Chapter 190 The Revenge Begins
The losses to Beehive Island were quickly tallied.
Shakky disappeared, several powerful Devil Fruits treasured by Rocks also vanished, and the subordinates stationed on Beehive Island suffered heavy casualties, not to mention the various buildings and buried jewels on the island...
This was arguably the biggest and most humiliating defeat Rocks had ever suffered since he set sail.
All eyes were on Rocks, eager to see if this maritime tyrant would be crushed by the World Government's blow, or continue his reign of terror and carry out his rebellion and revenge to the very end.
Newgate, Lingling, Shiki, Wang Zhi... they all silently looked at Rocks.
Admittedly, these people had various reasons for joining the Rocks Pirates, and they didn't have much loyalty to Rocks. Rocks himself was definitely not the type to rally his crew through personal charisma.
But Rocks undoubtedly led them to success after success, defeating one formidable enemy after another. As long as they remained under Rocks' command, all they needed to do was advance, advance, and keep advancing, like a scorching blade, cutting down everything in their path.
How could they not be captivated by this feeling of arrogance, regarding the world government and navy as mere dust?
No self-proclaimed strongman can resist this charm, and that is what makes the Rocks Pirates truly irreplaceable.
"Jim Island, Dewey Island, Pepys Island..."
As Rocks slowly recited the names of the islands, the pirates, who had been worried about the losses, all revealed crazy smiles.
Even Valkyrie and Shanks, who didn't belong to this timeline, quickly remembered what these islands had in common—they all had naval forces stationed on them.
"This is the first step..."
This is the first step towards revenge, to declare his rage and fury to the World Government, and to declare that he will never back down from the World Government's ridiculous victory achieved through espionage and other underhanded tactics!
Only when Rocks remained a powerful rebel did his wife, children, and clansmen, who were in the hands of the World Government, have any value, instead of being arbitrarily slaughtered like the others on that island.
"Then, we will reclaim our treasure and make the World Government and the Celestial Dragons pay for our sins with their lives!"
Celestial Dragons?!
Yes, kill the Celestial Dragons, kill those Celestial Dragons who call themselves the children of God and descendants of the Creator.
Kill those Celestial Dragons who rightfully lord it over everyone and have ruled this sea for hundreds of years?
This is truly outrageous, insane, and incredibly tempting!
But they are vicious and lawless pirates who despise order, rules, and nobles the most.
The Celestial Dragons are the greatest nobles on this great sea.
The World Government is the most detestable ruler of this ocean!
Shiki smelled the thick, pungent stench of blood in the air, emanating from the corpses scattered across the ground, growing increasingly foul with time. He wondered if the blood flowing from the bodies of those children of God smelled the same, and if the corpses of the Creator's descendants, left to rot in the wilderness, would breed equally repulsive flies and mosquitoes.
He stared intently at Lox, understanding what a crazy choice this was.
But that's just how pirates are!
"Revenge!"
"Kill the Celestial Dragons!"
"Take back Miss Shakky!"
...
Rocks was putting all his effort into causing trouble for the Navy and the World Government, while at the same time, other forces on the sea were in an uproar after hearing that the World Government had captured Beehive Island.
On the Oro Jackson, Roger, lying on a deckchair, opened today's newspaper. After seeing the headline on the front page, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
When he opened his eyes again, the words had not changed as he had expected.
Roger suddenly stood up, knocking over the deck chair behind him. He grabbed the newspaper and rushed towards the first mate's cabin, ignoring the lock Ray had made with seastone and ramming through.
Rayleigh looked up from the thick stack of documents, his cold gaze first sweeping over the half-broken doorway before settling on the captain's face without any change in expression.
Clearly, if Roger couldn't give him a reasonable reason to break into his room, Roger would have to temporarily act as the "door" until Rayleigh fixed it.
Roger's hand trembled involuntarily as he was stung by Rayleigh's gaze, and the wooden door in his hand made a rather ominous creaking sound. Then Roger felt a sudden lightness in his hand as the entire door was yanked off by his rough movements.
Rayleigh: "..."
Roger: "..."
Roger, gripping the doorknob like a shield, chuckled dryly: "Haha, I told you your Seastone lock wouldn't work. It's not like the whole door is made of Seastone, what's the use of a sturdy lock... Uh, I'm here on important business!"
Roger, startled by Rayleigh's increasingly dangerous gaze, suddenly remembered why he was there. He rushed forward, pulled Rayleigh out of the pile of documents, and slapped the crumpled newspaper onto the first mate's face.
"Rayle, look at today's news!" Roger said anxiously, "The Navy and the World Government have joined forces to break through Beehive Island!"
"The Rocks Pirates' treasure, along with Shakky, have all been taken away by the World Government!"
