One Piece Gunslinger

Look at Jinbe's flattered expression, it's like he hit the nail on the head, the effect is outstanding!

This is also why the merfolk have suffered so much prejudice throughout their lives. Many humans, due to a lack of understanding of the merfolk, have fabricated numerous negative stories about them based solely on their ugly appearance. There is a great deal of prejudice against the merfolk.

The World Government only uses the Sun Pirates as a tool, and since Fishman Island is under Whitebeard's rule, it naturally has a very bad relationship with the Ryugu Kingdom. It's already good enough if they don't cause trouble and smear the Fishman race on a daily basis.

After many years of effort, Jinbe significantly improved the image of fish-men in the eyes of the world, even earning the title of "Knight of the Sea Jinbe." However, that only applied to Jinbe personally; the image of other fish-men remained unchanged.

This was the second time Jinbe had experienced genuine respect and courtesy; even with such a high status, he hadn't exuded that unpleasant aura. (The first time was when he met Whitebeard.)

After Jinbe personally came down to greet him, Li Ang took the initiative to shake Jinbe's large, smooth hands and said, "Not at all, Brother Jinbe's reputation for chivalry is known to everyone from the four seas to the Grand Line. It is because of everyone's love and respect that he has earned the nickname 'Knight of the Sea.' Brother Jinbe, please don't underestimate yourself. If this is what makes an ordinary fish-man, then what are the other fish-men but salted fish?"

It's that time of year again for mutual flattery. Li Ang can't just let Jinbe brag about the Revolutionary Army; he has to do his part in returning the favor.

Mutual flattery in business is a way to deepen relationships. On one hand, it demonstrates one's understanding of the other party; a certain level of understanding is necessary to establish a certain level of relationship. On the other hand, it can also be a way to flatter, making both parties feel comfortable and facilitating further negotiations.

Moreover, Li Ang wasn't just boasting. Commercial flattery requires skill. Exaggeration is acceptable, such as "From the four oceans to the streets, everyone knows him." But it must be balanced out afterward to avoid becoming a castle in the air. So the next sentence is, "It was under the love and respect of everyone that he earned the nickname 'Sea Knight'."

Furthermore, amidst this boasting, Li Ang subtly cultivated a closer relationship between the two, going from calling Jinbe "boss" to "brother Jinbe," taking a step closer in terms of how they addressed each other.

"Haha, since you've already called me Brother Jinbe, I'm a few years older, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Li Ang. You're right, Brother. We shouldn't belittle ourselves. These achievements aren't just mine; they belong to the entire Sun Pirates. If I deny them, wouldn't that be denying the efforts of the entire Sun Pirates? You see things clearly, Brother. I'm ashamed of my own shortcomings."

And so, amidst their mutual flattery, the Revolutionary Army, who had been on the verge of conflict, and the tense Sun Pirates, along with their numerous onlookers, forgot what they had been doing before, and it truly turned into a friendly meeting.

With both sides in charge expressing goodwill, others naturally couldn't maintain that tense standoff and had to let the previous misunderstandings dissipate.

"But I didn't expect you to come out to greet me, I almost neglected you."

Li Ang couldn't very well say it was because there was no reception room; he couldn't very well receive him in the staff headquarters' office, that would be too disrespectful. So he could only say, "Not at all, if I had known earlier that you wanted to see me, I would have gone there myself without you having to make the trip. I'm the one who made you travel such a long way."

As Jinbe pulled Li Ang's hand toward the ship, he chuckled and said, "Enough of that. Let's go inside and have a seat. Just don't mind how shabby this place is."

“That’s true, we’ve been standing here long enough. I’ve also been wanting to visit the ship of the famous Sun Pirates.”

Afterwards, Li Ang thought about it carefully and realized that the reason why the conversation went so smoothly was because he went out to greet them.

Li Ang's actions were essentially just a case of "the Duke of Zhou spitting out his food to feed his guests."

In the past, the Duke of Zhou would spit out his food halfway through a meal to receive talented individuals, and then go out to greet them. Li Ang's actions now bear a striking resemblance to this.

However, Li Ang hadn't realized it yet; it was all a lucky accident. Later, when he did, he would boast to everyone about how brilliant his "wise decision" was.

Chapter 276 Gaining the Friendship of the Sea

Li Ang then followed Jinbe into the ship. Just as Li Ang had expected, the interior of the ship was nothing special. Although it was the ship of a Shichibukai, it was only somewhat special in appearance.

