"Second," Lancelot continued, his voice smooth, "I have already recruited Alvida, Captain of the Alvida pirates, and given her a Marine identity. I'm reporting this to you officially here."
"What?" Sengoku couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his mind still reeling from the bombshell about a Paramecia-type Frost Fruit that was similar to Admiral Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit.
Even without the ability to elementalize, he thought, if that fruit is developed to Aokiji's level... it would at least reach the standard of a headquarters elite Vice Admiral. It might even... reach the level of a Shichibukai.
But when he finally processed Lancelot's second statement, his face darkened involuntarily.
The corner of his eye also twitched slightly.
He muttered under his breath, "As expected..."
This guy never forgets to chase women, no matter the situation!
But before Sengoku could say anything, Lancelot added, "By the way, I've also recruited the former members of Baroque Works. Like Alvida, Miss Valentine has also stayed by my side. The others have been assigned to Whiskey Peak to... work for the Celestial Dragons."
Sengoku: "..."
He knew this kid was lustful, but he never realized just how insatiable he was.
Whatever! he thought while sighing.
Recruiting these people, even if they were former criminals, at least added strength to the World Government and the Marines.
So he nodded and said, "Understood. I'll arrange their official identities on my end. As for Daniel's promotion to Lieutenant Commander, I approve. The official appointment... will be issued soon."
After speaking, he suddenly remembered something and immediately added, "That subordinate of yours, Gin, has been quite effective in clearing out pirates in the East Blue recently. We'll promote him to Commander..."
Hearing this, Lancelot couldn't help but smile.
"Then I'll thank you, Fleet Admiral, on Daniel's and Gin's behalf!"
Sengoku: "No need, they deserve it. I hope they continue to work hard..."
He then hung up the Den Den Mushi. But after doing so, Sengoku raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He muttered quietly, "Burns has really gone all out for this son of his. Four Devil Fruits in total—he must have used up decades of savings and connections. And this kid... Lancelot... he's incredibly generous to his subordinates. Just giving away a Devil Fruit like that."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
If it were him, he would definitely use that Devil Fruit to recruit an already powerful ally.
After all, that would maximize the immediate benefits.
But... Lancelot's approach... had one distinct advantage: from now on, his subordinates would be absolutely, unshakably loyal to him.
The cohesion of his unit would be extremely strong.
Even if one day they were scattered across the Four Seas, or even the Grand Line or the New World, they would still follow Lancelot's orders.
Over time, as more and more powerful people emerged from Lancelot's ranks, he would form his own powerful faction within the Marines, just like Akainu or Kuzan.
There are gains and losses... Sengoku mused.
But whether it's a gain or a loss depends on your perspective. From the viewpoint of someone like Lancelot, who values power and loyalty, it might seem like a loss in the short term, but in the long run, it's a guaranteed profit.
....
A few days passed, and Lancelot, after a brief stop in Syrup Village, brought Lise back.
Now, he was on his new warship, enjoying the sunlight and the sea breeze as they sailed back toward the Grand Line.
Lise was dutifully massaging his legs.
While Alvida, who had quickly adapted to her new "role," was giving him a close, intimate massage from behind—pure bliss.
Everything in the East Blue had been arranged.
Soon, the entire sea would follow his plans and walk on the right path.
The most important thing now was to establish the rules at Whiskey Peak.
So, taking Lise and Alvida, he rode the ship up Reverse Mountain and headed directly toward Cactus Island.
They moved quickly, and soon, Whiskey Peak was in sight.
...
Meanwhile, at Whiskey Peak, Mr. 2, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, and Mr. 5 all had their brows furrowed deeply.
Because currently, a distinctive, flamingo-themed pirate ship was docked at Whiskey Peak's port.
They had been here for a month now.
They had successfully integrated all the former Baroque Works personnel at Whiskey Peak, effectively inheriting a large portion of the organization's strength, including its vast intelligence network.
Originally, they had wanted to give Lancelot a surprise, to show him their worth.
Of course, they also wanted to achieve a great feat for themselves.
This way, they could secure their rightful positions under their new leader.
But they never expected this group to arrive today.
During the past month of integrating Whiskey Peak, many pirate crews had come here.
After all, this was the first island at the entrance of the Grand Line.
Beyond this island, the Log Pose routes would diverge.
So, ordinary pirate crews were nothing in their eyes.
But today's group... made them feel extremely troubled.
Because the pirate ship flew the Donquixote emblem: the flag of the Doflamingo Pirate Crew.
Mr. 2, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, and Mr. 5 exchanged glances.
All four understood in their hearts that this was likely a cadre under Doflamingo's command, transporting supplies or weapons to one of the Four Seas.
According to the new rules Lancelot had established, they either had to hand over a portion of their wealth as a "toll," or directly unload the cargo here, letting the Four Seas Exchange deliver it to the clients.
But this was the Donquixote Family.
If they made a move on them, it would mean directly confronting Doflamingo—not just a Shichibukai, but also the shadowy king of the underworld, "Joker."
Facing him would be extremely dangerous.
After a long silence, Mr. 5 asked nervously, "Should we... do it?"
Mr. 3's frown deepened.
'Do it?' Of course he wanted to! But were Doflamingo's cadres so easy to deal with?
He hissed, "You must know, according to the intelligence we gathered, the leader on that pirate ship is Diamante, one of the top executives, with a bounty as high as 99 million Berries. And most importantly, this bounty is from over a decade ago, before Doflamingo became a Shichibukai. His bounty hasn't increased since. Otherwise, over these past ten-plus years... his bounty definitely wouldn't be just this amount."
Now, look at them.
Among the four, the highest bounty was Mr. 2's, at only 32 million Berries.
The lowest, Mr. 5, had just broken 10 million.
How could they fight? The two sides were completely on different levels.
But Mr. 3 wasn't one to back down easily.
In the original story, he had the gall to try and wipe out two giants, Brogy and Dorry, who had bounties of 100 million each.
Strength was always just his supplementary ability; his brain was his greatest asset.
At this moment, he began calculating in his heart.
After a moment, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a sinister, waxen smile.
"Since a direct confrontation won't work," he whispered, "we'll play dirty. Whiskey Peak is most famous for its brewing. Everyone who comes here—whether pirates, Marines, or merchants—will sample some or take some back."
At this point, he looked at Mr. 5.
"Haven't you developed a technique that can delay explosions? Today... we'll give that Diamante a... taste... of something special."
"Huh?" Mr. 5 looked puzzled.
Miss Goldenweek, however, was Mr. 3's long-time partner.
They had cooperated for years, so they were very in sync.
She instantly understood Mr. 3's train of thought.
She grinned mischievously. "He's telling you to... put a bomb in his drink, stupid."
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