"Are you really going to cooperate with him?" After Lucci left, a man walked in wearing a reddish-brown long coat. He had short, tousled dark tea-green hair and a scar over his left eye.
He could not help questioning Anzu Seifer. "If these are really just ordinary pirates, as he claims, he could deal with them himself. Why would he need to cooperate with us? There must be something unusual about this pirate crew!"
"Calm down, Koza." Anzu Seifer chuckled. "Since there is something unusual about them... find it, and then we will take it for ourselves."
Anzu Seifer, the current leader of the Cartel, stood above several high-ranking officers. The Koza before him was one of the officers who had founded the Cartel alongside him.
"You have it backward, Anzu! Our most important task right now is to break through Alubarna, find the Shinigami's mausoleum, and uncover what Dragon saw back then. That way, we can liberate the people of the entire world. Instead, you are setting your sights on a small pirate crew." Koza spoke with some dissatisfaction.
At the time, survival had forced him to establish the Cartel in the Lawless Zone together with Anzu and the others. Back then, they had been full of hope for the future and harbored lofty ideals. They wanted to change this miserable world. They steadily strengthened the Cartel in the Lawless Zone, eventually even attracting the attention of the Revolutionary Army.
With the Revolutionary Army's help, they grew step by step, until they became powerful enough that no faction could afford to underestimate them. Yet once they truly possessed enough power to change the world, the comrades who had struggled alongside them from the very beginning had all changed.
They seemed to have forgotten why they had founded the Cartel in the first place. The Cartel now waged wars everywhere and even indulged its lower-ranking soldiers in looting. How was that any different from the government and nobles they had once hated?
And now, they were on the verge of breaking through the royal capital of Alubarna. They would uncover the secret between Nefertari and the Shinigami, find the entrance to Hell, and locate the Shinigami's mausoleum, thereby witnessing the ultimate secret of this world. Yet at precisely this moment, Anzu had actually turned his attention to a group of pirates.
"Do not be impatient, Koza." Anzu Seifer spoke without the slightest haste, as though Koza's doubts did not concern him. "Do you also want to abandon our ideals like Belit did? Liberating the world is certainly important, but do not forget that this world contains countless masters and powerful figures. If we truly want to change this world, we must first possess power capable of overwhelming them."
Ambition shone in his eyes. "The Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Four Emperors, the Black Order, the Revolutionary Army, and the demons—all of them possess extremely powerful forces, and all of them can crush our Cartel. Under these circumstances, no matter how good our ideals and methods are, they will be useless. We need to increase our strength!"
He extended his hand and clenched it, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Believe me, Koza. I have never forgotten the ideal that brought us together in the beginning. It is simply that the further we developed, the more clearly I understood how difficult the road to achieving it would be. Belit did not understand me, and I do not want you to become like him."
Koza relaxed his hand. He looked at Anzu Seifer and finally sighed. "I will still keep a close eye on Alubarna. I hope you will not divert too many troops."
"Rest easy. At present, the only people Nefertari can rely on are Belit and that Sand Crocodile." Seeing Koza's attitude soften, Anzu Seifer continued, "Those two will not hold out much longer. Breaking through Alubarna is only a matter of time."
"I hope so." After saying this, Koza turned and left. He had to organize another offensive.
The changes in the Cartel made him feel uneasy. Before that unease could turn into a tangible catastrophe, he had to do his part.
After watching Koza leave, Anzu Seifer sat back down in his seat. He looked at the empty room, and his eyes gradually became hollow.
After a long while, he let out a long breath.
......
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates had finally reached Alabasta.
"We can go directly from the lower reaches of the Santo River to the port city of Nanohana, but the Cartel has already occupied it." Igaram sounded both expectant and dejected.
"Most of Alabasta should have fallen into the Cartel's hands by now, right?" Nami asked.
