"This is where the Pirate King Roger was executed."
"Two young men, are you traveling to Rogue Town?"
"Hey, do you need a guide? I'm a local from Rogue Town. I know everything that happened on this island."
"If you can hire me, I will definitely not let you down."
"1,000 Baileys a day, just enough to feed me!"
In the central square of Rogue Town, a short-haired young man in his early 20s was leading Ace and Sabo to the famous tourist attraction on the island - "Roger's Execution Platform".
He was enthusiastically promoting himself to the two teenagers.
The moment Ace and Sabo landed on the island, they were noticed by the young man who specialized in the work of "guide".
There is no other reason, it is because Ace and Sabo both exude an "innocent" temperament, and one can tell at a glance that the two have never lacked food and clothing since they were young.
Ordinary sailors and merchants would often show a sense of vigilance towards the unfamiliar environment after arriving on the island, but Ace and Sabo had behaved very calmly since arriving on the island and showed no such vigilance.
Moreover, the guide could also see that Ace and Sabo were not from poor families. Children from poor families would have an indescribable restraint and would appear very awkward around strangers.
However, such traits are not reflected in Ace and Sabo.
It was precisely because of the various qualities displayed by Ace and Sabo that the guide saw business opportunities.
Roger's Scaffold
Ace couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity when he came to this famous tourist attraction. He didn't expect that so many years after his father's death, the place where he was executed could actually generate income for the people of Rogue Town. It was really a joke from hell.
Although he had no feelings for his father, since he had already come to Rogue Town, he couldn't help but come here to take a look.
There is an empty space next to the execution platform. The mayor of this town has protected the precious "historical relic" in this way.
There are not many people coming and going in the square. Although it is a "famous tourist attraction", it is just an execution platform. Apart from its historical value, it is impossible to attract too many tourists to stop by again.
People who come here just want to satisfy their curiosity or have a pilgrimage mentality.
"Sorry, we plan to live here permanently and don't need a guide."
At this time, Ace was gazing at the execution platform in the distance, with a look of remembrance in his eyes. Seeing that his brother was lost in thought, Sabo had no intention of urging him. Instead, he smiled and pulled the guide aside, politely declining.
"Permanent residence?!"
The guide was also stunned when he heard Sabo's words, but then his smile widened and he patted his chest and said:
“It’s good to stay here permanently!”
"Our Rogue Town can be said to be one of the most peaceful places in the East China Sea. It has not been invaded by pirates for a long time."
"You are so wise to choose to live here!"
"By the way, I know there are some vacant houses. Coincidentally, I know the landlords of those houses."
"I can introduce you guys. Haha, the fee is not expensive."
This guide's business is really wide-ranging. Although he has no way to sell his "tour guide" business to the two of them, he still has the intermediary business to recommend to them.
“No, we have room.”
Sabo shook his head and was about to refuse, but Ace, who was staring at the execution platform in a trance, suddenly turned around and interrupted:
"Oh? Do you have any housing to recommend?!"
"Is there a place close to the Naval Branch Base? A two-bedroom apartment would be fine."
"By the way, what's your name, little brother? It's been so long, and I still don't know your name."
Ace's words startled Sabo. He raised his eyebrows, glanced at Ace, and didn't interrupt.
"My name is Jack, hey, it's my honor to help you."
"but."
"You're looking for a house near the Navy branch? What do you want to do with the houses around there?"
"The house over there is not fun to live in!"
When the young man Jaques mentioned the Marine branch, his expression changed slightly. He glanced around and spoke to Sabo and Ace in a low voice.
"Um?"
"What's the meaning?"
"Oh, the reason we want the house over there is simply because it's closer to the navy. You know, the sea is not stable, and being closer to the navy will make us feel more at ease."
"Speaking of which, our two brothers' life experiences were also quite bumpy."
Ace and Sabo looked at each other in surprise, and after understanding what Jak meant, they asked in a low voice. While answering, Ace lied casually, concealing his and Sabo's identities as Lieutenant Colonels of the Navy.
“So that’s how it is.”
The reason Ace gave was not surprising. Although Jack was young, he had entered society early and had met many different kinds of people.
