One Piece Gunslinger

"Yes, you're right. Getting arrogant is definitely not good. So after he entered the Grand Line, I prepared two big meals for him, making sure he saw how terrifying this world really is."

Li Ang chuckled wickedly, "Hmph, I've set up two formidable enemies in Drum Kingdom and Alabasta. Don't worry about your son then."

"Feeling sorry for him?" Dragon remained unmoved. "Bring on whatever moves you have, Luffy can take them all."

"So having a powerful son makes you all that?" Li Ang said, feigning anger.

"No, no, no."

"Come on," Li Ang said, taking a sip of coffee. "You're almost laughing out loud. Don't hold it in. If I saw my son was this good, I'd be grinning from ear to ear too."

"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Long touched his cheek and laughed. "I really smiled?"

Li Ang calmly shrugged and said, "No, I was just saying. Looks like I guessed right."

Long then realized that he had been tricked by Li Ang, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he laughed even more happily: "That's because my son is amazing. You can only be envious."

Li Ang retorted defiantly, "What am I envious of? My son will be..."

At this point, Li Ang's voice abruptly stopped, and the atmosphere between the two froze briefly.

"Well, let's skip this topic," Li Ang said, surrendering after a few seconds.

Long sighed, said nothing, but silently made a decision in his heart: "Your child?"

In fact, Dragon initially strongly opposed this plan, disapproving of Li Ang interfering too much with Luffy's actions and adventures. He said that even if his son Luffy died in an adventure and perished on the Grand Line, he should never be controlled by others.

Emma, ​​that's a really firm stance. And Dragon is the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army; Dragon's word is law, even Li Ang can't compare to Dragon.

However, through Li Ang's efforts, it was revealed that Dragon hadn't educated his son for over a decade, neither in terms of ideology nor strength. This was essentially an act of compensation for Luffy, a chance to teach him a lesson.

Through the challenges designed by Li Ang, Luffy essentially learned a lesson in action. The ideological education he lacked could be made up for through his experiences and observations along the way, and the physical training he lacked could be supplemented by the difficulties set up by Li Ang.

In short, it took Li Ang a lot of talking.

The successful shift in perspective regarding dragons transformed the event from one that was controlling Luffy's destiny into an educational and nurturing process, allowing him to connect with trustworthy companions.

This is what made Long agree to this plan, which was utterly absurd to him.

However, looking back at the dragon now, it can be summed up in two words—it's really good!

However, the conversation ended in an eerie atmosphere. Li Ang then faced the world map hanging on the wall and began discussing the next course of action with the dragon.

“We can reduce our forces here. We should put more forces over there, as that area is more difficult to deal with.”

"Hmm, oh, okay."

The two immersed themselves in their work, and time passed by as they pointed at the map. However, what puzzled Li Ang was that Long seemed somewhat reluctant to accept some of the suggestions, yet he wouldn't explain why, and ultimately agreed. It felt rather strange.

However, Li Ang and Long hadn't been discussing for long when they were interrupted by the sound of a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter). Li Ang's expression didn't look good at this.

It wasn't because the Den Den Mushi interrupted Li Ang's work, but rather because in this society, the sound of a Den Den Mushi indicates that something unexpected has happened, and it's a problem on the Hat Protection Squad's side.

If they were from Baltigo, everyone would know that Leon and Dragon were discussing important matters together, and they wouldn't interrupt him unless the World Government attacked. Only the Hat Guards were unaware of Leon's situation, which is why they contacted him.

Most importantly, this was not a time for regular contact, so something unexpected and unsolvable must have happened.

This was crucial to the final plan, so Li Ang couldn't be careless and quickly answered the Den Den Mushi.

"Something terrible has happened, Li Ang." A childish voice came through the phone as soon as Li Ang answered. "The town of Mogu has been taken over by a group of powerful pirates. The Wenblan family from the original script has also been wiped out by these pirates. And it looks like they intend to stay here permanently and make it their base."

"Mogu Town?!" Upon hearing that something had happened in Mogu Town, Li Ang exclaimed in surprise, "Do you know who these people are?"

"What? The King Pirates? Where did these guys come from?" Leon was furious. "Wait, I'll deal with them myself. Sugar, you and Baby5 prepare some materials and rehearse the script to replace the Venblan family."

Ryu, who was standing nearby, overheard Li Ang's conversation with Sugar via Den Den Mushi and asked, looking bewildered, "What, is this Mock Valley Town important? Where is it located?"

"Important, extremely important, and it's also a crucial location where the main battlefield and the Hat Guard Squad's mission intersect. If Mogu Town can't be controlled, then both sides could face serious problems," Li Ang said with a solemn expression.

Actually, the town of Mogu doesn't have a lot of screen time, so many people are confused when they hear about it and ask what kind of place it is.

However, this is indeed very important, as it's the stop before Skypiea. It was here that Luffy accomplished what others couldn't, reaching Skypiea. It's also where Blackbeard Teach inspired Luffy.

