Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

After capturing Crocodile, Raleigh and his group stayed on the island for a few days.

That day, an ordinary-looking naval soldier quietly approached Raleigh and whispered:

"Lieutenant General Raleigh, this is the latest intelligence."

He then handed over the latest intelligence on the Grand Line to Raleigh.

Raleigh nodded, and then the navy man quickly disappeared into the crowd.

No matter who you are fighting, intelligence is always the top priority.

Starting from the East China Sea, Raleigh had been gradually expanding his intelligence network.

Nowadays, although we don't have as many intelligence personnel as newspapers or the CP organization, we can still obtain a lot of intelligence in a timely manner.

For example, everyone else thought that Roger's subjugation of Kozuki Oden was just a minor matter.

But only Raleigh knew that after acquiring Kozuki Oden, who could read the Poneglyphs, Roger would read all four Poneglyphs within a year, successfully find the final island, and become the one and only Pirate King on the high seas.

Raleigh neither wanted to nor would he concern himself with such a historical tide.

Unless he were currently in the position of Marine Grand Admiral, commanding Marines of vice admiral rank and above to surround and kill Roger, he really didn't know how such a chosen one could die before fulfilling his destiny.

Compared to overthrowing existing forces, Raleigh felt that going against the historical tides of this world was more troublesome.

At the beginning, he went unnoticed by the world. At that time, he was riding high, and everything he did was a success.

However, ever since he participated in the battle against Whitebeard, everyone's attention has been focused on him, including the Five Elders of the World Government.

With checks and balances from all sides, Raleigh was forced to slack off. Although, for the Navy, it was very undesirable to let a highly decorated and exceptionally young vice admiral do nothing all day.

But when faced with irresistible power, everyone makes preconceived notions.

Besides, the headquarters has not wronged Raleigh.

The World Government originally wanted Raleigh to go to Pangaea to act as a guardian of the Celestial Dragons, but the Navy's high-ranking officers, who knew Raleigh's temperament and potential, unanimously refused.

They've already driven away a dragon with great potential, they really can't afford to lose another one like Raleigh.

Although the name Monkey D. Dragon is not very well-known in the world now, the high-ranking naval officers who have been paying close attention to him are aware of it.

His revolutionary army already had more than 30,000 soldiers and the support of more than 100,000 civilians.

Now, most of the territory of the far north is within the territory of the Dragon Revolutionary Army.

If we only consider the threat, the threat posed by the dragons is no less than that of the pirates on the Grand Line. Whether it is the strength of their power or the innovation of their ideas, they pose a severe challenge to the rule of the Celestial Dragons.

However, the Navy's high command still hoped that Dragon could return after seeing the world clearly, so they did not proactively inform the World Government of Dragon's whereabouts, and the Navy even helped to cover up many traces.

"A chaotic era is about to begin."

Raleigh muttered to himself that the pirates had been getting beaten so badly by the Navy for the past two years that they were practically broken.

Just as Roger reached the final island and became the only Pirate King on the sea, it made them stand up. Pirates are a very strange kind of creature. When they are beaten up, they don't say a word and obediently pick up garbage in the sewers to eat.

But if they gain even the slightest advantage, they immediately jump out of the sewers, beaming with pride.

However, the Great Pirate Era is great; the more chaotic the era, the more some people thrive.

In peacetime, if the branch leader dies every now and then, it will easily attract the attention of headquarters. However, in times of chaos, headquarters is too busy to investigate the deaths of branch leaders.

The rat thought the same thing.

And under his command, their first operation to replace the branch leader was about to begin.

"It's about to begin."

The mouse narrowed its eyes.

He wasn't doing nothing in the East China Sea. Before leaving, Raleigh had already trained a group of naval soldiers and sent the best ones to other branches, preparing to plan for the position of branch leader.

Tei Island is a very remote island in the East China Sea.

Although the island's climate is very suitable for human habitation, it is not very prosperous due to its distance from countries and shipping routes.

While there is no trouble from pirates here, the naval branch stationed nearby is another major problem.

