While Luffy and the others decided to stay behind for the time being, preparing to spend some time improving their strength and adapting to the Nika state,
Lucky Roux and the others took the remaining members of the Red Hair Pirates and boarded a small boat directly, preparing to head for the New World.
Although Yasopp was extremely unwilling, and even suggested at one point that he wanted to stay behind with Shanks, in the end, under Shanks' unquestionable persuasion, he still left with Lucky Roux and the others.
However, in his heart, he still gave himself a high-sounding reason.
He had to stay and keep an eye on the people who remained. He couldn't let anyone else get other ideas along the way and betray the captain.
After all, Lucky Roux's attitude toward Luffy and the captain was so bad now. Who knew whether he would incite the others to rebel as well?
The small boat slowly moved forward, passing through the passage newly opened by the NEO Marines leading to the New World.
It was an undersea passage only one thousand meters deep, much safer and more convenient than the route that had once required passing through Fish-Man Island.
As the small boat gradually rose, it finally broke through the surface.
Sunlight spilled across the sea, sparkling on the water.
However, what greeted them was not the freedom and peace they had imagined.
Ahead, a huge steel warship was quietly anchored there, as if it had been waiting for them for a long time.
Looking at the enormous warship before them, over a hundred meters long and made entirely of steel, its cold metallic surface gleaming, the expressions of Lucky Roux and the others instantly became ugly.
They had notified the NEO Marines in advance, but the ship in front of them was not a warship sent by the NEO Marines to receive them.
The NEO Marines and the Marines were worlds apart.
The NEO Marines had been established from scratch by Sengoku and Garp after they angrily left the Marines back then. Everything had to rely on themselves, with no outside assistance whatsoever.
After breaking away from the World Government, their technology naturally couldn't keep up. Even now, the ships they used were still primitive wooden sailing ships.
The Marines, on the other hand, had the backing of the World Government, which was now at the height of its power, so their technology was advancing by leaps and bounds.
This giant warship before them, over a hundred meters long and made entirely of steel, was clearly a standard warship belonging to the Marines under the World Government.
And since the other side had appeared here, it was obvious...
They had known Lucky Roux and the others' location long ago and had deliberately waited here to ambush them, waiting for them to walk right into the trap.
"Damn... Did our whereabouts get exposed?"
Yasopp muttered under his breath, his gaze subtly drifting toward Lucky Roux and the others.
"Yasopp, what the fuck do you mean?"
How could Lucky Roux and the others fail to hear the implication in Yasopp's words?
Wasn't he obviously suspecting that someone among them had deliberately leaked the information?
They all glared angrily at Yasopp, their eyes filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
Although they indeed disliked Luffy now, and they didn't have much goodwill toward Yasopp either, they were still nowhere near the point of betraying their comrades and informing the World Government.
"What do I mean?", Yasopp raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "I didn't say anything. Lucky Roux, why are you getting so worked up? Don't tell me you've got a guilty conscience?"
"Bullshit!", Lucky Roux angrily slammed a fist into the side of the boat.
"I didn't say anything wrong," Yasopp spread his hands, looking innocent, "I'm just wondering, along the entire way, besides us, who else knew we were taking this route? And who could accurately pass the information to the Marines?"
"You!"
Lucky Roux's anger surged, and he was about to rush over and beat this sarcastic bastard.
"What, are you getting angry because you got called out?"
Yasopp sneered, completely unafraid.
"Lucky Roux, what you did in front of the captain before only made things difficult for the captain. Do you know that? The captain already has it hard enough, and you still insist on going against Luffy, putting the captain in a difficult position. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"As pirates, isn't it only natural to obey the captain's orders?", Yasopp became more and more worked up as he spoke, "But what about you? Not only did you refuse to listen, you even took the others away with you. If that's not forcing the captain's hand, then what is?"
"You!"
Lucky Roux was so angry that he couldn't speak.
'Damn it, was I wrong for considering my comrades' lives?'
'Yasopp's bastard deserves to be on Luffy's side!'
"What? Nothing to say? I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"
Yasopp was even more displeased.
