“Lord Babanuki, should we make those two stop?”
“This… let me think…”
Even after serving as the warden for so many years, Babanuki had no experience with something like this. It was clearly a disciplinary mechanism, yet someone was forcefully using their strength to fatten themselves up here. Aside from calling them exceptionally gifted, Babanuki didn’t know how else to evaluate it.
He didn’t know whether Luffy could actually get fat, but Kid had already visibly ballooned up several sizes, forming a stark contrast with the prisoners who were growing thinner by the day.
“What the hell. Am I really getting old?”
Babanuki truly could not understand what young people were thinking nowadays. Even the Beasts Pirates back then had advanced step by step after entering the New World, so how had it become that rookies these days all came up wanting to challenge the Emperor of the Sea?
A few years ago, he had never seen anyone who could still accomplish such a feat in prison after failing a challenge. In the end, all he could say was that times had changed.
“So… what should we do?”
“It’s fine. I remembered. Someone will deliver food to that Straw Hat, so don’t bother with him. As for that Kid… if he does too much, then just let the ones who did less go without food. They’re all just a pile of prisoners anyway. No need to think too much.”
That Luffy could survive in this place was all thanks to Hercules. If not for Hercules, after Kaido had swung that kanabo, who knew what else he might have done?
And Hercules’ connections were now taking effect as well.
Not long ago, Kabu had taken Rotom to find Uta. If Hercules had replaced Luffy’s brain, then Kabu was acting as Uta’s manager, able to provide Uta with at least some help. Passing along a phone call was an even smaller matter.
However, what Kabu said gave Uta a slight headache.
“Luffy is as bold as ever. How did he even barge his way in there?”
“Heraaacross~”
Kabu spread its hands, indicating that it did not know. Then it told Uta about what Hercules had asked it to do earlier.
“It really prepared thoroughly. It had a hard time during this period. Give me the phone. I’ll contact Shanks.”
Uta’s status was not quite enough for something like fishing someone out. She either had to look for Tesoro or Shanks. Either way, it had to be conveyed once. Since Shanks had already established an alliance with Kaido not long ago, she naturally chose to look for this adoptive father of hers.
“Shanks, Luffy’s Heracross sent me a message. It said Luffy was captured on Onigashima.”
“…”
The call connected very quickly, but Shanks seemed to be silenced by that one sentence.
“Shanks? Shanks? Are you still listening?”
“I’m listening. That brat Luffy really is a handful… I’ll handle this matter. You don’t need to worry. Be more careful lately. The waves on the sea are getting bigger and bigger.”
“Don’t worry. I’m on the Gran Tesoro right now. Tesoro has already controlled the ship and brought it back to the Beasts Pirates’ waters. Nothing will happen.”
After that, Shanks and Uta asked each other about their recent situations, then hung up for the time being. However, the Gran Tesoro’s situation was not as perfect as Uta had said.
“Blade of Beauty: Swan Lake!”
On the streets of the Gran Tesoro, Cavendish completed his ballet, but after the waltz came to an end, many people had already collapsed to the ground clutching their necks.
“To think you would try to attack me while I was in the midst of my beautiful performance. You people really are naive. The security work on this ship is far too poor, to actually let a group like you sneak aboard.”
Flicking the blood from his blade, Cavendish struck an extremely smug pose.
“Fang Pistol!”
But before he could say anything else, a sound of something slicing through the air rang beside his ear. A fang-shaped flying blade almost brushed right past Cavendish’s ear.
“Hey!! What are you doing?! Were you trying to attack me too?!”
“No way! Although you can’t compare to Uta, can’t compare to Cindry, and can’t compare to that Brook from before, you can still make money for us. How could I cut down my own cash cow?”
“Who are you saying can’t compare to them?! They’re the ones with no taste!! The beautiful me is the most popular one! You’re just using official business to settle a private grudge!”
A corpse slid down from above and fell beside Cavendish with a thud. Judging from the wound on its body, it was precisely the mark left by Who’s-Who’s Fang Pistol.
Although Who’s-Who had killed the person who tried to ambush him, Cavendish still felt that Who’s-Who had heard the complaint he had just made.
“Don’t worry about those little details. People live longer when they’re a little muddleheaded. But these guys… what exactly are they trying to do?”
“They’re just a bunch of pirates. Aside from money, what else could they want? They’re probably after the funds on the ship.”
The Gran Tesoro was a mixed bag of all sorts of people. Aside from the permanent residents and staff, no one could say which organization the tourists who came every day belonged to. All Tesoro could do was confirm which people were on his own side.
“Naive. These guys don’t look like ordinary pirates. Pirates with this kind of organization could never be nobody. Found it.”
Not long ago, this group had disguised themselves as tourists and infiltrated the Gran Tesoro, launching an attack. However, they had underestimated the people still left on the ship.
Ordinary family members without any ability to resist, like Stella, had already returned to the Beasts Pirates’ central area. Those still remaining on the ship were all people with the ability to fight back. Aside from the bodyguards, even the artists were no exception.
Who’s-Who, having returned to his post, quickly led his CAT’s squad in clearing out the external enemies, and while searching the bodies, they found a Den Den Mushi.
“A Den Den Mushi?”
“Not an ordinary Den Den Mushi. These accessories belong to troops directly under the World Government. Makes sense. Governor-General made such a huge move that even if the World Government were blind, they would still have to react somehow. But what are they trying to do…”
Boom!
The fountain nearby suddenly exploded, and countless streams of gold flowed out from it like spring water. Tesoro also walked out from inside, gripping someone by the neck, though the person was already dead.
“Who’s-Who, do you know what these guys are?”
“Some special agent unit of the World Government. Although they don’t have the elites of CP9 or CP0, their numbers are large. I don’t know exactly how many there are either. What was he…”
“He was trying to find the location of the central control room. When he realized he was no match for me, he killed himself. Mr. Kaido did mention something like this, but I didn’t expect these guys to move so quickly. It’s probably reconnaissance before an operation. If we want to drag them all out, we’ll have to trouble Uta a little.”
Tesoro took out the ship’s controller, and after some operations, all the loudspeakers on the ship were adjusted to the same channel. Then, accompanied by Uta’s singing, everyone except those who had prepared and put on earplugs entered the dream world of the Sing-Sing Fruit.
Here, Uta was an omnipotent god, and a search operation began immediately.
At the same time, Kaido on Onigashima also received a phone call.
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!