From dawn till dusk, Luo Chen remained on the Going Merry.
Nami and Luffy's group had yet to return.
During this time, however, a large number of ships from various media outlets and newspapers arrived at the port of Loguetown. Reporters leaped off their ships, scrambling to pour into Loguetown. Their excited expressions and conversations let Luo Chen know about the progress of his Wood Clone's actions.
The news that someone knew the location of the Revolutionary Army's headquarters had already spread, attracting media reporters from all the islands near Loguetown.
Luo Chen stood on the deck by the railing, quietly gazing at Loguetown shrouded in the night.
'Next, we'll see if Dragon shows up.'
'News about the Revolutionary Army's headquarters should be enough to draw you out, right?'
Luo Chen remembered where the Revolutionary Army's headquarters was. But he would not reveal it to the Marines or the World Government. He had only said so to lure out Monkey D. Dragon.
...
Meanwhile, in a dark alley in Loguetown.
A plain-looking middle-aged man in a cloak leaned against a wall, panting.
Suddenly, a breeze swept through the alley, blowing around the tin cans and wads of waste paper in the corner.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of footsteps slowly echoed from the depths of the alley to the right.
The middle-aged man turned his head to look, his eyes narrowing.
The newcomer was also a tall figure in a cloak, but this one was dark green. As he walked, a red pattern could be faintly seen on his face under the hood.
A slight smile touched the corner of the middle-aged man's mouth. As Luo Chen's Wood Clone, he possessed Luo Chen's memories.
Before transmigrating, there was a joke online that the red pattern on Monkey D. Dragon's face was a shoe print left by Garp when he was "educating" his son.
"I hear you have information on the location of the Revolutionary Army's base?"
From under the dark green cloak came the low, cold voice of a man.
The middle-aged man smiled. "The World Government doesn't even know where the Revolutionary Army is hiding. How could I?"
"However, I do know something else."
"And that is where one of the three Ancient Weapons that possess the power to destroy the world, Pluton, lies sleeping."
As soon as he said this, Monkey D. Dragon abruptly raised his head, revealing his entire rugged and fierce face.
His bare brow ridges furrowed, and he scrutinized the man coldly.
"First, you spread news about the Revolutionary Army to lure me out, and then you reveal the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton. What do you want from me?"
The middle-aged man was concise. "Money."
Monkey D. Dragon asked in a low voice, "Which power do you belong to? One of the Four Emperors?"
"No, I'm just an information broker. I don't belong to any power," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.
He looked at Monkey D. Dragon and said impatiently, "Are you buying the information or not? If not, I'll go sell it to the Marines."
"If I didn't have a problem with the Marines and the World Government, I wouldn't have come to you," the middle-aged man muttered.
Dragon's eyes showed a hint of contemplation. He asked, "How can I confirm if the information is real? And, how much money do you want?"
The middle-aged man said, "Let's start with the price. Fifty billion Berries."
Dragon shook his head. "That's too much. If I gave you that much money, the Revolutionary Army might as well disband."
"It's not that much. This is the ancient warship Pluton. A single cannonball can destroy an island. It's only equivalent to the bounty of one of the Four Emperors. It's absolutely reasonable," the middle-aged man said, possessing Luo Chen's memories.
He felt that with the strength of the Revolutionary Army, taking out fifty billion Berries should be no problem.
Dragon said in a low voice, "The information you're selling is not the warship Pluton itself."
If the Ancient Weapons weren't so decisive for the Revolutionary Army's plan to overthrow the World Government, Dragon would have already left. Fifty billion was too much for the Revolutionary Army.
Seeing that Dragon was still firm, the middle-aged man had to take a step back. "Thirty billion Berries. This is my bottom line. The information is absolutely guaranteed to be authentic."
Dragon was silent.
The middle-aged man smiled. "You can pay a deposit first. Fifteen billion Berries. I'll tell you where the warship Pluton is. As long as you confirm the information is true, you will need to pay the remaining fifteen billion."
Dragon asked, "How do I judge if your information is real?"
