Arceus in One Piece - Chapter 38

In pirate battles, neither side wastes resources. In some black markets, there are intermediaries responsible for delivering defeated pirates to the Marines, earning a commission from the bounties, almost an unwritten rule.

Even the significant pirates in the New World would do something similar after capturing or killing troublemakers in their territories. This is even an essential source of income for some pirates.

“No, it seems we must deal with John, but are there more people here? I see many locals, and why are these people anchoring their ships on the open ground?”

There were many large ships on the open ground outside. They were stranded there for a long time.

“This is a unique phenomenon of the Natohuo Kingdom, known as the Great Ebb. When the central inland lake dries up, the surrounding sea level rises, submerging the low-lying areas until the phenomenon ends.”

Apart from the highlands where the royal and noble families reside, the rest of the area experiences this, hence the presence of so many people here.

At this point, the Queen had assumed the role of a tour guide, explaining the unique phenomenon of the Natohuo Kingdom. However, due to this unique phenomenon, the Natohuo Kingdom, although having a mild climate, couldn’t develop agriculture for long periods. Every three years during the Great Ebb, the agricultural sector here suffered devastating blows.

Time passed slowly. Queen solved the problem of the ships, while Kaido found John’s whereabouts. His men were stationed near the inland lake, seemingly awaiting the occurrence of the Great Ebb.

As the time reached the third night, alarms sounded throughout the Natohuo Kingdom. Citizens began evacuating with their assets, and various factions started their own actions.

“John, are you sure Locke’s treasure is here?”

At John’s pirate base, a short man wearing heavy medieval armour, with a shield strapped to his arm and a bright silver axe in his left hand, asked.

Known as Silver Axe, his real name was unknown even to the people on Locke’s ship. All they knew was that he never took off his armour.

“Of course. This is a clue from Hachinos Island. When the full moon rises, the Great Ebb occurs. At that time, the true face of the treasure will be revealed to us, our treasure.”

John’s tone was full of confidence when it came to treasure hunting. This was supposed to be his final treasure hunt, and Locke’s legacy would be enough for him to start a whole new life in hiding.

However, there were too many people here, and the treasure belonged to him alone. He didn’t want to share it with these people. If it weren’t for the fact that he needed their strength for the treasure hunt, he wouldn’t have teamed up with them.

But John only told half the truth. The treasure was indeed here, but the environment was hazardous. With a bit of manipulation, these guys would be buried here forever.

At the same time, under his helmet, Silver Axe showed a unique smile. It was quite coincidental; he didn’t want to share the treasure with John either.

He had already pressed a button on his Den Den Mushi. With that action, a pirate ship in the waters around Donut Island revealed its true identity.

Standing on the prow, there was a man wearing heavy golden armour with a long beard.

Although there were conflicts among Locke’s crew, there were also some private relationships, such as the excellent relationship between Big Mom and Kaido and the one between Silver Axe and the owner of this ship, the former Locke Pirate Crew executive, Ochoku.

Trust was a joke on Locke’s ship, so Silver Axe had long contacted Ochoku, intending to deal with John together.

After learning about the situation in the sea area here, Ochoku’s ship had been lurking nearby for half a month, intending to charge in when the Great Ebb occurred and take advantage of the rising sea level.

At the same time, two of John’s men were lying in a dark alley, replaced by two CP0 members. In the high clouds, Kaido, in his Dragon form, was also ready to strike.

With the full moon in the sky, the Great Ebb came to an end as expected. The central lake began to recede, revealing the wet lakebed below, but the original inhabitants of the lake seemed to have disappeared.

The external seawater began to spread, and most of Natohuo Kingdom’s land began to be submerged by the influx of seawater. The large ships on the plains began to float, and the citizens of Natohuo Kingdom would start a period of time living on water.

“The shape of the lakebed… resembles a skull.”

The one in the high sky could see more clearly. Although the inland lake was irregularly circular when there was water, when the water receded, the rocks on the lakeshore and lakebed perfectly formed the shape of a skull.

“Maybe Locke was fond of this shape. It’s the same on Hachinos Island. This makes it even more accurate.”

Then, John took out an armband with two half-spherical balls on it. He folded it to form a sphere and raised it high. Moonlight reflected on a rock, revealing a spherical cavity.

There was no doubt that this was the switch for the treasure. At this moment, a gunshot broke the silence.

One of Silver Axe’s men fell, and the one who fired was a member of CP0 disguised as John’s crew. They didn’t want more people to know the details of the treasure; with only two of them, it wasn’t realistic to try to restrain hundreds of pirates.

Not to mention the executives with bounties over a hundred million, stirring up an internal conflict among pirates was their plan.

John and Silver Axe were already wary of each other. This shot could be said to have ignited the gunpowder barrel, and the situation immediately became tense.

“John, you started early enough.”

“Tsk, do you believe this wasn’t my intention?” This wasn’t John’s plan at all. His plan was to make Silver Axe and his crew disappear altogether before opening the treasure’s gate.

Moreover, he had never given such an order. Undoubtedly, someone was trying to sow discord; someone else had infiltrated.

But Silver Axe was unaware of this, and seeing John taking action, he abandoned the idea of waiting for Ochoku to take his place.
“Guys, let’s go!”

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