One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Luo looked suspicious: "Then I'm even more afraid to go. I've never believed in free lunches."

Robert nodded: "Even if you don't participate, I will still plan such a big event and put my identity in the spotlight so that the Navy can see my value. That way, when they replenish their manpower in large numbers, they may take the initiative to recruit me."

Luo remained unmoved: "So what role do I need to play in your plan? If you can get things done without my involvement, I don't believe you would invite me specifically to take advantage of the situation."

Robert smiled and said, "There has to be a mastermind behind this. Since I'm going to play the role of a great and righteous person, I can't play the mastermind behind the scenes anymore. But if there's no mastermind behind this, the Navy will inevitably suspect me."

Law rolled his eyes: "I knew there's no such thing as a free lunch. Just how much trouble are you going to cause? Let me make this clear first, my pirate crew is only this small. We can't handle too much trouble. Why don't you try going to find Kid? He's brave."

Robert looked embarrassed: "Kidd thought his shot killed me too, he's probably still feeling guilty..."

Luo looked at him with disdain, his eyes conveying a contemptuous look that seemed to say, "How could you even fool a fool?"

"Tell me what you want to do first?"

Robert had a perfectly calculated look on his face: "If I'm not mistaken, your original target was either Douglas Bullet, a remnant of the Roger Pirates, or Wang Zhi, a remnant of the Rocks Pirates, right?"

Luo's expression was strange: "Who is Douglas Barrett? Is Wang Zhi the old guy who occupied Beehive Island? Now that you mention it, Wang Zhi does seem like a good target."

Robert looked surprised: "I really overestimated you. I thought you had already set your goals."

Luo chuckled and said, "I originally planned to spend a year or two building up my reputation before slowly seeking to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Who else can't sit still after only three months like you?"

Robert sneered, thinking to himself that he had underestimated him. He had no idea how much trouble he had caused in the past three months.

“Since you don’t have a plan, then listen to mine. Let’s rule out Douglas Barrett for now. First, he just escaped from Impel Down, so it’s not easy to find him. Second, he’s been imprisoned for so many years, so the Navy might not accept his price unless he causes something big again.”

"As for Wang Zhi, he is a senior expert. Back then, he was on the same ship as my father, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido. Even though he didn't become one of the Four Emperors, his power is not to be underestimated. So we can't target him directly. We have to find a way to bring in other forces to muddy the waters."

Luo nodded. Although these supernovas all aimed to defeat the old guys, none of them dared to underestimate the long-established great pirates.

To gain a foothold in the cruel New World, one needs the strength to intimidate everyone. We pirates who have just entered the New World are probably not even as good as some of the captains under their command.

"You don't want me to be the one to cause trouble, do you?"

Robert pursed his lips and looked at Luo: "I'm not trying to discourage you, brother, but in my plan, you really are the one who's going to reap the rewards last. If I expect you to lead your small group to storm Beehive Island, you might not even see Wang Zhi..."

Luo was so angry he wanted to draw his sword and kill someone, but Luo quickly continued, "So I plan to create a big news story first, so that all the pirates will focus their attention on Beehive Island. There is strength in numbers. As long as enough forces get involved, old Deng, who is content with his corner of the world, will soon be plunged into the ocean of people's war."

Luo sneered dismissively: "You're really delusional. Pirates are a bunch of selfish, cowardly, and timid bastards. Do you think that if you just make up a story, they'll swarm and fight Wang Zhi like you wish?"

Robert said seriously, "What if the bait I offer is a treasure comparable to the One Piece?"

Luo's expression hardened: "What do you mean?"

"Captain John's treasure!"

Law gasped. Captain John was a household name in the pirate world. As the previous user of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, his treasure-hunting ability was arguably the best in the world.

His most well-known legend is that he was killed by his own crew after they mutinied because he planned to embezzle the huge treasure that the pirate crew had accumulated over the years. The treasure that was enough to drive everyone crazy disappeared with Captain John's death.

"Captain John has been dead for over thirty years. In all that time, countless pirates have never given up searching for his treasure, but all have returned empty-handed. Do you think you can convince people that this news is true with just one lie?"

Robert said with an arrogant look, "Never mind whether my plan will work or not. I'm just asking you, if I really bring everyone to Beehive Island, will you come or not?"

Luo smiled slightly: "If things really go as you plan, then of course I will go. Why not take advantage of a freebie?"

Robert stood up: "Then you'd better keep your eyes peeled and watch how I manipulate those idiots."

Luo has been basically persuaded, and his attitude is no longer as resistant as it was at the beginning.

"So what are your plans next? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Robert pulled out a stack of papers: "These are short stories I wrote, all about the secrets of pirates in the old days. Help me submit them to Morgans. This can't be done without the involvement of the World News. I need to rekindle Captain John's popularity."

Luo took these short stories and was immediately engrossed after just a couple of glances. Robert wrote things that were meant to grab attention, without deliberately focusing on Captain John's treasure. Instead, he mostly talked about gossip and tidbits.

