Shanks's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowed.
A suffocating aura began to emanate from him, a precursor to the eruption of Conqueror's Haki.
Just then, a light sailboat approached rapidly from a distance.
A white figure leaped from the boat, landing gracefully on the deck of the red force.
The newcomer wore a mask with strange patterns and a white cloak, a CP Agent.
He respectfully saluted Shanks:
"Shanks-san, the Gorosei have instructed me to invite you back to Mary Geoise."
Shanks's eyes first lit up, revealing a joyful smile.
Heaven knows, he had been driven almost mad by the constant calls of "Shamrock" these past few days.
But the next second, his smile froze on his face, and he asked uncertainly:
"Shanks...-san?"
He recalled his previous conjectures with Benn and the others, the inexplicable identification by the first Celestial Dragon, and the relentless pursuit by these Celestial Dragons.
Now, hearing the CP Agent call him "Shanks-san" and seeing the other party's extremely solemn attitude... his hanging heart finally died.
"So..."
Shanks looked at the highest-ranking intelligence officer of the World Government before him, his expression becoming a mix of laughter and tears:
"So I really am a Celestial Dragon?"
The CP Agent nodded vigorously:
"Your identity is beyond doubt. As for the reasons, this subordinate dare not speak presumptuously; only you can confirm them directly with the Gorosei-sama."
With prior psychological preparation, Shanks didn't find it too difficult to accept his identity.
He looked helplessly at his crew, his expression somewhat bewildered:
"What should we do now?"
"Don't go!"
Yasopp was the first to object:
"Who knows what the World Government is planning? What if you go and encounter danger?"
A chorus of agreement immediately rang out:
"Exactly! Captain, you can't go!"
"That's right! Who knows what they want to do?!"
Beckman slowly exhaled a puff of smoke:
"I think we can go!"
He looked at Shanks:
"At least we need to find out what exactly happened to you."
At these words, everyone fell silent.
Putting themselves in Shanks's shoes, they too would want to clarify the mystery of his origins.
Hongou gritted his teeth:
"Then let's all go together!"
"Even if the World Government has some conspiracy, as long as we are together, there's nothing to fear!"
Snake also agreed:
"Hongou is right! If we go, we go together!"
Shanks looked at everyone, the anxiety and confusion in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by determination:
"If this matter isn't cleared up, those Celestial Dragons will definitely keep chasing us endlessly!"
"But if I take you all, and this is a trap, we could all be caught in one swoop."
"So I've decided..."
He glanced around at everyone:
"I'll go alone!"
"Absolutely not!"
Lucky Roux almost choked on his meat, pounding his chest as he shouted:
"That's the highest center of power in the World Government! Who knows what those old geezers are up to!"
"Enough!"
Shanks raised his hand, his voice not loud but unusually clear, cutting through all the dissuasions:
"This matter must be handled by me alone! This is the final decision!"
Everyone exchanged glances for a moment.
Although pirate Captains in this world often seem a bit unreliable, Shanks was a prime example.
But once he made a decision, no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
However, Beckman still proposed a compromise:
"We'll escort you to the Red Line and wait for you below!"
Shanks wanted to say more, but seeing everyone's determined eyes, he grinned:
"Alright!"
"I trust you all to guard our ship well!"
Having said that, he turned to the waiting CP Agent, pointing a circle on the sea:
"You should be able to handle them, right?"
"Now... we can depart."
As the red force changed course, little did they know that the Gorosei were no longer concerned with Shanks's issues.
Saturn's cane slammed heavily on the ground, causing the mirror-smooth floor to crack instantly:
"That damned traitor! He dared..."
"He dared to tell those things to the ants of the world!"
"And to establish a NEO Marines?! How presumptuous?!"
Warcury rested his chin, his face ashen:
"This is a complete betrayal! More serious than the act of killing a World Nobles itself!"
He picked up the transponder snail and dialed the Fleet Admiral's office:
"Sengoku! This mad dog under your command must be dealt with as soon as possible!"
"Tell Kuzan to forget about Red Port! Mobilize every available force!"
"This farce... must end immediately!"
Sengoku hung up the transponder snail, rubbing his temples, a vein throbbing on his forehead:
"What do they take Admirals for? New recruits in a training camp?"
Not to mention that Sakazuki's location was currently unknown; even if he were found, how could he be captured in the New World?
No one else in the office responded.
Hawk-eyed generals like Onigumo and Doberman even considered directly joining the NEO Marines to continue following Sakazuki.
They thought about it carefully—
If there were no World Government and Sengoku and others pressing down on them, wouldn't they be able to kill pirates as they pleased?
The more they thought about it, the more they wanted to go!
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Sengoku sighed and dialed Kuzan's transponder snail:
"Kuzan! You know about Sakazuki's matter, don't you?"
"The Gorosei demand that you immediately mobilize, destroy the NEO Marines, and capture Sakazuki!"
On the other end of the transponder snail, Kuzan sounded half-asleep:
"Ara la... it seems this time it's for real."
He scratched his hair:
"He really knows how to cause trouble, Sakazuki..."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Sengoku interrupted his grumbling:
"Tell me your thoughts!"
"What thoughts could I have?"
Kuzan sat up straight:
"Since it's an order from the Gorosei, it can only be carried out!"
He hung up the transponder snail, stood up, and tidied his clothes slightly, his expression still lazy, but his eyes held a look of solemnity:
"Sakazuki... it seems a battle between us is inevitable after all."
Kuzan knew that given their personalities and methods, a conflict was bound to happen sooner or later.
He just hadn't expected this day to come so quickly.
Just as Kuzan was returning to Marineford to prepare his team to depart, a bounty was issued from Mary Geoise, spreading across the seas along with the news of an Admiral's defection.
Bounty—
[Former Marine Admiral Akainu, current NEO Marines Fleet Admiral]
[Sakazuki]
[Bounty: 3,368,000,000 Berries]
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
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