"More than half." Igaram became even more dejected. As the captain of the kingdom's guard, he could not help feeling that he had seriously failed in his duty. The Kingdom of Alabasta had gone more than eight hundred years without any major incident, yet it was now on the verge of being wiped out, and although there were objective reasons for it, that did not change the fact that he bore serious responsibility.
"Come to think of it, the royal capital itself is surrounded, after all." Zoro spoke indifferently. "But if the Cartel has occupied this entire area, are we supposed to disembark here and cut our way all the way to your capital?"
He sounded unconcerned, but surely they would be exhausted to death if they did that.
"Fight our way there?" Luffy sounded interested, but his expression fell the next moment. "But I am so hungry right now."
The ship had not stored much food to begin with. Since they had been eager to hurry, they had not stopped at any of the small islands they encountered along the way to replenish their supplies. They had survived for many days almost entirely by fishing in the sea.
But the ship had plenty of one thing: bottomless eaters. Luffy was the ultimate bottomless eater, and the food was simply never enough.
"Although the Cartel has occupied this area, it has only occupied the city itself. The Going Merry is highly spirited, so it will be fine even if it does not stop at the port." Igaram hurriedly explained. "We can disembark ahead, then take secluded paths through the area. Although the route may be longer, we should be able to avoid the Cartel's eyes."
"And compared with being discovered and then dragged into a fierce battle with them, taking the back roads might actually be faster."
"Then we will take the back roads." Nami clapped her hands. After all, the other side had a large force, and being entangled with them would certainly be troublesome.
"Although that is what you say... I feel like we do not need to go through all that trouble." Luffy gazed into the distance with a calm expression.
"?" Nami, who was looking at the map with Igaram and discussing their next route, could not help raising her head to look at Luffy, who was sitting at the very top of the ship.
At that moment, Luffy had curled both hands into tubes and placed them over his eyes, using them like a telescope as he stared at the sea ahead.
"What is it, Luffy?" Nami's heart gave a jolt.
Luffy said, "There are ships closing in ahead. Oh, and it looks like there is also one of those... helicopters Sanji mentioned before!"
?!
A helicopter?!
The group, which had been somewhat relaxed moments earlier, instantly widened their eyes and straightened up. Nami shouted, "Why did you say something so frightening in such a calm tone?! We have been discovered!"
"Huh? We have been discovered?!" Luffy said belatedly, then flashed his big white teeth. "Great! I will knock them all away right now!"
"Forget about fighting them! Let us run! We will never finish fighting these people. Do you think you can kill every member of the Cartel?" Igaram could not help shouting.
"Do not worry, old man. We can handle this many." Ben Tennyson was sitting beside Luffy, and he had also seen the Cartel appear.
"Six warships and three helicopters!" Ben Tennyson shouted. "Captain Luffy! I will leave them to you!"
Whoosh!
The moment he finished speaking, the helicopters appeared in everyone's field of vision. Something moved even faster than they did: a long object dragging a white trail as it roared toward them.
"A bomb?!" Nami exclaimed despite herself.
"Wrong! It is an air-to-ground missile!" Ben Tennyson shouted, having seen and learned about many things.
Boom!
The next moment, an air-to-ground missile traveling at a speed of two to three Mach was fired from an armed helicopter and slammed into the Going Merry. A violent explosion erupted, and intense heat and shockwaves surged across the Going Merry.
Nami hurriedly shielded Igaram's body. The two of them were blasted more than ten meters away. Nami's body was charred and mangled, but the power of the demon inside her allowed her to regenerate at tremendous speed.
Usopp was nearby as well. However, he had already widened his eyes and used Sonído to retreat the moment he saw the missile. The missile was simply too fast, and he was still caught in the explosion. The shockwave of the blast struck his body as well.
Although the damage he suffered was not serious, still...
At that moment, the other two armed helicopters also fired two missiles. Then two thunderous explosions erupted in succession, transmitting their force across the entire Going Merry with enough momentum to completely engulf the ship. If the Going Merry had not contained two Shikon Jewel fragments, the ship would probably have sunk already!
