The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

Chapter 111 Next Hunting Ground, Wano Country?

After a long conversation...

“Okay, I will consider it carefully and choose a hunting ground that will satisfy everyone.”

After making his promise, John hung up the phone and turned back to the Holy Land.

He's not in the mood to play around with those optimists at Navy Headquarters; he just wants to go to Punk Hazard and talk to Vegabank in person.

During the call, Saint Pitt did not tell John the reason why the Celestial Dragons slaughtered a country every three years, but if one had to explain the motive...

"This is an elegant aristocratic sport, meant to remind those lazy fellows of the importance of force," Piet Saint said.

John's approach, drawing inspiration from the hunting practices of ancient emperors in his hometown, was fundamentally a complex state activity that combined military training, political symbolism, ritualistic sacrifices, and frontier governance.

Thinking about it this way, it does align with some of Piet Saint's words.

But the most serious problem is that most of the matches didn't go through.

Large-scale hunts, for example, demonstrate military strength and organizational capabilities, showcasing authority and deterrence. However, the God Valley Incident is largely unknown to the world's population.

The world government is actually trying its best to cover it up!

For example, their ritual system and sacrifices, using prescribed prey to worship heaven and ancestors, demonstrate the legitimacy of their rule through "reverence for heaven and ancestors." The Celestial Dragons claim to be descendants of gods; whom do they need to worship?

Im?

Only when political integration and assessment are aligned can the CP and Navy, willing to do anything for the World Government without any bottom line, be gathered through the hunt, while simultaneously assessing the courage and loyalty of each Celestial Dragon.

"Now, I have become the subject of investigation."

To be honest, John hated these obedience tests, which made him want to rebel.

Fundamentally, he also disagrees with the Celestial Dragons' ideology and cannot bring himself to kill someone who hasn't provoked him.

Moreover, killing innocent people would harm his interests.

Only when more people are alive can they mate and reproduce, producing more beautiful and fresh appearances, developing all kinds of delicious food, and creating more convenient and novel tools.

As a top predator, he doesn't need to force anything; he can simply use the vast wealth he has accumulated through his power to buy things.

Therefore, he will be the first to enjoy everything that people create.

Even young and beautiful bodies are no exception; as long as people submit to material life, they will sell anything for money.

What he paid was only a pittance of money, a piece of scrap paper so hard it was too tough to even wipe his butt.

They're even placed in banks and monopolistic industries, where they can "bling bling" and keep producing offspring every day, spending money on extreme pleasures without earning back as much as they could otherwise.

Even if someone is fat, has a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, as long as they have these numbers, countless people who value a sense of ritual, need financial security, and believe that spending money on them is a sign of love will shamelessly fawn over them.

This is the true benefit of John's people-centered approach!

So he didn't understand why the Celestial Dragons had to carry out the campaign of massacring a country every three years; what benefit did they gain from it?

Was it the treasure looted during the massacre of the country?

But if the people are gone, what difference is there between treasure and scrap metal?

Our ideologies clash!

"Since I don't fit in, we can't coexist. The only option is to send you to your deaths."

"..."

Inside the Punk Hazard research institute.

Begabank sprawled out on the bubble sofa, sipping his iced cola through a straw, glancing up at John as he walked into the lab.

“You’ve come at the right time. Judge just called me and said that the World Government is tracking him down in the underground black market, and that we should be careful too.”

"Strange, we did it very discreetly, how did the World Government find out?"

As he spoke, Begabank tilted his head, his large head filled with confusion.

John walked over to the bubble sofa, sat down, tilted his head to look at Begabank beside him, and said with a smirk:

"The World Government has always been studying lineage factors and has discovered that people are buying related materials in large quantities on the black market, so of course they would have noticed."

"I see. Then we really need to be careful."

Begabank nodded, then looked at John curiously, his face falling at the sight.

"What's wrong, John Saint? You've become a Celestial Dragon, why are you still so sullen?"

"Stop teasing me, I'm really worried sick."

John took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and then told him about how St. Pitt had asked him to choose a hunting ground.

Before he could finish speaking, Begabank angrily interrupted him.

"What a beast! John, I'm warning you, you absolutely must not get involved!"

He no longer hoped that John would stop the Celestial Dragons; he only hoped that John would not collude with the Celestial Dragons for power.

