One Piece Gunslinger

"Hey, by the way, where are your crew members?" Li Ang asked, puzzled. He hadn't seen any of their crew members since he met the two of them.

"Of course we'll stay and guard the ships. This place isn't safe. When we first arrived, we encountered another group that tried to seize our ship, but they took down a lot of our men with a single shot and slunk away," Bucky sneered.

There are indeed criminals in this place who dare to mess with anyone except the World Government. And the thriving slave trade here is supported by these people.

Ace then nodded slightly, indicating that his crew was also guarding the ship.

So these two ran off to enjoy themselves, leaving their men to suffer the hardship of guarding the ships—it was utterly heartless.

Just then, Bucky noticed a folded piece of paper sticking out of Ace's shorts pocket and falling to the ground. Ace had just noticed it had fallen out and was about to bend down to pick it up when Bucky, with lightning speed, exclaimed "Huh!" and used one hand to pick it up.

When Li Ang and Xia Qi saw the piece of paper in Bucky's hand, their eyes widened in surprise.

"Let me see what this is?" Bucky picked it up because, like Leon, he had noticed the World Government logo printed on the paper: five solid circles arranged in a cross shape, with thin lines connecting the spheres.

Because the paper was folded, only half of the logo was visible. However, the icon was so well-known that everyone recognized it at a glance.

"Ah, this is a letter I received this morning. It was delivered by a big bird. It said it wants me to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea or something." Ace said casually, without any concern.

However, the others didn't have Ace's carefree mind, and they couldn't remain calm after hearing what Ace said. Buggy spread the letter on the bar counter, and everyone quickly looked at it. The content was indeed an invitation for Ace to become a Shichibukai. It also bore the World Government's seal, making it undeniably real.

"Damn it, you're going to become a Shichibukai? What are you competing with me for? Hurry up and report to the World Government so Rayleigh can help me get my coating first." Buggy threw the letter back and said with dissatisfaction.

However, Ace shook his head: "No way, I still want to go on a legendary underwater adventure."

The world is vast, but his own adventure is paramount; even the World Government's offer couldn't shake Ace's resolve. Is being a Shichibukai more interesting than becoming the Pirate King? Of course not. Ace had made a promise with his two brothers to become the Pirate King.

On a side note, the three brothers all said they wanted to set sail and become the Pirate King, but Sabo was the first to be eliminated; he'll probably only ever be the Revolutionary King at best. Ace, too, will soon be eliminated after entering the New World, becoming Whitebeard's leader of the children.

Only Luffy can continue this journey.

Li Ang then nodded and said, "Perhaps the Seven Warlords of the Sea are a lofty and unattainable position for many people, and also the target of many pirates. Some pirates even plan to eliminate one of the Seven Warlords and take his place. And now, there are indeed many people fighting tooth and nail for these vacant Seven Warlord positions."

But your choice was correct; the Seven Warlords of the Sea are indeed not suitable for you. You gain some, you lose some; once you assume the position of Seven Warlord, you're no longer in control of your own destiny. You gain resources and legal status from the World Government, but you are also controlled by them.

The relationship between the World Government and the Seven Warlords of the Sea is one of mutual exploitation. To put it bluntly, it's nothing more than an exchange of interests and a transaction of power.

However, the one who profited the most from this deal was the World Government, not the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Some might say, "That's not right. These Shichibukai are clearly only superficially allied with the World Government. Apart from Bartholomew Kuma, who infiltrated the government, and Gecko Moria, who hoped to fight Kaido alongside the World Government, the others are not interested in the World Government's summons and are constantly putting on a show of outward compliance but inward resistance."

Most of the time, the Seven Warlords of the Sea don't even bother with the World Government. This means that whenever Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants to hold a meeting with the Seven Warlords, only one or two of them can show up. In the end, if the World Government hadn't used the tactic of "whoever doesn't come will be removed from the Seven Warlords list," probably not two people would have participated in the Marineford War.

