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Repair work was underway at Marineford, but with most of the foundation submerged, it was nearly impossible for it to return to its former state. Marineford could no longer bear the heavy responsibility of being the Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Akainu quickly made a decision. "The Marine Headquarters will relocate to the G-1 Branch!"
The G-1 Branch was located on the other side of the Red Line, in the New World, which meant the challenges the Marines would face would increase sharply. However, with Kaido leading the Beasts Pirates to capture the G-1 Branch during the Summit War, it almost breached the Holy Land.
The incident left the Marine with lingering fears, and the Holy Land also felt a sense of crisis. Relocating the Marine Headquarters to the New World was now urgent to prevent such an incident from happening again.
In Aokiji's office, Smoker sat on a half-destroyed sofa with a cigar in his mouth. "What about the change in my position?" he asked in a deep voice.
"I've talked to Sakazuki," Kuzan sighed. "Smoker, G-5 is not a place anyone wants to go; there are quite a lot of problems there."
"The closer to the target, the better," Smoker replied, his face grim. He had long decided that he must capture the Straw Hat Pirates, so he had to be transferred to the New World where he was most likely to encounter them.
His performance during the Summit War was also unacceptable to him; facing the slaughter of top powerhouses, he couldn't even intervene and could only watch helplessly as Marineford sank into the sea. He had to become stronger.
"I'll take my leave first," Smoker said, getting up and leaving.
Kuzan watched Smoker's retreating back, silent for a long time. He leaned back in his chair and covered his face with a newspaper. Seeing the young man so determined made his heart ache again.
The scene of Ohara kept replaying in his mind. The Vice Admiral who had ordered the shelling of the evacuation ship was Sakazuki. Even now, he still couldn't accept Sakazuki as Fleet Admiral, nor could he agree with his justice. It was time to make a decision.
Crack, crack~~ Ice crystals spread across the newspaper.
On Saobody Archipelago, at Shakky's Rip-off Bar, Daichi sat down at the counter. "Shakky, a glass of sherry," he said.
"Oh, what a rare guest," Shakky replied, quite surprised. "I didn't expect you to find this place. Did Hancock tell you?"
"Sort of," Daichi chuckled. He didn't remember the exact location of Shakky's bar, but Saobody Archipelago was only so big, and a few inquiries were enough to reveal it.
Without Marine interference, the construction of the Hoenn Government Community proceeded smoothly. The Marines were busy with a large conscription and post-war recovery, so they had no time for him. Having nothing to do, he had come to look around.
"Where's Rayleigh?" he asked.
"He's not here," Shakky said with a smile, as she poured Daichi a glass of sherry. "However, he won't easily leave this island. You can try looking for him in a bar or casino; you might find him."
"Then forget it," Daichi said, waving his hand. He wasn't interested in casinos or similar places; he'd rather spend that time looking at real estate.
Shakky propped her chin and asked curiously, "What do you want Rayleigh for?"
"Oh, that. I want to invite him to be a new recruit instructor at the Hoenn Government Fortress," Daichi explained, taking a gulp of wine. He wanted to establish a massive organization similar to the Marines, which was ten or a hundred times more troublesome than building a Four Emperors crew, mainly due to a lack of talent.
The World Government's large conscription, with over 170 affiliated countries to draw from, would quickly replenish the losses from the Summit War. This was their foundation. As for him, he was just starting and didn't even have a decent instructor, so he wanted to find Rayleigh to help him train new recruits, especially those with good potential. Although he thought it was unlikely, there was no harm in trying to invite him; it would be a chance to catch up.
"Haha, this is truly unexpected!" Shakky couldn't help but burst out laughing. Thinking of Rayleigh's troubled expression while teaching students, she couldn't stop laughing; it was just too amusing.
"I'll pass on your message," she said.
"Thank you, Shakky," Daichi said with a smile, placing a basket of egg yolk tarts on the bar. "A small token of appreciation!"
Shakky was speechless. After a while, she resisted retorting and swiftly took the basket under the bar. Why refuse a freebie? But having received a favor, she felt she should put in a bit more effort. Having lived on Saobody Archipelago for decades, it would be nice to occasionally go out and relax.
Purupurupuru~~ A sound came from his pocket. Daichi took out the small Den Den Mushi and answered.
"It's me, Who's-Who, Daichi-sama. We are heading to Saobody Archipelago and will arrive in half an hour."
"Okay," Daichi hung up the phone and looked at Shakky. "Shakky, Amazon Lily has now moved to the New World. Have you considered moving there too?"
"You're not even letting me off?" Shakky rolled her eyes at Daichi. Was this kid trying to have his cake and eat it too?
"Haha, just kidding," Daichi put down his wine glass and waved goodbye. "I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first."
"Welcome back anytime!"
Half an hour later, on the Groudon, Daichi was in the reception room. He looked at Who's-Who, who was covered in bandages and looked weak, and remained silent for a while. He knew without thinking that this guy must have picked a fight with Rob Lucci. Forget it, as long as he brought the person back, he thought.
Daichi turned to the CP9 members and called out their names one by one. "Rob Lucci, Kaku, Jabra, Blueno, Kumadori, Fukurou, Kalifa—is that right?"
Lucci and the others didn't speak, but Kalifa pushed up her glasses. "This is sexual harassment!"
"Huh?" Daichi's mouth dropped open. He was just asking for names; it had nothing to do with sexual harassment.
"I won't beat around the bush," Daichi said with a smile. "I want you to join my Hoenn Government. Your duties will be basically the same as CP9's: responsible for intelligence and assassination."
"Hoenn Government?" Lucci and the others frowned. They were lawless pirates, yet they dared to call themselves the Hoenn Government; in their eyes, it was somewhat boastful.
Lucci's expression was cold. "Why should we join an organization established by pirates?"
"It's simple," Daichi looked directly into Lucci's eyes. "I can satisfy all your needs, fulfill the dark justice you pursue, even if you want to continue being shipwrights. Especially you, Rob Lucci! I can let you kill to your heart's content!"
Lucci's pupils suddenly contracted. He was seen through!
But... Kaku spoke up. "How can we believe your words?"
"No need to believe," Daichi said, pointing to the ship beneath him. "This ship will set sail immediately and return to the New World. Once we reach the Hoenn Government Fortress, you will naturally understand whether I can do what I say."
Seeing is believing. Even the Four Emperors, in the eyes of some ignorant people, were just stronger ordinary people; only by truly facing them would they recognize reality.