Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 291 Bane: So I was the chosen one all along!?

Soon, Bane gave a brief account of what the rubber fruit Nika-sense was all about.

He then described his own speculations and thought process.

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and the others fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, Sakazuki spoke up: "I think your theory is quite plausible."

"But it's all just speculation after all," Bane smacked his lips again.

As he was saying this, Bane suddenly realized an important piece of information that he had overlooked.

Those are the three "lights" that Im wanted to extinguish as soon as possible in the original story!

The first one is naturally Straw Hat Luffy. At that time, although Luffy had not yet awakened, Im cut up his photo in the Flower Room.

Aside from Luffy, the other two are Princess Shirahoshi of Fishman Island and Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach!

It's easy to understand why Princess Shirahoshi is seen as a threat that Im values.

Because Princess Shirahoshi is the current Sea King of Fish-Man Island, possessing an ancient weapon capable of destroying the world, and considering the impact of rising sea levels and other factors, the prestige of her Sea King status continues to rise.

Or perhaps the value of the fish-men and mermaid race is rising along with this cataclysmic crisis.

If the world's ruling government is considering sitting back and watching disaster destroy the world, then preserving its own strength, and subsequently rebuilding order, then Aquaman is indeed a threat that must be taken seriously, and even eliminated in advance.

Uranus is now confirmed to be in the hands of the World Government, so there's no need to elaborate. As for Pluto, Im probably doesn't think there's much of a problem. With Uranus's abilities, he can easily handle it. Moreover, Pluto hasn't been found yet (in Wano Country), so he doesn't pose a threat for the time being.

It's normal that Straw Hat Luffy and Sea King Princess Shirahoshi are seen as a threat by Im.

But the fact that Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach was the one he paid special attention to is something worth pondering!

At that time, Teach had only been a true veteran for two and a half years. Although he was one of the Four Emperors, his bounty was the lowest among the Four Emperors at the time, and he was the only one who had not crossed the 4 billion Berry threshold.

The Navy and the World Government have always used bounties to indicate the level of threat. From this perspective, Teach should be considered the least threatening among the Four Emperors at the time.

Why would someone like this receive special treatment from Im?

Why didn't Im take Kaido, the strongest at the time, seriously? In comparison, Kaido was a Mythical Zoan, who might suddenly awaken his power.

But it seems that Im doesn't care about Kaido at all.

Now, Bane thought about it, and if he followed his line of reasoning, the reason why Teach was listed by Im as one of the threats that had to be eliminated as soon as possible was quite obvious.

Because Teach is the one who can end his "immortality"!

The Dark-Dark Fruit, a dark power known as the "most vicious Devil Fruit in history," can counter Im!

This may also indirectly prove that Im's immortality and surging vitality come from the power of the Devil Fruit. However, all Devil Fruits are countered by the Dark-Dark Fruit. He is afraid that Teach will one day discover his existence and eventually become his enemy, so he wants to get rid of him before that happens!

"Damn it, the case is solved. The Five Elders wanted to recruit me to Mary Geoise to become a Celestial Dragon, probably because they wanted to lower my guard after using me, make me think that I had really joined them, and then find an opportunity to kill me," Bane slapped his thigh and thought to himself.

So I was the chosen one all along!?

However, it is also possible that the Five Elders did not know that Im was so wary of the Dark-Dark Fruit, when Bane had not yet been targeted by Im.

After all, if Im continued to exist as the mastermind behind everything, Bane would never know him, live a happy life, and then die, posing no threat whatsoever.

Proactively provoking Bane's hostility, exposing oneself, and causing a crisis, versus continuing to hide, using one's Celestial Dragon identity to gradually corrupt Bane, allowing him to live a happy and noble life before kicking the bucket—compared to both options, this is definitely more worthwhile.

Because of Teach's "evidence," Bane was now somewhat convinced that his judgment and line of reasoning were indeed true.

"If what I just speculated is true, then I might be quite good at controlling that guy Im." Bane said with a wicked smile, wisps of black smoke rising from his hand.

"Hey, your smile is just like a villain's, stop smiling." Borsalino couldn't help but complain.

Originally, Bane thought Im was a formidable opponent, but now he suddenly realized that Im might be a pushover in front of him. Naturally, Bane was quite pleased.

Even if this is just speculation, it is still a possibility, isn't it?

Meanwhile, at Navy Headquarters.

Zephyr's massive fleet split in two: one part blockaded the ports of Mary Geoise in the New World, while the other part blockaded the Marine Headquarters.

"Speaking of which, I haven't been back even once since the headquarters moved here. The landscaping in New Marineford is so good, it must have cost a lot of money." Standing at the front of the battleship's deck, Zephyr held a telescope and observed New Marineford.

