleporting away into the distance almost without thinking.

But a strong premonition told him that no matter how far he hid, he would never escape the impending attack, and his chances of surviving this attack were zero!