Chapter 149: Stussy and the CP Organization

This scene left Ain speechless; everything before her eyes felt utterly unfamiliar.

Seeing this, Zephyr couldn't be bothered to explain, simply handing his hoe to Ain, who instinctively took it and, at Zephyr's request, began clearing the weeds from the field.

Night fell.

Zephyr repeated with Ain exactly what he had done with Smoker.

As Ain learned more about the lower-class pirates, she too fell into a speechless silence.

"If the lower-class pirates are all commoners forced to the brink of survival, doesn't that mean pirates... can never be fully eradicated?"

Only in this moment did she finally understand.

Why Fujitora had fallen into a speechless silence after hearing her answer earlier that day.

Yes, such an answer was as childish as that of an innocent child, and her understanding of this world was childish to the extreme.

So much so that now, when she noticed Fujitora, a faint blush appeared on Ain's face.

Even realizing her nearly threatening actions from earlier that day, that blush deepened.

The next day.

Under the gaze of everyone, Zephyr slowly donned that coat emblazoned with 'Justice'.

Only now did the people of Red Longjie realize that the old man who had always called them brothers and sisters was, in truth, a former Marine Admiral.

Some recalled the colorful jokes they had made earlier or their excessive behavior, and for a moment, they were filled with panic and unease.

Only that pirate wearing a headscarf stood within the crowd at the port, gazing at Zephyr.

In his eyes, this tall man was no Marine Admiral, but merely a pitiful soul who, like himself, had lost everything.

Finally, unable to hold back, the headscarf pirate shouted loudly:

"Brother Zephyr!"

"When your wheat ripens, I'll send you some; you must taste its flavor too."

Zephyr's steps halted abruptly; he turned his head to look at the headscarf pirate, and beneath his sunglasses, the corners of his eyes turned red in that instant.

Gritting his teeth, he said:

"Good!"

"I will wait for you."

Having said this,

Zephyr turned around and, step by step, boarded the warship.

His posture grew straighter and straighter, and the will in his eyes became increasingly solid.

By the time he stepped onto the warship's deck, an invisible aura of Haki, symbolizing absolute conviction, already emanated from his entire body.

The Haki that had been worn away by years and tragic experiences had returned in this moment, even becoming stronger than it once was.

All because its master had found the true Justice he sought, found what Justice ought to look like, and found the future path for the Marines.

Zephyr took one last look back at the castle in the port; his gaze met Gao Wen's, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips as he murmured softly:

"Although you are a pirate, you are undoubtedly a good person."

"I will prove that the Marines can find true Justice, even if our true opponents are the gods reigning high above in the heavens."

Having said this,

Zephyr turned and walked into the ship's cabin.

Immediately afterward, row upon row of Marines, led by Ain, boarded the warship, embarking on the journey back to Marine Headquarters.

Woo—!

After a single whistle blast, the warship set sail, following the wind direction until it vanished at the end of the coastline.

In the center of the port.

Gao Wen sat atop the castle, discussing follow-up matters for the Martial Arts Tournament with Xiang Keluo and others, yet his attention was drawn to Zephyr gradually departing in the port.

He had long known from his subordinates about Zephyr's changes during this period, so he could naturally infer Zephyr's thoughts and intentions.

"A revolution within the Marines?"

Gao Wen murmured, then shook his head, clearly not optimistic about Zephyr's ideas.

"The Marines' law enforcement authority is based on the World Government's recognition; naturally, what they execute must be the will of the World Government."

"But what you intend to do, to put it plainly, is to de-governmentalize the Marines."

"Even if ultimately achieved, the Marines, stripped of World Government authorization and Mary Geoise's endorsement, would be at best... nothing more than another group of rebels."

"This is the essence of the Marines' problem."

"An irreconcilable contradiction between the belief in Justice and the foundation upon which they stand."

Turning his head back,

Gao Wen shifted his attention to the matters at hand.

Gaza was nearby recounting the tangible profits brought by the Martial Arts Tournament.

"This time, just the ticket revenue from the Martial Arts Tournament itself has exceeded one billion Berries; after deducting costs, there is still a surplus of five hundred million."

