Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

"Father, where are you now? I heard that Dr. Assie and the others had an accident?" Robin asked anxiously.

She and Luffy rushed back to the Straw Hat crew's base because of a change that happened with the extraterrestrial visitors. After returning, they went directly to the front lines with Luffy.

He had just returned from the front lines two days ago, and only after returning did Tingwei mention the Whitebeard Pirates, so he immediately called Reina via Den Den Mushi.

“Yes!” Reina didn’t hide anything and told Robin about everything except the mole, including the negotiations he had just finished.

"Phew, that's good!" Robin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and said, "By the way, how did the World Government know about that place? The Doctor and his team went to investigate; the World Government shouldn't have known!"

“I also have some doubts. They were attacked in a cave inside the ruins. No one escaped, including Captain Namur. Even Vegapunk’s clone was destroyed immediately!” Reina nodded and said.

Robin remained silent upon hearing this. Although she also suspected there were spies, she was not a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and it was inappropriate for her to say such things.

Now that her father has noticed this, she believes that with his abilities, he will definitely be able to handle this matter well.

After getting a general understanding of the situation, Robin wasn't in such a hurry anymore, so after chatting with Reina for a while, he ended the call.

Upon returning to Crescent Moon Island, Reina went directly to the laboratory and found Vegapunk inside.

"So when Dr. Assie had that accident, you suspected me?" Vegapunk looked at Reina with surprise and asked.

After Reina told Vegapunk everything, Vegapunk seemed very surprised.

"Yes! Haven't you noticed that Olga and Perona have been hanging around you a lot lately?" Reina asked with a helpless expression.

"Hehehe... I didn't notice! But Shakya and the others seem to have noticed, but I didn't pay any attention!" Vegapunk said with a smile.

After hearing Vegapunk's words, Reina felt somewhat embarrassed, but still said, "I've had some doubts before and even now, so I need an explanation from you! Only the Doctor, Captain Namur, and your clone truly understand this operation. For the World Government to ambush them, there must be spies involved. I can absolutely trust Captain Namur and Dr. Asie, so I can only suspect your clone!"

Reina had initially estimated that Vegapunk probably wouldn't be able to say anything, but after thinking it over, he gave a statement that surprised Reina quite a bit.

“Perhaps desires have developed their own ideas? You should know that once they leave the radiation range of my brain, I can no longer share their memories, so it’s very possible that something unexpected happened on the way!” Vegapunk said thoughtfully, “When Shakyamuni stayed on Xuan Yue Island for a long time, there seemed to be this kind of problem, but I didn’t have time to study it then. Now it seems we should pay attention to it!”

After saying that, he ignored Reina and went straight back to his own testing area to tinker with his experiments.

Reina was left completely bewildered.

However, Shakya soon arrived in front of Reina and carefully explained to him what Vegapunk had just said.

It turns out that Vegapunk's clones now seem to have their own thoughts, especially after leaving the brain's radiation range. They seem to have their own opinions, but they haven't figured out why yet, or whether the clones have really evolved their own consciousness.

That's why Vegapunk left; he wants to study it now.

Chapter 1201 Shakyamuni's Gratitude

After Shakyamuni's explanation, Reina was dumbfounded and asked blankly, "Aren't you clones controlled by the Doctor?"

Shakyamuni shook his head and replied, "No, it's just that within the brain's radiation range, our thoughts are all the same. Only after leaving the brain's radiation range do we, these clones, possess the thoughts of our individual personalities! We were always on Future Island before, so we didn't know that. It was only after I followed you to Xuan Yue Island that I realized this!"

"Actually, every time I go back, I upload and share my memories, so I didn't feel anything was wrong, and the original body didn't seem to notice either! Later, when we all came to Xuan Yue Island, the original body noticed that something was wrong with me, because within the range of the brain's radiation, I seemed to have developed my own thoughts!"

"So, once these clones like Desire and Evil develop their own consciousness, they might act according to their own personalities instead of following Vegapunk's orders?" Reina asked incredulously. "But if that's the case, how could Vegapunk, as the original body, not know?"

“Logically speaking, under the radiation of the brain, the main body has the highest authority. Our thoughts and actions will be known to the main body. So if Yu really betrays us, not to mention our clones, the main body should be able to detect it!” Shakyamuni shook his head and said, “But... you also know that the main body is focused on research. There are many things he knows but doesn’t care about. He even subconsciously ignores a lot of information!”

Reina was speechless, but after his conversation with Vegapunk, he was starting to believe it.

Because of Olga, their surveillance of Vegapunk's actions was quite obvious, and the entire laboratory was buzzing with discussion. However, he remained an outsider, completely unaware of it, not even noticing that Shakya, as an avatar, shared his memories.

"Now that Vegapunk's main body can examine the memories in his brain, can it detect anything amiss?" Reina asked after thinking for a moment.

