Uchiha's personal opinion

"...You have a point."

Because Minato's shadow clone used overly literary language, and because the meanings of ninja terms changed somewhat after being translated into the dialect of the One Piece world, Kaido had to think for a while before he understood what Minato's shadow clone meant.

"However, forming an alliance is not something that can be done so easily..."

King, who was considered Kaido's right-hand man, spoke up.

After all, as pirate crews with their own territories, the Four Emperors are not actually that harmonious. There are endless open and covert struggles, and years of fighting have accumulated deep resentment, making it extremely difficult for them to form an alliance.

The other pirate officers, who had some knowledge, made no attempt to hide their disapproval.

"Things always need to be done."

Minato's shadow clone said sincerely, "If Lord Kaido is interested, then why not give it a try..."

"However, the matter of the Pirate Grand Alliance still requires Lord Kaido's support."

"...What can we get?"

Kaido asked seriously.

"My lord will support you in becoming the leader of the New World Pirate Alliance!"

Minato's shadow clone immediately began making grand promises.

"Ridiculous! With my abilities, why would I need your support!"

Kaido immediately showed his disdain: "If I want to, it's only a matter of time before I reclaim the New World!"

Although he was indeed somewhat tempted, Kaido still hoped to gain as much benefit as possible through negotiations, so he naturally had to project the necessary momentum in his words.

"We are well aware of the formidable military might of the Beast Corps..."

Minato's shadow clone's smile widened.

As the saying goes, "the one who complains about the goods is the one who wants them," Kaido's apparent disdain actually proves that he has hit the nail on the head.

"However, instead of the four emperors fighting each other and wasting their strength, wouldn't it be better to form an alliance to attack the World Government, and then settle the score after conquering the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?"

"Moreover, the Four Emperors' civil war yielded no benefits, while the World Government's hoard of Celestial Gold alone would be enough to fill the ocean... I think the wise Lord Kaido and his valiant subordinates should understand the difference, right?"

Minato's shadow clone subtly replaced the term "melee" with "civil war" to test the reactions of the Beast Pirates' officers, and soon discovered that they were somewhat tempted by the words.

Everyone understood the wealth of the World Government, especially the extravagance of the Celestial Dragons who lived in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, which was beyond everyone's imagination. So even though Minato's shadow clone's description of "enough to fill the ocean" was exaggerated, they actually believed it without a doubt.

Just as a small farmer in the countryside might fantasize about an emperor eating from a golden bowl and tilling the land with a golden hoe, poverty limits their imagination.

"To be honest, what can I get out of this!"

Kaido stopped pretending and asked seriously, "The so-called position of alliance leader is meaningless. You need to state some concrete conditions!"

Given the personalities of the other three emperors, it's highly unlikely they would agree to become the leader of the pirate alliance simply because of the support of the so-called King of the Deep Sea. Therefore, this condition is meaningless to Kaido.

"First, whoever enters Mary Geoise first shall be king of the world!"

Minato's shadow clone spoke to himself.

This answer differed somewhat from Kaido's question, but he merely frowned and didn't say anything more.

In his view, the empty promise of being the world's king could be used to unite other powerful pirates before the war, but after destroying the Navy and even conquering the Holy Land Mary Geoise, his final status would still require a real battle.

But there was no need to rush to refute it at this point, so Kaido signaled Minato's shadow clone to continue speaking.

"Secondly, military equipment will be sold at cost!"

Minato's shadow clone said again, "And as long as the money is right, there will be plenty of goods!"

"...You mean we have to pay for it ourselves and fight the navy to the death?"

Kaido's brows furrowed even more, and his displeasure was made even more obvious.

"That's right!"

Minato's shadow clone said with absolute certainty.

"Does the power of my hundred beasts mean I can't even defeat a mere navy?"

Kaido roared.

"Yes, but the losses would be enormous."

Minato's shadow clone remained remarkably calm.

"Does this mean that even if I contacted the major powers of the New World on my own, I still couldn't conquer the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?!"

"Yes, but you are not of one mind."

"What if the four emperors were united?"

"Then we'll have to use our officers to fill the gun holes in the navy."

"What good would your help do?"

"It possesses heavy artillery that is more powerful than naval guns, as well as ship armor technology."

In the ensuing exchange, Minato's shadow clone handled the situation with ease, while Kaido's brow relaxed, and a hearty smile appeared on his face: "Very good! It seems you really intend to destroy the World Government!"

The shadow clone of Minato bowed slightly.

"Including warships capable of defeating a navy, are those also for sale?"

Kaido gestured for his agitated subordinates to calm down and continued asking questions.

"The entire ship is not for sale, and it's also impossible to transport such a massive warship to the New World..."

Minato's shadow clone said, "But naval guns and even armor technology can be exported."

