Fire...
Like him, the first members of the Hermit Society have always shown little interest in worldly affairs and possess high self-discipline.
The Twilight Hermit Society's meetings are infrequent, but each one allows members to exchange crucial intelligence. From some of their words, Shanks could roughly guess their identities.
Fire spoke less, but Shanks could tell that, like Mirror, he wasn't fond of pirates. He might be a Marine, or perhaps a lone wolf like the person in the mirror. Someone like that seeking a trade with him?
He must be able to tell that Shanks is a pirate.
Shanks agreed to a private trade, and he immediately entered that blank, ethereal state again.
It was as if only he and Fire existed in the world.
And Fire, Sakazuki, had indeed come to Shanks to discuss something, and it was important.
He looked at Shanks, or rather, referred to him as "Qu."
After so many conversations, he could naturally tell this person was a pirate, but the task at hand actually required a pirate to carry it out.
Sakazuki's gaze turned cold as he said, "The World Government recently discovered an incredible Devil Fruit. Eating it grants the power to change the world. Are you interested?"
?!
Shanks's pupils contracted. Could he have misheard?
Fire, who had always been interested in pirates, was now targeting the World Government? Wasn't he a Marine?
Shanks was filled with doubt. He felt he could rule out Fire's identity as a Marine. This meant he was likely an independent force, like the person in the mirror.
And a Devil Fruit that could change the world?
Shanks genuinely didn't know of any fruit that powerful. Even though the World Government was scared by Kaido, they never claimed the Azure Dragon Fruit had the power to change the world!
He pondered. This might be a trap. Fire might be trying to lure him out and eliminate him.
Shanks didn't consider if the news was fake, because this space would verify the authenticity of any transaction. If Fire were lying, Adam would certainly alert him.
Shanks, still thinking, replied, "Oh? Can you be more specific? I haven't heard of any Devil Fruit that can change the world."
Sakazuki sneered, "They've been searching for this Devil Fruit for centuries, and the fruit, as if it has a will of its own, has evaded them for centuries. The World Government fears its power, so they gave it a different name in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
Shanks's brow furrowed even tighter. This sounded a bit far-fetched.
"How do you know such confidential information?" Shanks wanted to confirm again.
Sakazuki replied, "Where I heard it from is unimportant. What matters is whether you accept this deal."
Shanks said, "Of course I'll accept, but they're the World Government. How dare I oppose them?"
Sakazuki: "..."
This guy dared not oppose the World Government?
Was that possible? He had gone out to sea as a pirate, which in itself was opposing the World Government! Furthermore, the information revealed through so many trades and intelligence exchanges indicated that this guy was an undeniably powerful pirate.
He realized Sakazuki was probing for information about the escort force. Understanding this, Sakazuki replied, "The escort is CP0. There are some super-powered individuals among them, but the strongest, Monet, is not present."
Monet not being there...
They were certainly aware of that current ace of the World Government. If she wasn't there, it would indeed be much easier. Shanks then asked, "What do you want?"
Sakazuki had no immediate needs, so he said, "I don't need anything right now. Help me three times in the future."
Three times?
Shanks was reluctant to agree, but then he thought of the power to change the world that Fire had mentioned, and he hesitated.
After a moment of silence, Shanks said, "These three favors will depend on my own considerations. If the conditions allow, I will naturally help, but if it goes against my principles, I will not help you."
Sakazuki nodded and said, "Alright."
It seemed a bit risky, because from now on, no matter what Sakazuki said, Shanks could simply claim it violated his principles and do nothing. But Sakazuki didn't seem to care much.
He originally just wanted to rob the World Government's ship. Qu being able to help him achieve this was already his reward.
It sounded quite bewildering. As a Marine, he was actually going to find a pirate to rob a World Government ship?
If it were the original Sakazuki, he would never have done such a thing. But now, it was different.
Sakazuki was Sengoku's peer, but also Sengoku's student. He had followed Sengoku since their training days and continued to do so until now.
Not long ago, Sengoku had retired to the second line and became the Fleet Admiral at World Government headquarters. Sengoku succeeded him as Marine Commander, and Admiral Ah Xing retired to take charge of the 'sword' unit. He had become the new Marine Admiral.
He had always been Sengoku's subordinate during his promotions. Akainu believed that Sengoku was the savior of this world, the only one who could end this era of chaos and eliminate all pirates.
Sengoku had too many accolades: the youngest Admiral in history, forcing the Pirate King into desperate situations multiple times and capturing him personally, eliminating the demon lord's host Kozuki Oden in Wano Country, and heavily damaging and destroying Kaido of Mary Geoise...
They all respected Sengoku becoming Marine Commander. But when Sengoku stepped down as Marine Commander, the World Government wanted to parachute in someone else. Upon hearing this, their faces turned grim, and they launched a large-scale protest.
Seeing the strong resistance from the Marines, the World Government had no choice but to let Sengoku succeed him.
Unable to help it, the destruction of Mary Geoise earlier had shown the world the World Government's weakness. They could only try to regain military power from the outside as much as possible, but they underestimated Sengoku's influence within the Marines.
Upon seeing that almost ninety percent of the Marine headquarters refused the parachute Fleet Admiral, the World Government became fearful. Their fervor was so intense that it seemed if Sengoku asked them to rebel, they would do so without hesitation.
The Five Elders quickly changed their strategy, dismiss the parachuted Fleet Admiral, and allowed Sengoku to take office. They also allocated a large sum of military funds. Sengoku didn't dwell on it, but Sakazuki believed the World Government had changed.
Yes, previously, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. The World Government provided resources, and the Marines cleared out pirates.
But now, it was different. The World Government was too weak, yet they harbored ambitions beyond their capabilities. If they wanted to control the Marines, it would inevitably cause trouble for Sengoku. Sakazuki could not tolerate this, and thus, he believed the World Government was beginning to drag down the Marine headquarters.
Therefore, after hearing this confidential information from the World Government, Sakazuki thought for a long time. He felt that the World Government should not be allowed to obtain this power.
That's why he sought out Shanks!
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