Chapter 393: The True Soul Figure of the Neo Marines

A dozen or so minutes later.

Near the casino, inside an izakaya carrying a hint of Wano Country style.

Sabo lowered his head, gazing at the reflection in his wine cup, then gently set it down.

Earlier in the bar, his full attention had been on the gambling table, so he had not noticed the identity of the person before him.

Only now, having calmed down, did he realize that perhaps from start to finish, he had been led by the nose by this middle-aged man before him.

This also raised Sabo's guard by several degrees.

At this very moment.

When Sabo once again fixed his gaze on the man before him, the feeling was completely different from before.

Though blind in both eyes, the aura that occasionally leaked from the other man was undeniably formidable.

"Old sir..."

"Who exactly are you!"

The instant the question left his lips, Sabo's eyes burned like torches, fixed on Tenghu, yet he saw only a gentle calmness, like a wind capable of accepting everything.

A slight smile played on Tenghu's lips; he took a small sip of the clear sake in his cup, gently set the cup down, and spoke:

"I am merely a broken man blind in both eyes, now hiding in Britannias to drag out my existence."

"Blind in both eyes..."

Sabo froze, his body stiffening in that instant.

The aura radiating from the man before him was so terrifying that even he felt dread; apart from Dragon within the Revolutionary Army, 恐怕 no one could be his match.

Even Ivankov, or Bear who was once a cadre of the Revolutionary Army, would fall short by a notch; such a person could absolutely not be someone nameless!

And on this vast sea, there was only one existence who was blind in both eyes yet possessed strength like a monster!

"The second-in-command of the Neo Marines, Tenghu!"

"A great figure like you actually appears in Britannias?!"

"No!"

"This makes perfect sense!"

Sabo lifted his head, his eyes filled with unspeakable admiration:

"Recently, the whole world has been spreading tales that the Pirate King Luo Jie opened the Great Pirate Era, and Whitebeard pushed that era to its climax."

"But in my eyes, the impact these two had on this world might not even compare to that of the Neo Marines."

"Luo Jie used desire as bait, luring ambitious men out to sea in an attempt to overthrow the World Government's regime."

"Whitebeard's words before his death, though majestic and bold, were merely a continuation of Luo Jie's will."

"Moreover, the actions of these two were ultimately nothing more than a gamble."

"But the Neo Marines are shaking the very foundations of the World Government."

"Blowing up more than half of Mary Geoise, causing countless Celestial Dragons to die miserably—the World Government couldn't even suppress the news."

"What you truly wish to cut down is恐怕 not Mary Geoise, but the reverence in people's hearts for the Celestial Dragons!"

"Ho~"

Tenghu's lips curled upward; he neither nodded nor offered a rebuttal, merely asking lightly in return:

"Speaking right off the bat about such great figures who shift the world's landscape, are you?!"

"Then who exactly are you?!"

Sabo fell silent, subconsciously raising a hand to press down his hat, already intending to leave in his heart:

"Since you are also hiding your name and concealing yourself here, then there is no conflict between us."

"My comrades are still in Britannias; I have no time to linger here."

Having said this.

Sabo rose, preparing to depart, yet his footsteps halted in the next instant.

"Ivankov is fine."

Sabo whipped his head around to look at Tenghu.

"I previously heard news that an okama bar has opened in the inland sea of Britannias."

"It has sparked countless people's pursuit within Britannias."

As he spoke.

Tenghu took a photograph from his person and placed it on the table.

Sabo lowered his gaze, looking at that photograph.

He saw countless figures clustering around a flamboyantly dressed stage, and standing at the center of the stage was unmistakably an okama with an enormous head completely disproportionate to his body, sporting an afro and wearing a crown!

If it wasn't Ivankov, then who could it be?

"Where is Ivan?!"

Tenghu remained silent, extending a finger to point at the wine cup on the table, his meaning obvious without words.

Without a second word, Sabo lifted the cup and drained it in one gulp.

Tenghu smiled faintly and said:

"Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, former son of a noble from the Goa Kingdom—your tolerance for alcohol is actually quite good, isn't it?!"

"Old sir, stop teasing me."

Sabo sighed:

"Since you have already recognized my identity, as a fellow traveler in a certain sense, please tell me where Ivan actually is?"

"Knight Gao Wen... did he really not make things difficult for him?!"

Even until now, Sabo had not yet recovered his senses.

Originally, both the Dragon and he had concluded that Gao Wen would inevitably use Ivankov to make some sort of move.

After all, holding hostages to exchange for bounties was something Gao Wen's group had done before.

The Alabasta incident two years prior was the best example, yet the photograph provided by Tenghu could not be forged.

Sabo looked toward Tenghu; although myriad questions filled his heart, he could only patiently wait for the latter to continue.

"That person would not go so far as to use Ivankov to threaten the Revolutionary Army."

"Or rather..."

"The Revolutionary Army simply does not enter his eyes."

Sabo was momentarily stunned, yet he did not know how to refute this.

The combat power Gao Wen displayed during the Summit War was simply too exaggerated.

Whitebeard, originally hailed as the World's Strongest, was nearly crushed unilaterally by Gao Wen in their clash.

Anyone with eyes could see they were not opponents of the same magnitude!

Yet the one being crushed was the World's Strongest!

Such power was already sufficient to earn the title of Demon God.

Not to mention that under Gao Wen's command, there were also the Knights of the Round Table, and the entirety of Britannias serving as a backdrop.

Their potential for war was so strong it looked down upon the entire sea!

Compared to this, the Revolutionary Army indeed lagged behind by more than a full body length.

However, Sabo also detected Tenghu's high regard for Gao Wen.

He could not help but speak up to test the waters:

"Even former leadership-level figures of the Neo Marines hold Knight Gao Wen in such high esteem?!"

"Could it be..."

"No!"

Tenghu shook his head:

"There is no connection whatsoever between the Neo Marines and Knight Gao Wen."

Yet just as these words left his mouth, Tenghu overturned his own judgment:

"That is not correct either."

"After all, it was under Gao Wen's influence that Mr. Zephyr decided to pay any price to launch a nearly suicidal attack on Mary Geoise."

"In a certain sense..."

"The one who truly forged the will of the Neo Marines was not Mr. Zephyr, but Gao Wen."

The answer provided by Tenghu caught Sabo completely off guard.

The world's greatest pirate was actually the true soul figure of the Neo Marines?

The absurdity of this news was almost no less than if the Dragon were to turn around and tell him that he was actually a Navy undercover agent.

Especially since these words came from Tenghu, a former leadership-level figure of the Neo Marines, from the mouth of Zhikou.

For a moment.

Sabo could not help but become even more curious about what exactly Gao Wen had done to lead Tenghu to such a judgment.

"Do you find it very absurd?"

Sabo remained silent, but the expression on his face, to a certain extent, acknowledged Tenghu's words.

Tenghu chuckled and said:

"Mr. Zephyr once mentioned the leader of the Revolutionary Army, the Dragon."

"He said that was an excellent child; although he encountered some terrible things, he still held his own beliefs in his heart."

"Although he left the Navy, he never gave up pursuing justice."

"It was merely that the Dragon's justice stood in opposition to the World Government, and thus was not tolerated by the Navy."

Sabo nodded, feeling a few degrees more respect for that leader of the Neo Marines whom he had never met.