Although the East China Sea is said to be the most peaceful sea area among the four seas, and the public security level in Rogue Town has always been good, this does not mean that no one in the East China Sea has been harmed by pirates, nor does it mean that people are not afraid of pirates.
This reason makes sense and Jack can understand it.
"Next to the Navy branch. Well, the properties next to the Navy branch are all owned by the Navy."
“I don’t have the channels for this.”
"Can it be a little further? It's only a ten-minute walk!"
Although Jack could understand why Ace and Sabo wanted to find a house closer to the navy, the situation on Rogue Town Island was somewhat different from other places.
Rogue Town is known as the Town of Beginning and Ending and is directly under the jurisdiction of the World Government.
The mayor is responsible for managing people's livelihood, but his power is extremely limited. On the contrary, it is the navy who has the greatest power in the town and his say was once higher than that of the mayor.
The base commander of Rogue Town can make his own decisions on anything that happens on the island, and even the mayor has no way to restrain the navy base commander.
The base commander is like the king who rules over the island and holds the highest power.
Huge power will naturally breed some other problems. In recent years, the control of the Navy Headquarters over the four sea branches has been weakened, and these branches have formed a certain degree of autonomy.
Ambitious and capable base commanders actually become warlords.
Colonel Biliqi, the base commander of Rogge Town, built Rogge Town into a military town. In order to satisfy his material desires, he used his power to "purchase" shops and houses near the branch.
The salaries of ordinary sailors are not low and their purchasing power is strong, but the Navy Headquarters only provides normal food and accommodation, and the sailors still need to find entertainment activities themselves.
And precisely because of this, the business around the naval branch is very developed.
Colonel Biliqi also made a lot of money through such means.
On the surface, Colonel Biliqi's actions didn't appear excessive, and he offered a fair price when purchasing the shops. However, in reality, only the sellers themselves know how many of them genuinely wanted to sell their properties.
The navy does not allow its subordinates to engage in business. Once firearms and commerce are linked together, the problems that arise are extremely huge.
Colonel Bilichi's actions actually violated the regulations of the Navy Headquarters.
But it is obvious that the Navy Headquarters has not found out about this matter, because Ace and Sabo came here this time to replace Colonel Bilichi as the new base commander of Rogue Town, and after Bilichi is transferred back to the Navy Headquarters, he will be awarded the rank of brigadier general and assigned to another position.
Yes, Colonel Bilić got a promotion!
Because of his meritorious service in defending the territory, there were no large-scale pirate raids on the island during the years he was in charge of Rogue Town.
Ace and Sabo looked at each other, both of them were quite surprised by the news they heard, and their faces showed solemn expressions.
Before this, their knowledge of Biliqi was limited to information, thinking that he was an excellent navy, but they did not expect that there was such a secret hidden behind it.
Such a person
After hearing the news, Ace and Sabo were overwhelmed with a sense of justice. They had secretly made up their minds that they would never let someone like Bilic be promoted smoothly.
Thinking of this, Ace chuckled and nodded: "It's okay if it's a little further away. We can just rent it short-term. A reasonable price will be fine."
Ace changed his tone, and Sabo nodded in tacit understanding.
When Jack heard about short-term rental, he suddenly became a little uninterested. His "agency fee" was also closely related to this. If Ace and Sabo stayed longer and paid more rent, he would naturally get more agency fees.
It’s just a short-term rental. Just a small business to make ends meet.
As perceptive as Ace and Sabo were, they naturally noticed each other's little emotions. Ace patted Jak's shoulder and asked in a low voice:
"Could you tell us about the navy here?"
"How can they own a business? I heard that navy members can't do business!"
"Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."
As he spoke, Ace took out two thousand-dollar Baileys from his pocket and gently put them into Jack's hand.
Jacob didn't want to say much, as he didn't want to get himself into trouble, but as soon as Bailey started, he immediately smiled.
"Let's go and talk as we walk."
"I'll explain it to you in detail!"
Jak turned his body to the side, bowed slightly, and then walked quickly towards the branch. Ace and Sabo also followed quickly.
