One Piece Gunslinger

The world changes rapidly, and over the years, many people have appeared in the news and newspapers, attracting public attention. (Ace is one of them.)

Jack has been quiet for six years, and his popularity has long since faded. Among the thousands of wanted posters issued by the World Government, who still remembers him?

“Even if not many people remember, there are still people who do. If something unexpected happens, all our efforts over the past few years will be wasted.” This spy, named Martin, was still trying to make a last-ditch effort to win Jack back.

But Jack wasn't about to listen. He had his own plans; he was waiting to make this face truly famous. Immediately...

He adopted a mysterious and inscrutable demeanor and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

However, since Jack had spoken of Jack as a legendary figure in the eyes of the revolutionaries' spies, Martin could only sigh and say, "I hope so."

Then Jack promptly changed the subject, asking, "Why are you the only one here? Where is everyone else?"

Martin replied, “King works at a café on Lovers’ Avenue and hasn’t finished his shift yet. As for me, I work at a casino, and it’s not my turn to work yet, which is why I’m still in this room. Our job is also based on the consideration that someone should be on standby in this room at any time. If headquarters sends someone to contact us, they will definitely be able to reach us.”

In fact, Jack had already visited several other spy groups in the past two days, and Martin's E group was the last one.

The spies in Dressrosa weren't anything special; they did much the same things as those planted elsewhere. Aside from the elites like Lieutenant Colonel Guran from the Sandstone Kingdom, who were specially trained to infiltrate the enemy's high command, the rest simply blended into the general populace.

Each spy team consists of three people, infiltrating various sectors and industries in Dressrosa to gather comprehensive information on the locations and security forces of all key Don Quixote family locations, as well as the places where their executives frequently appear. This information will facilitate future operations.

In addition to gathering intelligence, they also needed to subtly influence those around them, spreading revolutionary ideas and liberal thoughts to prepare for the arrival of the revolutionary army.

So from Martin's words, Jack immediately grasped a very crucial point.

"That's it?" Jack asked cautiously.

"What's wrong?" Martin had no idea what Jack meant or what he wanted to ask after he stopped talking.

Jack asked, "Is there only two of you?"

When asked this, Martin looked even more confused: "Yes, there are only two of us."

"Well, it seems the third person has become a toy." Upon seeing this, Jack immediately suspected the Don Quixote family. The only one capable of doing something like this was Sugar, the Don Quixote family's legal loli.

"No way, are you sure you're not mistaken? I remember our squad is short one person." Martin said doubtfully.

Martin's words brought the same thought to Jack's own mind: when they set off, Team E was one person short; there was no third person at all.

Thinking of this, Jack pulled out a notebook from his pocket, which contained the names of all the Dressrosa spies. Jack had anticipated this possibility and wanted to avoid forgetting these people after becoming a toy, so he prepared this notebook in advance.

“Hmm, Group E.” Jack flipped to the night with the most names on the Group E roster, and there were three names clearly written on it.

"Interesting. Even if this fruit's ability is incredibly overpowered, and even though I saw three names written on the paper, I still strongly resist believing there are three people. But these three code names are irrefutable proof; there must be a third person." Jack muttered to himself, looking at the words in the notebook.

It was only then that Jack remembered that Martin's real name wasn't Martin; it was a code name given to him by Leon. The other two were Luther and King.

The code names of these three men, put together, are Martin Luther King Jr. Lyon used this name, which represents equality and human rights, to name the three men. Now that Luther is gone, the fact that we only remember two of them seems too incongruous.

Sugar's ability to turn people into toys is truly overpowered. After turning someone into a toy, all memories related to that person are erased, and everyone forgets them. Moreover, the person turned into a toy must abide by the rules set by Sugar and has no way to resist.

This ability to influence people's thinking and alter their memories across thousands of miles is truly terrifying.

However, even so, it doesn't mean that there's no way to deal with this ability. The Hobby-Hobby Fruit isn't called an invincible fruit, nor is it called a bug fruit or an overpowered fruit. There are still loopholes to exploit.

The biggest problem is that it can only erase memories, not facts.

For example, the Cyrus statue erected in the arena, although Cyrus has now become a toy soldier, people still carved words on the stone to record this person.

Jack closed his notebook and said to Martin, "There is indeed a third person, and that is Luther. Although you have probably forgotten what he looks like and what his voice is, he, as a toy, will not forget you. He should come looking for you. As long as you can match the code, even if you have forgotten him, it will prove that he is a member of the Revolutionary Army. So have you ever seen the strange toy come looking for you?"

Martin thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, I don't remember ever having such a strange toy come to me before. Everything was normal."

Jack sighed, looking troubled, and said, "That just means Luther has not only become a toy but also won't be able to see you. It seems like he's in grave danger. The best-case scenario is that he'll be stuck as a laborer in the underground port, unable to escape."

At this point, Jack's tone changed: "But this is also an opportunity. If we can find Luther in the underground port, then he must have more information that we can't get. Since he is now a toy, the Don Quixote family won't be on guard against him. He can do much more in the underground port than ordinary residents."

Martin nodded in agreement, saying, "Provided we can find him."

Chapter 244 Never Compromise

Indeed, all of this is predicated on Luther being alive and being found by Jack.

The biggest problem now is that, let alone finding Luther, they haven't even found the hidden underground port of Dressrosa yet. The Revolutionary Army's spies have only gathered surface-level intelligence; they know nothing about the deeper, darker aspects of Dressrosa.

It's safe to say that the only person with detailed information on this is the toy-like Luther; the hopes of the entire village rest on him.

“Alright, I’ll take these for now. Leave Luther to me; I’ll try to find him.” Jack took the documents, said goodbye to Martin, and quickly left the E Group’s base.

Before taking him away, Jack turned back and reminded him, "Remember not to act strangely when you go. Just pretend that Luther doesn't exist. Don't even tell Kim for now."

There's another possibility Jack didn't mention: whether Luther is dead or working in the underground port, it's all based on the premise that Luther had already been turned into a toy.

But in fact, neither Jack nor Martin knew exactly when Luther disappeared, because under the influence of the BUG-like ability, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, there was no such person in their memories at all.

The problem now is, if Luther wasn't turned into a toy a long time ago, but rather just recently, at this sensitive time, by Sugar, then things would be much more interesting.

If they hadn't discovered that Luther was a member of the Revolutionary Army, things would have been fine. But if they had, the Revolutionary Army's plan would have failed, and Jack would have had to retreat immediately.

It wasn't that Jack lacked confidence in Luther's willpower, fearing he would confess everything under the Don Quixote family's torture. Rather, under Sugar's Childlike Fruit, willpower was useless; once rules were set, the toy had to obey. If Sugar's command was "You must answer the question honestly," then Luther had no choice but to obediently answer.

This is much more effective than any form of torture; even the toughest man who would never confess will have to kneel before this one move.

It was precisely because of these considerations that Li Ang did not stay and quickly ran out of Martin's residence, fearing that the Don Quixote family had already begun monitoring the stronghold.

Jack, who had just come out, first looked around to make sure that no one was lying in wait nearby, watching the situation.

“Everything’s normal. Is there really no one here?” Jack walked down the street as if nothing was wrong. “It seems like no one has been following or watching me along this stretch of road. It seems that Luther wasn’t arrested because his identity was exposed, but just because he was unlucky and was forcibly conscripted.”

"No, no, no, although it's very likely that's the case, and the Revolutionary Army's spies aren't that easy to expose. But I might still be under the Don Quixote family's surveillance. If that's the case, it makes sense that they haven't shown up. They're essentially casting a long line, waiting for me to reel in a big fish."

As Jack wandered aimlessly through the streets, he pondered, "If that's the case, then they only need to be a great distance away to observe and track me. Because Violet, with her Step-Step Fruit, is like having clairvoyance; she can see the entire Dressrosa just by sitting in the palace. If they're monitoring and tracking me from such a great distance, then I certainly can't be mistaken."

"Calm down, Jack. If that's the case, then as long as the Don Quixote family hasn't made a move yet and is still just monitoring, then there's still a way. After all, Violet isn't entirely on their side."

"I've always had this feeling that someone's watching me from behind, but I can't find them. Could it really be Violet spying on me from a distance?"

Jack understood that it was very likely all in his imagination; the feeling that someone was watching him was just neuroticism.

Luther may have been turned into a toy a long time ago, and the probability of him being captured and turned into a toy only in the last few days is very small. But Jack still has to be wary of this possibility, and even if it is very small, Jack dares not take it lightly.

Trying to outsmart the air, only to find out it was a false alarm, is still better than failing and ending up beheaded.

So, with that in mind, Jack quickly found a coffee shop and sat down in a secluded corner.

He then pretended to order a coffee, actually using this secluded spot to deliver a message to Violet.

Jack pulled out a pen and paper and began writing a letter to Violet on the spot.

"Princess Violet."

Please allow me to still address you as Your Highness, even though it has been seven or eight years since I last called you princess.

I'm not sure if I'm being watched by you right now. If you are, then I have something to tell you.

First and foremost, I am a member of the Revolutionary Army, and my sole purpose in coming to Dressrosa is to liberate this country and free it from the darkness created by Doflamingo. I also hope that you and all of Dressrosa will join us in this resistance.

This process will inevitably involve some casualties and bloodshed. Even if we easily liberate Dressrosa, for a long time afterward, we will have to be constantly wary of naval attacks and face the threat of the world's most powerful violent organization. This will continue until Dressrosa is recaptured by the Navy, or we are able to overthrow the World Government.

Even so, I hope the people of Dressrosa can stand up and not live their whole lives on their knees.

In the past, we submitted to fate because we had no choice but to obey orders. I know that no matter how hard we try, some things may never change in our lifetime. In this world, we are so small, so insignificant. Before fate, we are as humble as ants. Not to mention the mighty World Government, even a single Shichibukai could crush us.

However, we will still resist, and we will still have the slender limbs to try to shake the world. Because we understand that if we don't resist, there will be no hope left, not only our hope, but also the hope of our descendants.

Some people might think we're stupid, stubborn, inflexible, and uncompromising. They might think that as long as we don't oppose the World Government, we could live better than we do now, whether we're pirates, marines, or doing something else, and we wouldn't have to live under the World Government's enormous shadow all the time.

We could have chosen not to do something so dangerous and simply enjoyed a better life.

During these years of revolution, I also went through a period of great confusion because I felt that the revolutionary army was out of step with the world. I felt that what I was doing was not recognized by others.

But now, I want to tell you: Am I stupid? Overconfident? Am I really stubborn? Should I compromise?

Yes, I am that foolish and stubborn, inflexible and unwilling to compromise. This is true now, and it will be true in the future. I will continue to be this foolish, stubborn, and inflexible. I will continue to use my frail body to shake the entire world.

The reason for our resistance is not to change the world, but to prevent the world from changing us.

Regardless of whether Violet saw it or not, Jack put the letter away shortly after writing it. He quickly packed his things, downed his coffee in one gulp, and left the coffee shop.

If this is indeed the case, then Li Ang has taken some measures. As for whether it will be effective or whether he can persuade the princess of Dressrosa, Jack is not 100% sure.

The rest depends on whether Violet can betray Doflamingo at this moment and help Jack conceal his whereabouts.

If Luther didn't turn into a toy just in the last two days, then finding the underground port where Luther is most likely is extremely important. To find such a place, Jack will have to ask the local natives for help.

Meanwhile, Violet, sitting in her room in the palace, stood there dumbfounded, motionless on the edge of the bed.

She had indeed been using her abilities to monitor Li Ang from a distance, but it wasn't because Luther was exposed. Rather, it was because Li Ang was wandering aimlessly along Lovers' Avenue after leaving Martin's house, and Violet happened to see him there.

With nothing to do all day, I use my ability to survey the entire country, looking for anything interesting. And today, on Lovers' Avenue, I just happened to run into Jack.

Violet knew Jack; she was one of the few people Jack mentioned who "didn't know me."

Perhaps Violet was different from the fooled citizens; she knew Doflamingo's true nature and, consequently, the dark side of the World Government.

That's why she's more interested in the Revolutionary Army, who dare to oppose the World Government. Even Jack, a familiar face who hasn't appeared for six years, was recognized by Violet at a glance.

Although Violet didn't know about Vergo's situation, she did know that Doflamingo had ordered martial law nationwide and was conducting thorough searches for suspicious individuals. Now that she had seen members of the Revolutionary Army, she would naturally think in that direction.

To see what the Revolutionary Army was up to, Violet used her powers to keep a close eye on Jack.

So Jack started to sense that someone was watching him from behind as he walked, proving that his sixth sense was quite accurate.

As for what happened next, Violet watched as Jack wrote her a letter, word by word.

This is the revolutionary army!

This is the true revolutionary army!

An uncompromising revolutionary army!

Chapter 245 The Last Two Hours

However, Jack couldn't be sure if Violet was actually spying on him, nor could he be sure if the previous letter would work. He could only continue to proceed according to plan.

After walking out of Lovers' Avenue, Jack arrived at the plaza in front of the arena below the King's Heights. "This is the arena? It really is similar to the Colosseum in ancient Rome, except there aren't any exciting matches happening at this time." Jack looked up at the tall and magnificent arena and couldn't help but compare it to Kensuke, another similar arena on Earth.

Since we're already passing by, we might as well take advantage of this opportunity to visit before the Revolutionary Army and the Don Quixote family start fighting and cause damage to the country and the arena, so that after the war we'll only see a pile of ruins.

"However, the Colosseum of ancient Rome was a wonder on Earth. While this stadium is similar, it still falls far short of the more magnificent and bizarre natural or man-made wonders in the face of the world's powerful construction capabilities."

Jack stood there in the sunlight, looking at the building that had once witnessed struggle, resistance, courage, and glory, and sighed: "Alas, it's a pity that since the Don Quixote family came to power, this place has become a tool for the amusement of the powerful and wealthy. It's truly tragic."

Then Jack casually ordered an ice cream from the ice cream cart next to him.