One Piece Gunslinger

Leon continued frankly, "I'll be direct. One of the reasons I came to the Kingdom of Yutakana is because of you. I hope you can join my revolutionary army and contribute to overthrowing the World Government."

Fujitora feigned confusion and asked Li Ang, "Why did you approach me? And why should I join your obscure organization and do things that people will laugh at?"

Li Ang sighed, knowing it wouldn't be that easy. He wasn't the kind of protagonist with a brainless aura, and it was normal for Fujitora to have doubts. Or rather, every soldier who joined the Revolutionary Army might have such doubts.

It was fortunate that Fujitora had a good temper, and that he had previously thought this guy was somewhat interesting; otherwise, most people would have already stormed off.

Li Ang also acknowledged this, saying, "That's right, just as Hans said. Compared to the vast World Government, we are but the glow of decaying grass, how can we compare to the bright moon in the sky?"

“But!” Li Ang emphasized, “We are still working hard. Although we are weak now, a single spark can start a prairie fire. I believe our team will grow bigger and bigger, and more and more people will join us. In the end, we will definitely be able to overthrow the World Government.”

"Haha, how ridiculous." Hans wasn't stupid either. Regardless of whether these people were Jack or the Revolutionary Army, he couldn't let Fujitora side with them, so he was also trying to find a way to interfere with Fujitora's judgment.

Meanwhile, Haku also started to slack off, and the outcome of this battle had little to do with Haku and Hans anymore; it all depended on the verbal sparring between Leon and his team. His job was simply to keep an eye on Hans and make sure he didn't manage to escape halfway through.

"What do you mean by 'a single spark can start a prairie fire'? What do you mean by 'more and more people joining you'? Don't be ridiculous!" Hans shouted. "Who would be willing to risk their life? What kind of impossible revolution are you talking about?"

Li Ang showed a sad expression at Hans's meddling, followed by some anger.

Looking at Fujitora's tall figure, he smiled and asked, "Do you agree with his point of view? Do you also think that we are just throwing eggs against rocks, doing useless work?"

Fujitora remained silent for a moment, not directly answering Li Ang's question, but instead asking, "I sense that you are feeling somewhat sad, mixed with some anger. Why is that?"

Li Ang sighed, "I pity their misfortune, and I am angry at their lack of resistance."

"It's so sad that people always think, 'Does he/she want something from me? Does he/she have ulterior motives?' about what others do for them. This is not just a personal problem; it has become a global problem. People all over the world not only don't want to give, but they even question the giving of others."

Leon finished speaking softly, but his words resonated like thunder in the ears of Hans and Fujitora. Even Haku, who had always been by Leon's side and had heard many of Leon's witty remarks, was somewhat moved.

"Yes, just like Hans, there are many people like him who live a life of self-deception and have no intention of resisting the oppression of the Celestial Dragons."

Fujitora then slowly raised his head, staring at the ceiling with his unseen eyes, and murmured to himself, "Pity their misfortune? Anger at their lack of resistance?"

After a while, he lowered his head and asked Li Ang, "Do you really think we'll eventually be able to defeat the Celestial Dragons?"

Wow, upon hearing this, the other two didn't react much, but Hans reacted the fastest, his face changing instantly.

Hans shouted and used his stick to push Haku away before running to the back.

Just kidding, didn't you hear Fujitora start using the word "we" in his last sentence?

The tide has turned, but as long as we're alive, we can always fight again. Defeat is inevitable; it's best to run for our lives.

Haku realized something was wrong and quickly flew to block the way, just then a voice came from behind him.

"Gravity Blade!"

"Clang!" Hans was running happily when suddenly his body sank and he was pressed to the ground. The precious wooden stick in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

It was none other than Fujitora who made his move. He was a man of few words, but when he did, he was astonishing. Haku hadn't expected that Hans, who had been evenly matched with him just moments before, would be so easily subdued by Fujitora.

On the other side, Fujitora didn't even turn his head (well, whether he turned his head or not, he couldn't see him anyway, so it didn't matter), he just slightly drew the blade from the scabbard and subdued Hans.

Li Ang smiled upon seeing this, but shook his head at Fujitora's question, saying, "Imagine an iron house that is completely sealed off and extremely difficult to break into."

Li Ang spoke calmly, and Fujitora listened quietly.

"There are many people sleeping soundly inside, who will soon suffocate and die. But they will not feel despair or pain as they go from sleep to death. Now a small number of people have woken up and started shouting, which has startled a few of the lighter sleepers."

