Arceus in One Piece - Chapter 17

You can never wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep. If they can be awakened, then they are probably really asleep.

Kaido groggily sat up, with a newspaper already slapping on his face.

“John? This guy went to the South Sea and attacked a Marines base?”

Looking at the news in the paper, Kaido’s face was full of disbelief. From what he knew of John, he couldn’t imagine him doing such a thing.

“So, the John in the newspaper is the same John, you know?”

“Looking at the photo, it’s him. Kakira Island. Where is this island?”

“It’s near the Calm Belt, not far from the direction we were originally heading. But why does this seem so strange? Is this person insane?”

After checking the compass for directions, Kaido adjusted the course and then continued reading the newspaper.

Although the news may not all be true, there was still some reference value. As for Kaido’s assertion that the other party was crazy, it was because their actions were clearly challenging the dignity of the Marines.

The following details what John has done recently. He actually distributed messages at the Marines base, recruiting pirates to form John’s Grand Fleet.

There were daring attacks on Marines’s bases, but daring to occupy the island and recruit followers instead of immediately fleeing was the act of a madman.

If it were Rock Squuin who did such a thing, Kaido could understand. He had heard of Rock’s crazy actions. However, although Captain John had a bad reputation over the years, it was mostly about plundering, and there were few reports of direct confrontation with the Marines.

Even Kaido, who had been on a ship with John before, found it puzzling.

Of course, the Marines or the World Government would not publish news about pirate recruitment in the newspaper. But Morgan, the current leader of the World Economic News, was never afraid of causing trouble.

The big news was what he liked. The more sensational it was, the more he wanted to report it. Although he would use exaggeration and even fabricate some things to attract attention, no one could stop him from reporting what he wanted.

A pirate daring to do such a thing was indeed rare and big news. He would certainly not let go of such news. The whole article was about this incident.

“Insane? I think he’s an idiot. Even if this is the South Sea, to provoke the Marines like this openly, does he think the Marines are just for show?”

Shaina concluded that the Luna Lia tribe had a centuries-old feud with the World Government, and the Marines belonged to the World Government’s subordinate institutions. In her fugitive life, she naturally dealt with the Marines.

The Marines were the most significant power on the sea. Even decades later, with the emergence of the Four Emperors, Seven Warlords, Revolutionary Army, and many other forces in the sea, the Marines still remained the supreme ruler.

Due to many restrictions and policies of the World Government, the sea remained relatively chaotic. Pirates could rampage in certain areas, but they were still no match for the Marines, this behemoth.

Even decades later, it was the same.

Although the new generation of Marine soldiers had not yet grown up, the older generation of Marine soldiers were still fighting on the front line. Moreover, after the battle of the Valley of the Gods five years ago, the emergence of the hero Cap made the morale of the Marines unprecedentedly high.

Although Roger had not yet shouted those classic words, the sea as a whole was much more peaceful.

Although the Marines’ strength in the Four Seas was not very strong, it was impossible for the Marines’ headquarters to ignore such a matter as long as there was a living person there.

“You’re right. Only an idiot would do such a thing. Even Rox knew this. John knows what kind of strength Rox has. And that guy knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Although greedy, he is not stupid. He wouldn’t do such a foolish thing.”

Although Kaido often did things that seemed reckless, it was because his strength allowed him to skip the process of thinking at such times. Why bother considering what to do when you can just rush through it? “Sly” was not an exaggeration to describe him. When he was still an intern, John was already an officer on the ship. In his eyes, the pirates of the Four Seas were too weak. Even if there were good seedlings, they had not grown up. It would be impossible for John to run all the way from the Grand Line to the Four Seas to recruit subordinates unless he were kicked in the head by a donkey.

It might be okay to fool those who didn’t know John, but for him, this news was full of loopholes.

“So, is this guy a fraud? But do the pirates of the Four Seas have that ability?”

Hearing Kaido say this, Arceus was somewhat disappointed and skeptical at the same time.

In this world, there were many face-changing and face-blind monsters, coupled with a bit of twisted technology. In some places, information could have been more convenient, and people could only judge the other’s identity from the bounty. Perhaps they had never seen the other’s actual appearance in their lifetime.

According to Queen’s statement, the Marines base on Kakira Island was relatively strong even in the South Sea, not to mention that there were warships and coastal artillery in the base. It would be impossible to capture it without strength.

“Not necessarily. That does look like John, and the traces left by the destruction are similar to John’s. The personality seems quite different from him. That guy changed over five years, or we’ll know everything when we go and take a look.

Even with just this newspaper, Kaido couldn’t be sure what had happened. Going there to see for himself was the best solution.

“But we can’t leisurely sail over. The news in the newspaper is from yesterday. Even if we move troops from the Grand Line here, it will take time. We have to figure out what’s going on with this, John, before the Marines arrive.”

Kaido’s body began to swell, blue scales surged onto his surface, and the flame cloud under his claws lifted the small boat below, flying towards the direction of Kakira Island.

At the same time, on the Red Earth Continent, an elite Marines team was changing ships, heading towards the South Sea.

At this time, Beige Punk had just joined the World Government, and the season had not been integrated into the bottom of the warship to shield the perception of the Sea King. Even if the Marines fleet directly passed through the Calm Belt, it might cause unnecessary casualties.

Although the specifications of the Marines ships in the Four Seas were slightly inferior to those of the headquarters, it didn’t matter. The combat effectiveness of soldiers and leading officers was what mattered.

Although changing ships from the Red Earth Continent would waste some time, it was more secure.

Near Kakira Island, there were also large and small pirate ships approaching. There were many intelligent people on the sea, but there were also many fools. Pirates and the Marines were natural enemies, and in most cases, pirates were evading the pursuit of the Marines.

For a pirate to attack a Marines base was enough to attract many pirates just on this basis.

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