Even with the World Government employing this tactic, the performance of the Seven Warlords of the Sea in the Marineford War was lackluster; none of them put in any real effort, and they were practically just coasting along.

What the hell does the World Government gain? This Seven Warlords system is a thankless task, basically completely useless.

Actually, that's not the case. You should think about what both parties gave and received in this transaction.

Although the Seven Warlords of the Sea seem utterly useless, from the World Government's perspective, it's a completely cost-free process. Appointing someone as a Warlord is merely a matter of a word. Simply printing "So-and-so has become a Warlord of the Sea" in the newspapers is enough to announce it to the world.

Therefore, in this zero-cost scenario, the world government cannot possibly lose money. Since there are no costs, it means there is nothing to lose. The remaining question is how much profit can be made.

In this situation, even if the Seven Warlords of the Sea are disobedient, they still have some effect. Every bit of effect they have means the World Government has gained something.

"Wow, so becoming a Shichibukai is this terrifying? I guess I'd better give up." Ace said, taking the letter and snapping his fingers to burn half of it.

Buggy, standing to the side, wore an expression of regret and heartache. Although Leon was right, not everyone could be as selfless as Ace. The head of a Revolutionary Army officer was now fetching tens of millions of Berries on the black market, equivalent to a Shichibukai position being worth hundreds of millions.

To the money-grubbing Buggy, this was like burning hundreds of millions of Berries right in front of him, causing him unbearable heartache. Unfortunately, he couldn't even try to steal it; the World Government wanted Ace, and even if he got his hands on the letter, it would be worthless.

The World Government's secret invitation to Ace may stem from their concern that if things proceeded as planned, the final Shichibukai might be a wealthy merchant rather than a powerful pirate.

If Ace agrees to the World Government's invitation, the World Government can declare that Ace has become the first to meet its conditions. As for the truth, only the World Government and Ace know. In the end, it's all just talk; whatever they say goes.

Li Ang was quite pleased with Ace's decision. If Ace had suddenly lost his mind and decided to become a Shichibukai, Li Ang's plans would have been thrown into chaos.

In the original work, Whitebeard only took notice of this young man after learning that Ace had refused to become a Shichibukai, and then adopted him as his godson.

Perhaps it was because of Leon that the Seven Warlords of the Sea had already formed seven before Ace set sail. However, after Leon defeated Doflamingo, another position became available, and the strong momentum still led Ace to receive an invitation to become a Warlord of the Sea.

Seeing Ace burn the letter, Shakky reacted differently from the other two, shaking her head and saying, "You refused the World Government's invitation, which is tantamount to slapping them in the face. Perhaps the World Government will start keeping an eye on you later."

That's true. Ace was indeed considered a thorn in the side by the World Government, who even discovered that he was the son of the Pirate King Roger.

But perhaps this is what Ace wanted.

Chapter 302 The New Seven Warlords of the Sea!

The three stayed there for a while longer, but after Ace declined the invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they lost interest in drinking. They'd already had enough to drink and had run out of things to say after chatting for so long.

So later everyone ran out of things to say, exchanged a few casual words, said goodbye, and went about their own business.

Li Ang, of course, also had his own purpose. He wasn't just there to chat and drink with the two of them; he had serious business to attend to.

So after Bucky and Ace left the tavern and parted ways, he quickly caught up with Bucky and used his legendary skill: "There's something I want to talk to you about alone. Can we talk in private?"

"Oh? I don't think there's anything to tell you. You should know that I've already spared your life by not attacking you before."

Leon was well aware that his relationship with Bucky wasn't even that of acquaintances; in fact, things were tense because of what happened last time. The only reason Bucky hadn't attacked him directly in the tavern was out of respect for Rayleigh. If Leon continued to cause trouble, Bucky wouldn't hesitate to kill him; this place was far from peaceful to begin with.

To everyone's surprise, Li Ang said nonchalantly, "You can give it a try."

"Let's try it then," Bucky said without hesitation. With two sharp knives between his fingers, Bucky stabbed Li Ang hard in the back.

