The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

With a ringing tone, the Den Den Mushi instantly transformed into a freckled face wearing a cowboy hat with a crying and laughing expression.

"What's wrong, Luffy?!"

From the mouth of the Den Den Mushi came Ace's gentle laughter:

"Why did you suddenly decide to call me at this time?"

"Ah, I've arrived in Wano Country!"

Luffy made no attempt to hide his crew's location, saying, "I met a girl here named Tama, who's going to be a female ninja someday!"

"It's the alluring female ninja, '487'!"

Ayu corrected him, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the Den Den Mushi.

Ace's voice really came from its mouth.

Moreover, his speaking style and tone were undoubtedly those of the real Ace!

"Ayu?!"

The Den Den Mushi paused for a moment, then let out a sigh.

"It's been a long time. Judging from her voice, she seems to be doing well, which puts my mind at ease."

Ace sighed softly there.

"I remember it. I met her in Wano Country before I went to see Shanks. It was thanks to her that I learned how to weave straw hats..."

I still remember two years ago, when Ace was on a boat, he happened to drift to the village of Bengashi, which was suffering from severe famine, and he was even tied up by the villagers.

Instead of retaliating, Ace shared the food on the ship with the residents, which made all the residents, including Ayu, extremely grateful.

Ace then spent a few weeks in the village of Hajime, where he developed a good relationship with Tama and learned how to weave straw hats from her.

Next, Ace promised Tama that he would take her to sea when she grew into a beautiful female ninja, which made her insist on staying in Kuri to wait for Ace to visit again.

"Back then, I made a promise with her that when we met again, I would liberate Wano Country. At the time, I was still naive and overconfident, thinking I could defeat Kaido."

Den Den Mushi shook its head slightly and gave a wry smile.

"I never expected that I had overestimated myself, so much so that two years have passed and I still haven't achieved anything."

"No need to say that, Brother Ace!!"

Hearing this, Ayu could no longer hold back and spoke directly to the Den Den Mushi:

"In Wano Country, once I become a stunning female ninja, I will definitely lead everyone to defeat Kaido and reclaim the original Wano Country!!"

"When that time comes, Ayu will finally have a proper meeting with Brother Ace!!"

A hint of longing appeared in her eyes, "When that time comes, I will definitely become an excellent ninja!!"

"Really? Then I'll be looking forward to it."

Ace greeted him with a smile, "But we won't have to wait too long to meet."

"Um?!"

"Because I will soon be arriving in Wano Country once again."

Wow~

On the seas of the New World, dangerous waves rolled endlessly. Ace stood on the deck of the warship, ignoring the storms on the sea.

Let the wind and rain lash your body.

Boom! !

A streak of purplish-black lightning flashed, followed by muffled bursts of thunder that exploded across the sky.

Ace, on the other hand, adjusted his hat, unfazed by the surroundings, his freckled face bearing an indomitable smile.

"Let's meet in Wano Country, Luffy!!"

Gurararara~!

Meow hahaha~!

The triumphant laughter of Whitebeard and Nekomamushi, Marco's helpless sigh, Izo's boundless ambition, and so on, all intertwined at this moment to create a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene.

"Ace, you...you're coming to...Wan Country too?!"

Luffy was slightly dumbfounded after hearing this.

"Yeah, it's not just me, it's also my dad, plus a few squad leaders~"

Ace laughed and said that the "nothing" he mentioned would be enough to create boundless waves if taken to the open sea.

"Even Dad came along?!"

Jinbe, who was eating stewed chicken and drinking flatbread there, also turned his big teeth, which were covered in soup, towards this side.

"Whitebeard is here too?!"

Aokiji, who was quietly eating squirrel fish, also refrained from uttering his signature catchphrase, which was quite rare.

Upon hearing Ace's words, he subconsciously straightened his body.

The clash between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, the encounter between powerful pirates of the old and new generations, and even the involvement of powerful figures like the Four Emperors who influence the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing world order, structure, and power)~

Such a battle is enough to have a profound impact on the outer seas.

If an opponent of Whitebeard's caliber were to get involved...

Aokiji suddenly realized that the level of this battle might be beyond his imagination.

And just as he was thinking this...

"Bolulu, bola, bola."

Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in Aokiji's pocket rang...

This is his private Den Den Mushi (snail phone), and generally speaking, very few people on this vast ocean would know his number.

Therefore, those who call are basically people who know him very well or have a very good relationship with him.

Click.

After Aokiji answered the call, three cigars suddenly appeared at the corner of Den Den Mushi's mouth.

Its head had turned completely silver-white, and its face looked quite fierce and ferocious.

With that appearance, even without the other person introducing themselves, Aokiji could pretty much guess who they were.

"I am Smoker~"

Smoker's deep voice rang out as he slowly opened his mouth, which was purring three cigars into his mouth.

"The Navy has dispatched troops to Wano Country."

