The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

The Five Elders and Im don't understand these principles, which is why they've managed the world so poorly.

To put it bluntly, Charlotte Linlin did a better job than them. If it weren't for her "food cravings" causing her to go berserk and smash things, she would definitely be the closest thing to a perfect "king" in this world.

John saw this potential in Reed, which could help him in maintaining the naval faction in the future.

That's basically the role of a secretary-general.

As for combat partners... John has other options, and mastering Conqueror's Haki Entanglement is a basic requirement.

豱辱辱辘

The sound of wooden wheels rolling over the hard concrete ground rang out as Dragon and the others arrived at the agreed-upon trading location.

When they saw the two figures brazenly barbecuing under the searchlight, Dorrag and the others were stunned.

The naval arms smuggling and their unofficial arms purchases are illegal, yet those two are so brazen, as if they want everyone to find out.

This is outrageous!

"Have you eaten? Want to come and get something?"

John smiled and waved to Dragon and the others.

Chapter 63 Receiving Garp (Thanks to "2336655" for the two monthly tickets)

"Okay! Then we won't stand on ceremony, thank you!"

Vincent grinned and immediately led his group of friends to the barbecue grill, picking up their favorite foods and grilling them.

Seeing his companions so unguarded, Dragon tensed up and leaned over, gently poking Vincent's lower back with his index finger.

"Be careful, what if it's a trap!"

What are you worried about?

Vincent turned his head and gestured with his chin toward John, who was counting money in front of the carriage behind him, his tone complex and tinged with envy.

"You've seen how strong that guy is before. If he really wanted to do something to us, we wouldn't be able to resist at all."

"Never mind whether he's a good or bad navy officer, he doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards us right now, let's fill our stomachs first!"

"Yes."

Dorrag nodded and immediately became a member of the barbecue army.

The menu is extensive, featuring everything from flying creatures to swimming animals and land animals, as well as plenty of vegetables and beer.

This was the most lavish meal they had eaten in a long time.

In front of the carriage, John rummaged through the huge wooden crates on the frame, taking stock of the valuables inside.

From one-beli coins to stacks of 100,000-beli banknotes and gold jewelry, all sorts of miscellaneous forms are available.

The total value is approximately 150 million Berries.

"Is that all?"

John smacked his lips, looking somewhat disgusted.

But then I thought about it again and realized that this is how it should be.

In the future, there is a figure known as the "Golden Emperor" Gilles Tezzolo, who is said to control 20 percent of the world's wealth, enough to buy a small to medium-sized kingdom.

Tezzolo is a hoax claiming to possess a treasure worth 500 billion Berries, meaning his actual wealth is far less than that, at least 200 billion Berries.

A small to medium-sized kingdom is worth 200 billion Berries, which includes territory, mineral resources, population, etc. Most of it is real estate, not cash flow.

The most valuable asset is probably the population. Take the super-large kingdom of Alabasta as an example. If the permanent population is 10 million and each person is sold for 200,000 Berries at a discount, it can be sold for 2 trillion Berries!

In other words, the valuation of small to medium-sized kingdoms like the Kingdom of Leon is not high.

The "heavenly gold" it pays each time will never exceed one billion Berries; it cannot afford to pay any more.

After all, it has to be paid every year, and over time it adds up to a huge sum of money.

This is the annual share of Kurtz Town. After deducting the taxes levied by the Leon royal family, roughly 100 million Berries will be left to go into the Heavenly Gold.

"Major, where are our goods?"

Vincent, who had been secretly observing John, saw that John had finished counting and asked a question at the opportune moment.

John pointed behind the barbecue grill, where a huge, horizontal black shadow lay, seemingly shrouded by something.

He discovered this batch of weapons while inventorying the 153rd branch's warehouse; it included a thousand long flintlock muskets and a large quantity of ammunition.

In addition, he also added the weapons he had seized from pirate crews such as Morgan, bringing the total to more than 1,200 guns.

In fact, if this batch of weapons were priced at the normal market price, it would be worth at most fifty to sixty million Berries.

However, given the current situation in the East China Sea, a slight premium is quite reasonable.

However, what puzzled John was that, given Burns' treacherous and cunning nature, he actually intended to deliver the goods!

Otherwise, it would be like getting something for nothing.

"Go and see for yourself."