"Combined with the profits from peripheral gambling pools and tourism commerce, the total exceeds three billion Berries, and the boost to the entire port's economy is an astronomical figure."

"To put it bluntly... we've struck it rich!"

Gaza excitedly stood up.

Going from being unable to squeeze out even a few steel coins from her hands to now having more money than she could spend, this stark contrast left her unable to sit still.

A faint smile curled the corners of Gao Wen's lips.

With the Martial Arts Tournament as a safety net, even after entering the Grand Line, he would no longer need to worry about money.

After taking several deep breaths, Gaza continued:

"After the first Martial Arts Tournament concluded, we attracted many investors wanting to get a share of the profits."

She retrieved a list bearing individual quotes from beneath the table and placed it on the surface.

Gao Wen glanced over it briefly; seeing that most were merchants from various parts of the world, he intended to set it aside, yet his hand froze instantly.

It was solely because he had noticed two familiar names on this list.

"The King of Loan Sharks—Du Feld, and the Queen of Pleasure Street—Stussy."

Gao Wen picked up a pen, circled these two names, and then placed the list back on the table.

Xiang Keluo took a look and asked, puzzled:

"Is there anything special about these two?"

Gao Wen explained with interest:

"Two of the Six Emperors who rule the underworld."

"The former primarily engages in the loan shark business; the latter appears to be involved in the entertainment industry, but their true identity is that of a double agent dispatched by the Jiezhengfu Sect."

"This so-called Pleasure Street is merely a tool to help the Jiezhengfu Sect gather intelligence; of course, its actual composition is far more complex than that."

Xiang Keluo frowned, looking at the investment quotes and demands of the two, his brows knitting tightly:

"The quotes are reasonable; no, not merely reasonable—the conditions offered could even be described as quite generous."

"But if they harbor other intentions, then we can only reject them."

"No!"

Gao Wen shook his head, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips:

"Why not eat the fat meat delivered right to our mouths?!"

"Moreover, Raven Port is merely a transitional point in our plan; once our base in Paradise or the New World is established, this place will become nothing more than a retirement home."

"With the title of Warlord of the Sea holding sway here, neither Du Feld nor Stussy would dare to act rashly."

"In other words, this wave of theirs is purely about delivering money!"

Xiang Keluo paused slightly, then immediately grasped Gao Wen's meaning; a smile gradually curled his lips as he waved the sponsorship list in his hand: "Then what about these..."

"Accept them all!"

Gao Wen stated calmly:

"As long as our military power remains intact, no matter how many petty tricks they play, they cannot overturn the sky."

Xiang Keluo nodded, expressing deep agreement with this.

Gaza, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly; with the success of the Martial Arts Tournament, she now held nearly blind faith in both Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo.

What the two had said in the past once left her confused and clouded, but now she could basically keep up with the rhythm of Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo's conversations.

Xiang Keluo set down the list in his hand, retrieved a map of the Grand Line from the side, and said:

"The next step is entering the Grand Line; it is time to determine where we will finally settle."

"According to your previous requirements, we need sufficient ley line energy, meaning dense vegetation and abundant species..."

"After compiling these characteristics, the general choices are these few..."

!

With Gao Wen's decision finalized, the follow-up operational plan for the Martial Arts Tournament was also brought up during their deliberations.

To operate as a long-term project and maintain lasting vitality, the original model of deciding only a single first-place winner once a year was no longer applicable.

Gao Wen waved his hand broadly, directly transplanting the entire system of e-sports leagues from his previous life.

The final championship match would retain the original format, but contestants would need to accumulate sufficient points during the Spring and Summer Leagues to qualify for advancement.

Furthermore, if operations could later expand to other seas, they could also adopt a method of regional selection and progressive advancement to ultimately decide the title of the strongest.

In short, one sentence summarizes it: ensure that tourists arriving at any time have Martial Arts Tournament matches to watch.

Simultaneously, the Martial Arts Tournament would begin cultivating internal star-level contestants as a means to maintain its fan base.

In this way, the vibrancy of the Martial Arts Tournament would undoubtedly reach a new level, also ensuring that Raven Port truly becomes the core of the East Blue.

In fact.

