As old rivals of the Warring States period, although they were in different places, the Golden Lion and the Warring States achieved a resonance of ideas at this moment.
Am I the one who's gone mad, or is the world the one who's gone mad?
"Kid, what does it have to do with me that you got arrested by the Navy? Speaking of which, what about Roger's crew? Didn't they do anything? Those guys aren't simpletons."
If even his old rival couldn't stand Roger's situation, how could those people, Roger's most valued partners, just stand by and do nothing about Roger's execution?
As it turns out, the Golden Lion still didn't understand Roger enough.
We don't know why Roger made that final choice, what he said when he disbanded the pirate crew, or how special Bullet was.
"Partner. Hmph. That genius doctor used you as a sample to create a special robot. In terms of strength, it's probably about 70 or 80% of yours, and it even has your Devil Fruit ability."
This is also Barrett's speculation; Barrett doesn't know much about Shiki in his prime.
After saying that, Barrett leaned against the corner of the cell.
After being arrested, Barrett did not complain or blame others, but felt that he was too weak.
If you're strong enough, no matter how many people come, they won't be able to catch you.
Quiet and solitary, but it's also a good place for cultivation. After I get out...
With his plans for what would happen next in mind, Barrett entered into his own enlightenment phase at Ryujo, completely ignoring Shiki's expression.
"No wonder he wants these things, using me as a template. I really underestimated your ambition, hahaha!"
Upon hearing that he had become a prototype for the robot, the Golden Lion did not feel angry or resentful. Instead, he marveled at Oran's unknown ambition.
As an ambitious man who wanted to rule the world like Rocks, Golden Lion did not believe that Oran made this thing to serve others.
"Shiki! You're nothing but a prisoner, what's there to be proud of?!"
"A prisoner? Indeed, but it won't be long. This sea is getting more and more interesting."
"That's none of your business anymore. Impel Down is an impenetrable fortress. The only way you can see the sun again is if you are executed!"
"Let's wait and see."
Shiki didn't take Magellan's words to heart; such verbal intimidation had no effect on him. However, Shiki admitted that Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit posed a significant threat to him under these circumstances.
At this time, Magellan was already the designated successor to the warden of prisons, and his power was considerable.
To regain freedom, you need to find the right time and give up some things.
Meanwhile, at the Navy Headquarters.
The town that was destroyed by the Golden Lion has been largely restored, and most of the residents have moved back. At Zephyr's place, Zephyr also heard Oran tell him about his decision.
"I've heard Sengoku mention the Seven Warlords of the Sea before. Is this your choice?"
"It's alright, there are pros and cons, but it's still in line with my expectations."
From the moment Project Origin came into existence, it was bound to attract the attention of the World Government. Only in this way could they obtain more funding and establish some connections with the World Government.
Unless you draw a pirate flag and set sail to declare that you want to be a pirate, you can't avoid the World Government.
Forced conscription isn't a big problem. After conscription, it becomes a place for a bunch of slackers to compete in acting skills, and it's all about who can act better.
The World Government uses the power of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea also use the power of the World Government. From beginning to end, none of them have been genuinely working for the World Government.
After Oran took over the position of Shichibukai, he still had to do research and produce some finished products every few years to fool people. Compared with those who did nothing, he was already a role model.
The idea that the Seven Warlords would hand over a portion of their loot is just empty talk. Even the World Government might not be able to thoroughly investigate the taxes of the member states, let alone the taxes of pirates.
Gaining the trust of the world government will facilitate future actions.
At the next world conference, things will be easier. Becoming a member state will require going through procedures, unless you were originally the king of a member state but were expelled for some reason.
The nobles of various countries are implicitly united. As long as they have the capital to make a comeback, such royal families can easily restore their monarchy or rebuild their country. This is one of the few shortcuts.
Although Piltover is not yet a member state, it is practically one.
"If you ask me, you might as well join the Navy. Given your current situation, it would be no problem for the headquarters to directly grant you the rank of Vice Admiral. Why bother associating with those pirates?"