In Li Ang's plan, Mock Town becomes especially important. It's not only a crucial battle on Luffy's adventure route, but also a key battle on Blackbeard Teach's escape route. If this place gets out of control, both routes will be affected. That's why Li Ang is so nervous.

Fortunately, there's still a chance to salvage the situation. Luffy should be on his way to Drum Kingdom right now, with two bosses blocking his way. Leon still has time to deal with this unexpected problem.

"Alright, if that's the case, then you still want to take care of things over there. I'll be on the front lines here."

Li Ang had no worries about Long's abilities. He had already given the general direction, and he was confident that Long could handle the remaining details.

"Since that's the case, I guess I'll have to leave this matter for now. Once I've settled things in Magic Valley Town, there's still a lot for me to do."

That's right, Li Ang is also a member of the hat-bearer squad, he's going to have an appearance too, and he has his own script. Originally, he was supposed to appear when Luffy arrived in Mock Town, but now he's going to appear earlier.

However, Li Ang, trusting himself completely and leaving everything to Long, ultimately caused the plan to go awry. But that's another story.

Li Ang, unaware of what would happen next, rowed a small boat alone towards Magic Valley Town. Along the way, he didn't forget to ask the Intelligence Department what this King Pirate Crew that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere was all about.

The results of the investigation left Li Ang somewhat astonished. As the saying goes, enemies are destined to meet; this King Pirate Crew truly lived up to its name, boasting a total of thirteen kings—former kings, of course.

These are the thirteen countries that the revolutionary army swallowed up along the way two years ago. The abandoned kings eventually had nowhere to go and found that each of them had only a ship and about a hundred followers and guards on board.

Then a king named Yhorm stepped forward and suggested that they combine this last bit of strength, so that at least they would have a way to survive and could still venture out to sea.

This suggestion proved to be quite brilliant; driven by their hatred of the revolutionary army, everyone actually united and formed a considerable force.

Since it's a pirate crew organized by kings, it's natural that no one would submit to anyone else. So, in a bizarre twist, a parliamentary system and an election system were created within the pirate crew. Everyone is a member of parliament, and the captain is elected for a four-year term, ineligible for re-election.

However, Yhorm was the first to propose this concept and made the most contributions in the early days of the pirate crew, so he became the first captain.

I don't know if this group of people are naive or stupid. Piracy is a precarious profession; why are they thinking about things four years from now? Maybe things will be completely different in four years. Yhorm will never relinquish power.

Two years later, this group has grown stronger and has now even taken over Mogu Town. They even want to use it as a base to establish a new country.

Then, gradually, the influence spread to the early stages, until thirteen countries were established. Even after two years as a pirate, he still dreams of becoming king; truly, old habits die hard.

It's like the weeds that grow back after being cut at the root. Now this group of people is causing trouble for Li Ang again.

Chapter 346 The Same Goal

On the Yhorm ship docked at the shore in Mogu Town, Yhorm was discussing the next course of action with his twelve pirate council members.

"I just heard from an old friend that one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea will soon be vacant. I think we should put aside the matter of establishing a nation for now and prioritize vying for that position."

After all, it would take a considerable amount of time for this country to gain recognition from the World Government and regain its legal status. But if we become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea first, we can immediately legitimize ourselves, and the rest of the work will be much easier.

Yum stood in the middle of a large circular table, in the inner circle, and made the proposal with great enthusiasm.

The other kings sat in the outer circle, listening to Yhorm's entire proposal with varying expressions.

Immediately, a short, stout king asked, "The Seven Warlords of the Sea will be missing one? That can't be right. The Seven Warlords of the Sea aren't just replaced like that. Where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"

Yhorm nodded firmly and said, "Very reliable. I can't reveal my old friend's identity, but I can tell you he's in the Navy's Science Unit, and I bought this information at a high price. Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is no longer suitable to be a Warlord because he has been doing research for Vegapunk for a long time."

As for what kind of research it was, he wasn't quite sure. But that's not important to us; all we need to know is that there will soon be vacancies in the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"However, here's the problem. It's been like this for centuries, so how do you become a Shichibukai? We can't just go there and say we want to be Shichibukai, and the World Government will just let us be," another king said. It seems this king supports the Shichibukai system.

What? Are there still people who don't support it?

That's right, there were those who didn't support it: "Wait! No matter what, I strongly disagree with vying for the position of Shichibukai."

“That’s right, we don’t need to become any of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, we are the kings of thirteen countries.” Someone immediately chimed in.

It seems these aren't all mentally challenged kings; besides Yhorm, there are some who can understand things. And these people make up the majority.

Yes, quite a few people saw through the trickery and strongly opposed it. Becoming a Shichibukai is not so simple for most people; this is no ordinary pirate crew.

After all, this is the King Pirates, with thirteen kings here, while only one person can hold the position of Shichibukai. Right now, Yom is the captain. If Yom were to become a Shichibukai, wouldn't he be captain for life? What kind of election would that be? Wouldn't it become a joke?

Yes, if Yom becomes a Shichibukai, then the rest of the people will be members of the Shichibukai pirate crew. They won't have to run away whenever they see the Marines anymore, but Yom will benefit the most from this.