Due to insufficient oversight at headquarters and the inability to disseminate information in a timely manner, this place became fertile ground for the emergence of "dictators."

"Dyulweib, the branch chief of the 102nd Naval Squadron"

He was originally a passionate and righteous naval soldier, but his heart had long since changed as he was constantly tempered on the battlefield.

During a heroic battle against pirates, he unfortunately lost his left hand and had to stay away from the battlefield. Fortunately, his superior appreciated him and used his status as a combat hero to make him the branch leader of the 102nd branch of the Marine Corps.

When he first arrived at Tei Island, Diyul Web was full of enthusiasm, hoping to build a naval branch and turn the island into a pirate no-go zone.

However, since there have been no pirates here for many years, most of the marines have long been used to a lazy life. Instead of motivating them, Deyulwebo himself has become corrupted.

How terrible it can be for a powerful and valiant colonel who has fought pirates many times to fall into depravity.

In just three weeks, Diyulweber led his naval soldiers to wipe out everyone on the island who disobeyed him!

Whether they were from the legitimate or criminal world, anyone who disobeyed him was drowned in the sea, and the blame was shifted onto the pirates.

Tens of thousands of people on the entire island were forced to submit to the tyranny of Dijourveb.

At this moment, in a luxurious estate covering thousands of square meters at the very center of the island, Colonel Dijour Webb, who ruled the island, had just woken up. Years of comfortable life had made him forget the hardships of training.

The once robust muscles were now surrounded by layers of fat, leaving only a body that looked like a mountain of flesh.

He groggily pushed open the door, walked to the sink, and splashed his face with cold water. Then, with the help of a maid, he changed his clothes and headed to the dining room.

"Vantenen, has anything happened on the island lately?"

A butler in a suit stepped forward and said respectfully:

"Sir, nothing happened on the island. Although a few families were unwilling to pay taxes, they paid in full after being persuaded by the soldiers."

Dijourwebo nodded. As citizens under his rule, of course they had to pay their taxes on time!

If he doesn't pay taxes, where does his money come from for his expenses? Where does the money for bribing his superiors come from?

Therefore, any citizen who does not pay taxes must be a thug obstructing naval law enforcement, and they should be made to know the consequences of confronting the navy by severe measures.

Then Dijourweb grabbed a huge elbow with his greasy hand and began to bite into it like a wild beast.

"By the way, how are those new navy personnel doing?"

Valentin thought for a moment and replied!

They are still unwilling to collect taxes from the public with us, but after several talks, both sides have compromised. They will not report us to higher authorities, and we will not provoke them.

Upon hearing this, Dijourweb first snorted coldly, then resumed eating, talking as he ate!

"Hmph, at least they're sensible."

They're all just here to gain experience anyway, and they'll be transferred soon, so let's just pretend we don't see each other.

Diyulweb was also a smart man, and there was a reason why he had been able to control the island for so long.

He's only doing things if there's something in it for him, whether it's collecting taxes or indulging in womanizing on the island.

Speaking of money alone, he directed the town mayors on the island to collect taxes, with Mafia members assisting and the naval soldiers merely serving as external support.

Of the money collected, the mayor takes 10%, the mafia takes 10%, the navy soldiers take 20%, and those who bribe officials take 20%. He, a navy captain, only takes 40%. Everyone in power on the island is part of the network of interests woven by Diyulweb, so he naturally doesn't need to worry about anyone opposing him.

As for the new naval personnel, they neither intended to participate nor report the matter, so they were simply left to their own devices.

On the hill behind Chii Island, six naval soldiers were passionately forging chains.

They were the naval soldiers who were sent here.

The reason for forging chains here is that there are no chain-forging people in the 102nd branch. They have always been treated like monkeys, so the leader found a place to forge chains.

Around noon, they stopped, casually drank the water from their jugs, and looked at the houses below the mountain with a hint of disgust in their eyes.

They have been here for half a year, and during this time, they have kept in mind all the evil deeds the navy has committed here.