Kuzan calmly shook his head and said, "I don't know, I've never been here either. After Sakazuki and I finished fighting in Punk Hazard, the headquarters hadn't moved yet. I went to Melvure and never came back. It seems to have a lot of vitality."

At this moment, the entire New Marine Fendo, the island, is covered with lush greenery, making it look as if towering ancient trees from many other islands have been transplanted here.

And it's not just one circle; it's layered from the outside in.

"You two, stop joking around." Garp, draped in his Justice Cloak and holding a senbei (rice cracker), walked over and said, "I haven't been away from New Marineford for long. It wasn't like this before. There weren't so many green plants here. Perhaps this is the manifestation of that Wild Shepherd's power? Haven't you noticed that because of these plants, we can't even observe the situation on the island from a distance?"

"If this is that guy's ability," Kuzan raised an eyebrow, "I'm afraid this patch of greenery isn't so peaceful after all; it might be quite dangerous, right?"

"But for your abilities, this isn't much of an obstacle, is it?" Zephyr said, putting down his binoculars.

How strong is Aramachi's Mori-Mori Fruit ability?

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Thinking about it carefully, it's still very strong. It might even be able to be developed into something like Hashirama Senju, and maybe it could even become a "Mythical Zoan Fruit, Human-Human Fruit, God of Shinobi Form".

But at least based on what Garp, Zephyr, Kuzan and others know about Wild Shepherd, that guy hasn't developed his abilities to an abnormally high level.

In a sense, the Forest-Forest Fruit is completely countered by Sakazuki and Kuzan, one of whom can unleash magma, and the other can freeze things rapidly.

"It's definitely not an obstacle." Kuzan said, chewing on a lollipop. "Speaking of which, Vice Admiral Fubuki and Vice Admiral Zoro are also gathering here. The Sand-Sand Fruit is the one that truly and completely counters Aramu's abilities. No matter how much greenery he plants, a swath of yellow sand will wipe it all out."

"That makes sense." Zephyr thought about it for a moment and agreed with Kuzan.

"However, from what I understand, his Forest Fruit seems to have also developed the concept of 'nutrients.' What I'm worried about now is that that guy is so ruthless that he might connect the greenery of this headquarters with the life force of the ordinary marines on the island. When he cuts down these greenery, he will also wipe out those ordinary marines." Garp said, his expression turning somewhat gloomy.

"That's only one aspect," Zephyr said, stroking his chin. "Bane and the others think I'm being soft-hearted, unwilling to let those innocent soldiers from our own unit be dragged into this fighting and lose their lives. But having served in the military for many years, how could I not understand the principle that 'a merciful commander cannot lead an army'?"

"Then why haven't you attacked yet?" Garp asked, slightly surprised. "With our strength, we should be able to take over New Marineford very soon, right?"

"I dare not." Zephyr, with a cigar in his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "The Revolutionary Army, in the top-secret intelligence your son Dragon recently sent me, said that the World Government possesses the Ancient Weapon Uranus, which they now call 'Our Lady's Flame.' Its power is enough to completely destroy an island three times the size of New Marineford in one blow. I now strongly suspect that Aramaki and the rest of the marines on the island are just a trap to lure our main force to land."

To capture New Marineford, a large number of troops would definitely be needed. After capturing it, should we occupy it? Of course we need to occupy it, otherwise, wouldn't the effort have been in vain?

And what if Zephyr led the main force to land in New Marineford, and then Mary Geoise unleashed some so-called "Mother's Flame"? Wouldn't that be the end of them?

"Is that so?" Garp's expression hardened upon hearing this, and he said solemnly, "Then we certainly cannot act rashly."

"No wonder you surrounded this place, and even went to such lengths to encircle it," Kuzan said, suddenly realizing what was going on. But after a slight pause, he added, "Even so, that ancient weapon is enough to kill us..."

At this point, Kuzan seemed to realize what was happening and stopped talking.

He originally meant to say, "If we surround each other like this, can't we become targets?"

However, judging from the current fleet formation, which is a straight line and a circling formation, with a wide distance between each warship, it is impossible to wipe them all out in one strike, given the attack range of the Holy Mother's Flame mentioned earlier.

To expect to be completely unscathed is, frankly, wishful thinking. As long as the other side uses such power, it's impossible to avoid losses.

Zefa's arrangement already minimized the danger.

"So what are you thinking now? You can't fight, you can't retreat, are you just going to wait it out? You have to understand, Mary Geoise is moving, we can't block the East China Sea channels, time isn't on our side, the longer we delay, the more fully Mary Geoise and the World Government can respond." Garp said with a deep frown.

"I'm waiting for Xiaohe." Zefa tapped the ash from his cigarette and said, "She was the last of us to leave headquarters, so she knows the most about the situation inside. It's not too late to make a decision after she comes and joins us, and we have a complete understanding of the situation and information inside."

(End of this chapter)