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

"I'm going to make this World Expo one that the entire ocean will remember!"

"A mere 10 billion Berries bounty is far from enough!!"

Buena Festa was so excited that he trembled all over.

Even at this moment, he was incredibly grateful for that storm, for the sea king that was about to devour him and take his life.

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have encountered Barrett, who happened to be passing by hunting, killed the sea king, and rescued him along the way.

Therefore, they would not obtain this treasure, which is related to the One Piece and was left behind by the Pirate King Roger!

"Back then, I left the Roger Pirates early. Three years later, the Roger Pirates arrived at the final island where the One Piece was located, Laugh Tale, so I didn't go with them to that final place."

Douglas Barrett stated this fact slowly.

His tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

There was none of the regret and frustration of not being able to disembark beforehand, not being able to reach the final destination together, complete the voyage that all pirates dream of, and find the One Piece that countless people long for.

That wasn't what Barrett wanted at all, and he had no regrets about not getting it. All he wanted was to be the strongest.

"But there's nothing to regret, and my only goal is to surpass Roger and become the strongest!!"

At the age of fifteen, Barrett was already wandering the seas in search of battlefields.

Aside from being betrayed by his fellow boy soldiers in Jalzburg when he was about to succeed on the battlefield, not only was his long-desired medal of bravery stolen, but he also suffered a near-death injury.

He had never suffered a defeat, even when his general Douglas betrayed him again. Enraged, Douglas destroyed his own country and army, and was hunted by the World Government, which led him to go to sea.

After being betrayed by his fellow boy soldiers, Barrett survived and took down all the boy soldiers who had betrayed and harmed him.

Not only did they regain the medal, but they also recognized the reasons for their failure: their own negligence and arrogance, as well as their own weakness in trusting their comrades.

Later, relying on his "single-handed strength," he became a legendary hero on the battlefield and also the strongest young soldier.

He increasingly felt that only strength could bring him freedom, and when he was on the verge of death from hunger and exhaustion on the battlefield, he ate a Devil Fruit, which made him even stronger from then on.

Barrett later became a hero in his country, and the victory of the nation, which claimed to be in an endless war, was just around the corner.

The commander of Barrett's unit, Douglas, from whom he also took his surname, was promoted to "general" because of Barrett's military achievements and showed great care for him.

They promised to remove him from the battlefield and give him true freedom after the war ended.

Barrett believed him and annihilated the enemy in the final battle, but he didn't expect that Douglas had no intention of letting him go, betrayed him, and wanted to kill him.

After that, Barrett stopped trusting others and focused solely on his own victory.

Later, he met Roger, challenged him, and was defeated. Unwilling to admit defeat, he challenged Roger several more times and was defeated each time.

Having experienced a series of defeats for the first time, Bullet decides to join the Roger Pirates.

He then repeatedly challenged Roger, but all his attempts ended in failure. Barrett then vowed, "One day I will defeat you and become the strongest in the world."

Thus, Barrett joined Roger's Pirates as a challenger.

At that time, only Roger could defeat him in the entire pirate crew. Even the vice-captain Rayleigh could only fight him to a draw. But Bullet was not proud. Instead, he had Roger as a mountain waiting for him ahead, so he intensified his training.

Until he learned the truth about Roger's terminal illness.

Eighteen-year-old Barrett was deeply shocked after learning of Roger's impending death.

He was worried that he would not be able to fulfill his vow, and 643 made him very anxious, which gave rise to all sorts of confusion.

This gradually made him realize that he "must protect his companions".

If it were an ordinary person, they might change their mind or be infected by the atmosphere on Roger's ship and gradually become more cheerful.

But Barrett is different; his unique experiences and encounters since childhood have led him to behave in a completely different way.

His fighting style became less decisive; he felt he had become weaker.

At the same time, he began to doubt Roger's strength, which led to Bullet leaving the Roger Pirates after failing to challenge Roger one last time.

Three years later, after learning of Roger's execution, Barrett believed he would never have another chance to beat him.

Having lost his purpose in life, Barrett's empty heart led to endless loneliness, causing him to go on a rampage at sea, turning the entire ocean upside down.

As a result, the Navy had to launch a Buster Call against them, and even Garp and Sengoku were mobilized.

Although Barrett engaged in a fierce battle with the Navy, his fatigue gradually built up until it reached its peak.

As Barrett's strength was gradually exhausted by the Buster Call, the pirates he had previously defeated seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on him.

695 The Pirate King's Treasure!! The [Eternal Log Pose] to Laugh Tale!!

In the end, he succumbed to the Buster Call and was imprisoned on the last level of the Deepsea Prison.

It was this battle that solidified Barrett's idea—the idea that he could surpass Roger.

"That is to kill all the powerful figures, including the Four Emperors and the Marine Admirals. Only in this way can it be considered as proof of surpassing Roger."

Barrett's tone was incredibly calm, yet incredibly firm: "This is the true, strongest Pirate King!!"

"So, after you got this, you didn't go to Laugh Tale immediately. Instead, you summoned all those people under the guise of a celebration!!"

Buena Festa laughed heartily.

"Neither of us is interested in the so-called Great Treasure; we only care about what we want!"

"Therefore, even the Log Pose that leads to the final island, Laugh Tale, remains unmoved and utterly disdainful before us!!"

