The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

It was exactly what he had been searching for: the whereabouts and usage of the "IQ" plant.

I never expected that this was also the technology of that huge kingdom.

This inevitably led John to wonder if the so-called Great Treasure of the "Final Island" Laugh Tale might also be related to the war power of the Great Kingdom.

However, this power can only be awakened by Nika's "Drum of Liberation".

Like the ancient giant robot "Emmet", it is powered by a special energy source and can only be awakened by the Drum of Liberation.

It is a mystery that Begabank has studied for many years but has not been able to unravel.

"An ancient, enormous kingdom? It's like a persistent ghost!"

John felt the force of fate more and more strongly; as an "undestined person," it was far too difficult for him to participate.

"Since Im's defeat by Nika is already destined, will he stand on the same side as me?"

John suddenly had a bold idea.

Chapter 124 Parasite

As things stand, everything Nika does is aimed at Im.

John felt he could wait until Im was about to be defeated by Nika, and then pull Im back.

Then let's fight Nika together!

After defeating Nika, he turned around and stabbed Im in the back of the heart!

John wrote "To be determined" on the plan sheet, and then looked at the three names: "Ski," "Lingling," and "Newgate."

Of the three old buddies, apart from Newgate, the other two shared his ideals.

They're just too arrogant. They need to be given a good dressing down so they realize that they can only be led by "Captain John".

As for Newgate...

This old guy is somewhere between domination and freedom, kind of oscillating back and forth.

It's still pending!

Time is like an hourglass, with grains of sand gathering into endless years.

More than a year has passed.

During this time, John received several messages from Shiki, but when he rushed there, all he could see were islands disappearing on the horizon, and the "Heartnet" could not hear a sound from Shiki.

John also took some time to visit Wilméo Island, where he harvested a large number of "IQ" characters, roots and all, and spent money to buy some blood from the island's residents for potential use.

When John couldn't find Shiki, he also turned his attention to Linlin, only to discover that she was pregnant.

Out of consideration for his comrades, John did not attack Linlin when she was at her weakest, and secretly arranged for the Navy to bypass the Big Mom Pirates.

Let Lingling focus on her pregnancy.

However, it was the great pirates like Roger and Wald who caused a great disturbance, either sinking the Navy's fleet or destroying ports and towns.

Garp, Sengoku, and the cheap labor Harald all came out together, chasing the pirates and making them flee in all directions.

With the Celestial Dragons' annual campaign to destroy a nation every three years approaching, Saint Pitt repeatedly called John, urging him to gather at the Holy Land, but John refused each time, citing his busy schedule chasing pirates.

The country chosen by the Celestial Dragons this time is the Kingdom of Felose, located in the East Blue.

John heard from Somaz that it seemed that after the country became a member state, it began to refuse to hand over the Heavenly Gold.

It was a huge slap in the face to the world government!

Meanwhile, sources within the navy say that Dragon has once again traveled to the Kingdom of Felosei and stayed there for some time.

Taken together, it should be said that Dragon completed his first uprising, proving his resolve to his deceased friend Vincent.

However, this first success will soon be crushed by the world government.

The road ahead for Dragon is still very, very long...

Then there's Reed, who brought his wife and child to Dressrosa after she gave birth. John visited them and found that the baby was indeed a white-haired imp, inheriting it from his mother.

At Reed's request, John became Smoker's godfather.

……

Inside the Punk Hazard research institute.

BOOM

John frowned, his expression complex, as he watched the blood mist explode in the culture dish.

In his hometown, there's a vulgar saying: "Your mother has exploded."

And now, he sees himself explode!

"Tsk."

Begabank smacked his lips and shook his head.

"Compared to powerful bloodlines like Lunaria, Giants, and Bakania, your original body was far too weak."

"Aren't you really considering changing your foundation?"

"Continue like this!"

John took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, his attitude resolute.

Seeing this, Begabank stopped trying to persuade him and used the equipment to extract lineage factors from the blood mist for cloning.

This was the first time John's original body had undergone stress testing after he improved "IQ" to "SIQ".

This includes, but is not limited to, simulating being in a perilous environment such as the deep sea, imprisoned by sea stone, amidst raging fire, poisonous gas, and attacks by overwhelming power.

That's how evolution works; genes can only grow in a specific direction under the pressure of predators and harsh environments.

Just like whales, creatures that breathe with lungs, they evolved super-large lungs in order to survive in the ocean.

Among various whales, the blue whale feeds on surface krill and does not need to dive for long periods of time, so its longest recorded dive time is only half an hour.

However, sperm whales feed on deep-sea creatures such as squid, and their longest recorded dive time is one and a half hours!

Demand drives evolution!

John's body retained the elemental properties of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit even after his soul departed, which led to tests such as deep sea, sea stone, and Haki attacks.

This is a very bold idea. If we can use the immunity to Haki attacks evolved from "SIQ", then Haki will no longer be able to grasp his physical form.

How terrifying would Logia-type characters become without the restraint of Haki?

I can't even imagine it!

“By the way, we’re running low on a lot of materials, you’ll have to get some more,” Bergabank reminded him.

Recently, the World Government has been keeping a closer eye on the underground black market, and has even dispatched CP agents to hunt down Judge after finding clues.

"Okay, I'll think of a way."

John calculated the timeline; according to their original fate, the "MADS" research team should have been disbanded under the suppression of the World Government eight or nine months ago.

The person in charge of this area is the "Scientific Defense God" Satan Saint. That old guy has a strong ambition to break free from Im's control and even take his place.

"However, this is not a long-term solution."

John looked at Begabank in a consultative tone.

"Why don't you do what I did and become a parasite within the World Government?"

“What do you mean?” Bergabank raised an eyebrow.

John took a deep drag on his cigarette and explained his current predicament:

"It's not about money anymore."

“The materials are being closely watched by Satan Saint. Once we purchase and transport them, he will come knocking on our door, drawn by the scent.”

“Satan Saint’s position in the World Government is much higher than mine, and I cannot rely on the power I hold to deceive him.”

“Even if I personally go to trade and transport, relying on the mobility of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to make Satan Saint unable to find my trace, he can cut off the supply of materials at the source.”

"It's only a matter of time before that old guy gets us strangled."

"So I can join the World Government openly, just like you, and secretly use the government's resources to do my own thing?"

Begabank understood what John meant.

After a moment's thought, he felt he could accept it.

For the sake of ideals, some unavoidable humiliations are nothing.

If John could endure it, then he could endure it too!

"Actually, you don't need to go in person. Just get a clone with your knowledge to replace you."

John held the cigarette between his fingers and explained his plan.

“When procuring materials for clones, I can suggest that the official in charge of procurement embezzle a portion and sell the embezzled portion.”

"I'll spend more money to buy back the portion that was sold at a low price, so that you, the original user, can use it."

"If the clones make progress, I will attack their research institute first and reap the rewards."

"What you need to do now is think about how to avoid Satan Saint's discovery and constant secret monitoring of the clones."

"Moreover, my existence must be erased from the clone's memory to prevent accidental disclosure."

Chapter 125 Blonde Vegabank

John couldn't help but think of Begabank's "desire" alter ego, York.

It's possible that Vegabank's clones might, as fate would have it, create doppelgangers for the sake of efficiency.

And York, that idiot, is definitely going to ruin things!

"emmm..."

Begabank rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a while before having an idea.

“I can give the clone a psychological suggestion so that he develops the habit of recording the research progress on the instrument at all times.”