After taking Li Ang to the captain's cabin alone, Jinbe couldn't wait to speak and said, "I'll get straight to the point, Brother Li Ang. I'm here this time to deal with Fishman Island, as an envoy of the Ryugu Kingdom."

Even without Jinbe saying anything, Li Ang had a pretty good idea of ​​Jinbe's intentions. As a hero among the fish-men and a chivalrous figure among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe's actions were inseparable from the two major aspects of the fish-man race and chivalry. And this time, his careful infiltration into the Revolutionary Army's headquarters must be for one of these two things, or perhaps both.

As expected, Jinbe quickly confirmed Li Ang's idea and continued to ask, "I wonder what you think of the Fish-Men? And what do you think of the outside world's perception of the Fish-Men?"

To this question, Li Ang answered almost without hesitation: "Whether it is the fish-men or other intelligent races, I believe they should all be treated equally. Equality for all beings has always been one of our principles, not only for humans, but also for other races."

As for outside perceptions of the Fish-Men, I believe they stem from misunderstandings born of a lack of understanding. It's true that we cannot deny the existence of some Fish-Men who are hostile to humans and have committed acts of harm, thus tarnishing the Fish-Men's image among humans. But aren't humans also prone to such behavior? We shouldn't generalize from these isolated cases to the entire race.

Similarly, I hope the merfolk won't turn against all humans because of such a small group.

After hearing Li Ang's explanation, Jinbe was very pleased and said with a smile, "Brother, you are right. Your thoughts coincide with those of Queen Otohime back then."

However, when Queen Otohime was mentioned, Jinbe also expressed some regret: "If humans, no, humans and fish-men could have been as sensible as you, then so many tragedies would not have happened."

Li Ang's words also stirred up Jinbe's memories of Queen Otohime. As a goodwill ambassador between the Ryugu Kingdom and humans, Queen Otohime had always advocated for peaceful coexistence between the two races. Unfortunately, some villains sabotaged her efforts, causing Queen Otohime's mission to fail.

In the end, instead of improving the relationship between humans and fish-men, it actually deepened the conflict between the two races. It was truly a great pity.

Most fish-men, represented by Jinbe, most admire Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime. Both were pioneers in fighting for equal rights for fish-men. In Leon's view, Fisher Tiger was too radical, while Queen Otohime was too mild.

The facts have proven that neither of these two extremes works. If the two could have found a middle ground, the fishmen would have already stood up, instead of being confined to the Dragon Palace Kingdom at the bottom of the sea.

“Since you’re so open-minded, brother, the rest is easy. King Neptune came to me this time hoping that the Revolutionary Army could establish friendly diplomatic relations with Fish-Man Island.” Jinbe had previously worried that the Revolutionary Army might reject the Fish-Man race like others, but Leon’s repeated performances had dispelled Jinbe’s doubts, and he directly stated his main purpose this time.

"Of course, this relationship also includes trade, cultural exchange, and friendship."

The revolutionary army has always championed the banner of equality, advocating for the absence of oppression, equality for all, and equality among all races. This has long caught the attention of King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom. The ideals promoted by these revolutionaries resonate with those of the deceased Queen Otohime.

If it weren't for the World Government's army riding right in front of him, Neptune would have already taken the opportunity to visit them personally during the World Conference.

However, after the Revolutionary Army captured Dressrosa, they were only a step away from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Similarly, the Ryugu Kingdom, located below Mary Geoise, became a neighboring country of the Revolutionary Army. This gave the Ryugu Kingdom another reason to make contact with the Revolutionary Army.

Neptune then asked Jinbe to act as his envoy, and if appropriate, to discuss cooperation, trade, or even friendship and alliance with the Revolutionary Army.

From Jinbe's perspective, the Revolutionary Army is the perfect fit.

If the World Government doesn't accept the Ryugu Kingdom or the Fish-Men, then they have no choice but to look for other people.

However, for this underwater kingdom, it was undoubtedly a huge gamble. It's unknown how long Neptune struggled with this decision before finally deciding to have Jinbe contact them, even though the Revolutionary Army had already finished their work more than half a month prior.

After all, no one in the world can say for sure that the Revolutionary Army will ultimately succeed in overthrowing the World Government. Even now, with the Revolutionary Army having captured Dressrosa, many still believe the World Government has a significant advantage and there's nothing to fear. They think they'll naturally retaliate and reclaim Dressrosa later.

Neptune's decision already showed considerable courage. If his relationship with the Revolutionary Army were exposed, he would not be well-liked by the World Government and would be blacklisted.

