"Hey, aren't you supposed to be chasing after Dragon? Why are you bothering me instead?" Daniel Davis asked, looking exasperated at Aokiji, who had casually boarded his ship on the route from Loguetown to Reverse Mountain.
After parting ways with Hawkeye in Loguetown, Daniel guessed that Hawkeye would likely head to the West Blue to find Red-Haired Shanks, the only Four Emperors crew that frequently left its territory.
Surprisingly, when Daniel saw Aokiji again, he felt calm. It must have been the confidence that came with his newfound strength. The last time they had met, Daniel had been quite nervous.
In terms of mindset, Daniel could admit he was far less courageous than Luffy or Zoro. But that was understandable; after all, he had once been an ordinary person living in a peaceful world.
"Where's Robin? I haven't seen her in a while," Aokiji asked, standing on the deck and gazing at the churning sea beneath them.
"So that's what you're after, huh?" Daniel mused. Robin had survived with a bounty of 79 million berries since she was eight years old, largely thanks to Aokiji's help. Without his initial protection, Robin would have been an easy target for bounty hunters, underground forces, and pirates, given her high bounty and the fact that she was just a child. Few people would have resisted the temptation.
"It seems the Navy has always kept an eye on the Demon Child. What is it? Afraid she might decode the Road Poneglyphs or uncover the secrets of Laugh Tale?"
In reality, Robin was much like Trafalgar Law: not openly discussed, but many parties were secretly interested in her. She was indispensable to those who sought Laugh Tale and knew about the Road Poneglyphs. The World Government had destroyed Ohara specifically to eliminate the historians capable of deciphering the ancient texts.
The only reason no one had made a move on Robin yet was that no one had all four Road Poneglyphs. Otherwise, someone would have acted by now. Big Mom had even bred a descendant of the Three-Eyed Tribe, hoping to use their natural abilities to read the Poneglyphs.
Despite her food-related mood swings, Big Mom was still a competent Emperor, even preparing for such contingencies years in advance. Her family-based pirate crew was notably more united than most.
"She's fine. Right now, she's just on a much-needed vacation in a safe, hidden place. After all, her experiences over the years have been pretty terrible." Seeing Aokiji's brow furrow, Daniel quickly interrupted before he could ask more questions.
Given how protective Aokiji was of Robin, Daniel knew that if he refused to reveal her whereabouts, they'd likely end up fighting. Although Daniel wasn't afraid of Aokiji, he had no desire for unnecessary battles.
Aokiji glanced at him deeply but said nothing further.
"I've answered your question, so you can leave now," Daniel said, making it clear he wanted him gone.
"Is that how you treat your guests? I'll leave after we pass Reverse Mountain," Aokiji replied, looking at a nearby lounge chair with a resigned expression. He lay down, stretching his legs on a makeshift ice chair, as the lounge chair was too short for his tall frame.
"I have a question for you as a Navy Admiral. Why does the World Government allow pirates to exist legally? How can the Navy represent justice under such a regime?" Chelsea asked after serving Aokiji a drink and then stared at him intently.
In the world of Akame ga Kill, even the corrupt empire didn't openly endorse such a system.
"The Navy is justice," Aokiji finally replied after a long silence.
"Justice, huh..." Chelsea began, but Daniel quickly interrupted.
"Alright, let's not press the Admiral on this. Aokiji knows well enough what justice is. We're passing Reverse Mountain soon—let's focus on the scenery instead."
The political intricacies of the pirate world weren't something that could be explained in a few sentences, and Aokiji wasn't someone who could easily be swayed with words. Neither Chelsea nor Daniel had the kind of persuasive power to alter his beliefs.
"My apologies," Chelsea said before moving on. A moment later, she returned with a camera, snapping pictures of the surroundings.
Esdeath, Akame, and Kurome were also standing by the ship's rail, admiring the view.
Traveling up Reverse Mountain was a rare experience, and Daniel hadn't initially planned on taking this route before arriving at Loguetown. But after being there, the idea of riding the powerful currents up the 10,000-meter-high Red Line and then descending just as fast became too tempting to resist. It was a once-in-a-lifetime view, unique to the world of One Piece.
"Someone should give Laboon a medal for being the best gatekeeper. So many pirates have unknowingly met their end at his hands," Daniel commented, chuckling.
Laboon, the massive island whale, liked to block the exit of Reverse Mountain with his head. If Luffy hadn't had his rubber powers, their ship would have been destroyed when they crashed into him.
Luffy had a way to survive it, but many other pirates weren't so lucky—they had to rely purely on whether Laboon was blocking the exit.
Once past Reverse Mountain, they would reach Twin Cape, where the former ship doctor of the Roger Pirates was hiding.
"That's the Straw Hat Pirates' flag and ship. You're a Navy Admiral—shouldn't you be arresting them?" Daniel said when he spotted the Going Merry docked at the shore. The ship was empty, likely because the crew was inside Laboon's stomach.
"Arresting Luffy and executing him at Navy Headquarters—now that would be something, wouldn't it?" Daniel teased, watching Aokiji's lack of response before pushing him further.
"Do you want to see Marineford Island sink into the sea?" Aokiji finally replied, standing up from the lounge chair and picking up his bicycle.
"Why isn't your ship flying a pirate flag?" Aokiji suddenly asked, pausing before he left.
For pirates, the flag was sacred, symbolizing their pride and identity. There were even bounty hunters who specialized in capturing pirate flags. Pirates who lost their flags were often left in shambles, like Gecko Moria after his defeat.