It was all Lucky Roux's fault for making such a scene.
Now look at what happened. He himself had been forcibly sent over here by the captain, forced to leave Shanks' side.
What if something happened to the captain while he wasn't there?
What if Luffy caused trouble again and there was no one to protect the captain?
It was all Lucky Roux's fault.
"Yasopp, you bastard, explain yourself!"
Lucky Roux couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Yasopp by the collar.
"When did I ever betray the captain? I just don't want to watch our brothers throw their lives away for nothing! Am I wrong?"
"So you're saying the captain was wrong? The captain's decision was wrong?", Yasopp refused to back down and immediately shot back.
"That's not what I mean..."
"Then you think Luffy isn't worthy of our protection? You think the captain betting on Luffy was a wrong decision?", Yasopp pressed him step by step.
"I fucking..."
"What are you two arguing about?"
A deep, hoarse voice suddenly came from the direction of the warship, interrupting their argument.
Lucky Roux and Yasopp froze at the same time and looked toward the voice.
On the deck of the steel warship, a familiar figure was quietly standing there, a cigarette between his fingers, expressionlessly looking at them.
Gray-white hair, deep-set eyes, and that long-missed face.
"Beckman?"
Yasopp's eyes widened, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
Lucky Roux froze as well, and the hand gripping Yasopp's collar unconsciously loosened.
Beckman. The former vice captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks' most trusted strategist and brother.
Not long ago, Beckman had voluntarily left the crew, accepted Makino's invitation, and joined the World Government.
But now, why was he here?
"What are you two arguing about?"
Beckman spoke again, his voice calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette, then slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. His eyes calmly watched the two former companions before him.
Lucky Roux and Yasopp had no time to continue arguing. Almost instinctively, the two of them stood together and warily watched Beckman aboard the warship.
No matter how many conflicts they had had before, when facing an outsider, they were still comrades, at least.
"Beckman, you traitor!", Yasopp spoke first, his voice full of anger and unwillingness, "How can you face the captain? How can you face all of us brothers?"
"Traitor..."
Beckman gently repeated the word, the corner of his mouth curling into a self-mocking smile.
"Yes. In your eyes, I am indeed a traitor."
He didn't defend himself. He simply looked at them quietly.
"You still have the nerve to stand here?", Lucky Roux gritted his teeth, "Beckman! Why? Tell me why you betrayed the pirate crew. We clearly need you!"
"Are you done?", Beckman's voice remained calm, "If you're done, can you tell me where you're planning to go?"
He didn't want to argue.
Arguing, aside from venting emotions, had no meaning.
He had come to solve the problem.
"What's it to you?", Yasopp stiffened his neck and retorted without the slightest courtesy.
Lucky Roux stared at Beckman for a long time. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"We're planning to go to the New World and find a place to stay with the NEO Marines."
"Lucky Roux, are you crazy?", Yasopp suddenly turned his head and stared at Lucky Roux in disbelief, "Why are you telling this traitor all this? Do you want to betray the captain too?"
"I didn't betray the captain," Lucky Roux roared back, "I just don't want to keep hiding it anymore! What's the point? Our whereabouts were exposed a long time ago. Can't you see this warship? They've been waiting here for us!"
"Even so, you can't tell him!"
"Enough!", Lucky Roux irritably waved his hand, "Shut up!"
"You're telling me to shut up?!", Yasopp's face flushed with anger.
Beckman quietly watched the two of them argue, a complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.
As expected, had the Red Hair Pirates already become like this...?
"You two, stop arguing for now," Beckman slowly spoke, "Lucky Roux, you just said you were going to find a place to stay with the NEO Marines? What happened? Where's Shanks? Where is he?"
Lucky Roux fell silent.
Yasopp gave a cold laugh, "You still have the nerve to ask about the captain? You traitor!"
"I'm asking you two," Beckman remained unmoved, his gaze still fixed on Lucky Roux, "Lucky Roux, you've always been straightforward. If there's something to say, just say it."
Lucky Roux pressed his lips together. After hesitating for a moment, he finally slowly spoke.