“Xia Qi…”
Rayleigh snatched the newspaper and quickly read through the major event that had taken up several pages.
The World Government and the Navy control the absolute mouthpiece of public opinion, and this newspaper is no exception. It boasts about the strength of the Navy and the World Government, scorns Rocks's fragility, and expresses disdain for Shakky, a mere pirate, daring to call herself "the most beautiful woman in the world."
But Ridley still managed to confirm the truth of the matter from the photos and the details between the lines.
"Captain, I..."
"Let's go to Impel Down to rescue Shakky!"
The two spoke at the same time. Rayleigh paused for a second, then shook his head at the excited Roger: "The Navy will not lock Shakky in Impel Down."
Although the newspapers confidently stated that the Navy and the World Government's alliance this time was to curb the arrogance of pirates and contribute to the peace and tranquility of the seas, it was just official rhetoric.
The Navy is one thing, but the World Government has never "actively combated pirates." As long as they don't directly attack Mary Geoise like Rocks did, the World Government is happy to see pirates plundering everywhere.
After all, most pirates in this world are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. Since the member states of the World Government all have some naval bases, they often target non-member republics for their raids.
With the threat of ruthless pirates and the contrast with those non-member republics that have been plundered, enduring the rule of the Celestial Dragons and the exorbitant Celestial Gold is not so difficult.
Under these circumstances, there is only one reason why the World Government would choose to join forces with the Navy to attack Beehive Island: the existence of Rocks has been regarded as a threat to the World Government's rule, and attacking Beehive Island is just part of the plan to completely eliminate Rocks!
Roger looked at Rayleigh in disbelief: "Seriously? Aren't you worried? How can you still analyze things under these circumstances?"
Rayleigh rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "Of course I'm worried about Shakky, but rushing to save her without thinking will not only fail to rescue her, but will also put the Roger Pirates in danger."
Anyone with eyes can see that the World Government and the Navy kidnapped Shakky and took away some unknown treasure that Rocks had hidden on Beehive Island, with the aim of luring this unsettling guy Rocks into a pre-set trap and eliminating him.
Rayleigh suppressed his worries about Shakky: "Shakky will not be in any danger until she functions as a decoy."
As the first mate, he had to be responsible for the entire Roger Pirates and couldn't let his personal feelings cloud his judgment...
Roger suddenly slapped Rayleigh on the shoulder, then lowered his head and looked at Rayleigh with an unusually serious expression.
"I know, Rayleigh. Are you afraid that I'll be the one to save Shakky in the end, and that Shakky will fall in love with me out of gratitude for saving her life?"
Rayleigh: "..."
Rayleigh: "Captain, if you can't speak, you don't have to." Although he knew Roger meant to relieve his excessive psychological pressure, it was still a bit too harsh.
Roger spread his arms in surrender: "...But you're not really planning to do nothing, are you?"
"Shakky is the most beautiful woman in the world."
“…I know that.”
"What I mean is that her beauty, her charm, is a gift to the world. Cowards who cower in the shadows have no right to appreciate such beauty."
The identity of being part of Rocks' treasure is not enough to protect Shakky; he needs to add more to her protection.
A woman whose charm could stir up conflict across the entire sea, a woman admired by all pirates, a woman only the strong are qualified to appreciate, a woman whose mere existence represents supreme honor and is pursued by everyone!
Only such public opinion and identity can protect Xia Qi, and even...
A faint smile appeared on Rayleigh's lips. The title of Queen of Amazon Lily was not something that could be obtained solely through beauty. When love was not involved, Shakky was a dangerous woman whose intelligence was no less than her looks.
While stirring up public opinion to leave Xia Qi a way out, they also searched for clues to rescue Xia Qi as soon as possible.
The worst-case scenario is...
“Since it’s a trap to lure out Rocks, it can’t be hidden,” Rayleigh said confidently. “Then we can get involved and be the ultimate winners.”
Thinking of this, Rayleigh raised his head and looked solemnly at Roger, who seemed to be considering his suggestion.
"There might be another big commotion then."
"What does it matter?" Roger has not yet found any clues to the final island, and the Roger Pirates are mostly adventuring around the world following various legends.
Since we're just going to be casual hangouts on the beach anyway, what difference does it make where we go?
Roger stroked his chin: "I will be the first man to rescue Shakky."
Rayleigh sighed. Ever since he and Shakky confessed their feelings, Roger probably understood that his chances were zero. However, the guy still wouldn't let it go, acting as if he would never admit defeat as long as he still had hope.
"...Then keep up the good work."
When will Roger realize that, just as no one but Roger is considered a man in Flameflower's eyes, in Shakky's eyes, no matter who rescued her, there can only be one hero who saves the damsel in distress.
That's Rayleigh.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com