Except for special circumstances like the global draft, the Navy would not directly grant such a high rank. Even geniuses like Sakazuki only became rear admirals when they graduated from training camp.
However, if we're talking about military merits, Oran also has some. The capture of Golden Lion, Barrett, and San Juan Wolf were all indirectly or even directly related to Oran.
As for those guys who were airdropped into the Navy branch by Kuma, their bounties were in the tens of millions, which was not worth mentioning at all.
These are enough to transform a civilian lieutenant general into a lieutenant general with real power.
"Brother Zephyr, you know better than me what the Navy is really like, don't you? There are blemishes in the Navy too. Being a Shichibukai doesn't mean I'm a pirate. It will be clearly stated in the announcement in a few days."
"Too."
A few years ago, Zephyr could speak righteously about justice, but now he is also in a period of confusion.
In fact, Oran and Satan had some hidden agreements, which were not made public but were discussed in private.
For example, the Seven Warlords of the Sea is just a temporary measure. Once Oran's technology is mature enough to create more combat units, the Seven Warlords of the Sea can be abolished.
Even without this identity, they are still pirates, so naturally they need to be captured again.
At that time, Oran will be an exception among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, someone who is under special orders from the World Government to infiltrate the Seven Warlords and monitor these lawbreakers.
From this perspective, the World Government has even considered things very thoroughly, taking into account even the issue of face, since these guys care most about their reputation.
They'd rather spend more time and money on a combat character with a positive image, which saved Oran a lot of trouble with his deception.
Only a fool would refuse when the client proactively requests an extension of the construction period and an increase in investment.
All of this was achieved through technology. The world government has plenty of money; what the navy finds painful is just an ordinary number in the eyes of the world government.
However, high-end combat power is not common. Money can be directly converted into combat power in Oran. For the World Government, the biggest spender on the sea, there is no reason not to spend money.
Of course, these things can only take effect if the preconditions are met; otherwise, no one will acknowledge them.
Although it was only Satan's verbal promise, in a sense it was credible.
There's no doubt that Satan is no good. As a researcher, he has the same bottom line as Caesar, but his technical level is probably even lower than Caesar's.
But on this vast sea, he could even be considered trustworthy, and he really kept his promises.
"I heard about the combat unit you built. It's really good. With this, you won't have to worry about anything in the first half of the Grand Line."
Aside from the monsters of the New World, Zephyr couldn't think of anyone else who could threaten Oran's safety.
The Navy and the World Government are naturally stronger, but as a friendly force to the Navy and the World Government, Oran has nothing to worry about in that regard.
"Otherwise, what do you think I've been researching? This ocean can't function without the ability to protect itself."
Zefa's statement wasn't entirely accurate. Even in the New World, Oran wouldn't worry about anyone; what he lacks now is a true sea emperor-like force.
Moreover, Oran doesn't need to go to great lengths to search; once Leliana comes of age, everything will fall into place naturally.
Once the World Government's funding arrives, Oran will be able to start manufacturing its own equipment again. These days, insufficient firepower always feels unsafe, and without a large weapon similar to the Ancient Weapons, it always feels like something is missing.
For example, the special model of the Batian series - Batian Dragon God.
Unlike those transforming combat mechs, the Tyrant Dragon God is simply a dragon, but to be called a Dragon God, it is also an extremely powerful mothership.
In front of the Overlord Dragon God, characters like the Overlord Sword Demon are at best like carrier-based aircraft.
Rather than calling it a mothership, it's more accurate to describe it as an ark ship, upgraded with the goal of counterattacking the monster's planet.
Currently, Giggs and Heimerdinger over there are researching its main cannon, which is being developed in the direction of a star destroyer. Although the technological limit there is not yet at the level of a star destroyer cannon, it is still qualified to clash with ancient weapons.
But outsiders would never know about this technology until it was actually built.
"Speaking of which, you went to Mary Geoise to discuss that combat entity, right? How did it go?"
"Isn't it obvious? If I hadn't succeeded, how could I have accepted the position of Shiki? However, the process was a bit special. The World Government was very resistant to Shiki's appearance."