"I had a conflict with the captain. Vice Captain, actually, I..."
"I'm the vice captain!"
Yasopp suddenly interrupted Lucky Roux, his voice sharp.
"Beckman betrayed the Red Hair Pirates a long time ago! I'm the vice captain now! Me, Yasopp!"
"You're a fucking vice captain?", Lucky Roux scoffed.
Yasopp's face instantly turned bright red. Before he could curse at him, Beckman directly interrupted.
"Continue."
Lucky Roux was silent for a moment, then simply decided to let everything out.
In his eyes, the Red Hair Pirates had started to become wrong, had begun collapsing little by little, precisely from the day Beckman left.
They shouldn't be like this.
Lucky Roux took a deep breath and told him everything about the Red Hair Pirates' current situation, as well as the deaths of Bonk Punch, Snake, and the others, from beginning to end.
From how Shanks had devoted himself to betting on Luffy, to how Luffy repeatedly acted recklessly and impulsively; from how Bonk Punch had died beneath Gion's blade, to how Snake had sacrificed himself to save Luffy at Marineford, only to have Luffy completely chill everyone's hearts with the words, "It's Snake's fault."
He spoke very slowly, yet every word was filled with heaviness and exhaustion.
After hearing everything, Beckman remained silent for a long time.
He lowered his head and took a deep drag of his cigarette, then slowly exhaled. The smoke dispersed in the sea breeze.
"To be honest," Beckman raised his head and calmly looked at Lucky Roux, "I know everything you and Shanks argued about."
"You... you know?", Lucky Roux froze.
He knew and still asked? Was he messing with him?
"Oh, oh, how did you know? Don't tell me you were hiding nearby and eavesdropping back then?", Yasopp continued his sarcastic tone.
In his eyes, Beckman was a complete traitor.
What made him even more unhappy was that the words spoken by this traitor could actually still be accepted by Lucky Roux and the others.
He, Yasopp, was obviously the vice captain now.
"The World Government's capabilities are far beyond what you can imagine," Beckman slowly spoke, "Every move you make, every conversation, every decision, is all under the World Government's surveillance and observation. Not only the World Government's upper ranks, even Makino, Hongo, and I can see Shanks and the others' every move at any time."
As Beckman spoke, he gently sighed and muttered, "Sky Mirror."
As his voice fell, a water mirror shimmering with faint light suddenly appeared before everyone.
Within the water mirror, the scene clearly showed Shanks and Luffy in his Nika state fiercely training against each other on a deserted island.
"This... is this live?"
Lucky Roux stared at the scene in the mirror, his eyes wide, his pupils contracting violently.
There was no mistake.
Before they left, Shanks and Luffy had indeed chosen this isolated island in the Calm Belt for their training. He recognized the surrounding terrain and landscape perfectly.
But how was this possible?
Even Beckman could monitor them at any time and from anywhere?
Then what about the others?
What about the World Government's upper ranks?
What about that Rosse?
Lucky Roux's heart suddenly sank.
After all, they, his old brothers, still knew perfectly well what Beckman had been capable of and how much power he had possessed.
And precisely because of that, seeing that familiar person beside them leave for only a few days and already be able to wield such unbelievable power, even being able to monitor their every move at any time and anywhere, the shock, the gap, was what made them feel an even deeper collapse and despair.
Just how powerful had the World Government become?
And what did they have to resist such a behemoth?
"Now, do you understand?", Beckman slowly spoke, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion, "Your resistance, your freedom, in the eyes of the World Government, are nothing more than a farce whose ending was decided long ago."
"Beckman, stop spreading your bullshit here!"
Yasopp glared at Beckman and cursed.
"If you want to be a traitor, go be one yourself. Don't drag us into it with you."
Whether what Beckman said was true or false didn't matter at all.
What he cared about was only loyalty.
Being able to stay by Shanks' side, that was their oath.
Could it be that just because the enemy was too powerful, they were supposed to surrender?
What kind of logic was that?
At worst, they would just die!
"Bah, you're all a bunch of cowards afraid of death!"
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