Simulation: Starting from Under One Person

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As news spread across the seas that Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, was about to be publicly executed, various forces began to take action.

The member states had differing intentions, and there was no unanimous support for the World Government. Many pirate crews were lingering near the waters controlled by the Whitebeard Pirates, their purpose being self-evident. Some even dared to linger near the Marine bases...

The intelligence agencies under the World Government are operating at full capacity, collecting all sorts of intelligence. Some of this intelligence is displayed on the desks of high-ranking officials at the CP agency, indicating the impending upheaval...

Arms trading in the underground world has increased at an unexpectedly rapid pace. Not only the Whitebeard Pirates, but other pirate crews and various underground forces are all buying weapons, including the GM Army...

"has a problem."

The high-ranking officials of the CP agency frowned. These forces' thirst for weapons was excessive, and it seemed as if they were about to do something big.

"They wouldn't want to get involved..."

Upon realizing a certain possibility, a member of the CP agency changed his expression and immediately handed over the information and speculation to the Five Elders.

"Is the Whitebeard Pirates rallying other forces to attack Marineford?"

"It's unlikely. After all, those guys are shrewd and wouldn't go crazy with Whitebeard, unless..."

"With enough profit to be made, even if we attack Marineford and offend the World Government, we can still make a profit."

The five old men looked at each other for a while. Perhaps such an advantage existed, and the white-bearded man might be able to offer it.

"...Send CP personnel to investigate. If the suspicion is confirmed, send CP personnel to support the Navy."

"We must win this war."

"Agree."

The conclusion was reached so easily, and the search for this matter officially began.

At the same time, Fang Rui arrived at the training ground.

At this moment, inside the training field...

The entire Straw Hat crew lay prone on the ground. After learning that Ace was to be executed, the Straw Hat boy had been wanting to leave Alabasta and head to Impel Down to rescue Ace...

Unfortunately, the leader of the training ground is Kaido.

Without his permission, Straw Hat Boy would not be able to leave the training ground.

Every time he tried to escape the training ground, he ended up getting beaten up by Kaido.

The kind that knocks someone out completely.

The rest of the crew who traveled with Straw Hat Boy received the same treatment.

I faint almost every few days...

Chapter 288 Shanks' Operation

Inside the training ground's infirmary, Luffy, with half his body covered in white bandages, writhed on the floor like a maggot, trying to leave the infirmary and head to Impel Down to save his brother Ace.

The others in the room stared speechlessly at Monkey D. Luffy's resolute expression, unsure of what to say.

Praise Luffy's emphasis on brotherhood? But similar scenes have played out dozens of times. Once or twice... they might be willing to praise him, but dozens of times... sorry, it's a bit of an aesthetic fatigue.

Secondly, he failed to learn his lesson after being beaten dozens of times. No matter how strong his will is, it's useless if he doesn't remove the sea stone handcuffs...

The patient, who was so weak he couldn't even kill a chicken, couldn't leave the infirmary; any nurse could easily drag him back...

Ignoring Luffy writhing on the ground, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates were engaged in serious discussion...

"...If you want to leave the training ground, Mr. Kaido, who is in charge of guarding the gate, is the most troublesome obstacle, especially since he has been drunk lately and tends to be heavy-handed!"

Touching her cheek, Nami's tone was enigmatic. Although she was very grateful to Kaido for being willing to teach them Haki techniques, after experiencing Kaido's teaching methods, her gratitude was reduced by half...

After being beaten up several times recently, my gratitude has halved.

Some tactics that were previously avoided due to social pressure are now poised to be used.

“Indeed,” Zoro, his face bruised and swollen, agreed.

In the very first instance, the Straw Hat Pirates chose to break through head-on, attempting to defeat Kaido with their superb teamwork. Unfortunately, they were taught a lesson by Kaido, learning two things: one, "Your teacher will always be your teacher," and two, "You still have a long way to go."

In the dozens of times that followed, he was beaten up by others while fleeing. Sometimes it was Kaido, sometimes it was two of the Three Disasters, and sometimes he was discovered by other people, which led to battles with Kaido and two of the Three Disasters...

"I think... we should focus on healing our injuries first?"

Sanji looked at his broken leg. Given how resilient the Straw Hat crew were, it was unlikely that they would break their leg once or twice. However, if it happened repeatedly, even someone with a very resilient physique would have problems.

"Woooooooo..."

Among the group, Usopp, who was in the worst physical condition, was seriously injured, his whole body wrapped in bandages, and even speaking normally had become a problem.

Among them, the one with the least injuries was Chopper, who was the doctor. Every time a battle was halfway through, Chopper would "switch jobs" from a warrior to a battlefield medic to treat his wounded comrades and "enemies".

"Sanji is right. Given your current injuries, it's best to rest quietly and not think about anything else."

As a doctor, Chopper was very clear about the physical condition of the group. The accumulated injuries would have been enough to kill an ordinary person several times over.

If he keeps getting beaten up, there's no need to send him to the infirmary; burying him in the ground would be much simpler.

As he spoke, Chopper glared fiercely at Luffy. If Luffy hadn't been handcuffed with seastone handcuffs, he would have already rushed over and dragged Luffy back...