Vincent nodded and quickly walked over, pulling the ravenous Dorag along with him.

Upon closer inspection, the two realized that the surface was covered with a dark green oilcloth, and when they lifted it, they found boxes of wooden crates that reeked of gun oil and sulfur.

Only after opening each wooden crate and seeing the neatly arranged guns inside did the two men finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Even though they knew the other party wouldn't make things difficult for them, this exchange of "obedience" and "resistance" still made them uneasy and nervous.

Vincent turned around and waved and grinned at John, who was driving away in his carriage.

"Major John, thank you!"

"I'm just following the reasonable arrangements of fate."

John gave Vincent a meaningful look, then gestured for Ridley to turn around, and the two drove off leisurely.

"Fate, huh?"

Vincent looked down at his hands, gradually clenching them into fists, his eyes growing increasingly determined.

"Dorag, I've already arranged a ship. We'll set sail for the Kingdom of Felose tonight!"

"..."

Several days later

As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, a dark shadow on the horizon grew clearer and clearer as it approached.

This is a warship with a dog's head on its bow, and it is the personal vehicle of the naval "hero" Garp.

"Where did you run off to, you brat?"

Garp stood on the bow of the dog-head ship, arms crossed, his brow furrowed with worry for his son.

Knowing that Dragon was deeply affected by the "God Valley Incident," he sent him back to his hometown, Windmill Village, to rest for a while and also to think about his future path.

Whether you continue in the navy or stay in Windmill Village as an ordinary civilian, it's all fine.

Just don't become a pirate!

But when he called the village chief of Windmill Village, he discovered that Dorrag had not returned for nearly a month, and the branch base chief of Rogge Town had assured him that he would see Dorrag off on the ship to Shells Town.

Just then, the commander of the 153rd base was killed in battle in Shells Town, so he was able to ask Sengoku for leave to go home and visit.

While we're at it, let's take care of that pirate named Morgan.

port

John led a group of marines to line up on the harbor shore. The marines stood ramrod straight, but he leaned against the railing, sleepy-eyed and yawning incessantly.

“What were you up to last night? This time it’s Vice Admiral Garp, the naval hero. Behave yourself,” Reed whispered to John as he approached him.

"Ah."

John gave a lazy hum, took out a cigarette, lit it, and relied on nicotine to stay awake.

Yesterday he flew to Whiskey Peak, in the first half of the Grand Line, to trade with Morgans for the permanent pointer to the island where Stussy recently lived.

After the transaction, he wanted to go to Alabasta to find an exotic beauty for a romantic getaway, and after resting for one night, he would go to find Stussy.

Before they could even set off, they received a call from the Marineford Naval Command.

The other party said that Vice Admiral Garp, the naval hero, would arrive in Shells Town the next day, and asked him to make the necessary preparations for receiving him.

In order to prevent the seemingly foolish but actually wise Garp from discovering anything amiss, he had no choice but to rush back overnight.

As the warship entered the port, Garp, dressed in a gray suit and standing beside a Justice Coat, walked down the gangplank with a pigeon-toed gait and picked his nose.

Upon reaching the harbor shore, Garp's gaze swept over the ramrod-straight-standing marines, and he grinned broadly.

"Haha, you all look so energetic!"

"Damn bureaucracy."

An untimely muttering sound rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

Chapter 64 The King of Drawing Swords!

Lieutenant Commander John, the temporary base commander of the 153rd Naval Branch, had a cigarette dangling from his lips, his hands in his pockets, and ash was being flicked off from the embers as he opened and closed his lips.

"You're such a grown-up, don't you know your way around? Why do you need an adult to pick you up like a little kid? Do I have to chew your food and feed it to you?"

"Do you even know how much time you've wasted here? That wasted time could have helped the residents of Shells Town build several houses..."

"Major John! Watch your words!"

Reed turned pale with fright and quickly tugged at John's sleeve.

John opened his droopy eyelids, looking as if he had just woken up, and raised his hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Did I say what was on my mind? I'm so sorry! Just pretend you didn't hear me."

"That's disrespectful to your superior! Don't think you can get away with this!"

Karp awkwardly picked his nose, unsure of what to say, while his adjutant standing beside him stared at John with a gloomy expression.

John glanced at the adjutant in the gray suit and overcoat of justice, his gaze carrying a strange undertone.