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Bucky turned around and yelled at Leon. His right hand was clearly no longer in his body.

The reason he kept his back to Li Ang was to hide his hand. In fact, the moment Bucky stepped out of the tavern, he had already placed his right hand on the roof, and it remained suspended in mid-air, following behind Li Ang. Bucky was waiting for Li Ang to be alone so he could follow him and find an opportunity to ambush him, to avenge the threat Li Ang had made to him last time.

As a result, Li Ang not only didn't end up alone, but he also followed him and even offered himself up to provoke him. There was no reason for him not to fight back.

Bucky's strength is indeed not that great, and he gives off a comical vibe, more like a comedic character in people's stereotypes. His cunning, selfishness, cruelty, and petty vengefulness are all hidden beneath that clown face.

I recently saw a news report about a 16-year-old student who had an affair with her teacher and had four abortions within five years. The headline instantly broke my heart; what a pity for a 16-year-old girl in the prime of her life. But when I clicked on it, I found out it was about the teacher having the abortions.

This is a classic example of how stereotypes can stifle your imagination. So whenever people see Bucky, they often think of him as nothing more than a comical clown, and sometimes this can become a fatal trap.

However, unlike most people, Li Ang didn't have a superficial understanding of Buggy. While his comical antics were undeniable, Buggy also possessed the intelligence to drive his ambition. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lived such a comfortable life after becoming a Shichibukai, building a logistics empire. If he were truly just a clown, he would have been overthrown long ago by his subordinates, who were even stronger than him.

Returning to the trap, Li Ang hadn't actually noticed it at first. However, when he walked behind Bucky and realized he was hiding and covering his face, Li Ang became suspicious: "Why doesn't this guy turn around to look at me? He's talking to me with his back to me. Putting aside the issue of respect, what if I have bad intentions? He won't be able to defend himself. Could this be a trap?"

So Li Ang used his Observation Haki to scan the area and easily discovered the right hand hidden behind the back. However, when Buggy suddenly attacked, Li Ang stood still, preemptively adopting an expression of pity for a fool, his eyes fixed on Buggy, waiting for his next move.

"Clang! Clang!"

"Huh?!?!"

Sure enough, the moment Li Ang made that expression, Bucky lowered his head, opened his jaw wide, and a stream of clear liquid dribbled from his large red nose. One second he was ruthlessly and cunningly shouting, and the next he was a complete idiot. He was an excellent straight man, perfectly in sync.

Buggy never imagined that when he last met Leon, Leon was still worried about his attacks. Now, only a World Council meeting's worth of time has passed, and Leon has already mastered Armament Haki and can even imbue objects with it.

This caused his two throwing knives to bounce off his jet-black jacket as soon as they touched it, without even making contact with his body.

"So, do you still want to try it now?" Li Ang slightly adjusted his jacket, and at the same time, he shed his Armament Haki, and the jacket returned to its previous soft state.

Bucky knew he couldn't do anything to Leon. If he had known Leon was at this level, he would have run as far away as possible. Even if all his crew attacked together, they couldn't do anything to Leon.

Whether or not one has mastered Armament Haki is indeed a major dividing line.

While Buggy was surprised by Leon's change in strength, he had followed Roger all over the world, even fought alongside Shanks against Whitebeard, and had seen many people who understood Haki. He could even talk and laugh with a strongman like Rayleigh. Although Leon was strong, he wasn't excessively strong.

Bucky quickly recovered from his foolish behavior, snorting the snot back into his red nose with a "slurp," and reverted to his fierce demeanor. He withdrew his hand that had been hovering outside, then pulled a round ball from his pocket and smashed it hard on the ground. Li Ang did not stop him, simply watching Bucky complete this series of actions.

With a "poof," the sphere that hit the ground released a thick cloud of black smoke, engulfing Bucky and Leon.

It has to be said that Buggy is a real talent. He can be a pirate all over the world researching things that are not safe, and at the same time he can create all sorts of gadgets.

