All four of them jolted, pressure bearing down on them. They hadn't expected Mock to say something like "The sea is too quiet!" The man was already a thorn in the World Government's side, and he thought things were quiet?
Teach was rocked by the sheer gall of Mock's words too, but something about them nagged at him, something weirdly familiar he couldn't put his finger on.
Before any of the four could say a word, Mock turned around, arms still crossed, eyes fixed on the sea like torches. "It's too boring," he said. "So I've decided to do something big. Something incredibly big. If you don't want to get tangled up with me, you'd better leave now."
The four blinked, faces blank. Whatever Mock meant by "something big," they clearly didn't get it.
"Zehahaha." Teach laughed, eyes glinting. Not a trace of hesitation. "You underestimate us, Mock? We're friends. Whatever you're planning, don't think you're leaving us behind. So tell us, are we hitting a Marine branch to avenge your old crew, or taking down some grand pirate fleet?"
"Teach is right. We're on your ship now, which makes us your crew." Ace pulled his hat lower, the corner of his mouth curling up. "What's the plan? Attack a Marine Admiral? Challenge another Emperor of the Sea? Though if it's just bullying ordinary people, count me out."
"W-We..." Mohji and Cabaji exchanged a glance.
Attack a Marine branch? A Marine branch in the New World?! And attack a Marine Admiral? Take on an Emperor of the Sea?
Were these guys completely insane?
Their bodies trembled, but seeing the heavy hitters already committed, Mohji and Cabaji forced out strained smiles. "We're in too!"
"Wahahaha!" Mock let out his signature laugh, then turned back to face them, a bold grin on his face. "In that case, let's do it."
And then, before the four could ask what exactly was happening, Mock pulled out two custom Den Den Mushi. Under their still-puzzled stares, he switched them on without hesitation, drew a deep breath, and bellowed into the video Den Den Mushi:
"I, Hargon D. Mock, am here today to tell the entire sea a secret..."
As he spoke, all four jaws dropped. Eyes wide. They stared at Mock, utterly dumbfounded.
You absolute bastard...
What the hell do you think you're doing?
You're trying to flip the entire sea upside down!
"Time's about right, people should be watching by now!"
"Alright, let's go live!"
"This is one colossal secret. Don't bother asking where I got it from! Wahahaha, I'm definitely not telling you."
"Right, what was I saying? Oh, almost forgot. There really does exist in this sea three ancient weapons, ones that can destroy the world. They are: Pluto, Poseidon, and Uranus."
"...This world will sink into the sea!"
"Not that I'm making any guarantees it'll actually happen."
"Oh, and there's also the story of the hundred-year gap, from about nine hundred years ago to eight hundred years ago. That's right: what exactly happened during that Void Century?"
"..."
Right now, all of Marine HQ stared, dumbfounded, at the images projected on the screen.
Had Mock lost his mind? Did he have any idea what he was saying?!
He had a death wish! No, he already had a death wish before this! He was done for!
The World Government and Marine HQ would never let him walk away.
Even Garp, snack in hand, sat frozen with his mouth gaping, the food hovering in front of his lips. "Well, I'll be damned. This kid... really has guts!"
"Guts? He's got a death wish! Do you have any idea what kind of impact his words are going to have on the seas? Chaos! Absolute chaos!" Sengoku's forehead veins bulged as he glared at Garp and slammed the table.
Now he finally understood why the Gorosei were so furious.
How could they not be?
If Mock was declaring war on the World Government before, then now... he was aiming to tear down the World Government and tear apart the seas themselves!
Compared to this, the mutiny at that East Blue Marine Branch barely even registered!
"Damn it, how does he know all this? It had to be Roger. That bastard Roger told him!" Sengoku's face went livid. "Even dead, that bastard still manages to dump this kind of trouble on us!"
The man himself had kicked off the Great Pirate Era. Now his son... was about to tear the whole sea apart!
Sengoku turned to the rest of the Marines, who had fallen dead silent, and shouted again. "What the fuck are you standing around for?! Cut the damn signal! Now! This instant! Cut the signal, do not let him say another word!"
"I've already sent word. The Technology Department is working on it." Tsuru put away her Den Den Mushi and sighed. "But the signal seems completely different from anything we've seen before. The Technology Department suspects it's a new model of Den Den Mushi. Intercepting the signal will take some time. Calm down, Sengoku."
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down right now? It will take time? We don't have a second to spare!" Sengoku had cooled off slightly, but he was still seething. "We don't know how much more this madman knows, but if we let him keep talking, everything is going to fall apart!"
He paced back and forth, frantic.
A new model of Den Den Mushi? Where did Mock get a new-model Den Den Mushi? Have we tracked down his location yet?"
His eyes narrowed, his voice going hard.
We cannot let him say another word. Even if we can't intercept the signal, we need to arrest him immediately!"
Mock never played by the rules! Even Sengoku couldn't figure out what he was trying to do.
But if they let this keep going, who knew what else he'd say?
"Every Marine branch in the New World, get your asses moving, now!"
On the other side.
When they heard what Mock said, everyone except Ace went wide-eyed. It had never crossed their minds that the big thing this guy wanted to pull off was this.
Was he trying to stir up the entire sea? You're not just looking to die, you're sprinting toward it! Even if you want to make a name for yourself, don't make it this way!
They might as well just attack Marine HQ! Mohji and Cabaji clung to each other again, shaking from head to toe, faces twisted in despair.
Were these secrets something they were even allowed to know?
They were regretting their earlier decision. Why had they thought following Mock was a good idea?
The man had never done things the normal way! Both of them found themselves missing Buggy.
And Teach... his face had gone green. The fact that Mock knew these secrets shocked him deeply, and he wanted to know them too, but he wasn't trying to get himself killed!
He'd only come to get close to the Pirate King's two sons. He had no intention of becoming a target of the World Government right now.
He still hadn't found the Devil Fruit he wanted. If he never got it, he was prepared to live out the rest of his days as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. But now...
Could Pops still shield them?
How does he know these secrets? No, we have to stop him, Ace-" Teach's voice was edged with urgency, but he got no response. He whipped his head around and saw Ace standing there in a daze. "Ace, Ace, what's wrong with you now?"
"You know all of this?" Ace seemed not to hear Teach at all. He stood there blankly, and something like loss flickered in his eyes, with a trace of hurt. "Did that man tell you? I guess, compared to me, he really did care more about you as a son!"
'What that the hell is he doing right now? Does he have any idea what's happening? He's out here craving fatherly love while Marine HQ are likely sending Admirals over? And didn't you already call Whitebeard your Pops?'
Teach stared at Ace, his jaw tight. He grabbed Ace by the shoulders and yelled, "Ace! Ace, snap out of it! Come with me and stop Mock!"
"So... you never loved me? Then why did you let Mom give birth to me? What's the point of my existence?"
'What the fuck is wrong with these two bastards?!'
Is there even one normal son of the Pirate King?! One's starved for fatherly love, and the other's a lunatic with a death wish!
Teach looked like he was about to cry. Getting tangled up with these two might have been a mistake from the start.
"Wake up. You've got another father. Even if we don't stop him, we still need to get out of here! Head back... back to Pops!"
While Mohji and Cabaji shuddered in terror, Ace sank into despair, and Teach's mind raced, Mock was still speaking into the two Den Den Mushi at a leisurely pace.
===============
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