The middle-aged man chuckled. "I'll give you another piece of information for free to demonstrate my intelligence capabilities. Of course, I believe this free piece of information is worth fifteen billion Berries on its own."
Monkey D. Dragon focused his attention, listening intently.
The middle-aged man said slowly, "The information is that above the Five Elders, who currently hold the highest authority in the World Government, there is another ruler, named Imu."
Dragon's body visibly jolted. His fierce eyes widened, and he stared intently at the middle-aged man's face.
"And, the name Imu is very interesting."
"Eight hundred years ago, among the twenty founders who established the World Government, there was one named Nerona Imu Sei."
The middle-aged man recounted calmly.
At this moment, Dragon's eyes were filled with shock, and his breathing had quickened unnaturally. A growing wind swirled around him, his aura fluctuating violently.
"Is what you're saying true?!" Dragon's voice was low, betraying his shocked emotions.
"Of course. I don't believe that after leading the Revolutionary Army for so many years, you truly had no inkling of this," the middle-aged man said with a nod.
Monkey D. Dragon fell silent, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He didn't speak for a long time.
Finally, seeing the impatience reappear on the middle-aged man's face, Dragon spoke:
"You're right. This piece of information alone is worth fifteen billion Berries."
"Speak. Where is the warship Pluton? I will pay you thirty billion Berries. Of course, I'll pay a fifteen billion deposit first."
The middle-aged man gave a satisfied smile. "In Wano Country. Underground in Wano Country, which is ruled by one of the Four Emperors, Kaido."
Monkey D. Dragon clearly hadn't expected this answer.
He took a deep look at the middle-aged man. "What else do you know? Detailed information about Imu? Or the whereabouts of the other two Ancient Weapons?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "You're too poor. You can't afford it."
"..." Dragon was speechless.
The middle-aged man asked, "How soon can you gather fifteen billion Berries?"
"One day. This time tomorrow night. That's the fastest I can do," Dragon said after some thought.
"Alright. We'll complete the transaction here at this time tomorrow night," the middle-aged man smiled. "If you want to know the other information, you can prepare a suitable price and come find me. I'll be staying in Loguetown."
With that, the middle-aged man put on his hood, leaped onto a house, and disappeared into the distance.
Only after he was far away did the corner of the middle-aged man's mouth curl up. 'His character is alright. He didn't try to force me with violence.'
If Dragon had tried to suppress him with force, there really wasn't much he could have done. At most, he would have dispelled the Wood Clone and gotten his revenge later.
A successful transaction was the best outcome.
...
Far away at the port, Luo Chen, waiting on the Going Merry, was still unaware of the mission's progress. Only when the Wood Clone was dispelled could he obtain the memories of its experiences.
At this time, Nami and Luffy's group had just returned to the ship.
Through his chat with them, Luo Chen learned a lot.
The entire Marine force in Loguetown was searching for the mysterious cloaked man who claimed to know the location of the Revolutionary Army's base.
Zoro had bought a weapon in Loguetown, the cursed sword, Sandai Kitetsu.
Nami had gone to the execution platform and seen Genzo's body from a distance. The sadness in her eyes was still hard to conceal.
When Luo Chen heard that Luffy was fine and had spent the day eating and drinking his way through Loguetown, his eyes showed a hint of strangeness.
Could it be that because he had captured Buggy and exchanged him for a bounty, the plot where Luffy was nearly executed had been changed? It might also be related to Genzo's body hanging on the execution platform.
A thought flashed through Luo Chen's mind. He said to the crew, "I still need to stay here for a few days. If you're in a hurry, you can set sail first."
Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and the others were taken aback.
Luffy, however, laughed nonchalantly. "It's fine! We'll just play for a few more days then. The food in Loguetown is so good!"
Carina rolled her eyes. "There's a lot of good food, not that Loguetown itself is delicious."
Luffy chuckled.
Nami looked worriedly at Luo Chen but said no more. She made up her mind to keep a close eye on Luo Chen from now on.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....patre0on.c0m/talecrafter]