Chapter 198 New Partner - The Wretched Man (Two in One)
Barrett's body fell to the ground along with the broken rubble, and large amounts of blood were spilled on the square that had become a ruin.
Even after Barrett's death, the surrounding marines remained terrified of him and, for a moment, dared not approach. Borsalino, on the other hand, seeing the battle over, walked over to Barrett's body, crouched down, and carefully examined the wounds.
"It's really... so scary!"
Borsalino had just crouched down when a strong smell of blood and burnt gas rushed into his nose. Even a Vice Admiral like him, who had seen a lot of things, found it a bit too much for him and subconsciously covered his nose.
Looking at the horrific burns on Barrett's body, Borsalino couldn't help but look up at Tsugikuni Yoshiichi and let out a sigh.
Barrett is truly dead.
Realizing this, Borsalino subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Barrett is a former crew member of the Pirate King Roger's ship. Although it is not known why Barrett left Roger's pirate crew, judging from the fact that Roger's pirate crew did not chase Barrett later, Barrett and Roger should have parted ways amicably.
There's probably still some affection between Barrett and Roger.
Since Yoshikazu Tsugakuni would personally kill someone like Barrett, it means that there should be no relationship between him and Roger. If there was any relationship, Barrett would not have died here.
With Barrett's strength, it is completely possible for Yuichiro Tsugikuni to let the opponent go as long as he doesn't give his all, and Borsalino can't see it at all.
Because before Tsugakuni Yoshiichi made his move, Borsalino hadn't expected Tsugakuni Yoshiichi to have grown to this point. His Haki was so strong that it could easily penetrate the Armament Haki of a strong man like Barrett.
There is no doubt that the current strength of Yoshikazu Tsugakuni is already one of the top combat forces in the navy. In terms of attack power, Borsalino is somewhat inferior to Yoshikazu Tsugakuni.
"Lieutenant General Borsalino, are you okay?"
"Hey, I didn't expect you to have such an enemy in this ocean. You actually attacked our Dawn Navy branch alone."
"Mr. Vice Admiral, because of you, my naval branch has suffered heavy losses!"
Jiguo Yuanyi walked to Borsalino's side, glanced at Borsalino who had just stood up, and then said with a sad face.
“???”
"My enemy?"
"This man is Barrett, a former crew member of Pirate King Roger. He came here to find Roger. How could he be my enemy? Vice Admiral Tsugikoku Yoshiichi, I don't know what you are talking about."
Borsalino subconsciously became alert when he heard what Tsugikoku Yoshiichi said. Although he and Tsugikoku Yoshiichi had only met a few times, every time they met, Tsugikoku Yoshiichi left a deep impression on him.
This young man! He must be the kind of person who doesn't smile much, and his emotional threshold is very high. He won't easily show any obvious emotions.
But now they have all defeated this "heir of the devil", and Tsugikuni Yoshiichi still has such an expression, which makes Borsalino smell the scent of conspiracy.
"No, no, no."
"He came to you for revenge. After all, it was you who tortured the Pirate King Roger."
"And didn't you just experience the battle together? If I hadn't attacked him first, he wouldn't even pay attention to me, and the navy of our branch."
"If he didn't have a grudge against you, would he have kept staring at you and attacking you?"
As soon as Ji Guoyuan said this, Borsalino immediately wanted to speak. He just opened his mouth to refute, but he saw Ji Guoyuan raised his hand and stopped him:
"Okay, no need to say more, I understand."
"As a righteous navy active on the front lines, it's normal to have some enemies."
"But the loss of my branch must be blamed on you."
"I will report this matter to General Zhan Guo."
As he spoke, Tsugakuni Yoshiichi waved directly to Shimotsuki Koshiro in the distance. Seeing Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's gesture, the latter immediately trotted over.
"Koshiro, give me the Den Den Mushi that can contact the Sengoku general."
"Such a major event has occurred in our branch. I need to report it personally to General Zhan Guo."
Hearing what Tsugikuni Yoshiichi said, Koshiro subconsciously asked: "Report? Aren't you going to exchange for the bounty? This person was once a crew member of Pirate King Roger, right? He should be very..."
Having said that, Koshiro finally noticed the slightly speechless face of Tsugakuni Yoriichi. Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Koshiro quickly shut up, secretly glanced at Borsalino, and immediately took out the Warring States Shogun's Den Den Mushi from his arms and handed it to Tsugakuni Yoriichi.
In principle, the Navy is absolutely not allowed to exchange pirates' heads for bounties, because one of the ways for the Navy Headquarters to control the branch is to control the branch's military expenditure.
Controlling military spending means controlling supplies and the "payroll" of the branch navy. Only in this way can the navy avoid the situation where branches become too powerful and then become independent and powerful, thus ignoring the orders of the headquarters.
Everyone understands this truth, because sailors also have families and need to make a living. Not all sailors join simply for justice, a large part of them also join for a livelihood.
While there were many pirates on this ocean, almost all of the well-known pirates were in the New World. Most branch officers and soldiers wouldn't necessarily encounter a bounty hunter in their entire careers.
