CHAPTER 252 TARGET—WAPOL
Kaido ultimately did not sail to Fish-Man Island.
Fighting a monster like Brett in the depths of the ocean would yield no favorable outcome. Kaido was violent and impulsive, but he was no fool. Even if he believed his own strength rivaled any power in the seas, he understood perfectly well that he could never defeat a fish-man of equal caliber in the deep ocean.
Yet the grudge had been forged all the same.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it deepened.
After all, Kaido already despised Brett intensely. The inspection of the Poneglyph. The rescue of his daughter. Either transgression alone was reason enough for Kaido's hatred. Now, another offense had been added to the list.
"I need to have a serious discussion with Linlin!" Kaido's voice dripped with fury. "I don't believe that old hag isn't interested in a secret that lets ability users move freely in the sea!"
Perhaps they could work together again.
Back on Fish-Man Island, Brett finished telling Tesoro the entire story.
"You really know how to complicate my life, don't you, Brett!" Tesoro complained loudly. "If I stay in Dressrosa now, won't I just invite disaster?"
"I'm sorry," was all Brett could say.
The entire world now knew that Gild Tesoro was the Deep Sea Emperor's closest friend. Though Brett and the government had agreed to maintain appearances for now, being Tesoro's companion meant he would absolutely face government retaliation. One misstep could result in assassination by CP0, let alone business complications.
"Forget it. It was only a matter of time anyway. This just accelerates things," Tesoro said pragmatically. "I'm relocating my company headquarters to Fish-Man Island. You can provide a suitable plot of land for my operations, right, Brett?"
"Of course," Brett replied casually.
"Oh, one more thing I almost forgot—you're a Devil Fruit user too, but how do you move around in the deep sea? You're not going to tell me you only recently obtained your ability, are you?"
"Well, even if I explained it, you couldn't replicate the process," Brett smiled knowingly. "Let's just say I have certain people to thank for their technology."
"Technology?" Tesoro began, but the conversation was interrupted.
The excitement surrounding Brett's revelations didn't persist long. For most people across the seas, Brett and his abilities seemed distant, irrelevant to their daily lives. What truly concerned them were matters directly affecting their own circumstances.
For instance, one particular topic raised during the World Reverie.
The Revolutionary Army.
The Revolutionary Army had toppled multiple nations in a single year. For both nobility and commoners alike, this was terrifying. After all, the World Government's propaganda painted the Revolutionary Army as nothing but villains and thieves, motivated purely by greed in their conquest of nations.
The Revolutionary Army, established years ago, had finally captured the world's full attention this year. The kings, trembling at their existence, spent an entire day deliberating on Revolutionary Army-related matters at the Reverie.
The consensus reached was clear: the government would dramatically increase military spending to combat the Revolutionary Army. Until the next Reverie, the Revolutionary Army would be treated as the government's primary enemy.
This resolution quickly eclipsed Brett's story, becoming the dominant topic of conversation across the seas. Only now did people fully comprehend how dangerous the Revolutionary Army truly was—so much so that even the World Government treated them with extreme caution.
Consequently, the Revolutionary Army's commander, a man called Dragon, was quickly crowned with the title of "the World's Most Dangerous Criminal."
For Brett, however, none of this held particular significance.
On the day the World Reverie concluded, he stood at Fish-Man Island's port to welcome an old friend from a distant land.
"From now on, I'll be working under you for my meals. You'd better take good care of me, Commander Brett," Tesoro said with a grin.
He hadn't come alone.
He brought an entire fleet—dozens of massive vessels. The complete headquarters of the Tesoro Company had been relocated. Dressrosa was now merely a branch office.
Fortunately, Tesoro's fruit ability had already awakened. Otherwise, the golden tower of Dressrosa would have been impossible to transport and would have been left standing for anyone else to claim as their prize.
"Then you'll need to keep yourself in line," Brett chuckled.
"Hmph. Have you picked out a location for me?" Tesoro demanded.
"Land is scarce on Fish-Man Island now, so I found you an open area just outside the Forest of the Sea, near Fishman Street," Brett explained. "You wanted to construct it yourself, correct?"
"Obviously!" Tesoro nodded decisively. "I'll be here for quite some time, so naturally I want the headquarters built to my specifications!"
With his awakened fruit ability, Tesoro could freely manipulate any gold he'd come into contact with. Using gold as construction material made him the world's finest builder.
"By the way, would you like to meet that girl?" Tesoro lowered his voice. "They came along this time too."
Brett understood he meant the red-haired beauty, the songstress named Uta. With Tesoro's company relocating, the newly formed idol group had followed to Fish-Man Island as well.
Meeting her wouldn't be a bad idea.
Brett was about to nod when a transponder snail rang.
He answered immediately.
"Brett! That guy you had me watching has set sail! He's returning to Drum Kingdom under the protection of a Marine vice admiral!" the voice crackled through.
"Drum Kingdom?" Tesoro raised an eyebrow. He'd recognized Morgans' voice.
"Excellent work. Thank you," Brett replied. "I'll need detailed information on his route as well."
"Hey, hey, you're really pushing your luck, aren't you? Hahahaha! But since I'm such a helpful person, I'll give it to you!"
After ending the call with Morgans, Brett turned to Tesoro. "We'll meet that girl later."
"So what are you planning now?" Tesoro asked curiously.
"If you're interested, come with me," Brett said. "I'm going to capture someone very useful."
"Tsk. That sounds like something a slave trader would say," Tesoro remarked.
"Perhaps," Brett shrugged indifferently. After all, punishing trash like Wapol was justice, wasn't it?
Brett set out with Tesoro.
The target was Wapol.
Or more precisely, the Human-Human Fruit.
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