Upon hearing these dissenting voices, Yum pressed his hands down to signal everyone to be quiet before explaining, "I know that for many people this is a bit hard to accept, but I still said it because I believe we have to take this step now."

Since Yhwach dared to make such a proposal, he must have been prepared and had something to rely on to persuade everyone. So Yhwach presented his reasons: "First of all, I want to reiterate a fact here, that is, there is no possibility of reconciliation between us and the Revolutionary Army, it can only be a life-or-death struggle. Even if we do not encounter the Revolutionary Army within two years, it does not mean that we can continue to live so carefree afterward. Perhaps the Revolutionary Army has already begun to deal with us."

That's right, that's it, Li Ang is already on his way. As for the other members of the hat-protecting squad, apart from Monet fighting Luffy and his crew in Drum Country, and Sugar handling the emergency, the rest of them all came over on the Buffalo and Baby 5 private jets.

However, Yhorm was unaware that the prophecy had come true, and continued, "In that case, instead of waiting for the Revolutionary Army to grow stronger before coming after us, we should take the initiative and join the World Government's camp. That way, at least we'll have someone to back us up, we won't be fighting alone, and we can call for support if we encounter the Revolutionary Army."

Most importantly, this might arouse the revolutionary army's apprehension, making them hesitant to attack us easily, and giving us more time to develop.

Similarly, our irreconcilable conflict with the Revolutionary Army is also a bargaining chip for us. If another pirate crew comes into the World Government's sights, we will definitely be the one chosen.

Finally, let me say this: I understand your opposition to me becoming a Shichibukai. The benefits I would gain if I did become a Shichibukai would be enormous. But have you considered that you would still gain benefits? It's just that they would be less than mine, and what you would lose is merely one-twelfth of your chance.

What Yhorm said makes a lot of sense. Even if Yhorm's term ends, so what? Each king only has a one in twelve chance. Perhaps some means can increase that probability, but it's just a probability, not a fact.

If Yhorm becomes a Shichibukai, then everyone benefits from his rise to power; no one can escape it. Perhaps, with some careful maneuvering, the latter could gain even more than if he were an illegal captain.

Looking at the twelve kings lost in thought and struggle, Yhorm chuckled coldly to himself.

From the very beginning, he never intended to relinquish his position. His proposed four-year term reflects his confidence that he could resolve the issue and find a way to remain in power within four years.

In his eyes, the most valuable time for these kings was before they established their own pirate crews, when each king had a ship under his command.

Once this King Pirates crew is formed, the value of these kings is greatly diminished. This so-called parliamentary system is not only useless, but it also prevents some of his brilliant decisions from being implemented, causing some excellent opportunities to slip through his fingers.

For a pirate crew, one voice is enough; there's no need for these extra twelve. Besides, some of these people are rather dim-witted and will only hold the crew back, unable to accomplish anything.

If it weren't for the need to maintain these thirteen ships and their crews, these twelve people would probably have been killed by Yom long ago.

But it's almost time. Once Yhorm becomes a Shichibukai, this pirate crew will only have one voice. A sensible Yhorm might be well cared for, repaying the kindness shown to him during his most difficult time. But if he's not sensible, he'll just be killed.

After all, they held the title of Shichibukai at that time, which gave them confidence in everything they did. Most importantly, these crew members wouldn't betray their king for a useless old man or oppose a Shichibukai.

Five minutes passed. Although Yom had persuaded some people, they still couldn't reach a consensus. In the end, they had to follow the rules: "Let's vote. As the proposer, I only have half a vote in favor."

Yum particularly disliked the voting process, which was why some of his ideas could not be implemented.

There are thirteen people. The proposer is assumed to have a majority vote but cannot participate in the remaining votes. The remaining people each have one vote, and the captain has two votes. The captain also has veto power.

However, if the captain is the proposer, he still cannot participate in the vote and can only get a half votes in favor.

This ensured that no matter what, there would never be a tie, and a result would definitely be reached. Similarly, it also ensured that the captain didn't have absolute power. Sometimes, Yhorm had to persuade these pigs to implement any plan he wanted.

This is the downside of having thirteen kings form a pirate crew, and it's fortunate that Yhorm could tolerate it and do his best to maintain the group. Someone with a bad temper would have overturned the whole thing long ago.

Not long after, the results were in, and the proposal passed with a vote of 7.5 to 5. As for the five people who voted against it, Yhorm had already sentenced them to death in his mind, to be carried out the day he became a Shichibukai.

Now that the proposal has been passed, the next question arises. Becoming a Shichibukai isn't something you can just decide to do.

Yhorm continued, "Alright, now we need to think about what we can offer the World Government to obtain the position of Shichibukai?"

Offering treasures has always been a common tactic for becoming a Shichibukai. Blackbeard offered Ace, Law offered the hearts of a hundred powerful pirates, and Buggy previously offered the heads of ten Revolutionary Army officers. Now, Yhorm is also planning to take this most direct route.