Shakyamuni shook his head and replied, "After receiving the message from the original body, I checked it immediately. Desire did not show any difference. As for Evil... it was destroyed on Future Island, so the current Evil was created recently and should not have developed its own will yet!"

"Is it possible that your consciousness developed while you were out?" Reina pressed on.

Shakyamuni hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and gave an affirmative answer.

"The best way to prevent our clones from developing their own consciousness is to destroy them every now and then. However, this might leave some problems. If one day a clone's consciousness becomes aware of this, it could lead to a major disaster!" Shakyamuni said with some sorrow.

“I understand. You’d better discuss this matter carefully with Old Man Bei. My opinion is that you shouldn’t destroy what you’ve already manufactured, but if it’s damaged in the future, it’s best not to manufacture it again!” Reina said solemnly after thinking for a moment.

Shakyamuni nodded, not saying much on the topic, but changing the subject, saying, "The main body is currently being tested to see if there's any problem with the desire to create clones. I'll give you an answer as soon as possible!"

"It's alright. Now that we know what happened, we'll find a solution. Not knowing is the most dangerous thing!" Reina waved his hand, telling Shakya not to worry.

"Thank you!" Shakyamuni replied sincerely.

He understood Reina's good intentions. If Reina was in a hurry for an answer, then Vegapunk's best course of action was to destroy these clones first. Regardless of whether the clones were ultimately responsible, they had to get things done beforehand, because these clones had already shown signs of awakening self-awareness, and even Shakyamuni had awakened self-awareness.

If Vegapunk's clone does something else, things could get out of control.

However, now that Reina has expressed his stance and told them not to rush, it gives Vegapunk time to not destroy the rest of his clones right now.

This shows trust in Vegapunk, and also trust in Shakyamuni and the others, which is why Shakyamuni said thank you.

“Once you join our Whitebeard Pirates, we’re family. No matter what the final outcome is, until there’s evidence, we’re family. Even if the final result is Yu, it’s just an accident. When Dr. Assie and the others come back, just apologize properly! That’s what family is all about, isn’t it?” Reina said with a smile, patting Shakya on the shoulder.

Shakyamuni nodded and replied, "The main body is already testing it. If it is truly what I intended to do, then I will definitely give an explanation!"

"I told you, there's no need to rush! As long as the doctor and the others are alright, it's not a big problem!" Reina waved his hand, and as he spoke, he got up to leave.

In the corner of the room where they were talking, the head of a negative ghost slowly emerged from the corner of the wall, and then quickly disappeared.

When Reina came out of the laboratory, he ran into Frank, who was rushing over there.

"First mate!" Frank exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Reiner.

"What's making you so anxious?" Reina asked with a light laugh.

Frank ran to Reina's side, panting, and whispered with a hint of joy, "Bree and Brin have found the location of the Doctor and the others!"

Reina's spirits lifted, and he asked, "Where?"

"They're in Impel Down, the deep-sea prison! Captain Ace is currently waiting for reinforcements there. Brûlée's abilities can't penetrate Impel Down because there are no mirrors inside. However, Ace captured a Marine, and Brûlée found footage from his memories of escorting the Doctor and the others inside!" Frank said excitedly.

“Very good! Notify the other captains who went out to assemble at Impel Down. Also, I'm leaving Crescent Moon Island to you; I plan to go there myself!” Reina said, a glint of light in his eyes.

Frank nodded to indicate that he understood, and then went with Reina to the main building, where Bry was waiting.

"How is the situation now?" Upon seeing Brulee, Reina immediately asked.

"Captain Ace is currently monitoring Impel Down with Bruin, but they haven't found anything yet!" Bruin shook her head and replied.

"Okay! Send me over first, then pick up Marco and Vista as well! If there's not enough time, have them return directly to Crescent Moon Island!" Reina said after thinking for a moment.

Chapter 1202 Taking Action

After Reina arrived at Impel Down and met up with Ace, Ace explained the situation to Reina.

“Originally, we only captured a naval soldier who was out, but then Pudding discovered the Doctor and the others in his memories. After a closer look, we found that the naval soldier had witnessed the Doctor and Namur being secretly escorted into Impel Down!” Ace pointed at Pudding and said to Reina.

Pudding, on the other hand, seemed quite happy, as it at least proved that she was useful.

Reina nodded and said, "Do you know the exact location where the Doctor and the others are being held?"

"I don't know. To avoid alerting them, we haven't taken any action!" Ace shook his head and replied.

“You’re right, we’ve already reached an agreement with the World Government, but it would be even better if we could rescue the Doctor ourselves! By the way, didn’t you notice the Doctor was sent out?” Reina said in agreement.

"Nothing has been found yet!" Ace and Pudding both shook their heads and replied.

Reina frowned. He had already reached an agreement with the World Government, so why hadn't the World Government taken any action yet?