'A pirate cannot represent the Navy as a soldier,' so the final prototype design was chosen to be Garp.
The message should have reached Naval Headquarters by now; someone should be coming to them soon.
Bang!
No sooner had he finished speaking than Garp appeared at the door. It was impossible to bypass Garp in this matter; in fact, he was the first person notified.
"Hey, Siddi Lil, I've heard you've made some pretty impressive deals with the World Government!"
"Garp, you'd better get this door fixed for me later!"
Zephyr knew Garp well. He could tell at a glance whether Garp was genuinely angry or just trying to cause trouble. As people who joined the Navy at the same time, they were comrades-in-arms for decades.
As it turned out, Garp was quite well prepared; he even had two engineers following behind him who picked up hammers and started repairing the door.
There were still some details to be fixed in the reconstruction of the Navy Headquarters, so Garp made good use of these people.
"Hahaha, don't worry, I brought people specifically to fix the door!"
"You bastard."
Zefa's fists hardened; he'd never seen a lunatic come to his door with a repairman.
"Couldn't you knock properly?!"
"That wouldn't be impressive."
Do you think it exists now?
This time, Garp didn't speak, but instead picked his nose, seemingly thinking of a new excuse.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of the engineers wielding their hammers to repair the door remaining.
"The World Government people said they need to input data and stuff, but I heard it will take several years to complete. Can it be done faster?"
Garp, true to form, feigned ignorance. When he didn't know how to explain, he simply changed the subject, leaving Zephyr alone to examine the hammer in the engineer's hand.
Given Garp's Haki strength, hitting him with a hammer shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Vice Admiral Kap, let me correct you. Five years is the first phase, not the finished product phase. There is a difference between a prototype and a finished product. To be on the safe side, this equipment can be deployed on a large scale in the Navy within twenty years."
"Twenty years?! Does it really take that long?"
"Mass deployment is the way it is, and it might even be faster. However, the cutting-edge individuals manufactured based on Vice Admiral Garp's template will arrive sooner. Why do I feel like you're in such a hurry?"
"Of course, with this, I won't have to listen to their nagging anymore, and I can do what I want to do."
Garp has no objection to capturing pirates, but he also doesn't want to get involved in the messy affairs of the World Government every day, which is a big reason why he refused to be promoted to admiral.
Admirals are rotated to guard Mary Geoise, and they are deployed when Celestial Dragons are attacked; such things happen frequently.
If there were a similar-looking robot as a replacement, Garp felt he would be free.
"There's no way around it, scientific research takes time. It's not like magic that you can just conjure it up on a whim."
Oran expressed his helplessness, since it wasn't being deployed to his own troops, and he needed a long research period to secure more funding.
"By the way, Marshal Kong asked me to call you over on the way, as there are some details we need to discuss."
Garp felt regretful for a while before remembering the real reason he had come.
The World Government only established the main framework; the specific capabilities of these combat units and the combat effects they are intended to achieve are to be determined by the Navy itself.
According to the Five Elders' logic, the navy on the front lines of combat knows better what capabilities they need, and they are not very interested in things like remote command and control.
Garp himself is a powerless user, but that doesn't mean the re-created Project Origin is also a powerless user.
"Wait, you came all this way just to tear down my door?!"
Seeing that Garp was planning to take Oran to discuss serious matters, Zephyr felt there was a big problem. He didn't even know what Garp was after in all this.
"Isn't it fixed now? Let's talk later, Brother Kong is waiting!"
With that, Garp left alone, not even noticing whether Oran followed. Anyway, Oran was familiar with the way to Marine Headquarters and wouldn't get lost here.
"Then I'll go over first. What are you doing?"
Zefa picked up a notebook and started writing. Judging from the format of the article, it seemed to be some kind of report.
"Didn't you make a technological breakthrough? I need to apply to headquarters to increase the intensity of the Navy training camp as the number of pirates increases."
Once the prototype is ready, we should prioritize equipping the training camp with one so that new recruits can experience its power and the younger generation of naval personnel can become more familiar with the naval heroes!
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