Soon after the plan to modify the Martial Arts Tournament process was implemented, the tourists arriving there proved the correctness of Gao Wen's decision.

The port, which had gradually declined following the conclusion of the Martial Arts Tournament, ignited with fervor once again; although not as intense as during the first tournament, its stability was far greater.

On the other end.

Du Feld also rapidly expanded his own channels.

The peripheral betting pools for the Martial Arts Tournament naturally spread to the Four Seas and even the first half of the Grand Line; however, due to Donquixote Doflamingo's interference, they were temporarily unable to extend their reach into the New World.

Stussy's Pleasure Street also rose within the port at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In merely half a month's time.

The original black market was transformed into Pleasure Street, attracting a host of dignitaries from the East Blue and becoming a veritable den of squandered gold.

At this moment.

It was already deep into the night.

The entire Pleasure Street was illuminated by colorful lights as bright as day; wealthy merchants and nobles of the East Blue still sought pleasure and amusement within it, while the frenzied music further stimulated hormones, causing people to sink deeply and spend money like flowing water.

Inside a small building located in the center of Pleasure Street.

A woman with a graceful figure was holding a Den Den Mushi, reporting the major intelligence recently gathered in Raven Port to Stussy.

"Lady Stussy."

"Over this period, we have thoroughly investigated all intelligence in Raven Port except for Red Longjie. We can basically confirm that this is Gao Wen's pirate crew's de facto retirement home."

In her words.

The woman's voice was filled with a sense of frustration:

"In other words, their core objective was never the East Blue, but the Grand Line. Even if we expand our intelligence network here, we cannot obtain core intelligence."

On the other end of the phone.

Stussy took a lipstick from her bosom, painted her warm lips a deep red like fresh blood, and then spoke softly:

"How could you not obtain core intelligence? What you are reporting right now is core intelligence!"

"The fact that a Warlord of the Sea entrenched in the East Blue intends to enter the Grand Line is itself inconsistent with the World Government's interests."

"My lord Stussy, I do not understand your meaning."

Stussy said indifferently:

"The World Government established the Warlords of the Sea with the original intention of assisting the Navy in maintaining the stability of a certain sea area."

"And a pirate as strong as a Warlord of the Sea entering the Grand Line would not instead disrupt the balance and bring new turmoil?"

The woman was stunned, then immediately understood the pros and cons, her gaze turning cold as she said:

"Do you need us to do anything?"

"Don't be silly."

Stussy sneered and said:

"The opponent is a great pirate who defeated a former Fleet Admiral. If you really try to do anything, you will die without even knowing how."

"Remember."

"Your mission is merely to gather intelligence. Do not do anything superfluous."

"Yes!"

She hung up the phone.

Stussy sat on the sofa, stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, and said:

"I am truly curious how much impact this group of suddenly risen pirates will bring to the Grand Line."

"By the way."

"Over at Vegapunk's place, they should not have obtained his gene sample yet, right?"

"I am quite curious: if the research succeeds, will the final product created be even more powerful than the original?"

Several days later.

Water 7.

Bingshan sat in his office, frowning as he looked at the trouble Franky had caused again, even unable to hold back a loud scolding, yet in the end still dutifully cleaning up his mess.

Although he was harsh with his words, his tolerance for Franky had actually reached a level visible at a glance.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The office door was knocked upon.

Immediately, without waiting for Bingshan to speak, a tall figure with golden hair pushed the door open and entered.

"Miss Kalifa?"

"Mayor, I am here to resign."

"So suddenly?"

Bingshan looked at Miss Kalifa before him, with her graceful figure, outstanding appearance, and an aura of cold arrogance filling her entire being, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.

Even without mentioning her appearance, Miss Kalifa's work ability was extremely outstanding, saving him from much trouble.

Bingshan instinctively tried to dissuade her:

"Will you not consider it again? If you are dissatisfied with the salary, I can give you a raise."

Miss Kalifa shook her head, looking as if her decision to leave was already final.

Seeing this, Bingshan could only sign her resignation letter.

Watching Miss Kalifa's graceful figure depart, Bingshan felt a momentary sense of loss.

(End of this chapter)