However, Neptune wasn't gambling recklessly. Firstly, if he established diplomatic relations with the Revolutionary Army and something happened, they couldn't just ignore him; otherwise, who would want to cooperate with them in the future? Secondly, he had Whitebeard behind him, and this territory was protected by Whitebeard's declaration. The World Government wouldn't be so foolish as to wage war against both sides simultaneously. Even if they wanted to deal with the Ryugu Kingdom, they would have to wait until Whitebeard was dead or the Revolutionary Army was defeated.

The idea that Neptune was betting that these two events wouldn't happen anytime soon is a matter of great concern. Given the volatile international situation, no one knows what the world will be like in a few years.

However, when Whitebeard was mentioned, Li Ang asked in surprise, "Wait, establish diplomatic relations? I remember the ancient kingdom was Whitebeard's territory, wouldn't the Whitebeard Pirates mind?"

Li Ang naturally wanted to agree immediately. After all, from the Revolutionary Army's perspective, establishing diplomatic relations with the ancient kingdom would be extremely beneficial. Trade alone would be incredibly lucrative; underwater products were highly valuable among humans, and vice versa. They truly had to thank the World Government for its years of discrimination against other races, which had given the Revolutionary Army this opportunity.

However, despite these thoughts, it's still necessary to ask the opinion of the strongest man in the world right now—Whitebeard.

However, Jinbe quickly dispelled Li Ang's doubts, patted Li Ang on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I went to see my father before I came. He said that we can do whatever we want, and he will be happy for our fish-men to get out of this predicament."

That makes sense. If Whitebeard were that kind of person, he naturally wouldn't have earned the respect of Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea.

After going through this process, Li Ang was truly relieved and readily agreed: "Alright, we won't say too much. From now on, the Dragon Palace Kingdom will be our friend. As long as we don't break the law, we will treat all fish-men and mermaids equally. Moreover, we can start building a fleet of ships capable of diving now, establish underwater trade routes, and strengthen our connections."

Jinbe hadn't expected things to progress so quickly. He had prepared a whole bunch of things to say before coming and spent half a day drafting them, but he didn't need to use any of them. Li Ang agreed to everything directly and was already thinking about the specific details.

"But if we make a big fuss about it, won't we attract the attention of the World Government or some other group? Undersea trade is a huge piece of meat."

Jinbe wasn't entirely ignorant; he knew that trade and commerce were certainly lucrative, but one had to be wary of those with ulterior motives.

Li Ang shook his head and said, "Hey, Brother Jinbe, there's no need to worry too much about this. First of all, our ship sails on the seabed, and how many people can actually fight the Fish-Men underwater? Besides, this underwater navigation technology isn't just something your Fish-Men have; our Revolutionary Army has also developed it."

Secondly, we happen to have a hidden underground port in Dressrosa, which Doflamingo originally used to contact his underground forces. Now we can completely reuse it, and we can do so without the world knowing. We don't need to publicize it; I don't think it's the right time yet. We can cooperate secretly for now.”

"That's great! I didn't expect things to go so smoothly this time. It's like everything was already prepared." Jinbe was overjoyed. This was truly a worry-free experience.

It's not just like, it's like everything is ready.

Even if Jinbe hadn't made this trip, the Revolutionary Army would have eventually made a trip to the Ryugu Kingdom underwater. The plan to establish diplomatic relations with the Ryugu Kingdom had already been on Li Ang's agenda. It's important to understand that the ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface, and this world, dominated by the ocean, exceeds 90%. Therefore, in Li Ang's view, whoever gains the friendship of the sea creatures gains the friendship of the sea itself. Not to mention, the ancient kingdom even has a "Sea King."

Li Ang felt that the biggest problem with the fish-men was their small population. If they had as many as humans, they would have ruled the world long ago. Only a bunch of idiots like the Celestial Dragons would push the Ryugu Kingdom outwards.

Afterwards, Li Ang and Jinbe worked together for a while and drafted a preliminary cooperation plan between the two, which perfectly solved the problem and also brought Jinbe closer to the sea knight.

Finally, after everything was finalized, Li Ang did not forget that there was another huge plan that required him to win over allies, and Jinbe was of course a great help.

"Um, Brother Jinbe, there's one last thing I need your help with."

Chapter 277 I've Always Wanted to Beat You Up

It wasn't long before the Revolutionary Army's leadership learned that the Revolutionary Army and the Ryugu Kingdom had established diplomatic relations and begun cooperation. They were surprised that Jinbe had come to negotiate in person, and then it didn't take long for Leon to reach an agreement.

Dressrosa, this crucial interface, and many others in the Ryugu Kingdom also learned of this matter. Both sides were eager to begin preparations for opening a sea route and establishing contact.

As for Li Ang's final request, the consensus he reached with Jinbe, and what he persuaded Jinbe to help with, only the two of them know for now. Li Ang hasn't even told Dragon or Fujitora.

However, these are not things that can be achieved overnight, so let's turn our attention back to the present.

After watching Jinbe and his Sun Pirates depart, Leon continued preparing for their departure the next day. This had been interrupted by Jinbe's arrival, and now that Jinbe was gone, he was back to making the necessary preparations.

Then some people might ask, what's there to prepare? With just one person and one boat, you can leave now if you want to. Didn't you just leave suddenly like that last time?

Actually, that's not the case. Compared to the last time Li Ang left headquarters, he will obviously face more dangers this time. He can no longer continue the carefree trip he took before. On the contrary, the people he is going to meet this time are mostly the kind of people who would take your life at the slightest disagreement and who are also extremely powerful.

Therefore, Li Ang naturally needed to make proper preparations, especially mental ones.

Huh? ? They were actually prepared for this explanation...

So how can one be mentally prepared for this? This brings us to what Li Ang had always wanted to do in the revolutionary army, but had never been able to accomplish.

"Hey, where is Sabo?" Leon thought that there wasn't anything too important at the General Staff for the time being, so he decided not to go back and went straight to the barracks where Sabo lived. However, he couldn't find him in his room, so he had to look for Sabo on the spot.

The person being questioned was startled at first, as if frightened by something, and then asked in an unnatural voice, "Um, Chief of Staff, what brings you here? What trouble has Sabo gotten into this time?"

"Oh, never mind that. Do you even know where Sabo is right now? Give me a straight answer." Li Ang completely ignored the strange expression on the face of the person he had just grabbed and questioned, and continued to ask.

"Sabo should be training a group of new recruits on that training ground over there," the Revolutionary Army officer, who had been asked by Leon, said, pointing in the direction of the training ground.

Li Ang casually thanked him and turned to walk towards the training ground. Before leaving, he muttered to himself, "They're not playing cards, they're actually doing something serious. Not bad, they've exceeded my expectations."

The cadre standing behind Li Ang, who had just been questioned, heard everything clearly and thought with a face full of black lines, "So, in your eyes, all Sabo does is play cards all day? That's such a terrible image. He's clearly a very good mahjong player."

Ahem, but I dared not say it aloud, otherwise wouldn't that reveal that I also often played cards and mahjong with Sabo? Making a fortune in silence is the best way.

As he watched Li Ang walk towards the training ground, he gripped the playing cards behind his back tightly.

Actually, this guy originally wanted to find Sabo to play cards with, which explains why he knew where Sabo was. But he ran into Li Ang, who was also looking for Sabo, on the way. What could he do? He had no choice but to head back. He could also take a moment to pray for Sabo, hoping he wouldn't get into any more trouble and be discovered by Li Ang.

Otherwise, it will be difficult to find people to play cards in the future.

It's a pity that Li Ang can't read minds, otherwise none of these people would have escaped. They would all have been dragged back for a public denunciation meeting and subjected to a thorough critique.

However, while these revolutionary army cadres, represented by Sabo, might be somewhat irresponsible in ordinary times, they could still distinguish right from wrong in crucial moments. And that was good enough; they were far better than those who were diligent in ordinary times but became clueless and disastrous in critical situations, failing miserably on the battlefield.

Before long, Li Ang arrived at the training ground where Sabo was.

At this moment, two thousand new recruits stood neatly in the training ground, performing basic training in unison, while Sabo himself stood on the high platform, looking down at the densely packed crowd below.

In fact, he doesn't personally go down to teach. There are naturally lower-level instructors below him. He is only responsible for checking and supervising, as well as handling rare special situations.

To put it simply, it's OB.

Although he found the OB's job incredibly boring and unnecessary, others didn't see it that way. Especially Kella, who hadn't been at her post the day before yesterday, but instead gone to play mahjong with others. So it took Kella quite a bit of effort to find her when she came looking for him.

And then, Mom, you know what happens.

So he can't just quit this job. If Kera comes looking for him again and finds that he's left his post, he'll be beaten to death with a whole set of skills.

However, being as cunning as he was, Sabo was also a master of adaptability (in certain situations), and he quickly came up with a new solution: "I won't go over there, someone else will come over."

This solved the problem; he didn't need to leave. It's just playing cards, what difference does it make where he is? So he quickly contacted his old buddies and had them bring their tools to him.