Therefore, for many sailors, being a sailor is just a "job" to maintain regional security, and their pursuit is different from that of people like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Lieutenant General Yoshiichi Tsugikuni, your Dawn branch is really wild!" Borsalino saw Koshiro lowering his head and saying nothing, touched his chin, and then laughed obscenely.
Borsalino had suspected something like this when he first met this massive naval branch. But guesses are always just guesses, and now, it was confirmed.
Although the relationship between Tsugakuni Yoshiichi and Roger was not investigated, it was made clear that Tsugakuni Yoshiichi and his men were indeed exchanging the heads of wanted criminals for bounties, which was also a gain. At least there was something to report to General Sengoku.
"Lieutenant General Borsalino, you are joking."
"We are all Marines doing our duty."
Yoshiichi Tsugakuni laughed, then directly picked up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku's Den Den Mushi.
…
A certain sea area in the New World.
The navy fleet, escorting the Pirate King Roger from Dressrosa, was currently advancing on the sea. It was already late at night, but the sailors aboard the warships were unable to sleep and continued their journey through the night.
Pirate King Roger!
When escorting such an important figure, even a general like Zhan Guo could not relax for a moment.
Inside the prison aboard Battleship 0, Admiral Sengoku sat on a bench in front of a cell, processing a backlog of documents. He and Garp split into two shifts, one during the day and one at night, so they could keep a constant eye on Roger.
Sengoku and Garp were old acquaintances of Roger's. They knew full well that seastone handcuffs like those were no match for a powerful warrior like Roger. Without the powerful navy guarding him, Roger would have easily escaped.
A prison cell couldn't possibly hold Roger.
In the dim prison, only a dim kerosene lamp was lit. The facilities on the warship were quite complete, but this completeness did not extend to the prison cells.
"It's so late, are you still busy?"
"It really is hard work, Zhan Guo."
Roger, lying on the cell floor, looked at the ceiling. Suddenly, he tilted his head slightly and said to Zhan Guo. That night, Zhan Guo and the others weren't the only ones who couldn't sleep. Roger, too, couldn't sleep.
Although Roger planned his future path himself, he still needed some time to prepare himself mentally in the face of death.
“Hua La La—”
The sound of chains knocking was heard, and Roger sat up and looked at Zhan Guo outside the fence.
Hearing the noise, Zhan Guo's expression froze, and he couldn't help but straighten his back. He put down the pen in his hand and looked into the cell. The dim light hit Zhan Guo's profile, and his serious face was full of solemnity.
"Well, relax."
"Warring States Period."
Seeing Zhan Guo's nervous expression, Roger couldn't help but laugh. He didn't expect that even though he was handcuffed, Zhan Guo was still so vigilant.
"There's no way I can relax when facing you!"
"I also advise you, since you have already entered our navy's prison, don't have any other unnecessary thoughts."
"I acknowledge your strength, but without Rayleigh's help, you won't be able to escape from Garp and me."
Zhan Guo tapped the table lightly with his fingers and reminded him.
Although it is not known what means Tsugikuni Yoshiichi used to arrest Roger, it can be seen from the injuries on Roger's body that Roger's fighting ability is probably not affected.
Although Zhan Guo said this in a tough tone, only Zhan Guo himself knew how guilty he felt when he said this.
Indeed, Roger would never be able to defeat the two of them with the combined forces of him and Garp, but now they are on the sea. Once the battle between them starts, all the warships will probably be destroyed by Roger in an instant.
Even if he and Garp could defeat Roger, it was not certain that they would be able to bring Roger back to the navy smoothly.
The best outcome would be Roger's execution on the spot, and the worst case scenario would be the destruction of the fleet and Roger's escape.
If possible, Zhan Guo didn't want to cause trouble.
"Escape?"
"No, if I were to run, would I wait until you and Garp get to Dressrosa?"
"Although Tsugikoku Yuichiro's strength is outstanding, he can't keep me here."
"Hey, come and talk to me. It's been a long time since we last saw each other, right?"
"Just think of it as old friends catching up."
At this point, a smile crept onto Roger's face. Before his death, he had seen all the sights he wanted to see and met all the old friends he wanted to see. The only remaining "companions" he hadn't said goodbye to were Sengoku and Garp.
“.”
Zhan Guo was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then he gathered the documents on the desk with his hands. After sorting them out, Zhan Guo put the documents aside, folded his hands, and said:
"Since you want to talk to me, then let's talk."
"That's right, I have something to ask you first."
"What's going on between you and Tsugikoku Yoriichi?"
As the question was about to come out of his mouth, a quick sound interrupted Zhan Guo's words.
"Blur, blur—"
Zhan Guo was startled for a moment, and then quickly took out the Den Den Mushi from his arms. This was a strange-shaped Den Den Mushi, with a tuft of red hair on the top of the insect's head, and a flame-shaped red mark on the insect's cheek.
Seeing the appearance of Den Den Mushi, Zhan Guo's muscles tensed up, he looked at Roger deeply, and without caring whether Roger was in front of him or not, he directly picked up the receiver.