"The sound effect of this smoke grenade is a bit off; it sounds like a fart. It would be great if it could be improved. But there is definitely a foul smell accompanying the smoke, which makes people instinctively back away. In that respect, the sound effect is actually quite valuable, and the stench should be amplified." Li Ang complained as he quickly rushed out of the smoke in the direction Bucky had fled.

Bucky hadn't run far before Li Ang stopped him.

"Why don't smoke grenades work on you?!" Bucky said, looking at Li Ang who was blocking his way again.

In Bucky's past experience, whenever he threw out this strange smoke, enemies would instinctively think it was a trap. They would retreat to avoid a sudden attack from within the smoke. By the time they realized what was happening, Bucky had already escaped.

However, this move was meaningless to Li Ang, since he didn't rely on his eyes in this smoke: "I have Observation Haki, so your every move is under my control."

Li Ang not only possesses Armament Haki, but also Observation Haki. Buggy almost wanted to ask if he also had Conqueror's Haki. Faced with such a powerful difference in strength, he could only admit defeat: "What exactly do you want?"

Li Ang did not answer directly, but said, "Let's find a safe place first, for example, I think your ship would be fine."

Bucky immediately understood what Li Ang meant. Li Ang, for some reason, wanted to make some secret deal with him again. But he couldn't win a fight, and he couldn't escape. So what could he do? He could only obediently cooperate.

At the same time, Bucky prayed that Leon wasn't after he boasted about finding a huge treasure in the tavern and was now planning to rob him. If that were the case, and Bucky ended up losing everything to Leon, he'd definitely jump into the sea.

As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. If Pakistan is like that, you can't expect its subordinates to be very dedicated.

Although Bucky left his men on the ship, they clearly weren't fulfilling their duties, lazily sitting on the deck, leaning against whatever they could find. When Leon and Bucky returned, they even found several of them asleep.

Back on the ship, Bucky was furious: "Get up, all of you! How are you going to protect Lord Bucky's treasure like this?"

At Bucky's roar, the men immediately perked up, quickly got to their feet, and pretended to be on duty, carefully watching out for the criminals.

At that moment, no one noticed that a figure had quietly slipped inside and entered Bucky's captain's cabin.

Li Ang really had to thank these irresponsible crew members, who allowed him to sneak in effortlessly. Only the lion Liki, whose nose was sharper than a dog's, spotted Li Ang, but Li Ang glared at him and made him scramble to his feet, continuing to lie on the ground pretending he hadn't noticed anything.

Bucky followed him in and closed the door behind him: "Tell me what you're up to. You're even trying to hide it from my crew."

Bucky was quite displeased with Leon's actions. Although his men were somewhat foolish, their loyalty was absolutely unquestionable. Even so, Leon tried his best to avoid them, and Bucky wondered what required such secrecy.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm this time," Li Ang said softly. "I'm here to make a deal with you. You can trust me completely. I believe you didn't lose out in the last deal, did you?"

“Oh?” Bucky said dismissively. “I don’t know what kind of deal needs to be done so discreetly.”

After using his Observation Haki to sense his surroundings and confirming that no one could hear their conversation, Li Ang looked up and said:

"Are you interested in becoming a Shichibukai?"

Chapter 303 The Plan is Complete

This was something Bucky often didn't expect. Could this be the content of the deal?

"You're from the World Government?!" Buggy blurted out without hesitation. Only the World Government could invite someone to become a Shichibukai.

But then I thought about it again and it didn't make sense. If Leon was working for the World Government, then there would be a contradiction. He had sent an invitation to Ace, but then Leon turned around and advised him against it. And then he approached me, wanting me to become a Shichibukai. Isn't that ridiculous?

As expected, Li Ang immediately replied, "No, but I have a way to make you a new Shichibukai."

"Hmph, you've got a plan, haven't you?" Buggy immediately expressed his disbelief. "If there's a way to make me a Shichibukai, why don't you become one yourself? Don't tell me you're the same person as Ace."

Seeing Bucky's disdain, Li Ang immediately pulled a large box out of his spatial bag.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to become an ability user. That's quite a change."