The people on the ship were also caught in the three air-to-ground missile strikes. Smoke billowed, flames curled through the air, and destructive power enveloped the Going Merry.
"Capture them!"
The armed helicopters circled overhead. By then, the six warships had also arrived. Soldiers descended from the helicopters along ropes, while other soldiers leaped over from the ships. They were fully equipped, protected from head to toe, and cautiously boarded the Going Merry while carrying assault rifles and submachine guns.
Although the three air-to-ground missiles had already softened them up, the Cartel soldiers did not lower their guard. They were not veteran soldiers who had undergone years of training like those of the World Government, but the Cartel soldiers were still highly capable.
However, no matter how cautious they were, it was useless!
Because they were facing a group of people blessed with cheat-like powers!
"Damn it!"
Luffy's furious voice came from within the smoke and flames. The next moment, an arm extended from the smoke. It was somewhat red, as though high-temperature steam were surging through it, or as though blood were flowing rapidly through its veins.
"Ah!"
The arm swept across them with such speed that the soldiers had no time to react. Its immense force pierced straight through their bulletproof vests and slammed into their bodies. For a moment, the soldiers on the deck fell one after another amid continuous cries of agony.
"Quick! Fire the missiles again! They are not dead!"
The soldiers who had not yet managed to board the ship were horrified. They hurriedly ordered the armed helicopters to fire another round of missiles, and the pilots also noticed the change below and quickly launched them again.
Boom boom boom!
The three helicopters fired another three missiles. But just as the missiles were about to strike the Going Merry, flashes of blades, a flaming foot, and blue arrows suddenly burst from within the smoke!
The blade-light split one missile in two. The flaming foot kicked another missile down toward a different ship, while the blue arrow collided with the third missile in midair and detonated it prematurely!
"Open fire!"
The Cartel soldiers on the ships hurriedly prepared to fire. Although they were not equipped with missiles, the ships carried cannons whose power could not be underestimated.
Yet just as they were about to fire, and as the helicopters swept the area below with gunfire while preparing to launch more missiles, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the Going Merry.
Luffy emerged from the smoke. He looked at the armed helicopters flying in the sky ahead and at the warships surrounding them on the sea. Then his pupils suddenly contracted, and his Conqueror's Haki spread outward!
In an instant, the Cartel soldiers piloting the ships and helicopters passed out. This was especially fatal for the armed helicopters. The pilots collapsed without warning, causing the aircraft to lurch wildly in the sky. Two of the three helicopters collided and exploded in midair, while the third plunged directly into the sea!
By then, the others had gradually emerged from the smoke as well. It was clear that none of them looked happy.
Luffy had not expected something like this to happen. He had been brimming with confidence, intending to deal with the Cartel soldiers, but he had not even made a move before the other side made him pay such a heavy price.
"The Going Merry!"
Usopp looked at the places where the missiles had struck the Going Merry with heartache. Although he knew that the power of the Shikon Jewel fragments inside the Going Merry could regenerate the ship, its current state was still horrifying to behold, as though it might sink at any moment.
"You underestimated the Cartel's weapons!" Nami could not help saying. "I have told you so many times that the Cartel can stand against the World Government. How could it possibly be that simple?! The power of technology is also formidable. We never faced a heavily armed army in the East Blue before, but that does not mean there are no such forces on the Grand Line!"
Luffy's face darkened. That was indeed the truth. He had underestimated the Cartel's firearms.
He had never expected the other side to possess something that could be fired down from the sky and produce such a violent explosion. It had caught him completely off guard.
"How is Igaram?!"
Luffy looked at Chopper, who was once again examining Igaram's body.
"Although Nami protected him, he was still injured by the shockwave!" Chopper hurriedly replied. When the missiles exploded, he had been with Sanji. Sanji's physique was quite strong, and he had protected Chopper; otherwise, Chopper would certainly have suffered serious injuries as well.
----
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