The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

sunset twilight

The setting sun shone through the open sliding door into the marshal's office, casting a long shadow on his ramrod-straight figure.

The marshal sat empty behind his desk, staring up at the face that was backlit and shrouded in shadow.

"Major John, you should be on standby at headquarters, what are you doing in the Sabaody Archipelago?"

"I'm just having fun, let's go out for a stroll."

The straightforward answer surprised Sora; the last person to be so honest was Garp.

Although this was consistent with Sengoku's answer to the question about the phoenix, being so frank in front of him, the highest authority in the navy, was somewhat arrogant.

However, according to Sengoku, John is quite strong, and most importantly, he knows how to protect the Celestial Dragons.

It's like Garp with some less muscle but more brain.

He's a real talent!

"Considering that you risked your life to protect Saint Jonathan, we will not hold your dereliction of duty against you. You will be promoted to Major General immediately."

Kong took out the major general's shoulder insignia from the drawer and slapped it on the table.

If Jonathan Saint hadn't died from his injuries, this achievement alone would have been enough for John to be promoted to lieutenant general; the Five Elders greatly admired his sense of justice.

John picked up his epaulettes, saluted the air, and then said firmly:

"Marshal, I would like to apply for a transfer to the G-5 branch, to go to the worst place and face the pirates directly."

"I will make the name of justice resound throughout this sea!"

"Not bad!"

Kong was even more delighted; the navy needed such enlightened individuals.

With a little nurturing, such a righteous talent will surely become a naval admiral who satisfies the Five Elders in the future.

"Okay, approved!"

"..."

Naval Headquarters Crescent Port

Huang sat on the edge of the shore, her hands supporting her on the ground, her legs swinging unconsciously, her dark green eyes staring blankly at the distant horizon.

In just one day, her experience was like a rollercoaster ride.

I fulfilled my childhood dream of riding a Ferris wheel, truly experienced the wickedness of the Celestial Dragons, and witnessed budding feelings shattered in the face of power...

For some reason, she felt a deep sense of despair towards the world.

"Phoenix-chan".

Garp walked over slowly and sat down cross-legged beside Huang.

Huang turned her head away, forced a smile, then turned back and continued to stare blankly at the horizon.

Seeing Huang so distressed, Garp, whether out of pity or for some other reason, whispered:

“I heard from Sengoku that when you were being threatened by the Celestial Dragons, John did not stand idly by; in fact, he saved you.”

"Uncle Garp, what did you say?"

Phoenix suddenly turned to look at Garp, a faint light flickering in her lifeless pupils.

"Is there some inside story I don't know about?"

"I can't say more, but I want to tell you that the world isn't actually that bad."

Karp clenched his fists, cursing John as a despicable fellow.

He blamed himself even more; he shouldn't have let Huang receive John in the first place.

"Uncle Garp, please tell me! Just tell me!" Phoenix grabbed Garp's hand and shook it affectionately.

Garp resolutely withdrew his hand and shook his head, saying:

Forget all of this, you and John are impossible.

That guy's a pirate!

Even if he has reformed, he is still nearly ten years older than Huang, and belongs to the same generation as these old guys. The generations are all messed up!

"Then I'll go find John and ask him myself!"

Huang stood up, feeling full of energy again, and ran towards the officers' quarters at the back of Marineford.

Garp didn't stop her. Watching Huang's departing figure, he slapped himself across the face.

"Luckily, that guy had already left by boat, otherwise I would have done something stupid again."

However, this incident changed his opinion of John even more.

The Magnet-Magnet Fruit user, the tin man who fell from the sky—all the clues point to John.

That guy was willing to risk attacking a Celestial Dragon to save Huang Ting, which was indeed a sign of his lawless pirate nature, but it also suited his sense of justice.

At his age, he's still shamelessly dating a young girl!

"It's good that I went to the G-5 branch; out of sight, out of mind."

"I just hope you're not plotting anything terrible, John, or I'll arrest you myself!"

"..."