Titles like "The Untold Story of Captain John and Big Mom"; "The Former Empress Gloria Osa—The Woman Captain John Loved But Couldn't Have"; and "Captain John and Whitebeard Newgate Turn Against Each Other, All Because of Her—Bakingom Stussy."

"Robert, you deserve to die."

"You'd even dare to make up stories about Whitebeard to achieve your goal?"

Robert thought about it and also felt it was inappropriate: "Then how about changing Dad's name to Wang Zhi?"

Luo: You can even change the main character like that? So not a single word in the whole story is true?!

Chapter 23: Writing the Essay on the Sea

The World Economic News is currently being rapidly taken over by a type of sensationalist gossip. While much of the newspaper's content has been based on hearsay and gossip in the past, this level of phenomenon has never occurred before.

A freelance writer using the pen name Clark Kent quickly came into the public eye. He started with an article titled "Shocking! The Pirate King you think he is is actually the King of Suppression!" and used only three stories to get himself from a corner of the third page to the front page of the second page.

Everyone is speculating about which legendary old pirate's alt account this Clark is. He knows a lot about several great pirate crews that once dominated the seas, and he talks about all sorts of borderline content that everyone likes to hear.

For example, who is jealous of whom, or who becomes enemies because of a competition to see who can pee the farthest. The whole thing is gossip without any basis, but there are some clues to follow, making it hard to put down.

Especially when he wrote several news articles involving Big Mom, and the Big Mom Pirates made no response, everyone became even more convinced of the credibility of his information; otherwise, the Four Emperors of the Sea would not have remained indifferent.

Law, holding the newspaper, clicked his tongue in amazement: "You bastard, you really have a death wish, daring to spread rumors about Big Mom and Kaido."

Robert said nonchalantly, "How can this be called a scandal? It's just speculation based on facts. They were originally from the same pirate crew. Big Mom was a well-established executive, while Kaido was just an apprentice crew member. I guess Big Mom favored Kaido, so she helped him obtain the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Azure Dragon form. Their relationship became closer from then on, and they remained allies even after becoming Yonko. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

Luo pointed to the bottom paragraph and said, "You said they have a child, isn't that a scandal?"

Robert shook his head: "Don't accuse me. I just said that I heard Kaido has a child, which, judging from the age, should have been born when he left his former pirate crew and started working alone with Big Mom. I didn't say that this is their child. It's all the readers' own judgment."

Luo curled his lips, completely abandoning his aloof persona while reading gossip: "I think you're really crazy. Aren't you afraid that one day two of the Four Emperors will join forces to silence you? Morgans is also a madman. He actually dared to publish what you wrote."

Robert shrugged: "Morgons is the real madman. He's fearless, which is why I like working with him. All of the previous stuff was just a prelude. The Captain John series in the last few days is the main event."

Luo's eyes lit up: "Yes, I've received intelligence that the hype about Captain John's treasure at sea has been reignited because of your little story. Although you never mentioned the treasure, but instead focused on describing Captain John's gossip, with seven or eight female companions arranged for him, everyone is still spontaneously discussing the whereabouts of the treasure."

Seeing that Robert showed no intention of taking the next step, Luo was getting a little anxious:

"It's been almost a month, and all you've done is freeload on my ship and write these ridiculous gossips. What's next? Are you planning to just put it in the newspaper that Captain John's treasure is hidden on Beehive Island?"

Robert chuckled lightly: "How could that be? If I were to actually write down the whereabouts of the treasure, especially if it were written by a tabloid reporter like myself, no one would believe it."

There was a knock on the cabin door, and Bepo poked his head in, handing over today's newspaper.

Robert took it and looked at it, then a smile crept onto his face: "See, here comes the opportunity."

Luo took the newspaper and flipped to page two. As expected, the content was written by Robert about Captain John, who, despite possessing the natural navigational ability of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, specially created a Log Pose that pointed to a treasure, intending to give it as a token of love to a female pirate who had once been famous on the sea.

Robert reminded him, "Don't look at what I wrote. Aren't these articles all sent through your channels? Don't act like you haven't seen them. Look at the front page headlines."

Turning to the front page of the newspaper, a striking headline immediately catches the eye:

Former Roger Pirates member, mastermind behind the Impel Down riot, and newly appointed member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Buggy the Clown—establishes the pirate dispatch company "Buggy Delivery"!

Luo looked at the photo on the cover. It was taken when Bucky was in Marineford with his escaped gang. After that, he and his men disappeared at sea, and only today did everyone find out what he had been preparing for the past few months.

Luo asked, puzzled, "This guy's got some luck. He doesn't seem to have done anything... What, are you interested in his company?"

Robert pointed to Bucky's arm in the photo, and a uniquely designed armband was vaguely visible from the edge of the captain's cloak.

“Go back to page two and compare it with my article. I specifically asked Morgans to put the two news items on the same day when I submitted the article.”

