As time passed, Fullalead Island was still a pirate island. After the powerful figures of that era left, Wang Zhi became the ruler of Fullalead Island, effectively controlling the island.
As a pirate island, it wasn’t strange for large numbers of pirates to gather here, but normally there wouldn’t be this many.
Even during Rocks era, it was only after Shakuyaku opened a bar on the island that more and more pirates began gathering here.
There was no news of a second Shakuyaku appearing on the seas, so this behavior was undoubtedly abnormal.
“Report this to Captain Nereus. With so many pirates gathering here, it feels like nothing good is going to happen.”
The title “Captain” was practically exclusive to those old veterans from back then, and Luna was the youngest among them, since she had been the final apprentice on the ship.
If something seems wrong, report it immediately. If your strength is insufficient, don’t recklessly risk your life. These were all common teachings on Delta Island, so Luna didn’t lead her team into doing any dangerous actions. Instead, she simply reported the anomaly here back to Fish-Man Island.
At the same time, on Fullalead Island, many pirates had gathered inside a pub, discussing something among themselves.
Among them were quite a few famous captains from the New World, and at a glance there were many pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million.
“Everyone, I’m sure you all know why we’ve gathered here today. What Fish-Man Island has been doing lately… has gone too far.”
Once enough people had gathered, a gloomy-faced pirate standing at the front stepped forward and addressed the others.
“Collecting tolls in the deep sea is one thing. After all, that’s his territory. But that b*stard is meddling way too much!
“What does the slave trade have to do with him? Because of that b*stard, how much money are all of us here losing?!”
Pirate isn’t a profession. Most pirates are just a chaotic bunch of criminals who ignore all rules for profit and desires.
Nereus’s crackdown on the slave trade hadn’t only affected slave traders; it had also cut into the side income of certain pirates.
Back then, those people had been terrified by the slaughter Nereus unleashed. But as time passed, many had forgotten the terror of the past.
Humanity’s inability to learn from history was the only lesson history ever taught humanity.
If there had been any veteran pirates present, they would have noticed that not a single pirate here had been sailing for more than four years.
Even if they had spent some years struggling in the New World and learned of its brutality, they still lacked a true understanding of the world.
After all, Nereus had been in a semi-retired state these past years. Ever since that nation-destroying war back then, he had made no major moves.
“No, if you ask me, even charging tolls is already too much. We’re just passing through. Did Fish-Man Island dig out that route themselves? Why should we hand money over to him?
“If it weren’t underwater, there’s no way I’d pay him anything.”
There were quite a few people dissatisfied with this, but normally they didn’t dare voice it openly. Now that someone had taken the lead, their courage had grown.
“So what? You gathered everyone here because you want to fight that guy head-on?”
A large, burly man listened to the other pirates in front of him complain as though they were holding a grievance meeting, then interrupted their rambling and directly asked about their goal.
“That guy’s a king of an affiliated nation now, right? If we attack him, won’t the Marines come after us?”
Compared to Nereus, some pirates were actually more afraid of the Marines. But at that moment, the gloomy pirate leading the group waved his hand grandly and declared in a powerful voice:
“Don’t worry, everyone! This is Fullalead Island! And who is the master of the Fullalead Island? That would be Lord Wang Zhi, the man known as the Pirate Guru!
“Sure, names like Whitebeard, Golden Lion and Roger are famous, but Lord Wang Zhi is a pirate from the same era as them!
“What he lacks is merely an opportunity to make his name known!
“As long as we join under Lord Wang Zhi’s banner, what do we have to fear? By using this incident as a pretext, Lord Wang Zhi will definitely become the true ruler of pirates!”
Quite a few pirates in the New World had fans, and some of them were outright fanatics. They thought what they were doing would benefit them, yet never once considered the thoughts of the person involved.
“Everyone, I’ve got some information for you. Think about it, ten years ago, the ruler of this place was Rocks. So why was it Lord Wang Zhi who succeeded Rocks afterward, while everyone else left?”
Due to the concealment and cover-up by the World Government, the name Rocks was no longer especially famous. This pirate had only dug up part of the information, and after mixing it with his own imagination, he arrived at his current understanding.
Wang Zhi was the true second-in-command beneath Rocks. The reason he had done nothing all these years was simply because he had been quietly building up his strength.
The others had left Fullalead Island not because they lacked interest, but because they couldn’t defeat Wang Zhi.
“But… why would Lord Wang Zhi accept us?”
“That’s exactly why we need a joining fee! That b*stard Nereus already harmed our interests. If we can take his head and present it to Lord Wang Zhi, wouldn’t that prove our abilities?
“With Lord Wang Zhi protecting us afterward, would the Marines really fight us to the death over a dead man?!”
Under his persuasion, the pirates on the island actually seemed to believe his story. Under the banner of revenge, they formed a pirate fleet and prepared to launch an expedition against Fish-Man Island.
Although Fullalead Island was a pirate island, the pirates here did not all belong to the same faction. Many were merely stopping here temporarily to rest.
When the fleet formed by those pirates set off in grand fashion, someone curiously asked what they were planning to do.
After hearing that they intended to go after Nereus, an older pirate was so shocked that he immediately hurried toward Skull Rock.
“Lord Wang Zhi! I need to see Lord Wang Zhi! I have important information!!”
“Let him in.”
Inside Skull Rock, Wang Zhi had originally been lounging in a rocking chair under the sun. After hearing the shouting outside, not only did he not drive the man away, he even gestured for the guards to let him in.
The pirates on Fullalead Island would occasionally bring him interesting news, and some of it held quite a bit of value to Wang Zhi.
“Speak. What’s your information?”
Wang Zhi’s tongue hung from the corner of his mouth like a snake’s forked tongue. From the look of him, if this information proved worthless, the consequences would be severe.
Afterward, he gracefully picked up a nearby bottle of wine and slowly savored it.
“R-reporting to Lord Wang Zhi… just now, a group of pirates… under your banner… went… went to deal with Nereus…”
The elderly pirate gasped heavily for breath. The sprint over here had taken a considerable toll on him.
“PFFFT!!!”
The moment he heard the name Nereus, Wang Zhi nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.
How could he make Nereus believe that this matter had absolutely nothing to do with him?!
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