The second half of the Grand Line, Navy G-5 Branch.

This branch is located near the Red Line, thus intercepting pirate crews entering the New World from Fishman Island.

The marines of the G-5 branch are described as "more like pirates than marines," frequently refusing to carry out orders from the Marine Headquarters and engaging in heinous acts such as torturing and killing pirates.

Inside the base commander's office, a short-haired man with a scarred face hung up the Den Den Mushi, exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigar.

"Why did a major general suddenly arrive at the fortress from headquarters? Could there be some deeper meaning behind this?"

"What's his name? Is he some famous guy?"

Across from the desk, a refined-looking man adjusted his rimless glasses.

"His name seems to be John, a name I've never heard of before. He must be a newcomer."

The burly man shook his head, and the cigar he was holding suddenly sparked, forcing thick smoke into his lungs.

He was Lieutenant General Luca Bishop, the base commander of G-5, and sitting opposite him was Major General Cadewood, a staff officer.

Upon hearing this, Wood's lips curled up slightly, and he said with a hint of teasing:

"Perhaps they are just like us, troublemakers who were thrown over here by headquarters to rot and stink."

"Then we don't need to worry about him?" Bishop raised an eyebrow.

Wood shook his head, his expression grave, and said, "Never mind that. The most important thing right now is to find a way to deal with that man."

Just recently, marines from the G-5 branch spotted "Lone Red" Barlow Clydefield within the territory of the Kingdom of Einberg.

Redfield is a super pirate with a bounty of 2.7 billion Berries. He is a loner who refuses to form alliances and prefers to work alone.

Based solely on his personal strength, he is on par with the most notorious pirate crews on the high seas, such as Roger, Whitebeard, and Big Mom.

One person is worth an entire super pirate crew!

It appears that Redfield intends to stay in the Kingdom of Einberg for a while, which presents a good opportunity for G-5.

Because Redfield possessed powerful Observation Haki from a young age, which grew stronger with age, he could see into people's hearts.

However, this also exposed him to the ugliness of the people around him, causing him to develop a strong aversion to people and cultivate a withdrawn personality.

Such a guy would never stay in crowded places for long, making it very difficult for the Navy to find him.

Chapter 89 Is Reed Smoker's father?

"Are you sure you don't need to report to headquarters and request backup?"

Bishop still felt a bit of pressure when he thought of the terrifying reputation of "The Lone Red".

Wood's glasses reflected a cold light, obscuring his pupils.

"No need. Since those guys at headquarters hate us, we'll do something to show the World Government."

"Let the Five Elders know who truly stands as the backbone of the Navy!"

"No matter how strong Redfield is, he is still just a person. As a person, he eats, drinks, and sleeps. We have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of him."

"You've already come up with a plan?" Bishop sat up straight excitedly.

Wood took off his glasses and made a circle with his right index finger and thumb, placing it in front of his eye socket.

"Ah, I've already seen his weakness."

He is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the ability to see through obstacles at a distance and observe the actions and thoughts of his target.

It shares a similar effect with Redfield's special Observation Color.

Although his abilities are obscured by Observation Haki, making it impossible for him to see into the minds of individuals with strong Observation Haki, he can still observe their behavior from a distance.

It was precisely because of this ability that he was able to observe Redfield in the dark without being detected by the other party's Observation Haki.

"Okay, it's good that you have a plan."

Bishop's anxiety completely subsided; Wood had never failed in the past as long as he had a well-defined plan.

This is a wise and capable individual who can rival He for the position of "Chief of the General Staff".

Wood put his glasses back on and lowered his voice:

"By the way, those stinking guys from Fishman Island have recently started complaining about the protection money we're charging them."

"You order the brothers to let some pirate crews cross the defense line, let the pirate scum play with the stinky fish, so as to demonstrate the importance of our navy."

"Those foolish fish really think that a few days of peace are all thanks to their own efforts."

"How ridiculous! They need to know who the true ruler of the ocean is!"

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away."

"..."