On the way, Jac told Ace and Sabo all the information he knew about the navy.
It turned out that the naval industry that Jack had mentioned before did not belong to Bilic alone. The middle-level colonels and lieutenants in the base also followed suit. These people had formed an interest group.
There are no clean officers in the entire branch.
As Ace and Sabo walked along, their faces became increasingly grim. Neither of them had imagined that such corruption was buried beneath the peaceful town of Rogue.
The two realized that similar things might not only happen in Rogue Town.
There may be things that they cannot imagine in places they cannot see or touch.
When Yoriichi Tsugakuni took control of the Marine Headquarters, he had actually realized the corruption within the Navy. The reason why he sent Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru out for patrol was to prevent such things as much as possible. However, his policy was canceled with his death before it even began.
The World Government, which regained control of the Marine Headquarters, hurriedly consolidated its power. Except for the traitor Kuzan, both Kizaru and Sakaski were recalled to the Marine Headquarters to guard the holy land.
The fledgling Ace and Sabo saw the dark side of the Marine Headquarters on their first sea duty.
New world.
All nations were thriving under the rule of the new navy. At the harbor of Biscuit Island, a crimson ship slowly sailed into the harbor.
The coast was bustling with people. The new navy stationed on Biscuit Island lined up on the shore, ready for battle. The leader was Mihawk. He was wearing a black suit with red flowers, a golden-handled sword on his back, and his sharp eyes were fixed on the deck of the red ship, quietly waiting for something.
Today is a big day for their new navy.
In recent years, with the passage of time, new powerful forces have emerged in the New World.
The revived Beehive Island; Red-Haired Shanks, who bears the name of Red Hair and is known as the most domineering man in the world; and Kozuki Oden, who inherited Whitebeard's will and led the remnants as the new captain to become active on the sea again.
These forces, together with the New Navy, became the Four Emperors who ruled the New World.
Among these forces, the New Navy has the largest sphere of influence and the pressure they have to bear is also the greatest.
The Whitebeard Pirates recaptured Edward Newgate's hometown; Beehive Island also returned to Wang Zhi's control.
However, the new navy did not choose to take action against these two forces that provoked it, but chose to "protect the market" and strengthen its control over other regions.
However, neither the Whitebeard Pirates nor Beehive Island have any intention of further expansion. They are also very cautious about the new navy and do not want to rashly engage in conflict.
However, Zephyr, who inherited the will of Yoshikazu Tsugakuni, did not intend to stop the New Navy. For this reason, he chose to find help for the New Navy!
In today's world, there are very few forces that are qualified to join forces with the new navy.
The target of this negotiation is the Iron Wall Pirates led by Red Hair Shanks.
Zephyr knew that there was a connection between Red-Hair Shanks and Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He also investigated the actions of the Red-Hair Pirates over the years and verified the various deeds they had done over the years.
And it was because of this that he came up with the idea of joining forces with the Red Hair Pirates.
Zephyr doesn't know what Shanks' purpose is, but he knows that Red Hair is a crew member who got off the ship of Pirate King Roger, and the other party may know the secret of the Final Island. Such an identity naturally puts him in opposition to the World Government.
Shanks has a personal relationship with Yoriichi Tsugakuni; he knows the secret of the final island.
Both of these events laid the foundation for the New Navy to join forces with the Iron Wall Pirates.
"Buzz—"
A long wooden ladder was lowered from the red ship. The moment Shanks appeared on the deck, the terrifying domineering aura spread out in all directions.
On the coast, many of the new navy who were on high alert were unable to withstand Shanks' terrifying domineering aura, and lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
Countless people were fighting on the beach, only the leader Mihawk and Aramaki behind him stood quietly, looking up slightly at Shanks on the boat.
Show your power.
Although Shanks was interested in negotiating with the New Navy, in order to increase his bargaining chips, he didn't mind showing his abilities to the New Navy right from the start.
"Welcome to the Bankoku, Red-Haired Shanks."
"I'm really looking forward to your arrival!"
Mihawk looked at Shanks with sharp eyes. Although he said polite words, Shanks could feel the raging fighting spirit burning in Mihawk.
(End of this chapter)
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