Twenty-two years ago, Roger and his crew arrived at Laugh Tale, the final destination.

His crew member, navigator Spencer, secretly created and recorded a permanent pointer pointing to "Laugh Tale".

However, after Roger discovered it, he threw the pointer into the sea, where it was eaten by a passing sea king.

And that sea king just happened to be the one that attacked Festa and was hunted down by Barrett!

The permanent pointer, which had been hidden deep inside the fish's belly, was able to restore the light of day at that moment.

"Only the treasure left behind by the Roger Pirates, and the treasures related to the legendary One Piece, can attract both pirates and the Marines!!"

As an outsider, Barrett, who had no interest in the One Piece, saw this very clearly.

Any ambitious pirate would find it impossible to resist this temptation.

Similarly, the Navy, which would absolutely not tolerate the emergence of a second Pirate King, would definitely come here to investigate.

It was precisely by using this as bait that they were able to stage such a grand spectacle.

Or rather, only those two madmen, Barrett and Buena Festa, would dare to use the pointer to the One Piece as bait!

A madman does mad things.

Buena Festa continued:

"There's only one member of the Roger Pirates, and he's a pirate who disembarked midway and didn't even reach the final destination. The credibility of using this as bait isn't very high... 々～ ..."

"That's why I dragged that Clown King with the 'Thousand Taels of Dao Transformation' over here to form this lousy organization."

Barrett crossed his arms, listening coldly to the so-called banquet farce below.

"That's why I have the title of one of the Four Emperors. Otherwise, I would have eliminated all those so-called 'Four Emperors' one by one!!"

"But according to my conversation with that red-nosed guy when he was drunk, he apparently also didn't reach Laugh Tale because he developed a high fever along the way."

Buena Festa said this, while Barrett simply waved his hand dismissively:

Whether he reached the final island or knew about the One Piece is not important.

"As long as the world, pirates, and the navy believe that he has been there and knows about it, that's enough!!"

Barrett sneered:

"All I want is the title of a member of the Roger Pirates, nothing more!!"

"Including that 'Whitebeard II' and his mother Ba Jin, they all mean the same thing."

"A pirate connected to Whitebeard, and who was once on Rocks' ship~~~"

"With that red-nosed guy added in, and all three parties endorsing it, the matter can be finalized, and even if it's fake, it will become real."

"Moreover..."

"This treasure was genuine!!"

"And that 'treasure hunter,' who pursues the ultimate treasure, is on our side, which will also provide strong evidence."

"With all this confirmed, I'd like to see why those marines and pirates won't be tempted!"

Clearly, the seemingly chaotic organization, the Cross Guild, was a carefully selected group of people.

This was the only role this organization played in Barrett's mind, and it was also the sole purpose for which he built this force.

As for the so-called ability to provide him with strength and assistance, he never even considered it.

"Then I'll go and formulate the relevant bounties for the Navy."

Everything proceeded as planned by the two of them, and Buena Festa said no more.

They immediately went to attend to important matters, assigning appropriate bounty amounts based on the navy's strength and reputation.

Just like they did to the pirates back then.

This time, however, the roles of hunter and prey have been reversed.

Whoever has the greater strength and financial resources will take the initiative.

Sometimes, the identities of a Marine and a pirate can be completely reversed.

The Cross Guild, led by Barrett, is a force that has essentially gathered the last remaining powerful fighting force on the open seas and is now taking action.

On the other side, beside the small river near the Flower Capital, on that ice table.

"So, what are your thoughts on the current situation outside?"

Link put away the reports, a smile on his face, and looked at Aokiji and Hawkeye.

"The successive withdrawal of the Seven Warlords of the Sea has already signaled the disintegration of this organization (the King's Majesty), rendering it defunct in name only. The World Government will most likely take this opportunity to abolish the organization altogether."

Hawkeye put his feet on the table, raised his head, looked up at the sky, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"I've been silent for too long, and I rarely feel that kind of passionate excitement anymore."

The meaning of these words is quite clear: they intend to go out to sea and experience firsthand the waves brought about by the changing times.

As a lone wolf, Hawkeye's actions were not surprising.

"If I have the chance, I might as well challenge that new Yonko~"

His hawk-like eyes were also sharp.

"I had only heard of his legends before, but had never actually fought or met him."

Barrett was imprisoned in Impel Down for over twenty years, which naturally coincided perfectly with Hawkeye's rise to fame.

696. Aokiji has joined! He's become one of you! I was prepared for this!

Challenging the strong is something deeply ingrained in the very bones of every great swordsman.

Wishing you all the best!

Link had expected this.

After offering his blessings, he turned his gaze to Aokiji.

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Link sat upright in his chair, his gaze gradually calming down.

"Having followed us for so long, all the way to this point, it's not just you, it's us too. To say we have no thoughts about it would be a bit of self-deception."

"Let's be straightforward and not beat around the bush. Pirates are all open and honest guys, and they don't like to hide anything."

“This should have been asked by our captain, but you know what kind of guy he is, so I’ll ask him on his behalf first.”

Link gazed calmly into Aokiji's silent eyes and said:

What is your next choice?

"Is this the end of the journey, or will you continue with us?"

"..."

Aokiji's gaze slowly moved upwards, settling on Link's serious face.

"Oh dear, what's the next choice..."