Luo examined the document repeatedly, initially noticing nothing amiss, but then his eyes lit up: "This is Captain John's treasure pointer! Really? Are you plotting against Bucky, or do you actually know something?"

Robert remained calm. Although Captain John's treasure was valuable, there were many valuable things on this high seas, so Robert didn't really take it seriously.

"Anyway, according to my sources, Luffy and his crew found it on Captain John's body and gave it to Buggy as a condition for him to help them escape from prison. As long as Captain John didn't do anything underhanded before he died, it should be real."

A sinister glint flashed across Law's face: "Then let's go meet Bucky now, tie him up and hand him over to the Navy, and then go together to find John's treasure. You can get an extra ten percent!"

Robert quickly restrained the agitated Robert: "Seriously? Are you that short of money? We finally managed to lay the bait, and now you've stolen Bucky? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Luo calmed down a bit: "What exactly do you mean? There are plenty of observant people on this ocean. You went to great lengths to guide others to discover that this treasure pointer is in Bucky's hands, which will soon cause a huge uproar. Give me a straight answer: are we going to rob it or not?"

Robert nodded firmly: "Robbing is definitely necessary, but it must be done slowly and deliberately. It must be planned, organized, deployed, and implemented. We must rob step by step and steadily, using robbery to promote cooperation and development. We must treat robbery as a means, not an end, and ultimately create a win-win situation for both the robber and the robbed!"

Luo felt that he had rambled on for a long time as if he had explained a lot, but at the same time, it seemed that he hadn't said anything useful.

"Are you trying to get a civil service job in the world government?"

Robert: No, it's a civilian position in the Navy.

Chapter 24 I'll Lead the Angel Round for the Ugly King

On Kalai Bali, Buggy was in high spirits. Even when he was on the ship of Pirate King Roger, he had never felt so accomplished.

"Kabaji! Go tell those guys in the East Blue that they were being sarcastic when we were offering discounts, but now if they want us to send troops to defend against Germa 66's attack, they'll have to pay double... no! Five times the price!"

Buggy let out a wild laugh, and the vicious pirates, seeing his appearance, admired him even more.

Returning to his enormous dwelling, which resembled a circus tent, Bucky felt that this was what life should be like. Of course, he wished he didn't still owe Crocodile a huge sum of money.

Just as he was filled with anticipation for dominating the seas as a Shichibukai and gradually becoming a war king no weaker than the Four Emperors, two arms wrapped around Buggy's neck.

Bucky was shocked. Although he wasn't very strong, his reaction was incredibly fast. His body split apart in an instant, and he started shouting loudly.

Suddenly Bucky felt his whole body go numb, and his voice was muffled in his throat.

His dismembered body was pieced back together little by little by hand, and his two arms were once again placed on his shoulders, one on each side, just like at the beginning.

Buggy regained his mobility, but this time he didn't dare to activate his Devil Fruit power or make a fuss.

His combat experience was not extensive, but his survival skills were top-notch on this vast ocean. After that brief exchange, he clearly realized that he was no match for the newcomer.

"Gentlemen, let's talk this out. I, Bucky, love making friends. If you two are just passing by and short of money, I can lend you some."

Robert, his hands coated in Armament Haki, gripped Buggy's shoulder tightly: "Mr. Buggy, you're really joking. It's a bit unreasonable for you to use my money to fund me, isn't it?"

Bucky swallowed hard. "I don't understand what you mean. This business isn't just for me. You know Crocodile, right? He owns a large portion of it. I may not care about money, but he's different. If you rob us, he'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

Robert smiled and nodded, "Then that's right. The money you used to start your company was borrowed from Crocodile, and Crocodile's money came from the human traffickers we robbed together in Sabaody Archipelago. So half of your loans are mine."

Bucky gave an awkward laugh: "Haha, I told you it was a misunderstanding. We're all family. Since Crocodile's money is half yours, then Bucky Delivery is half yours too..."

On the other side, with his arm around Buggy's neck, was Law, who let out a sneer: "Damn, this is the newly appointed Shichibukai? I think the Navy is doomed. They recruit all sorts of trash into the Shichibukai. Killing him would just dirty my hands."

Robert said in a calm tone, "He is a user of the Chop-Chop Fruit, which is the most effective against slashing attacks. So I have a suggestion: when you cut him, try cutting him vertically. I want to know if his fruit ability will still be effective if he is split in half."

Bucky was on the verge of tears: "Gentlemen, we have no past grudges or recent animosity. I truly had no idea that half of the money that Crocodile bastard lent me was yours..."

Robert's tone was fierce: "What? You actually called Crocodile a bastard? He's my dearest friend, my brother!"

Just as Bucky was so scared he almost wet his pants, the two suddenly burst into laughter and released him at the same time.

Bucky almost collapsed to the ground before daring to turn around and see who had just supported him.

Bucky shuddered as soon as he turned to look at Robert.