The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"what happened?"

Begabank tilted his head and looked at John, not understanding why the other was suddenly spacing out.

John shook his head and changed the subject.

"Doctor, tell me first, how much will it cost to research all of this?"

"Um……"

Begabank rested his chin on his hand in thought, then held up five fingers.

"Let's start with 50 billion Berries. The initial investment will be huge. As for the later construction costs... we'll find out then."

"Why don't you just rob it!"

John jumped up in a panic.

His Vault of the Sky, plus the treasures hidden around the world, is worth just over 100 billion Berries in total.

They're taking half of his money right off the bat! Isn't that like taking his life?!

"You're not broke, are you?"

As if discovering that the wealthy man was actually a poor man in disguise, Begabank's tone suddenly turned cold.

It's not that he's materialistic; it's that he's powerless to do anything without money.

John gritted his teeth and forced a smile.

"Yes! I have plenty of everything, but I have plenty of money!"

"That's good. The 50 billion Berry investment is just the initial investment. The subsequent expenses will only be higher. You need to be mentally prepared."

Begabank's tone became enthusiastic again, and if John hadn't known his background, he would have thought he was a fraud.

However, the thought that Dorrag had also been rejected because he didn't have money made John feel much better. This was an objective assessment, not a personal attack.

Next, it's time to demonstrate our strength by bringing out 50 billion.

The two arrived at the lush grass outside the research institute, where the sunlight suddenly became even more golden, before turning into a huge shadow that loomed over them.

Bergabank looked up at the giant golden ship floating in the sky, his whole body trembling with excitement. This meant that he could carry out his research freely, instead of being restricted and cut back by that stingy Feld.

"Is it the magnetic levitation developed from the Magnet-Magnet Fruit? You seem to be quite knowledgeable!"

"This is actually the application of the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit."

Despite being praised by a top genius, John felt no joy whatsoever; he simply stared longingly at the golden ship.

Soon, this treasure will no longer be his.

Heartache!

Vegabank completely disregarded what John's true Devil Fruit power was, and pointed to the ravaged lake, indicating that the golden ship should be placed on it.

John did as instructed with a straight face. After the golden ship was quietly moored on the lake, he used magnetism to pull a freezer out of the cabin.

Then, he grabbed Vegapunk by the back of his collar, leaped onto the deck, opened the freezer, and took out a syringe.

"This is the blood of a Mythical Zoan user. You can use it to study bloodline factors. You'd better use it sparingly, as this is the only tube of Yatagarasu left."

Speaking of this, John secretly blamed himself for not being greedy enough; he should have smoked a few more tubes back then.

Be more careful next time!

"You can rest assured that I'll handle things!" Vegapunk assured him, patting his chest.

For the next few days, John stayed in Punk Hazard to finalize future plans with Begabank and held bonfire parties every night to drink, talk, and strengthen their relationship.

Under John's deliberate coaxing, the two have become like-minded companions and close friends who can talk about anything.

During this time, Feld called to inquire about what had happened at Punk Hazard.

At John's behest, Vegabank claimed he had driven away the pirates with technological weapons and instructed Feld to continue sending money and men to protect him.

Free labor and a cash machine—why not take advantage of it!

Then, as the guards landed on the island, John left with the gold ship, traveling to various parts of the world to sell the gold in small batches.

Selling too much gold at once can lower the price and raise suspicion.

They can only exploit information gaps, traveling to different places and selling under different identities.

Finally, on a dark and stormy night, John returned to Punk Hazard with five hundred suitcases filled with Berries, and with Vegabank's help, hid them in the basement of the research facility.

If Vegapunk needs it in the future, he can take it out and use it himself.

Anyway, with Feld, the "Loan Shark King" of the underworld, as a source, many materials can be purchased.

If you absolutely cannot buy it, then contact John for help.

"You only realize how little you know when you need it most!"

On the flight to Marineford Naval Headquarters to report for duty, John felt a sense of emptiness and unease.

Without a trustworthy and capable partner by his side, Vegabank always felt like his base could be raided at any moment.

However, there are currently no qualified candidates.

He could tell Newgate that he was still alive, but given the old man's personality, he certainly wouldn't get involved in such a huge risk.

