Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

"Canglan?!"

Redfield narrowed his eyes, a glint of light in them.

"Canglan? That's the so-called strongest squad in the Navy?"

"Not just any team, but the strongest squad ever!"

Bondi Wald added casually, then continued:

"Wang Zhi's rule was overthrown by the Canglan Squad. None of the current members of the Canglan Squad are simpletons; almost every one of them possesses the strength of a potential general!"

"Of course, if he were merely a reserve general, he certainly wouldn't be someone I'd be wary of!"

"What I truly fear is the captain of the Canglan Squad, Vice Admiral Kyle, now hailed as the world's strongest warrior!!"

Bondi Wald spoke softly.

That's right. The reason he doesn't establish his own pirate crew and recruit pirates in his own name is because he's afraid of Kyle.

According to what he had heard, Kyle... was a vengeful person!

Given what he did in Impel Down, if his news leaks out, Kyle will likely come after him in no time.

This is not an exaggeration, but a conclusion drawn from countless stories about Kyle.

and so--

To be on the safe side, and for his own safety, he had no choice but to do this, to remain hidden in the shadows.

Although he didn't want to do it, he had no other choice.

After all, he didn't have the confidence to face Kyle, that monster.

During the war at Impel Down, if Kyle hadn't been in extremely poor condition, he wouldn't have been able to fight Kyle at all.

Most importantly, he had studied Kyle's growth trajectory and knew that Kyle's growth rate was also extremely absurd.

How old was Kyle two years ago, and he already had such great strength. How strong will Kyle be two years from now?

He didn't think that the other party's talent wouldn't have improved in the past two years.

And what about him?

Although his injuries have fully recovered in the past two years, his strength has returned to 80% of his peak.

But that's about all it can go. Other aspects are no longer a matter of injuries, but rather an inevitable decline in strength due to age.

This is unavoidable.

Even Redfield, who was standing in front of him, claimed that eating the Vampire Fruit would restore his youth and peak fighting power.

But again, this is just something I'm saying. Anyone can say something, right?

In reality, it's impossible to restore his peak combat power. At most, he can only be slightly better, recovering to about 90%, and it will be difficult to go any higher.

His decision to make a deal with Redfield was naturally based on certain reasons.

Bondi Wald would never have done this if it were anyone else, because he didn't trust the others.

But why would he trust Redfield? Strictly speaking, they were enemies decades ago.

At this point, Bondi Wald might say that he trusted Redfield precisely because they were enemies at the time.

There's a saying that goes, "The person who knows you best isn't necessarily your friend, but could very well be your enemy."

Redfield is a case in point.

Who among the top experts of that era didn't know that Redfield was arrogant and never bothered to build a team, earning him the reputation of being the "lone red"?

Based on Bondi Wald's understanding of him, even though he was nominally the captain of the Red Earl Pirates, it wouldn't pose any obstacle to his control of the pirate crew.

But if it were someone else, Bondi Wald wouldn't have had that confidence.

So it just so happens to be Redfield.

Both sides get what they need—perfect!

Lost in thought, Redfield's slightly disdainful voice drifted over.

"When did you become such a coward?"

"Is it really necessary to be this afraid of a mere navy kid?"

Redfield's eyes held a mixture of disdain and confusion.

He knew something about Kyle, after all, Kyle was quite famous in the world these days.

However, it's only a superficial understanding; the knowledge isn't deep.

After all, his main focus during this period was on how to restore his appearance and strength, and he didn't pay much attention to the people and things outside.

The only time he and Kyle have ever met was when they had just escaped from Impel Down.

He glanced at Kyle from a great distance, but after just one glance, he left the battlefield without hesitation.

He had spent over thirty years in that dark and hopeless place called Impel Down, and he truly didn't want to stay there for even a second longer.

Therefore, he was not very clear about Kyle's strength, only knowing that the other party now had the title of the world's strongest.

But even if the other party has that reputation, surely Bundy Wald wouldn't be this cowardly, would he?

This is what Redfield couldn't understand.

Based on his understanding of Bondi Wald, this guy shouldn't be the kind of coward!

Bondi Wald, however, was not angered by Redfield's slightly sarcastic words. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked at Redfield with a strange expression.

"You'll understand when you finally meet Kyle!"

"But I hope you never run into one!"

"Because I don't want my trades to become worthless!"

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to explore the island!"

After saying this, Bondi Wald slowly stood up and walked towards the door. He soon disappeared from Redfield's sight, leaving Redfield standing there with no expression on his face.

The dimly lit room was completely silent except for the noise coming from outside, making the room seem exceptionally quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, a soft laugh suddenly rang out.

"That's interesting~"

……

-

Meanwhile, in the deep sea abyss somewhere in the New World.

The depth here has reached tens of thousands of meters, which is similar to the depth of Fishman Island.

However, unlike the area around Fishman Island, there is no sunlight transmitted through the Sun Tree Eve here; there is only endless darkness.

But suddenly, from this deep darkness, a suppressed cry of struggle and pain rang out.

Moreover, it's obvious that it's a sound that only a 'human' could make.

This is strange, as theoretically there shouldn't be any people on the seabed in this area.

After an unknown amount of time, the cry of pain gradually subsided, replaced by a clear voice, filled with exasperation.

"Stacking... I just got beaten up so many times by that damned brat Kyle, and now the curse has relapsed. It really hurts!!"

Indeed, the voice belonged to David D. Jones, as can be discerned from the content of the words.

But before David D. Jones could continue his rant, another voice, neither male nor female, rang out from somewhere nearby.

"David Jones!!!"

!!!

……