“Try to get in touch with the people inside Impel Down. I remember the Revolutionary Army has a base on Level 5.5. Can we contact them and ask them to gather information about the Doctor for us?” Reina said to Ace.

The reason he brought Ace here was because of the Revolutionary Army. Sabo is now the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, and given his relationship with Ace, it would be easy for him to use their connections.

“I’ve already contacted them, but they haven’t sent a message yet!” Ace said softly.

"Hmm!" Upon hearing this, Reina didn't say anything more. Instead, he summoned both the Surveillance Hawk and the Squirrel to monitor Impel Down from the sky and the sea. This way, they could detect any disturbances in Impel Down in a timely manner.

However, just as Hawkwatch and Lulu left, before Reina could even contact the Revolutionary Army inside Impel Down, Hawkwatch discovered the situation.

Reina quickly shared the surveillance eagle's view and saw a large group of naval soldiers, led by a vice admiral, bringing Namur and the doctor out of Impel Down.

“It seems the World Government really intends to keep its promise!” Reina said with a light laugh as he looked away.

Ace and Pudding looked at Reina with confusion.

"The doctor and Namur have been brought out; they're probably going to be released!" Reina recounted what he had just seen.

"So what do we do now? Should we retreat?" Bulin asked Reina.

Reina shook his head and replied, "Just in case, Ace, you take some men and follow them! If they release the Doctor and the others as agreed, you show yourself and take the Doctor and Namur away. If they dare to cause trouble, kill them all!"

Ace nodded to indicate that he understood, and then left with his team.

"Brin, contact Brûlée and tell her she doesn't need to come. Just take Marco and the others back to Crescent Moon Island!" Reina said to Brûlée after Ace left.

“Yes!” Bu Ling nodded and replied.

Once everything was arranged, Reina released Liu Liu from the psychic connection, leaving only the Surveillance Eagle to continue monitoring and tracking the Doctor and his group. He himself rode in the hard shell, intending to secretly follow behind and see if the World Government would send someone else to hang them.

Just as Reina had guessed, although the World Government released the Doctor and his group, they secretly sent people to follow them, their intentions unknown.

Reina didn't want to know what the other party was up to, so after leaving the waters around Impel Down, he sank all the warships following the Doctor to the bottom of the sea, and Ace directly rescued the Doctor and Namur.

When the World Government received the message, the Five Elders looked at each other in bewilderment.

They originally intended to complete the transaction, but Jegarcia Satan Saint, one of the Five Elders, felt that this was a good opportunity to probe the Whitebeard Pirates' true strength.

This resulted in the complete disappearance of these three warships.

"It seems they found out about us a long time ago and were waiting for us there!" The Five Elders, dressed in a dark red suit, without a tie, with blond hair, a blond beard, and a scar on his chest, said with some helplessness.

"Moreover, we were careless before. After Kaido and Big Mom were defeated, we thought everything was fine, but we didn't expect that Whitebeard and Shanks would take away a lot of the remnants of the two pirate crews! We thought that their strongmen had all disappeared in that battle, but that's not the case! The Whitebeard Pirates' ability to gather intelligence has obviously improved. This is an ability that only the Big Mom Pirates had back then!" another of the Five Elders said in a deep voice.

"We definitely miscalculated!" The others nodded in agreement.

"What's done is done, and there's no point in regretting it now. Let's think about how to control the Whitebeard Pirates!" The Five Elders, dressed in a dark blue suit, with long, straight white hair and a long beard, slowly closed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

“They’ve already taken the people away. Are they planning to break the contract?” Jegarcia Satan Saint asked, his eyes wide.

Wearing a dark blue suit, with long, straight white hair and a long beard, the Five Elders opened his eyes again and said, "If it weren't for your arrangements, I believe Whitebeard would still abide by our agreement, but now... Akame Reyner will definitely not let this excuse go!"

While the Five Elders were beginning to regret their decision, Sengoku and the others, who had also received the news, could only manage a wry smile.

"The World Government... really shot themselves in the foot! Although they released the people this time, they were ultimately rescued by the Whitebeard Pirates! With Reina's personality, he will definitely use this as an excuse in the future!" Sengoku shook his head with a wry smile and said.

"This has nothing to do with us; it's their own stupid mistake!" Staff Officer Crane shook his head, then said with a wry smile, "And didn't you notice? That brat Reina never intended to leave the North Sea! He was just here to buy time. Their people must have been searching everywhere for him, otherwise he wouldn't have been taken away so soon after leaving Impel Down!"

Sengoku smiled and said, "So what? We wouldn't dare gamble on even the slightest possibility! So... the World Government really missed a golden opportunity this time!"

"It's alright, as long as we drive the extraterrestrials out as soon as possible!" Staff Officer He said with a smile, "We received news from Garp that although the number of extraterrestrials has increased, for some reason, the strength of their warriors seems to have decreased! It seems they are also struggling to hold on!"