Sakazuki's declaration stirred up a storm on the high seas.
Just as the Gorosei had said before, this was perhaps the biggest scandal since the Marine's establishment.
Blake and the Maid Corps, who were traveling by ship to their destination, watched the entire live broadcast.
Blake's expression was strange; for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Robin took a sip of tea and, in her sarcastic tone, said,
"Oh my, has the Marine, such a contradictory organization, finally split?"
"It seems there are some insightful people among them after all."
At these words, Blake's expression completely broke.
Insightful people? Who? Akainu?
Did you forget that he was the main force in destroying Ohara?
Blake felt that not only the Marine, but Robin too, was quite contradictory.
However, he really hadn't expected that the news Morgans reported earlier was actually true?!
Not only did Sakazuki kill Grothius and betray the Marine, but he also created a NEO Marine.
What about Zephyr then?
If Sengoku told Kizaru to kill Akainu, would Kizaru go?
Would his Yasakani no Magatama be a mere scratch or a guided missile then?
"No, no, that's not the problem right now."
Blake shook his head, pulling his scattered thoughts back.
If this matter were traced back to its roots, it had a certain connection to him.
If he hadn't casually called Shanks Shamrock, and then, not minding the trouble, informed a large group of Celestial Dragons, Grothius wouldn't have thought of going out to sea to become a pirate, and naturally, he wouldn't have provoked Akainu.
Of course, this was an eighteen-degree turn in connection, and it was impossible for anyone to pin the blame on Blake.
What he cared about most was—what kind of impact would Sakazuki's betrayal have on the plan?
Sakazuki was not an idealistic warrior like Dragon.
Although he defected from the World Government, his main attention would still be on pirates, and he would certainly focus on passive defense against the Marine and the World Government; otherwise, there would be no need to name it "NEO Marine."
As long as Sakazuki could block the first wave of retaliation, the World Government would definitely pretend nothing happened, and the two sides would most likely be able to coexist peacefully.
In fact, if Zephyr in the original story hadn't had the idea of stealing the Dyna Stones to destroy the New World, the Marine wouldn't have had to go to such extremes.
Blake ignored the arguments of the maids behind him, tapping his fingers on the coffee table, pondering:
"In the short term, at least the Ope-Ope no Mi plan won't be too affected."
"After all, the messier this matter is, the better."
"But what about the long-term plan?"
Blake thought for a moment; if he looked at the strength comparison for the final battle, Sakazuki's betrayal actually seemed like a good thing.
With the Revolutionary Army eliminated, the strength of the anti-World Government side was significantly weakened.
Based on Sakazuki's stance in the original story, he would most likely have sided with the World Government.
Now that he had betrayed them, even if he didn't join the freedom fighters, he certainly wouldn't help the World Government anymore.
This, in turn, indirectly helped Blake achieve his goal—balancing the forces of both sides.
Having understood all this, Blake leisurely leaned back in his chair and called out to Stella:
"Give me the transponder snail that connects to the Holy Land."
Stella quickly retrieved the transponder snail from her subspace and handed it to Blake.
Blake took the transponder snail and casually placed it to his ear.
Brrr-brrr... Brrr-brrr... "Saint Blake, do you have any instructions?"
The transponder snail was quickly connected, and on the other end was a masked CP0 Agent.
Blake feigned an incredulous tone:
"I heard that Saint Grothius had an accident. Is that true?"
"Yes, Saint Blake!"
CP0 said with a hint of sorrow:
"The Marine traitor Sakazuki attacked Saint Grothius, and Saint Grothius has now been confirmed dead."
"Don't tell me such useless things."
Blake feigned displeasure:
"Since that guy is dead, what about the Devil Fruit he owes me?"
CP0 was silenced by these words, paused for a moment, and then cautiously said:
"Saint Blake, the Devil Fruit you're referring to is..."
Blake sighed:
"Last time, I made a bet with that guy and won a Devil Fruit from him."
"Now he hasn't given me the fruit, and he's gone. Who should I ask for it from?"
"This..."
CP0 didn't know how to handle it at once.
They had never encountered a Celestial Dragon dying unexpectedly in so many years! How would he know who to ask?
But he certainly couldn't say that; he had to muddle through first.
The determined CP Agent said in a deep voice:
"Saint Blake, I need to consult with the Gorosei."
Blake snorted coldly:
"Then go quickly! After you've consulted, hurry up and send me my Devil Fruit!"
"I remember it was a twin Devil Fruit, and it looked quite beautiful."
With that, Blake hung up the phone.
No harm in trying.
If the Love-Love Fruit hadn't been fed to a Slave by that fool, it would most likely be recoverable.
For the Shepherd Family, it was just a Devil Fruit anyway; there was no need to dwell on the details of the incident.
How could a Celestial Dragon lie for a Devil Fruit?
Grothius's demise caused the Celestial Dragons, who were originally enthusiastically preparing to compete for the Pirate King title, to panic a little.
However, they quickly calmed down and began to curse Akainu, the Marine, and even the Gorosei.
Habits formed since childhood meant they didn't know what fear was.
If something went wrong, it was definitely someone else's fault.
As for the other side... those Celestial Dragons chasing Shanks were not affected in the slightest; in fact, their enthusiasm grew even stronger.
Sakazuki dared to attack a Celestial Dragon, but could you, Shamrock, do such a thing?
Many Celestial Dragons even believed that becoming a pirate themselves was indeed dangerous.
But hadn't Shamrock already gained rich pirate experience?
Plus, with his strong power, he could definitely protect them!
So, they decided—
Chase! Chase them to death!
Finally, the Red Hair Pirates' red force was blocked at sea by six Celestial Dragon warships.
"Saint Shamrock! Take us with you!"
"With our help, you can definitely become the Pirate King!"
A slightly sharp voice echoed across the sea through a megaphone.
Beckman sighed helplessly:
"They... seem to have a deep misunderstanding of what a pirate is...?"
Lucky Roux, even at this moment, didn't forget to eat, biting into a chicken leg and asking indistinctly:
"So what should we do now?"
Beckman lit another cigarette:
"My suggestion is still to focus on negotiation and explanation."
"Ahhh! How annoying!"
Shanks somewhat irritably ruffled his hair:
"If reasoning with them worked, we wouldn't have been chased all the way here!"
His gaze swept over the figures standing on the bows of the opposite ships, wearing bulky space suits, and a dangerous aura emanated from his voice:
"Otherwise, why don't we just unleash some Haki and clear the area!"
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