Chapter 424: Is the Rocks Pirates Returning?

Surprisingly, even after Marine Headquarters entered the New World, despite holding frequent high-level meetings and seemingly preparing for a major operation, they remained as steady as an old dog—without making any actual moves.

Even the Seven Warlords of the Sea showed no significant action, each seemingly preoccupied with their own affairs.

Meanwhile, in Mariejois, inside Claudius' palace, Sengoku, was having a conversation with Claudius.

"Look, this is the latest intel from Spandine," Claudius said as he handed a document to Sengoku.

Sengoku reached out and took the file.

Before even reading it, he chuckled and said, "It seems that ever since the CP organizations were restructured, Spandine's intelligence-gathering capabilities have improved significantly.

There's no news from Marine Intelligence, yet here you are, Your Highness, with a fresh report?"

"Hehehe, well, with CP-X, Happy Street, and the CP divisions now unified, an increase in efficiency is only natural," Claudius replied with a smirk.

Sengoku nodded before opening the file and reading through it.

As he flipped through the pages, his expression grew more serious. His eyes flickered occasionally, clearly deep in thought.

After a long moment, Sengoku finally sighed in surprise. "This is really beyond my expectations…"

But soon after, a look of understanding crossed his face, and he shook his head. "Then again, it does make sense."

"To be honest, I didn't expect these pirates to react so quickly. It seems we've put them under immense pressure. What's even more surprising is that it's Kaido who made the first move," Claudius remarked.

"Kaido may seem reckless and wild on the surface, but if he were truly that simple, he wouldn't be where he is now. He knows exactly what he's doing," Sengoku said, his tone contemplative.

When Claudius first received this intelligence from Spandine, he was also somewhat shocked.

Because the first pirate to make a move was not Golden Lion Shiki, as expected.

It was Kaido.

Kaido had taken the initiative to invite Charlotte Linlin and Shiki to Onigashima in Wano Country, supposedly for an "old friends' reunion."

On the surface, it sounded like a perfectly reasonable excuse. After all, the three of them had all been part of the Rocks Pirates back in the day. If there was any camaraderie left, it wouldn't be surprising.

However, the problem was that there was far more bad blood between them than friendship.

After Big Mom's downfall, Kaido had swallowed up a significant portion of her former territory. And after Charlotte Linlin was released from Impel Down, she had spent considerable effort reclaiming what was rightfully hers.

The two had already clashed multiple times. And as for Shiki—he didn't hold either of them in high regard.

After Shiki's fall years ago, both Kaido and Big Mom had moved in on his legacy, attempting to seize whatever influence he had left behind.

So, after Shiki escaped from Impel Down, he had fought against both of them on multiple occasions. While none of their battles resulted in a decisive victory, the animosity between them was undeniable.

Because of this, Claudius and Sengoku had long considered the possibility of these three uniting against Marine Headquarters.

But they weren't entirely sure.

After all, pirates were unpredictable. You could never expect them to act rationally. It was entirely possible that Shiki, driven by rage, might launch a reckless attack on Marine Headquarters alone.

Pirates, by their very nature, thrived on chaos.

But what Claudius and Sengoku hadn't anticipated was that this time, the pirate factions made their decision extremely quickly.

Kaido had taken the lead, disguising this "reunion" as an innocent gathering of old comrades.

In reality, this so-called "Pirates' Alumni Association" was nothing more than a sham.

The three of them were likely using this "reunion" as a pretext to discuss forming an alliance.

Neither Shiki nor Big Mom refused Kaido's invitation. They both agreed to attend.

This only reinforced the notion that they were seriously considering joining forces.

Sure, there might still be some lingering tension between them, but if they were willing to set aside their pride and actively reach out, it meant they were serious about working together.

That was all Claudius needed to confirm—Kaido, Shiki, and Charlotte Linlin were preparing to unite against Marine Headquarters.

"Is the Rocks Pirates about to be reborn?" Claudius mused aloud, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

Sengoku chuckled and waved dismissively. "Not quite.

Even though Kaido and Big Mom are stronger than they were in the past, and Shiki hasn't fallen off much, they still can't compare to the original Rocks Pirates.

Back then, the Rocks crew was filled with legendary figures. The threat they posed was far beyond what these three alone can accomplish.

Besides, Whitebeard and Rocks D. Xebec are dead. How could there be a true resurrection?"

Claudius laughed and nodded. "I was just speaking casually. I don't take it that seriously."

Taking a sip of tea, Claudius then asked, "So Sengoku, do you think Marine Headquarters can take them down?"

"If it were just Marine Headquarters alone, the pressure would be immense," Sengoku admitted.

Despite having taken on a new role as Supreme Commander, his decades in the Marines weren't something he could simply shake off. Even now, when discussing Marine Headquarters, he often referred to them as "we".

Claudius, however, didn't comment on it.

After a brief pause, Sengoku continued, "That being said, this New World Strategy isn't just a Marine operation—it's a World Government initiative.

Your Highness, I doubt you plan to rely only on Marine forces, correct?"

Claudius naturally nodded. "Of course not.

Whether it's the Seven Warlords of the Sea, CP-X, or any other forces at my disposal, I'll bring everything into this war."

"In that case, it's not impossible to win. We actually have a good chance. After all, our World Government is far stronger than before," Sengoku said with a confident smile.

That much was true.

Since Claudius had taken control, Marine Headquarters was no longer fighting alone.

They could rely on the Seven Warlords, and CP-X was another powerful asset. But most importantly, there was a new force in play—the remnants of the Revolutionary Army.

Although Dragon had taken up the position of Minister of Civil Affairs, his combat prowess remained on par with an Admiral—if not stronger.

And among his subordinates, there were still plenty of powerful fighters. Sabo, for instance, was an incredibly strong combatant.

With all these forces combined, even if three of the Four Emperors joined forces, the World Government still had enough power to take them on.

Not to mention…

"Time is on our side, Your Highness," Sengoku said thoughtfully.

Claudius nodded. He was already well aware of the PX-Pacifista project.

After much investigation and some "persuasion" of Gion, Claudius had finally obtained the details.

The PX-Pacifistas had already entered real-world testing, and that was precisely why Marine Headquarters had yet to make any major moves.

As Sengoku said—time was on their side.

The pirates could fortify the New World all they wanted, but no matter how much they strengthened their forces, they could never match the pace of the World Government's expansion.

Once the PX-Pacifistas were ready for mass production, Claudius planned to deploy them for a massive surprise attack, reducing the number of pirate forces and eliminating their top commanders.

Against such overwhelming firepower, even three of the Four Emperors wouldn't stand a chance.

"Both sides are preparing, but yes… time favors us," Claudius murmured.

Then, as if remembering something, he casually tossed a bounty poster onto the table.

"Oh, by the way, take a look at this, hahaha."

Sengoku picked it up, confused. It was just a small-time pirate with a 30 million Berry bounty.

"What's so special about this?" he asked.

"Look at the name. Hahaha!" Claudius laughed.

Sengoku squinted at the poster—Monkey D. Luffy!?

Then, he looked up at Claudius. "Does Garp know about this?"

"He does. He's already rushing to the East Blue but the people I sent got there first," Claudius said with a grin.

(To be continued.)

***

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