I Will Become Hokage in One Piece - Chapter 212
Chapter 212: Ninja Summons
Whitebeard’s lifeless body was taken from the spatial scroll by Rodney and placed in the coffin prepared by Neptune and his crew. It wasn’t an extravagant coffin; it was on the same ship as the one that remained of the Whitebeard Pirates, bearing the same appearance as the original Moby Dick, which had been destroyed by Sakazuki.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates wept bitterly. In that war, they had lost their friends and the man who had taken care of them like a father. The Whitebeard Pirates were severely wounded, and they were no longer known as one of the Four Emperors’ fleets.
After the Summit War, the Whitebeard Pirates’ territory would shrink. Kaido and Big Mom would definitely not miss the opportunity to seize Whitebeard’s territories. The balance of power among the Four Emperors on the sea’s surface had been disrupted. Now was a time of great change, and no one could predict what would happen.
Rodney intentionally sought out Jinbei and Neptune, saying, “The Whitebeard Pirates have lost Whitebeard, and their deterrent power is not what it used to be. What do you think? Would you like me to protect you?”
Neptune understood that the Whitebeard Pirates, without Whitebeard, couldn’t protect them effectively. But out of a sense of righteousness, he found it difficult to say anything, even though Rodney was their benefactor.
Jinbei remained silent. He didn’t know how to approach this matter.
“But…” Rodney continued, “I’ll talk to Ace and Marco about it. But you can also approach Big Mom’s Pirates, although the price you’ll have to pay will be substantial.” Rodney emphasized, “That Fat Mom isn’t a pushover; her temper is unpredictable. If you’re not careful, you might end up being taken down.”
This was the truth. Big Mom was like a child, difficult to predict, and couldn’t compare to Whitebeard’s broad-mindedness.
“If possible, we don’t want to change our flag, but as you said, Whitebeard’s death has made the Whitebeard Pirates’ flag lose its power. We need to find a protector.”
In the New World, without a protector, the place was alluring and could easily attract pirates. Without a powerful guardian, it would be a disaster for the island.
Jinbei was strong, but he couldn’t be on Fish-Man Island all the time. He was just one person, while the pirates were a group. Even if all the Sun Pirates joined, they still couldn’t protect the entire Fish-Man Island.
However, a flag of one of the Four Emperors could deter pirates and make them leave willingly.
That was the power of the Four Emperors – a single flag could deter a group of people!
King Neptune and Jinbei sighed, knowing that this day would come eventually. They just didn’t expect it to come so soon. Rodney’s offer was indeed a choice. He had a significant reputation in the underworld and, coupled with his former status as a Warlord of the Sea, deterred many who coveted his territory and weapons company.
However, could he really hold onto his territory now?
“Don’t worry about me. My territory, I’ll manage it myself! As I said, anyone who dares to touch my stuff, I’ll make them regret it for life!” Rodney grinned wickedly. “You can choose between Big Mom’s Pirates and my weapons factory. It’s up to you. You probably won’t choose Kaido’s, right? Shanks is a wanderer, it’s hard to find him. And you’ve had contact with him, right?”
Neptune King fell silent for a moment, then nodded and sighed, “He refused, because Fish-Man Island is located deep in the sea, and his crew is too small to reach here.”
Because there were so few of Red-Haired Shanks’ people, they couldn’t cover everything. The Red-Haired Pirates’ flag was far less intimidating than those of Whitebeard and Big Mom because everyone knew they had a small crew, just one ship.
“But, Mr. Rodney, from what I know, you don’t have many subordinates either,” King Neptune said.
“I can create clones and have them guard this place.”
Rodney chuckled and said, “As long as the clones don’t get injured, they won’t disappear. So, I can guard this place indefinitely. I can stay here with a different appearance.”
Changing his appearance would prevent his identity from being exposed, thus avoiding attracting the Marines’ attention. With him guarding, Fish-Man Island could be safe.