Newgate just wants to stay with his family and live a free and peaceful life.

If we want Newgate to change, we only need to wait until he loses everything, that is, until the Whitebeard Pirates are destroyed.

As for Linlin, Shiki, and Kaido, they will only accept the olive branch after they have been beaten down by society.

Otherwise, given their current popularity, even if they cooperate, they would still compete with him for the top spot.

He can't beat them now, so he has no chance of becoming the king.

If the decision-making power is not in your hands, you will be led astray by these three habitually impulsive individuals, thus causing all your efforts to be in vain.

"It seems that I can only try to transfer to the G-5 branch as soon as possible and use the navy's power to help me guard the gate."

John's eyes gleamed as he planned his next move.

With someone to guard the gate, he could go out and make money with peace of mind, travel around the world to copy historical texts, and persuade Olbia to translate them for Begabank.

Every time Begabank avoids a detour in his research, it saves him a lot of money and time.

It is essential to use ancient technology as a guide!

John couldn't help but grimace at the thought of making money.

He originally had a suggestion: to have Begabank counterfeit money!

But he was met with a cold rejection...

On that hazy, drunken night, Begabank gave this stern warning:

"First of all, the Pele is a legal tender issued by the World Government. Once a large amount of funds floods into the market, even if the counterfeit money is more convincing than the real money, it will inevitably attract a lot of attention!"

"Secondly, the massive influx of counterfeit currency into the market will dilute the wealth of the major powers that control the financial lifeline, and they will hunt us down like the world government!"

"In the end, the world's financial turmoil will only be paid for by innocent civilians. They will go hungry or even become homeless, and eventually turn into pirates!"

"If you truly believe in justice, then never touch counterfeit money!"

The deeper meaning of the last sentence is actually...

"If you touch counterfeit money, our friendship is over!"

"I'm increasingly hating dealing with these rigid thinkers!"

John gritted his teeth and suddenly increased his flight speed as if venting his anger.

Chapter 81 is a little heartbreaking.

Marineford is the name of the island, while the Marine Headquarters is the organization and facilities on the island. The difference between the two is equivalent to that between Shells Town and Branch 153.

John arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago from a port behind Marineford on a merchant ship and saw a typical residential area.

Most of the residents here are family members of naval personnel, so to prevent people with ulterior motives from sneaking in, they were subjected to very strict identity checks when disembarking.

A girl with long orange hair stood at the port, looking dashing in a coat of justice, attracting the attention of everyone who came to the island.

The girl seemed to be looking for someone, her gaze sweeping over the people disembarking, her pretty face full of seriousness.

Uncle Garp's words echoed in her mind...

"Phoenix Girl, could you pick up a guy named John for me? He's the kind of guy who looks really arrogant and cocky."

By using the tags to find people, she quickly found a target who matched the criteria.

He was a man whose hair had gradually changed from purple to silver-white, as if he had been dyeing it for some time and his original hair color had grown out.

The man, dressed in a long black trench coat, stood on the ferry bridge after disembarking, his left hand on his hip and a cigarette between his right, looking around the island like a hidden reef amidst the crowd.

Completely disregarding the fact that they were blocking others' way!

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be this man.

After the crowd of people disembarking had dispersed, she walked over to the man, extended her hand, and smiled:

"Hello, Major John, I am Captain Huang, and I have been ordered by Lieutenant General Karp to receive you."

"phoenix?"

John raised an eyebrow, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and reached out to gently shake hands with Huang.

Huang withdrew her hand behind her back, tilting her head slightly as she blinked her dark green eyes, a gentle smile playing on her lips:

"Does the major also think my name is strange? My mother gave it to me; her name is Crane!"

"Not surprising, it suits you well, it sounds nice."

John shook his head slightly, perhaps because he was getting old and couldn't quite handle this energetic young woman.

Although he's only in his early twenties, he'll be thirty very soon...

His classmates Rocks, Karp, and Linlin all have kids old enough to run errands, while he's still struggling alone.

Why do I feel inexplicably sad when I think about it?

Receiving the praise, Huang smiled and happily shook her head, then raised her hand to lead the way: