The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

On the deck of the warship, the man in military uniform waited for a long time but Reed's phone did not ring. Just as he was about to walk to a corner to ask his superior, he caught sight of figures coming up the gangplank.

"You damned scum, do you know what happens when you attack the army?!"

Chapter 99 Night Raid

Among a group of interviewees, a young boy with a youthful appearance but already over a meter tall and strong physique stepped out.

Ignoring the threat, the kid pointed at the man in military uniform and asked Reed:

"Hey, if I kill him, will I get promoted to sergeant?"

Upon hearing this, Reed did not rush to answer, but instead scanned the group of interviewees with his gaze.

But it turned out that this group of adults were subtly led by the little brat who had spoken.

Are you kidding me?!

Reed was shocked, but he didn't show it on his face. He then glanced at the man in military uniform and, after comparing them, felt that the kid probably had no chance of winning.

"That's enough. I'm not here to cause bloodshed. Congratulations on joining the Navy."

He thought it best not to try. If the kid and the interviewees couldn't beat him, the uniformed man, who had completely broken off relations, would definitely go crazy and kill everyone present.

That includes him!

Never mind, achieving the goal is enough.

"whispering sound!"

Barrett spat listlessly onto the deck.

Such an arrogant demeanor enraged the man in military uniform, who clenched his fists and slowly walked towards Barrett.

"Kid, aren't you being a little too arrogant!"

"Oh, so what?"

Barrett showed no fear, clenching his fists and cracking his knuckles.

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Reed quickly spoke up to stop them:

"Hey! They're the navy now. Think about the consequences before you take action."

Then, it turned towards Barrett.

"Young marine, you're doing great! But you must learn to obey orders."

Barrett was pleased by the compliment, but turned his head away, remaining aloof and silent.

The man in military uniform, his eyes gleaming as he suppressed his anger, weighed his options before leading the remaining soldiers away from the warship via a gangplank.

G-10 Branch Base

A gentle evening breeze wafted through the open window, brushing against the curtains and caressing John's cheek as he slept soundly on the sofa.

John opened his blurry eyes. The dimness of the office made him feel as if he were in another world, and he felt incredibly lonely.

"Did I sleep for that long?"

He sat up from the sofa, took off the earplugs he had used to block out noise so he could concentrate on reading, and immediately heard a series of bluish sounds.

With a wave of his hand, the Den Den Mushi that had been ringing incessantly on the desk floated to his front.

One was a private Den Den Mushi (phone swivel) that he used to contact Reed, and the other was a public Den Den Mushi.

John chose to answer the public Den Den Mushi first, as for Reed... the fact that the Den Den Mushi kept ringing meant that the guy was still alive.

As long as you're alive, everything will be alright.

As the public telephone connected, a voice came through, sounding both anxious and relieved.

"Major General John has finally made contact with you. May I ask where you've been? General Sengoku has something urgent to discuss with you!"

When Sengoku couldn't contact John, he had his messenger keep calling until John answered the phone.

How do I know what I did?

John thought to himself, "Lies just slip out of my mouth."

"I'm sorry, my Den Den Mushi was injured in the previous battle with Redfield, and I've only just recovered enough to answer the phone."

"Then why aren't the other officers in the G-10 branch answering their phones?" the messenger asked.

John blinked, his expression gradually turning strange.

That was, of course, his way of preventing his subordinates from reporting him to the authorities, so he confiscated the Den Den Mushi (snail phones) that his subordinates had kept at headquarters.

Although he didn't know what he had done that would lead to him being reported, he figured he should just be safe from the worst.

If you can't answer, then change the subject:

"Speak, what does the Warring States general want with me?"

"The Sengoku-sho asked me to inquire whether you have ordered the G-10 branch's marines to recruit soldiers in the land of endless war." The messenger fell for the trap and revealed his mission.

"No."

John decisively denied it, without offering any explanation.

In fact, he really didn't know where Reed had gone to recruit soldiers.

The messenger on the other end of the phone, holding up the photograph as evidence, asked questions:

"Then how come intelligence has come in saying that G-10 branch warships have been spotted in the port of Colt, a country where war never ends?"

"It's fake. Someone must have made it up to slander me."

John sat up straight on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and continued to add fuel to the fire.

"I can stand up to a whistleblower in a military court, and you should believe that any photos or videos can be faked, as the Paramecia-type Phantom Fruit can do."

"Yes, I will relay your words to the Sengoku general."

The phone hangs up.

Now John probably knew why Reed had called.

Answer the phone and immediately provide support:

"Don't ask questions, just do it boldly, I'll back you up."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

If it's going to a military court over something so trivial, then there's no need to worry at all.

In this world, there is no evidence to speak of; everything can be attributed to Devil Fruits.

As long as you're not disobeying orders and getting held accountable by your superiors, everything can be managed when dealing with such minor lawsuits.

His superiors will also protect him because he is valuable to them.

The so-called laws and rules are a joke in themselves.

"I'm just recruiting soldiers and you're all making trouble for me, so I'll just use you guys to pass the time."

John stepped onto the windowsill, transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot straight into the sky, the lightning surging and disappearing into the clouds.

Colt Port

In the captain's cabin, the messenger listened to the busy tone of the Den Den Mushi and looked at Reid, who was rushing over.

"Major General John said, 'Let's do it with confidence.'"

Reed nodded, panting heavily, feeling himself getting weaker and weaker; he was exhausted after only a few steps.

I've just been living too comfortably lately.

"Alright, then I'll take the liberty of making the decision."

During the day, shortly after the man in military uniform left, he returned with his superior, followed by reporters taking photos.

He was genuinely scared at the time, and he quickly hid and called John, but no one answered.

Unfortunately, they had no choice but to let the messenger keep firing.

Later, to save face, he confronted his superiors and stubbornly insisted that the warships continue to be moored in the port.

Actually, he planned to recruit those hundred-odd people and then leave, but now that John is backing him up, he has to recruit at least a thousand people before he leaves.

Who's afraid of who!

"Right, I need to hurry and see how much that brat ate."

Remembering that brat named Barrett, Reed hurriedly ran towards the ship's mess hall.

Before answering the phone, he had been watching over the group of new recruits in the canteen. One of them, a kid, had a bottomless stomach; he had already eaten enough for thirty people!

Although the G-10 branch's motto is to fill their stomachs, they can't just eat like this without restraint.

That's too expensive!

Just as Reed was running on the deck...

call out

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out, followed by a loud "boom" as the sea outside the warship suddenly exploded, sending water splashing four or five meters high.

It happened to soak Reed completely.

On the mast lookout tower, the drowsy sentry was suddenly awakened and quickly turned on his searchlight and cast it out to sea. He saw a pirate ship flying the skull and crossbones flag speeding toward them.

"Enemy attack!"

The sentry shouted loudly while ringing the alarm bell.

Chapter 100 I'm Not a Spineless Kick

"How dare pirates attack a warship?"

Soaked to the bone, Reed spotted the pirate ship through his searchlight, but he calmly considered the pirates' motives.

This is a completely thankless task!

Unless... those pirates have a grudge against them!