"This also caused several unfortunate people to suffer this confined despair and pain."

Li Ang paused here, his expression becoming extremely serious, almost as if cast in iron.

"However, now that these people have risen up, you cannot say that there is absolutely no hope of destroying this iron house."

"Hahaha." Fujitora laughed heartily, then sighed with regret, "If only I had met you sooner. I deliberately fell asleep because I didn't want to see the corruption in this world. I never expected to be woken up again."

Looking at the two scars on Fujitora's eyes, Li Ang sighed, "This world is not just about corruption and despair. When there are more people who are clear-headed, the seeds of hope will grow stronger."

“Alright.” Haku interrupted the two’s sighs, pointing to Hans on the ground, “Now that we’ve reached a consensus, can we deal with this guy?”

Chapter Forty-Three: Concessions

"So now the problem arises." Jack had already put on his beard and put the props back on.

"What else is there to do? Can't you see he's already suffered internal injuries?" Jack walked up to Hans, who was unable to move.

"Look, what did I say before? If you defect and surrender with courtesy, you will still retain your position as a cadre. Now look what's happened. You've heard so much classified information, I don't know how to let you go."

Hans struggled to utter a few words: "Give me a quick death."

“Holy crap,” Jack said, feigning surprise. “Shouldn’t they usually beg for mercy first, or say they’re willing to join us? This is straight to the final step.”

"Hmph! We're all smart people."

“Fine.” Jack stopped being coy, pulled out his pistol, and killed him. “Too bad you chose the wrong side.”

Hans understood perfectly well before he died that after hearing so many secrets, it was impossible for him to save his life.

If he was willing to join the revolutionary army, it was out of desperation, and he would definitely betray them later. Jack couldn't possibly be unaware of Hans's intentions, so he simply chose to end things abruptly.

After dealing with Hans, Jack picked up a wooden stick and examined it closely.

"This stick can go toe-to-toe with my fist, and it even feels harder than Joyce's carapace. It must be something extraordinary," Haku praised the stick.

Touching the heavy, hard wooden stick, Jack couldn't help but wonder, "Could this be made from the branches of a precious tree?"

"Alright, let's keep it for now." Jack said, putting him into his spatial bag, then clapped his hands. "We should go take over the Ironwood Society's territory too."

"Huh? How did that stick suddenly disappear?" Fujitora asked, puzzled.

Jack waved his hand dismissively and explained, "Well, don't worry about it. Just consider it a small part of my ability."

The work proceeded smoothly from there. With their core leader gone, the Ironwood Society was left in disarray.

They offered only a token resistance before surrendering.

The man pretending to be the leader of the Ironwood Society was extremely loyal to Hans; otherwise, Hans wouldn't have trusted him to sit in that position and handle all the big and small affairs of the gang.

Jack felt a pang of regret at the sight of such a loyal talent. He could only draw his flintlock pistol and, from nearly a hundred meters away, fire a shot that sent him on his way to continue following Hans, whom he remained loyal to.

This was also the first time Jack had demonstrated his marksmanship in front of everyone. In those days, being able to hit a target nearly a hundred meters away with such outdated firearms was simply a miracle.

Even Fujitora was impressed, never expecting that Jack was not only eloquent and insightful, but also a skilled marksman.

In this way, the Red Rock Society swallowed up the Ironwood Society in one fell swoop, so fast that no one else could react.

Late at night, deep within the Black Bear Society's headquarters, in the chairman's room, a burly, tall, and imposing man grabbed one of his subordinates by the collar and angrily asked, "What are you all good for? The Ironwood Society has been swallowed up so quickly, and you haven't heard a thing."

This man is none other than Benny the Black Bear, the president of the Black Bear Society.

As his name suggests, he not only looks as strong and powerful as a bear, but he is also a Zoan-type Bear-Bear Fruit user.

The man who was captured looked terrified and hurriedly said, "Captain Jack was too quick. When we found that Timber was about to be surrounded, we were about to provide support, but as soon as Hans died, everyone surrendered. We didn't even have time to react."

"Hmph." Benny threw his men to the ground. "You all go out first. In a moment, have the merchants who cooperate with us and the nobles come to see me."

After his men left, Benny slumped heavily into his chair.

Benny knew his subordinate was telling the truth, but he just couldn't understand how Jack had managed to do it so quickly, both before and after the operation, without facing any pressure from various quarters.