"Then how can your boat go so fast?"

After a long silence, Foz-Foe couldn't help but ask.

Minato's shadow clone casually formed hand seals and extended his hand to unleash a low-level ninjutsu called "Gale Palm".

"We'll fan the flames ourselves."

Minato's shadow clone calmly said.

"Liar! Your warships in the park don't even have masts or sails!"

When Foz-Fur heard this, he was furious!

"That's because we can still chat..."

Minato's shadow clone smiled calmly, then spat out a jet of water from his mouth.

Kaido and his crew were speechless.

Although they didn't believe that what Minato's shadow clone said was true, they couldn't find any points to refute or question it, since they didn't know the true nature of the ninja warship.

"If that's the case, how much heavy artillery and armor can you provide?"

Kaido stopped worrying about it.

However, he was determined to organize people to copy the military equipment as soon as he got his hands on it, so as not to be controlled by others in the future.

How much do you need?

Minato's shadow clone appeared confident and composed.

"One hundred... no, one thousand heavy cannons!"

Kaido immediately said.

"Three months!"

Minato's shadow clone held up three fingers and said confidently, "Delivery can be made in three months, and each heavy cannon will be equipped with one hundred shells!"

"Then what will be used for the transaction? Gold? Or Berry?"

Jin interrupted and asked.

"Hailou Stone."

Minato's shadow clone made no attempt to hide his needs.

Chapter 532 Global Arms Race

After the Battle of Dongdao Island, it wasn't that the Navy didn't want to reclaim the lost territory, but rather that they were simply outmatched in terms of strength.

Especially after the severely injured Kizaru returned to Marine Headquarters, the remaining injuries on his body and his conjecture about being a 'remnant of a giant kingdom' caused an uproar among the World Government's high-ranking officials, especially the Five Elders.

Although according to the records of the Holy Land, the 'Great Kingdom' that was destroyed by the Twenty Nations Alliance, the predecessor of the World Government, has been completely eradicated, and even the history has completely erased the records of this inside story, after all, time has passed, and they really cannot confirm that the records they have now are completely correct.

Moreover, the Five Elders also felt that Kizaru's deduction was indeed very reasonable!

Although it seemed unusual for a Marine Admiral like Kizaru to know so much about the 'Lost Hundred Years,' the Five Elders couldn't care less about that at the moment.

Because the World Government's overt forces are indeed stretched thin.

First, Aokiji Kuzan was trapped in Impel Down, and a portion of the elite Marines were also trapped. With the changes in the Triangle Vortex, the supply lines are now basically completely cut off. Apart from the usual Den Den Mushi communication, the World Government can't provide much support.

Subsequently, due to the subtle actions of various pirate crews and even the Four Emperors in the New World, the Five Elders ordered 'Akainu' Sakazuki to move to a new location as a deterrent, and also took away a portion of the already limited elite naval forces from the Marine Headquarters.

Then came Borsalino's defeat at Tondo Island, which triggered a chain reaction that led to the fall of most of the East Blue. The mobile forces that the Navy had painstakingly mobilized were completely wiped out. If Vice Admiral Garp hadn't quickly retreated to defend key locations in the East Blue such as Loguetown, the East Blue would have been completely lost.

But the aftereffects of the loss of most of the East China Sea go far beyond that.

It wasn't just that the invincible status of the Marine Headquarters fleet was completely shattered, nor was it just that multiple member states were utterly destroyed, nor was it just that the surviving member states were questioning them. More importantly, they still know very little about this group, which was once known as the 'Hidden Mist Pirates,' the 'Deep Sea Rebels,' and is now the 'Remnants of a Great Kingdom'—in fact, even that term is a deliberate embellishment. To be honest, the entire Marine Corps and even the World Government know nothing about this force that dominated most of the East Blue except for their powerful ships and cannons!

And that's the most dangerous part!

Just as they initially thought Vice Admiral Garp was deliberately delaying the execution of the Buster Call, the World Government, bewildered by the head-on blow, began to panic.

However, they were also unable to spare the appropriate forces to reclaim the lost territory.

It wasn't because there wasn't enough regular marines—after all, each naval branch still had a considerable number of troops available for deployment—but more importantly, the navy no longer had a suitable commander.

……

"Kizaru's recovery will take a long time, and he is currently unwilling to undergo semi-mechanical modification!"

During a video conference with the Five Elders, Fleet Admiral Sengoku made the following statement.

Sakazuki, who was stationed in the New World, and Kuzan, who was stranded in Impel Down, also appeared at the video conference, but they both looked ashen and remained silent.

Former Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters and current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Armed Forces, Kong, rarely appeared on screen, but judging from his posture of crossing his arms and closing his eyes to rest, it was clear that he was merely playing the role of a mascot this time.