Upon hearing this, John patted Begabank on the shoulder to reassure him.

"We need power. Only with sufficient strength can we say no to everything!"

Actually, since they can't stop it now, John has considered actually choosing a country as the Celestial Dragons' hunting grounds.

Maximize benefits when conditions are limited.

For example, choose... Wano Country!

After all, Wano Country was closed off from the world, and before Kaido occupied it, even scarce resources like seastone were kept secret and couldn't be released.

At present, the World Government's Seastone comes from some small places, and not only is the quantity pitifully small, but the purity is also not very high.

Wano Country has such abundant sea stone resources that it has been mined for many years without being exhausted, and the purity is also very high.

In the future, when dealing with Im, the Five Elders, or even Nika and Loki, Seastone will likely be the decisive key.

For example, by melting and cutting seastone into small, sand-like pieces, and then inlaying each piece with steel, the seastone can be controlled with minimal consumption by electromagnetically controlling the steel.

If one can control the rolling sands of the Sea Stone, one can easily defeat Nika and Loki with the force of a raging storm.

If Im and the Five Elders also fear Seastone, then this move will basically be invincible.

These Devil Fruit users wouldn't even get a glimpse of him before being swept away and imprisoned by the Seastone sandstorm, rendering them completely useless.

Furthermore, Wano Country also produces such an annoying guy as Momonosuke. It would be very satisfying to nip him in the bud.

Finally, the ancient weapon "Pluto" is hidden in Wano Country. After the Celestial Dragons destroy the country and leave, he can easily obtain it without any concealment.

It could be said that Wano Country is the only place where destroying a country is more valuable than surviving it.

But...

John's idea of ​​destroying Wano Country was merely a thought; he did not decide to carry it out.

After all, the people of Wano Country had never provoked him, and they had lived a miserable life under the oppression of the Kozuki family.

A wise person judges actions, not intentions; if one judges intentions, there is no perfect person in the world.

Despite John's head being filled with terrifying and outrageous ideas all the time, the things he's actually done so far can barely be considered...good deeds!

"Why don't they provoke me? It's outrageous! They made me soften my heart."

Chapter 112 "Flying Admiral" Shiki the Golden Lion

What are you muttering about?

Seeing John with a cigarette in his mouth, his lips moving and making an ambiguous "whooshing" sound, Begabank was so frightened that he moved away and sat down to keep his distance.

"You don't have rabies, do you?"

"This is Lao Tzu's encrypted mutterings. If you don't understand, don't ask."

John understood deeply that people often can't help but whisper their inner thoughts, and in order to avoid being overheard by others, they trained themselves to do so.

I'll say what I want to say, but don't expect to understand me.

Then, John changed the subject.

"Stop buying 'bloodline factor' materials on the black market for now; you can't afford to be targeted by the World Government for the time being."

"If we run out of research materials, I'll figure something out. A trip to the World Government's secret research institute should be enough to take away a lot."

"Row."

Begabank nodded, then gave a mysterious smile.

"By the way, the artificial Devil Fruits are almost ripe. Are you ready?"

"Yatagara no Yata no Crow!"

John was excited, then shook his head regretfully.

"Not yet. I haven't figured out how to use Haki to temper the black blade. If I'm going to do it, I'll do it perfectly. I'll feed that Devil Fruit into it once I can use Haki to temper black armor."

"I'll pick them and preserve them once they're ripe, and we'll talk about it again when you're ready..."

After finishing his speech, Begabank wanted to discuss the issue of green blood, but was interrupted by the Den Den Mushi that rang in John's arms.

As the call connected, Somaz's voice came through.

"Dear brother, your little brother needs your help!"

"..."

Let's go back three hours.

The latter half of the Grand Line, Malaga Island.

"Hehehe!"

As arrogant laughter echoed through the sky, a historical inscription stone crashed through the dome of the royal palace treasury and, in the eyes of the King of Malaga and his nobles, flew straight into the sky and disappeared.

"Damn it, that rock is our country's 'golden stone' for next year! Who stole it?!"

The bloated and smug King Malaga stormed into the treasury, staring at the gaping hole in the dome, his teeth clenched and his eyes bloodshot with rage.

He learned this from a high-ranking official of the World Government whom he had befriended. The World Government valued such a stone highly, and could negotiate with the Five Elders based on just this one piece.