One Piece: Starting from Awakening the Cosmo at Marineford

The new brain is really useful; Hibari's intelligence probably comes from Akainu, he knows how to use his brain.

Aaron smiled at Hibari and said, "Your guess is quite reasonable. Consider the human auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago; Doflamingo probably has a lot of underground businesses."

Doflamingo stole the Dressrosa Kingdom and became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Using these two identities, he became the biggest broker in the underworld.

Human trafficking, SMILE, and arms dealing—Doflamingo has committed countless atrocities.

Aaron asked, "Lark, isn't the nearest naval base G5?"

Lark nodded: "Yes. G5 is in the northeast of this island, only a few hours' flight away. G14 base is in the southeast, a bit further away, about half a day's flight away."

Aaron nodded.

Judging by the timeline, if Vergo had received the news immediately, he should have been almost ashore by now.

"Everyone be on high alert; Caesar's reinforcements may have already landed on the island."

The twenty marines responded, and Hibari suddenly said, "Senior Aaron, you're not suspecting... the G5 branch, are you?"

Aaron countered, "Why would you think that?"

Hibari said, "The Beef Kingdom where we landed before is under the jurisdiction of G5. There were reports of missing children in the newspapers, but after investigation, G5 did not come to any convincing conclusions. Moreover, the G5 marines are arrogant and domineering, and disregard discipline. You could say they are all villains."

Aaron said, "Your guess is quite reasonable."

"This is just my speculation; I hope it's inaccurate."

In the New World, G5 serves as a crucial defensive line for the Navy against pirates.

If G5 encounters problems, it would be a significant blow to the Navy, impacting its honor and reputation.

Aaron said, "Just wait. We'll soon find out who's coming."

Hibari sighed, "I hope it's not someone from G5."

The group headed towards the coast, the children playing and laughing on the dragon's back without any worries.

The sound of the wind and the patter of snow underfoot blended together, and there was no other sound.

After walking for about an hour, we were close to the shore, where a few lights shone on the dark sea.

Lark said, "Senior Aaron, someone is coming. We didn't turn on the lights when we disembarked."

Aaron said, "Yes, someone has indeed come. Finch, turn back into human form."

In mid-air, a white figure was rapidly approaching.

A minute later, the figure landed.

Hibari looked surprised, regretful, and incredulous: "It's Lieutenant General Vergo, the commander of the G5 branch base."

Aaron laughed heartily: "So it's Lieutenant General Vergo from the G5 branch! What are you doing here so late?"

Vergo was wearing sunglasses, had a biscuit stuck to his face, and was holding a bamboo stick in his right hand.

"Which branch are you from? Don't you know Punk Hazard is a restricted area? Even marines aren't allowed here!"

Aaron shook his head: "Then why did you come here again?"

Vergo said coldly, "You should call me Vice Admiral Vergo. Marine! State your rank!"

Aaron smiled and said, "Colonel Nell Aaron of the headquarters."

"Hmph!" Vergo seemed even angrier. "You should use a more respectful form of address when addressing me!"

Aaron said, "Respect isn't just about words. Besides, do you think you deserve it?"

Vergo's voice grew even colder: "I'll soon show you whether I'm worthy or not. First, tell me, what's the deal with these children?"

Aaron smiled and retorted, "You should know best what's going on with the child, Lieutenant General Vergo."

Lark also questioned, "Lieutenant General Vergo, you should know that the kingdoms surrounding G5 have lost quite a few children in the past year."

Vergo gripped the bamboo stick and pointed it at Aaron: "Give me these children, and that criminal behind you too."

Aaron said, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant General Vergo, but this criminal is Caesar Courran, the culprit behind the destruction of Punk Hazard. This is a fugitive I captured; I will send him back to headquarters and imprison him. What, are you trying to steal my credit? Or are you the one behind Caesar Courran, preparing to rescue him?"

Before Vergo could answer, Caesar, who had just regained consciousness, shouted joyfully, "Vergo! Save me!"

Vergo snorted, "This secret must not be revealed. Today, you will all die here!"

Aaron's smile vanished; he was already on guard, ready to prevent Vergo from making a sudden move.

Sure enough, Vergo made a move.

"shave!"

Vergo, aiming to capture the leader first, charged straight at Aaron, his right index finger hardened with Armament Haki, unleashing a finger gun.

Aaron smiled slightly, without dodging, but simply raised his hand and grabbed Vergo's wrist.

At the same time, his right hand also struck out, using the same finger gun technique.

With a "thud," Aaron's right index finger pierced Vergo's chest.

"Demon Bamboo!"

In an instant, Vergo's left hand also moved. His bamboo staff hardened with Armament Haki and swept across Aaron's arm.

"Shockwave!"

"Buzzing..."

A shockwave emanated from Aaron's right index finger, and a transparent shockwave shot out from the fingertip, passing through Vergo's chest.

Vergo's body flew backward and crashed to the ground.

Aaron slowly walked over: "Lieutenant General Vergo, you attacked me like this? If headquarters finds out, you'll have a hard time explaining yourself, won't you?"

Vergo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He switched the bamboo stick from his left hand to his right and struggled to stand up. There was a large, bowl-sized hole in his chest, and one of his ribs was shattered into countless pieces.

"Neil Aaron, you're just a colonel at headquarters, how dare you lay a hand on your superior, a lieutenant general? Even if I kill you now, it's perfectly justified."

Aaron laughed, "Lieutenant General Vergo, do you still think you can kill me? If your master were here, he might be able to exchange a few blows with me."

Vergo coughed twice: "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Aaron sighed. "Fine. Anyway, I'm not planning to do anything to him for now. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too."

Vergo put the bamboo stick to his mouth and blew on it. The stick instantly expanded, and in the next instant, a gust of wind from the tip of the stick formed a shockwave that crashed into Aaron.

Aaron shook his head, took a deep breath, and exhaled with a "poof," instantly shattering the thin shockwave.

Vergo frowned and asked, "I was just wondering, what kind of ability do you have?"

Aaron ignored him: "You might as well just use your full strength. Otherwise, you won't only fail to rescue Caesar, but you'll also get yourself killed here."

Vergo exhaled, his entire body hardened with Armament Haki.

"A mere colonel from headquarters dares to challenge me! Today, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Aaron sneered, "Come on, what are you waiting for?"