The clone of the clone smiled. "With Kamui's spatial ability, I don't think even Imu would pose a threat."
He looked at Luo Chen's main body. "As the gold from the sky island is sold, you'll soon have the strength of an Admiral or Emperor."
"And with ample funds, it's time to build our Yonko crew."
"Do you want to steal Marshall D. Teach's script?" A smile hung on the corner of the clone of the clone's mouth.
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "You mean go into the great undersea prison, Impel Down, and recruit people?"
"Yes. The strong people on the seas basically all belong to some organization. The only place to find unaffiliated powerhouses is on the sixth level of Impel Down," the clone of the clone nodded.
If he wanted to make the Marines wary and stop bothering him, the only way was to make his organization bigger and stronger.
The Four Emperors were a very clear example.
They were entrenched in the New World, and even the Marines and the World Government did not dare to invade their territory rashly.
Before starting a war with an Emperor, they had to report up through the chain of command, and a war could not be started lightly.
Luo Chen had long had the idea of establishing his own force.
Whether it was a pirate crew or something else, he didn't care, as long as the Marines stopped hunting him.
He didn't want to fight people again and again.
With that time, he would rather tour the scenery of the pirate world and have some friendly exchanges with the beautiful women of the pirate world.
Luo Chen pinched the bridge of his nose. "I do need to recruit strong people. With just me alone, the World Government and the Marines will never be wary of me."
The strength of the Four Emperors, besides their own, was also critically dependent on the forces under their command.
For the Marines to deal with a single Emperor, it was necessary to launch a large-scale war, and the cost was very high.
But dealing with a lone wolf was too simple.
Just find him and dispatch powerhouses to surround and kill him.
The clone of the clone smiled. "The Summit War is also an opportunity for us. The guard force at Impel Down will be depleted, and the Marine Admirals won't be able to provide reinforcements."
"What I mean is, you should just let the Marines catch you. It's highly likely they'll lock you up in Impel Down, which will save us the time of trying to find the prison's exact location."
"It would be even more troublesome if Blackbeard Teach got there first."
"Also, inside the prison, you can see when Ace is taken away and confirm when the Summit War will begin."
"After the war starts, and you take the extremely wicked and powerful criminals from the sixth level of Impel Down, the Marines won't have the strength to stop you."
Luo Chen thought about it and felt it was feasible.
The main reason was that he had obtained the ninjutsu Kamui, which greatly increased his safety.
With Kamui, he didn't have to worry about being unable to escape after being captured.
Even Kizaru couldn't catch him.
What's more, the gold from the sky island was being sold. It wouldn't be long before he had the strength of an Admiral or Emperor.
"Let's have some fun. The Marines have been chasing us for so long, we should slap them in the face at least once," the clone of the clone said, and then voluntarily dispelled the jutsu, turning into a piece of wood and falling.
Luo Chen was lost in thought for a long time and decided to do just that.
Recruit people from the sixth level of Impel Down, and then make a grand appearance at the Summit War.
If the gold from the sky island sold smoothly and his strength increased enough, he could even kill Onigumo at Marineford.
Luo Chen controlled the Wood Dragon, bringing it within a three-kilometer range of Water 7.
Within this range, he could already sense the Flying Thunder God mark on Nami.
He only needed a single thought to teleport there.
'I'll continue my training. As soon as the Marines make a move on Nami, I'll show myself.'
'I'm really curious who's here.'
Luo Chen gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded Water 7.
How many people had the Marines and the World Government laid in ambush? Was there an Admiral?
Luo Chen closed his eyes and continued to train.
Before the Marines made their move, he would increase his strength as much as possible.
Then he would show himself and have a go with them, to test the progress of his strength.
'I hope there's an Admiral. Otherwise, I won't be able to get "captured" and thrown into Impel Down.'
...
Three days passed in a flash.
Water 7, the Galley-La Company.
Luffy, completely exhausted, was sprawled on the ground, wiggling back and forth like a large worm. He asked, bored, "When will the Going Merry be repaired? We've been here for so many days."
Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper leaned against each other, also sitting on the ground, bored.
In front of them was a young man with a long nose, wearing a shipwright's uniform. He smiled and soothed them, "Soon. We've purchased a batch of top-grade wood from an outer island. It should arrive soon. Installing it on the Going Merry will make the hull exceptionally sturdy."
Zoro and Usopp looked at each other helplessly.
They felt that something was not right.
But it was also their first time having a ship repaired, so they could only listen to the other's advice and wait patiently.
Sanji was circling around Kalifa not far away.
He didn't care at all how long they stayed.
Nami, wearing sunglasses to hide her face, was sitting in the shade with Carina, drinking a beverage.
Vivi was looking at a newspaper with a grave expression. After a moment, she sighed in relief. "Crocodile hasn't returned to Alabasta yet."
She didn't know the reason.
But as long as the news didn't report it, Crocodile had not yet returned to Alabasta.
Carina comforted her, "Don't worry. Once the Going Merry is repaired, we'll go with you to Alabasta again. This time, we'll definitely let Luffy send him flying!"
When they had escaped from Alabasta before, the Going Merry had been heavily damaged by the cannons of a Marine warship.
And because they had deceived Nami into thinking they were going to Impel Down to save someone, the ship had sailed deep into the Grand Line.
After learning that Luo Chen had not been captured by the Marines, everyone was overjoyed. They found that they were not far from Water 7, so they had come here to repair their ship.
They had thought it would be repaired in two or three days, and then they would return to Alabasta.
Who knew that after waiting for so many days, the ship was still not finished.
As for Ace, because he had a mission from the Whitebeard Pirates, he had left long ago.
Nami said in a low, worried voice, "Luo Chen still hasn't come. Could something have happened to him?"
Carina revealed a smile. "Have a little faith in him, will you? Even Admiral Aokiji couldn't catch him. He's definitely fine. He's probably just been delayed by something."
...
Meanwhile, at the temporary Marine base, inside the cafe.
Aokiji and Kizaru received a communication from Sengoku.
"Water 7. Still no sign of Luo Chen?" Sengoku asked.
"He has not yet appeared," Aokiji said in a low voice.
Sengoku was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Five days left. In five days, you and Kizaru must return to Headquarters."
"Why?" Aokiji was puzzled.
'Are they not going to capture Luo Chen anymore?'
Right now, the whole sea was buzzing with talk of how Luo Chen had made the Marines run in circles.
He, the Marine Admiral Aokiji, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were the frequent targets of ridicule among many pirates.
Even though Aokiji hadn't been dedicated to Marine affairs for many years, at this moment, he wanted to capture Luo Chen.
This was the job he most wanted to do right now.
Sengoku said slowly, "Today, 'Fire Fist' Ace was escorted to Marine Headquarters. The World Government has decided to publicly execute Ace to lure out Whitebeard and eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates in one fell swoop."
The bodies of Aokiji and Kizaru both jolted.
They saw the shock in each other's eyes.
'Execute Ace and eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates?!'
No wonder Mr. Sengoku had told them to give up on Luo Chen and return to Headquarters.
Aokiji took a deep breath. "I understand. In five days, if Luo Chen still has not appeared, we will return to Headquarters."
He requested, "'Cat Burglar' Nami and the Straw Hat crew, should we capture them?"
"No matter what, capture 'Cat Burglar' Nami," Sengoku's stern voice came through.
Aokiji nodded.
Mr. Sengoku's meaning was clear.
They didn't have to worry about the Straw Hat crew, but they had to capture Nami.
Kizaru smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.
He was just a worker; he just had to do as he was told.
Capturing 'Cat Burglar' Nami was a rather simple task. It probably wouldn't even require him and Kuzan to act.
Sengoku said finally, "The mission of the CP9 agents is about to conclude. If needed, you can provide assistance."
"Alright," Aokiji did not ask much.