King Neptune and Jinbei exchanged glances, breathed a sigh of relief, and King Neptune said, “Mr. Rodney, if you decide to change the flag, you’ll need to discuss it with Marco and the others.”
Whitebeard had already passed away, and now the ones with the most say were the captains of the various divisions. Among them, Marco, the captain of the First Division, had the most influence, so discussing the change of the flag with him was necessary.
“That’s no problem. I’ll talk to them about it.”
He would find Marco. Although their relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates wasn’t great, bringing back Whitebeard’s body was a big favor to them. They wouldn’t bring up past issues, at least not directly. Rodney would find Marco, and after a period of silence, he suddenly asked, “Ace, how do you see this matter?”
“Leave it to Rodney. We don’t have the strength to protect all those territories now. We can only contract our holdings. But what we’ve lost, we’ll take back someday.” After contemplating for a while, Ace made his decision!
Honestly, they were severely weakened now, and not every place could be protected. They had to make choices and sacrifices. Rather than handing Fish-Man Island over to another Emperor, it was better to give it to someone they trusted.
Rodney was a bit of a scoundrel in his actions, but he could be trusted.
“So, Fish-Man Island, we’re counting on you, Rodney!” Ace patted Rodney on the shoulder and said seriously, “We’ll take this place back sooner or later.”
“Yeah, yeah, you rest for now. Sister Shirahoshi said you need to take a break for a while.” Rodney dismissed him nonchalantly. “I’ve got some other things to do next. We won’t chat anymore. Bye!”
He still had things to do. Now that Ace’s rescue was successful, his mission was complete. That meant he could finally use his Ninja Summoning ability.
However, the system mentioned that the summoned individuals were random and couldn’t be specified. So, he had to cherish this opportunity because he had no control over who would be summoned.
“So, do I need to draw a summoning circle and choose an auspicious date and time?” Rodney asked.
System: “Ding! This system is not like other systems. The summoning system is just a side feature. Please don’t turn it into a microtransaction system.”
“Oh, I see.” Rodney rolled up his sleeves. He wasn’t sure which ninja would be summoned, so he had no idea what would happen.
“So, how do I summon them?” he asked.
“You can use a communication technique, and they will stay permanently in this world,” the system explained.
“Ah?
A communication technique? It feels like it’s losing its grandeur.” Rodney felt that this summoning was quite different from what he had imagined. Wasn’t it supposed to be more majestic, with special timing and special incantations, and then summoning someone in one go?
If he continued the sentence, asking if he was their master, it would be a little inappropriate.
Rodney went to the room arranged for him in the Ryugu Palace and cut his finger with a kunai. He drew something on the palm of his hand. Suddenly, smoke billowed up as he slapped his hand on the ground.
He continued to make quick hand signs – Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Sheep.
A black, smoky script appeared. With a bang, the smoke dispersed, revealing a tall man standing in front of Rodney. He had white hair tied behind his back, a forehead protector with the symbol for “oil,” and a red mark below his eyes. He wore a red haori over a brown robe, and his feet were in wooden clogs. He had armor-like equipment on his hands and a large scroll on his back. He gave off a carefree, rogueish vibe.
He looked around in bewilderment and said in a voice that Rodney felt he’d heard somewhere before, “Huh? Wasn’t I killed? And my hand should have been cut off, right? Where is this place? Hey, kid, is this heaven? Wait, something’s not right. I remember the afterlife doesn’t look like this. So, where am I?”
The black smoke dissipated, revealing a tall man standing in front of Rodney. The man had white hair tied up behind him, a forehead protector with the symbol for “oil” on his forehead, and a red mark under his eyes. He wore a red haori over a brown robe and wooden clogs on his feet. His hands were covered in armor-like equipment, and a large scroll was strapped to his back. He exuded an air of carefree roguishness.
Rodney cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry, this isn’t heaven or the afterlife. This is the New World. Welcome! I’m Rodney, by the way.”
(End of this chapter)
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