It's fair to say that the navy here is practically indistinguishable from pirates.

Under Dijour Webb's leadership, all the other naval soldiers were drinking, gambling, and causing trouble.

Previously, this branch had some upright naval soldiers, but under Dijourweb's manipulation, they were either turned into his own people or became people who could no longer speak out.

The reason why they can remain calm and unambitious is because they are strong enough and very vigilant.

A young naval soldier, munching on a steamed bun, asked, "Brother Richard, how much longer until we can make our move?"

The soldier called Richard, who was slightly older, glanced at the date on his watch and said:

According to Colonel Rat's orders, a pirate ship will arrive around noon or afternoon tomorrow. They will launch an attack on the branch that night.

"Yeah, yeah, those scum should all be dead."

The young soldier curled his lip. Scum like that would be better off dead than alive.

Richard smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

He saw further than others. Why did he choose to carry out the plan here? And why could the rat know the pirate ship's movements in advance? Everything pointed to the powerful Marine Vice Admiral.

But so what if they know? The fact that Richard was sent out on a mission shows that both Raleigh and Rat can trust him.

Of course, to prevent them from falling into depravity, they are generally not allowed to act alone.

At this moment, in the waters far from Tei Island, a pirate ship is speeding towards Tei Island.

"Men, I know an island that hasn't been raided by any pirate crew in the last ten years."

Do you know what this means?

A tall, red-haired, bearded pirate roared, his face flushed and neck thick. The pirates who were eating meat and drinking wine stopped what they were doing and stared at their captain with bright eyes.

They simply couldn't believe their ears.

How wealthy an island must be if it hasn't been looted for ten years!

Think about it, those wealthy villages are frequently robbed and have practically nothing to gain. Island like this...

There must be a lot of supplies.

gurgle—

As one pirate swallowed his saliva with longing, the sound instantly sparked a collective frenzy among all the pirates.

"Our leader is mighty! Long live the boss!"

"Kill, kill, kill! We want to rob money and women!"

"I'm going to offer the most beautiful woman to the boss!"

Pirates have extremely limited knowledge and don't have many words to use.

In their lives, only women, wine, and glittering treasures mattered; nothing else mattered.

The pirate captain looked at his men, who were in a frenzy, and said with a forced smile:

My intelligence says there's a naval branch here, but their colonel is a fat pig weighing over 400 pounds, and the navy at the base is also weaklings, having not trained for years, and can't compare to us.

At that moment, a thin pirate suddenly stood up, holding a wine glass in his hand, and stammered,

"Boss! Don't worry, the navy is no match for us. I can take on ten of them by myself!!!"

The pirate leader glanced at it but didn't say anything in rebuttal. He needed people like this to boost morale and get the other pirates into a mindless frenzy.

"Yes, Alsodi is right. How could those navy men possibly be a match for us? We only need to make a move and they'll have to kneel down and surrender."

One pirate's words immediately piqued the interest of the other pirates, who began a heated discussion about how many Marines they could kill and what techniques they would use.

The pirate captain had no intention of correcting the situation. He was happy to see the intense discussions erupting on the pirate ship, which even drowned out the sound of the waves outside.

It wasn't until the dead of night that the pirates, having exhausted themselves, finally fell asleep, leaving only their ships sailing on the high seas toward Tei Island.

Late at night, the Lone Wolf Pirates' ship approached Tei Island under the cover of darkness and moored at a secluded corner.

They didn't attract the attention of the naval soldiers at the base because there were no people on night duty to observe the surrounding environment at the naval base.

Nearly a decade of comfortable living has made them lose all respect for such monotonous discipline and they don't care about being on duty at all.

However, the Lone Wolf Pirates' every move was under the watchful eyes of Rat and Richard, the other six.

"Big brother, they've already started. Should we sneak in?"

Richard didn't speak immediately after the young navy officer made a throat-cutting gesture, but instead carefully observed the Lone Wolf Pirates' actions.

"It's too early to act now. Let's wait and someone will naturally lead him to Dijourweb's residence."