"I never thought the hero Garp was like that!" "So Lieutenant Garp has this side to him!"
"As a pirate, I never imagined I'd find a Navy lieutenant adorable one day?"
"We still haven't seen the secret between Garp and Sengoku—keep reading!"
...
After some discussion, everyone's attention shifted to the second half of the article.
The lower part followed a similar format and style to the first, mainly listing the achievements of Navy Marshal Sengoku.
But midway through, the author shifted tones again: "To outsiders, Buddha Sengoku seems like a dignified Navy marshal, but in reality, he's a total goofball too!"
What followed was, predictably, a list of Sengoku's silly antics!
Readers were stunned as they went through it.
At the end, the author sighed dramatically: "You don't know until you see it, but once you do, it's shocking. I can't help but wonder: Are the Navy's two top figures both goofballs? Does it take being a goofball to reach the Navy's upper ranks? This has left me deep in thought!"
"And actually, there's a little-known secret between Navy hero Garp and Marshal Sengoku! Sengoku's rice crackers are delicious, and as a Navy lieutenant, Garp shamelessly shows up to snatch them all the time!"
The readers: "..."
Hmph!
In the end, the so-called secret was just that both Garp and Sengoku are goofballs? And that Garp often steals Sengoku's rice crackers?
It was a bit surprising, sure, but did it have to be hyped up so mysteriously?
We thought Garp and Sengoku had some shady relationship!
Many readers were furious, some even wanting to write letters complaining to the newspaper about the author.
But when they checked the byline closely, many widened their eyes in shock.
Because right there in the author credit, two weighty words stood out: Lin Xuan!
"Oh my god, is this Lin Xuan the president of the Ninja Guild?" "This article was written by the Ninja Guild's president?!" "No way? Maybe it's just someone with the same name?"
"Lin Xuan is such a unique name—do you really think there's another one out there?"
In an instant, the entire pirate world exploded over Lin Xuan's article, sparking endless debate.
Once they realized the author was Lin Xuan, the content became secondary. What everyone wondered was: What was Lin Xuan's real motive in publishing this?
With only a few days left until the World Government and Ninja Guild each held their world conferences, no one believed Lin Xuan's move was without purpose!
Naturally, this stirred up the Navy brass, and the newspaper soon landed in front of Sengoku and Garp.
But after reading it, the Navy leaders weren't as relaxed as the outsiders.
Through this seemingly humorous article, they saw something far more sinister.
Even though the Navy still hadn't uncovered Lin Xuan's origins, he knew intimate details like Garp and Sengoku's rice cracker squabbles—as if he'd witnessed them himself!
What kind of intelligence network could pull that off?
Or had the Ninja Guild already infiltrated Navy headquarters?
Either way, it made Sengoku and the others feel their scalps tingle!
Little did they know, this article was just the beginning. After Lin Xuan's first piece earned him hundreds of millions in reputation points, he immediately started scribbling away again.
Over the next two days, Lin Xuan fired off several more articles, all tied to the Navy's top brass.
For example:
"What Skills Does Admiral Kizaru Have Besides Being Sleazy?" "Behind Akainu's Brutality: Twisted Humanity or Moral Decay?"
"Who's Stronger, Aokiji or Akainu? Who's Better Suited to Be Marshal?"
These articles were mostly reworked from random online rants Lin Xuan remembered from his previous life, published after some tweaks—and they left plenty of people baffled.
The subjects themselves were furious after reading them.
Especially Akainu. [064601007feilu043182150]
Seeing himself slandered like that, he wanted to storm Fish-Man Island and duel Lin Xuan right then, but Sengoku and the others held him back.
Sengoku said just one thing: You can't beat him—going there is suicide!
Those words made Akainu drop the idea, but he threw himself into insane training instead.
He knew he'd get another shot at Lin Xuan soon, and with his current strength, he was no match.
So he had to push his limits!
In fact, countless Navy personnel shared similar thoughts.
With the world conference looming, an invisible tension hung in the air. Everyone sensed another clash between the sides was inevitable, so they prepared frantically.
If war erupted again between the World Government and Ninja Guild, it would be all-out—no holds barred. Without enough strength, forget victory or glory; survival alone would be tough!
While they all trained desperately, Lin Xuan lounged on Fish-Man Island, eating, drinking, and having fun—occasionally teasing Shirahoshi, growing even closer to her.
After three days there, Neptune and the others finally made their decision and officially joined the new world government Lin Xuan was forming, agreeing to attend the upcoming world conference.
Lin Xuan smiled and said:
"Your choice is very wise. Welcome aboard!"
Otohime also asked again: "Now that we've allied, President, you can tell us your other goal, right? The real reason you went all out to help, including with the ancient weapon?"
Lin Xuan replied candidly: "Of course. My other aim is that if war breaks out, Fish-Man Island will commit its military forces under your control to our side!"
At that, Neptune, Otohime, and the others paled slightly but quickly composed themselves.
They didn't hesitate and solemnly agreed to Lin Xuan's request.
Because they knew that since they'd boarded his ship, they had to go all in to secure a future for Fish-Man Island!
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T/N:
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