As soon as Smoker opened his mouth, he revealed important intelligence about the Navy's movements to Aokiji.

Upon receiving this reaction, Aokiji also paused slightly.

Even the navy is getting involved, wanting to join in the fun?!

Aokiji was not surprised at all by Smoker's intelligence report.

Even after leaving the Navy, when he needed any necessary assistance, he would basically ask Smoker for help.

The latter also promptly informed Aokiji of some turbulent situations occurring at sea, so that he could keep an eye out and "incidentally" resolve the problems during the journey.

For example, in the original story, when Uesugi obtained the explosive rock from the Marine Headquarters with the intention of destroying the New World, Smoker also informed Aokiji of the relevant information.

Otherwise, as someone in the wild, he would have been completely unaware of Zephyr's actions.

This explains why, two years later in the original series, when Doflamingo was about to kill Smoker on Punk Hazard, Aokiji suddenly arrived and saved his life.

The timing was impeccable, I must say, incredibly precise.

Therefore, even if one is out of the public eye, it's not as simple as just cutting off all previous connections.

Even if one no longer bears the name of "justice," if "justice" resides in one's heart, one can still practice it in different ways and with different identities.

After all, it's something that has influenced my entire life, something I've carried for half my life; its shadow is everywhere in my life. How could I possibly let it go so easily?

"Led by the Grand Inspector Sengoku, and with some very powerful vice admirals, it seems the World Government has received news that the Straw Hat Pirates are heading to Wano Country and plans to wipe them out here."

Smoker seemed oblivious to Aokiji's odd behavior and continued talking to himself.

"They not only dispatched the Navy, but also CP agents from the World Government, and even some of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!!"

~~~~~~~~~

[Thank you so much to the generous donor 'Once Upon a Time There Was a Eunuch' for the incredible generosity! Thank you!!!]

575 Aokiji's Resolve and Participation in the War!! Through war, to find answers to some questions!!

"Based on my current position and the information I have, those who have accepted this call to the Seven Warlords of the Sea are: the pirate prince Cavendish, the world's greatest swordsman Hawkeye Mihawk, and the world's most beautiful woman, Boa Hancock."

After the Marineford War, many naval officers were seriously injured or even killed, leading to their either retiring in disgrace or being forced to leave this world forever.

As a result, many positions in the Navy have become vacant.

Smoker, due to his impeccable lineage and considerable strength, is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.

Given the current shortage of manpower in the navy, he skipped directly from the rank of colonel to commodore and has now reached the position of rear admiral.

He has accumulated a wealth of experience and made a breakthrough, thus rising to the rank of admiral in the navy.

If he cultivates his domineering aura properly, becoming a lieutenant general and commanding a branch fortress in the future will not be a problem at all.

"While this lineup may not be as strong as that of the Marineford War, it is still the strongest lineup that the World Government can currently send out."

"It is clear that the World Government is determined to kill the Straw Hat Pirates and eliminate them."

Smoker spoke in a deep voice, clearly feeling a sense of impending doom regarding the encirclement and suppression operation arranged by the World Government.

At the same time, he also truly experienced the unprecedented determination of the world government. 20

That unwavering determination to kill the Straw Hat Pirates.

This is not only because now is a good time, and because the Straw Hat Pirates' involvement in the Marineford War ruined the Navy's plans, but also because of other reasons.

In Smoker's view, aside from some personal grudges, the World Government likely had some unknown reasons why it was determined to eradicate the Straw Hat Pirates.

These many thoughts surfaced in Smoker's mind, but he didn't say much about them.

"Oh dear, the World Government's resolve and will, huh..."

After hearing Smoker's words, Aokiji fell silent.

He didn't expect that after Whitebeard's side was about to arrive, the Navy would also come to join in the fun.

The Straw Hat Pirates and the Beast Pirates, with their combined strength of two Yonko-level forces, were already enough to stir up trouble on the seas.

Then there's Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, who is now an agent of the World Government, a recruiter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and a member of the Navy's elite forces.

Moreover, the team was led by a high-ranking inspector from the Warring States period, who was clearly quite old and practically retired...

Aokiji also suddenly had a toothache.

Only then did he realize that the storms outside were no longer just a matter of the trees wanting to be still while the wind wouldn't stop.

The upcoming battle may not only be beyond his imagination, but may even be beyond his control.

It's not just him; even the Navy and the World Government might not have imagined how large this war would escalate to.

A second Marineford War?!

The first Marineford War had just ended, and the turmoil it caused around the world had not yet subsided.

The impact, even at sea, has not yet subsided.

So, in such a short time, is another great war of this magnitude, even larger in scale, about to erupt?!

These are truly turbulent times!

Aokiji couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

This further solidified his resolve to participate in this great battle.

Although he had initially planned not to sell, he might be forced to do so under unusual circumstances.

In order to stay on this battlefield, he would have to demonstrate certain skills.

"Thanks, Smoker."