Only the most despicable pirates, like Krieg's crew, would ever switch out their flag. Most would rather die than change it.
Aokiji found it strange that Daniel wasn't flying his Seven Warlords of the Sea flag.
"Take a guess," Daniel replied with a mysterious smile.
But Aokiji didn't speculate. He simply jumped off the ship, got on his bicycle, and leisurely rode away over the sea. The icy path he left behind soon melted into the waves.
"Is he heading to the G-10 base?" Daniel mused as Aokiji disappeared. He used the Gate of Secrets to return to his secret base in the Calm Belt.
"I should think about planting a Yarukiman Mangrove here and using Island Clouds from Skypiea to improve the environment. It's also time to make the island more hidden," Daniel thought aloud upon his return, as Esdeath, Akame, and Kurome resumed their training.
The island's location in the Calm Belt made it difficult to find, but with travelers like Hawkeye wandering around, Daniel decided to err on the side of caution. He ordered the Red Queen to install a holographic camouflage system around the island.
"This is the Slip-Slip Fruit. Anyone interested?" Daniel asked as he gathered everyone together and presented the Devil Fruit he had taken. When he mentioned its cosmetic effects, even Esdeath's eyes lit up.
Beauty was a temptation no woman could resist. However, once Daniel explained that maximizing the fruit's power required a deep understanding of physics, Chelsea and the others quickly lost interest.
"Really?" Daniel sighed in frustration. He had hoped Chelsea would take the fruit.
"I've already made up my mind. I want a space-related Devil Fruit," Chelsea declared. Daniel had previously shared everything he knew about Devil Fruits, allowing the four women to choose the type of fruit they wanted.
For most people, obtaining any Devil Fruit would be a stroke of luck. But for Daniel, acquiring almost any Devil Fruit was entirely within his reach.
"Me too," Kurome added.
Akame, on the other hand, didn't seem to care what kind of Devil Fruit she received. Esdeath, unsurprisingly, was still set on an ice-related fruit. Her momentary interest in the Slip-Slip Fruit had just been a woman's instinctive reaction to the idea of beauty.
"Fine, I suppose you're all beautiful enough to pass this up. But I doubt someone who isn't would refuse the chance," Daniel said. If anyone who looked less attractive had the option to trade the Slip-Slip Fruit for a Logia fruit, they likely wouldn't.
As for the space-related fruits Chelsea and Kurome wanted, Daniel already had two in mind: the Door-Door Fruit and the Warp-Warp Fruit.
In the Alabasta Kingdom, at the Spider Café in Rainbase, Paula looked up in surprise as Daniel, her boss, walked in with four stunning women in tow.
These four were, of course, Esdeath, Akame, Kurome, and Chelsea. Daniel had already discussed their plans before heading to the East Blue. After all, they couldn't train on the island forever. He hadn't brought them into this world just to hide them away.
Akame, Kurome, and Chelsea had no particular desires, but Esdeath had expressed her interest in forming a pirate crew and fighting her way to the New World.
After some discussion
, Akame, who wanted to travel and see the world, decided to join Esdeath along with Kurome.
Chelsea, not being interested in that lifestyle, opted to stay in Alabasta.
Daniel had no intention of stopping Esdeath from going to sea. However, crewing a ship wasn't easy, and sailing with too few people would be exhausting. The Straw Hat Pirates were constantly pushing themselves to the limit.
So, Daniel planned to find some crew members for Esdeath within Baroque Works, prioritizing female members, much like the Kuja Pirates.
Baroque Works had plenty of female agents, including high-ranking ones like Miss Valentine with her Kilo-Kilo Fruit and Paula with her Thorn-Thorn Fruit.
In addition to crew members, they also needed a ship and a skilled navigator. Though finding someone with Nami's exceptional talents would be impossible, a competent navigator was within reach. As long as they didn't engage in Luffy-style antics or venture into unexplored parts of the New World, an average navigator would suffice.
Of course, Esdeath would make the final decisions. Daniel was just there to introduce her to Paula.
"Fire Fist Ace and Blackbeard Teach recently had a fierce battle in the Montega Sea. Both have gone missing afterward. From the looks of things, Teach is headed for Alabasta. He's practically asking for death," Daniel said.
He had once considered keeping Blackbeard alive to use his Dark-Dark Fruit to transfer Devil Fruit powers, but Daniel soon realized there was no need. With his Mirror World, he could easily obtain any Devil Fruit he desired by preparing a piece of fruit inside the Mirror World.
Since Blackbeard was no longer useful, Daniel saw no reason to spare him. He wouldn't go out of his way to hunt Blackbeard down, but if Teach showed up in Alabasta, Daniel would make sure to finish him off.
Daniel was also deeply curious about the Dark-Dark Fruit. Was it Blackbeard himself that allowed him to wield two Devil Fruits, or was it the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit? Or was it a combination of both?
One thing was certain: the ability to transfer Devil Fruit powers had to come from the Dark-Dark Fruit.
"Track Blackbeard and Fire Fist Ace. Report their movements as soon as they're found," Daniel ordered, setting the entire Baroque Works and Princess Vivi's network in motion.
Before long, the intel arrived.
"He's really coming, huh."
Both Ace and Blackbeard had highly distinctive appearances, making them easy targets for intelligence operatives—especially Ace, who liked to show off his Whitebeard Pirates tattoo. There was no mistaking that symbol anywhere on the Grand Line.
Even within the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace's tattoo was one of a kind, as if he wanted to make sure everyone knew he belonged to Whitebeard's crew.
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