Even the most influential merchants in Paku City, who were always focused on profit and advocated for peaceful coexistence, remained completely silent. Especially those closely connected to the Timur Association—why hadn't they made a single move?

Just as Benny was sitting at his desk, looking utterly bewildered, a subordinate pushed open the door and brought him another piece of bad news.

“Lord Benny, none of those merchants are willing to come. Some even claim that if the Black Bear Society cannot offer better treatment, they will consider cooperating with the Red Rock Society.”

"What!?" Benny roared, slamming his hand on the table. "These damn profiteers just want more profit!"

However, misfortunes never come singly. Before Benny could calm down, another person came running to report.

"Something terrible has happened, Lord Benny!" someone cried out in a panic, their face filled with terror. "Those nobles just said through the Den Den Mushi..."

"What did you say?" Benny stared at his subordinate who had just run in with his huge eyes.

The man swallowed hard and whispered, "They threatened that if the Black Bear Society couldn't offer them more benefits, they would issue a joint statement the next day claiming that the Black Bear Society was a cancer in Paquirth, not only failing to contribute anything to the city but also deliberately causing damage. They also said..."

Upon hearing this, Benny flew into a rage, his teeth grinding in anger. Seeing his subordinate stammering, he shouted, "What else did they say? Tell me everything!"

The man was also startled by the roar and couldn't help but tremble: "He also said that the Black Bear Society will be criticized to the point of being worthless, and that only the Red Rock Society is the most steadfast ally of Pacqui City, and only the Red Rock Society can bring prosperity and wealth to Pacqui City. He hopes that the Red Rock Society can uphold justice, eliminate the cancer, and take control of the entire local industry in one fell swoop."

After listening, Benny remained silent for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, tell those bastards that we are willing to pay a higher price and give up more benefits."

"However, we can no longer offer more favorable conditions than those of the Red Rock Society."

Just then, a sigh was heard, and a tall, thin man walked out from behind the door.

"It's you?!" Benny exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? And why can't we offer more benefits than the Red Rock Society?"

"If I don't come and discuss a plan soon, I'm afraid we'll both fall into the hands of this unknown Captain Jack Sparrow," the thin man said helplessly.

“As for why we can’t offer more benefits,” the tall man said, handing Benny a list. “Take a look at what the Red Rock Society is giving to those merchants and nobles, and you’ll understand.”

Benny took it and was increasingly shocked as he looked at it, trembling as he said, "This, how is this possible!"

"How could they possibly give up all the benefits? Even if they dominate Pacqui City, what will they gain?"

That's right. In order to win over those merchant groups and noble forces, Jack has already given up all the profits. In other words, he doesn't take a single penny except to support his subordinates.

This move, which cuts off the supply line from the ground, was something no one expected. If you don't want any benefits here, why be a member of the mafia? We might as well recommend you to be king.

But Jack was the one who could do it. He wasn't after such petty gains; he wanted the benefits the entire country could bring to the Revolutionary Army.

Chapter Forty-Four: The Mastermind

Compared to the slow-witted Benny, the local troops stationed in Pacquia, led by General Hatton's Third Army, received the news much earlier.

Of course, this does not mean that General Hatton was more capable or better informed than Benny.

The truth is quite the opposite. Black Bear Benny and his Black Bear Society members roamed the streets and alleys, while General Hatton and his soldiers patrolled the coastline regularly.

On one hand, you have to be wary of a sea king going berserk and rushing into shallow waters; on the other hand, you also have to be careful of some ill-intentioned pirates. Sometimes, when you encounter a large ship, whether it's a merchant, a traveler, or a pirate, you can make a fortune.

Of course, it's impossible to patrol near the coast all day long; half the time is spent at the base, enjoying life.

However, that was within the base, and there were rarely any problems that required going into the city.

Therefore, logically speaking, if we only consider this situation, then General Hatton's attention to intelligence within the city and his efficiency in collecting intelligence must be far lower than that of Black Bear Benny.

Moreover, why should he care about this? It's completely useless. Even if the Red Rock Society were to unify the underworld of Pacqui City, or even if the Blue Rock Society or the Yellow Rock Society were to take over, it wouldn't have much impact on him.

He doesn't rely on these gangs for support, nor does he have any cooperative projects.

There was even some hostility between them, since apart from the "side money" they earned at sea, they mainly relied on the military pay given by the king to make a living. And King Donald had always wanted to eliminate the Mafia.