"I'm Zhan Guo."
After a simple greeting, the voice of Yuichiro Tsugikuni came from the receiver.
"Hello, General Zhan Guo, I'm sorry to bother you so late. Please forgive me, I have something important to report to you."
Ji Guoyuan spoke in a respectful tone, and when Zhan Guo heard this tone, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
He and Yuichiro Tsugakuni have known each other for a long time. Although Yuichiro Tsugakuni is his subordinate, he almost never uses honorifics when talking to him.
That is a subconscious speaking habit and cannot be changed.
But today, Tsugumi Yuichi's attitude
"Well, there's no need for polite words between you and me."
"Yuichi, what's going on?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yunyi's voice came from the other end of the receiver.
"Well, the thing is, our Dawn Marine Branch was attacked by Vice Admiral Borsalino's enemies."
“The loss is heavy!”
Hearing Borsalino's name, Sengoku's pupils suddenly shrank. Had Borsalino, secretly dispatched to investigate, been discovered by Tsugikuni Yoriichi?!
It's impossible.
Zhan Guo's heart sank, and he couldn't help but think of the worst. On the other end of the phone, Ji Guoyuan paused and continued:
"The one seeking revenge on Vice Admiral Borsalino is Douglas Barrett, a former crew member of Pirate King Roger, known as the Devil's Heir."
Roger in the cell also heard this. When he heard the name Douglas Barrett, he couldn't help but walk to the fence, grabbed the railing with both hands, and tried hard to listen to the words coming from the Den Den Mushi receiver.
"Oh, General Sengoku, don't worry. I've already executed Douglas Barrett from the invading branch. Lieutenant General Borsalino isn't seriously injured either. He just suffered some minor injuries. I think his nose is broken."
"It's nothing serious. You don't have to worry about his safety."
"But fighting Douglas Barrett was truly dangerous. The naval branch I worked so hard to build was completely destroyed."
"Not only that, I'm also seriously injured. If another powerful enemy attacks the Marine Branch, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on."
"So, General, I have a favor to ask of you. To help my Dawn branch resume operations as quickly as possible, I'd like to ask that you second Lieutenant General Borsalino to my branch as its operations staff officer. Please be half a level below me."
"You know, the pirates in the New World are really powerful!"
"I'm still young, not very strong, and I'm injured right now, so it's a bit difficult for me to handle this alone."
"I urgently need a mature general like Borsalino to help me."
"Once the branch is secure, I'll let Lieutenant General Borsalino return."
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's words were incredibly informative, and at that moment, Sengoku was in a state of shock. Douglas Barrett attacked the Marine branch, and was killed by Tsugikuni Yoriichi?!
Douglas Barrett was a man who was on the Navy's radar. After leaving Roger's ship, Barrett had been making trouble. The Navy had sent people to pursue him, but the result was
After several consecutive failures, the navy also thoroughly understood Barrett's combat power. The superiors marked Barrett as a special-grade combat power. Except for the admirals and Garp, other navy officers were absolutely not allowed to contact Barrett without permission. Such an order was to protect the navy's middle-level generals.
The top naval officials had already reached a consensus that a large-scale military deployment was necessary to deal with Barrett.
But now, in the middle of the night, Yuichi Tsuchikuni suddenly called to tell him that Barrett had been killed by him?
Shocked by the news, Sengoku didn't listen carefully to what Yoriichi said next. Before Sengoku could think carefully about the message contained in Yoriichi's words, Roger, who heard the news of Barrett's death in the cell, couldn't help but shrink his pupils suddenly, and the terrifying domineering aura burst out from his body uncontrollably.
"I promised you what you said."
"I have something else to do, I'll hang up first!"
Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Roger, Zhan Guo didn't have time to think. After a hasty perfunctory remark, he quickly hung up the phone and shouted at Roger:
"Roger, what are you going to do!"
On the other end of the phone, Jiguo Yuanyi looked at the receiver in his hand in some surprise. He didn't expect that Zhan Guo would agree so readily.
The next second, a smile appeared on Tsugikuni Yoshiichi's face. He turned his head to look at Borsalino, showed the receiver in his hand, and said with a smile:
"Lieutenant General Borsalino, did you hear that too?"
"General Zhan Guo, I agreed."
"From today on, you will be the operations officer of my Dawn branch."
"Haha, don't worry, if you have better development, I will definitely not hold you back from leaving."
"If this department ever plans to appoint you as general, you can leave my place at any time."
Borsalino also heard Sengoku's response on the receiver just now. He didn't expect that Sengoku actually agreed to Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Borsalino is clearly the backbone of the Marine Headquarters. When the admirals are reluctant to act, important tasks are led by him or some veteran vice admirals or young strong men like Sakaski.
But now, he actually wants to provide advice to Tsugikuni Yoriichi?
As for the condition for leaving mentioned by Yuanyi, Borsalino was even more speechless.
Only a general can leave? Does that mean that if nothing unexpected happens, it will be difficult for him to leave under Guo Yuan's control?
"Well"
"I look forward to your continued guidance, Commander Tsugumi Kuni."
(End of this chapter)
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