Unfortunately, he had already fallen for it several times recently. Although Luffy usually looks silly, his intelligence will rise to a normal level at certain crucial moments. When Chopper caught him, he put the sea stone handcuffs on Chopper and the two of them lay on the ground together.

After a few times, Chopper stopped trying to capture Luffy and handed the job over to someone else, someone who wasn't a Devil Fruit user.

Following Chopper's gaze, everyone watched Luffy wriggling on the floor, and fell silent for a moment...

Life is tough, even a beautiful woman sighs.

Nami said somewhat helplessly, "Let's heal our injuries while we figure out a solution!"

Seeing Luffy working so hard, they really couldn't focus on recovering from their injuries!

Regarding my teammate being too stubborn, which forced me to follow suit!

With a slight sigh, I realized that transitioning from physical to mental labor only requires a minor injury.

While the group was deep in thought, the others who were watching the show suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to rush. In a few days, the Beasts Pirates will leave Alabasta, and Kaido, as the leader of the pirate crew, will leave with them."

"Once Kaido leaves, you can go wherever you want. There's no need to be so conflicted now."

Upon hearing this, not only did Luffy stop writhing on the floor, but Nami and the others also turned to look at the speaker.

Crocodile, the former president of Baroque Works, the culprit behind the civil war in the Kingdom of Alabasta, and one of their former Shichibukai and fellow trainees (who also got beaten up).

Based on what he said, Nami made a connection: "Is Mr. Kaido planning to get involved in the war between the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"No," Crocodile denied.

Kaido has an obsession with "war," and if Fang Rui hadn't suggested it, he would definitely have gone to Marineford to get involved.

"Is someone trying to take over my territory?" Nami continued to speculate.

"No," Crocodile denied again, adding, "Why are you so concerned? If you have a chance to escape, just run! What are you trying to achieve by digging so deep?!"

Hearing Crocodile's sarcastic remark, Nami remained silent for a moment, then suddenly puffed out her chest and raised her head, and amidst a surge of emotion, declared confidently, "I'm curious!"

"Mr. Kaido hasn't moved an inch in months, and then suddenly one day he leaves with everyone. Isn't it normal to be curious?!"

The person who stared directly at the surging waves had a large amount of blood gushing from their nose, and they crashed heavily onto the bed, instantly staining the white sheets red.

"Sanji?!?"

Chopper screamed.

Many people in the room had questions on their minds.

What happened?! The injury suddenly worsened?

Nami, Zoro, and Usopp, who knew the inside story, were speechless for a few seconds, then ignored Sanji, who was being given first aid by Chopper, and turned to look at Crocodile.

"Will anyone else leave besides Mr. Kaido and his pirate crew?"

Without asking the previous questions again, Nami began to think about escaping.

"I will leave too." Crocodile's attitude was unexpectedly good; he didn't answer every question, but he would answer questions that weren't important.

After some conversation, Nami learned that in a few days, almost all the people from other forces, except for the native forces of Alabasta, would leave, with only a group of researchers remaining.

Are you planning to try and snag a bargain in Marineford?

Nami, who isn't particularly bold and is even a bit thin, couldn't possibly have guessed Kaido and his crew's target. For her, going to Marineford to take advantage of the situation was already quite a bold guess...

'But... something doesn't feel right!'

'Whitebeard, also one of the Four Emperors, dared to declare war on the Navy head-on; there's no reason for Mr. Kaido to be so cowardly.'

'So my guess might not be correct, but…'

Nami pondered for a moment, and some possibilities flashed through her mind.

"Did you hear that, Luffy?!"

"Just focus on recovering. You'll be able to leave in a few days. If you keep fooling around, you might find yourself unable to leave even when you're supposed to because your injuries are too severe..."

Upon hearing this, Luffy turned to Chopper, his voice low and deep: "Chopper, help me up."

Although Luffy really wanted to leave this place right now and head to Impel Down to rescue Ace, the intelligent Luffy knew that his desire was unrealistic, so if there were other options, he was willing to wait a while.

Meanwhile, Crocodile, bored out of his mind, was giving the Straw Hat crew some advice.

After all, they've been through thick and thin together. To be honest, Crocodile and the Straw Hat crew have a pretty good relationship...

"You don't need to go to Impel Down. After all, Impel Down's geographical location is very special, and it's easy to defend and difficult to attack. It's very easy for you to get in, but extremely difficult to escape..."

"My suggestion is to go directly to Marineford and cooperate with the Whitebeard Pirates to increase our chances of winning by a negligible amount."

"Hey!"

The Straw Hat crew were all dissatisfied.

"Just telling the truth, you don't really think..." Crocodile smiled strangely, "...that you can really rescue Fire Fist Ace on your own!"

"Whether it's Marineford or Impel Down, without the Whitebeard Pirates drawing fire in front, you few wouldn't even make a ripple..."

At this point, Crocodile suddenly stopped speaking and turned to look at Luffy...

Hearing that this kid's grandfather was the naval hero Monkey D. Garp, he changed his tune:

"There's a chance the waves might make a little splash, but it's impossible to rescue Fire Fist Ace without creating a tsunami."