One Piece Gunslinger

Of course, this matter is far from simple.

As mentioned before, just as the king had amassed his strength and was preparing to wipe out the Mafia in one fell swoop, his generals betrayed him one by one. No one obeyed his orders.

And now they're turning around and blaming us. If we were to pay military salaries, we'd be perfectly happy to talk to them. We take their money, so we're expected to solve their problems and safeguard the security of the nearby waters.

If they don't pay the soldiers, then don't blame us for taking it ourselves.

Hey, this king is a complete idiot. If it weren't for his loyal guard and the fact that he's recognized by the World Government, which allows him to barely manage to deal with other powers, he would have been replaced long ago.

This is quite suspicious; as the saying goes, something unusual must be going on, so...

"So if there isn't some kind of shady business going on, I, Jack, will be out of a job."

Jack was sitting casually in the Ironwood Society's president's office, discussing their next plans with Chris, Haku, Fujitora, and others.

The annexation of the Black Bear Gang is inevitable. They have already occupied the territories of two gangs. In the end, even if they don't take the initiative to attack the Black Bear Gang, the Black Bear Gang will take the initiative to attack them.

The problem now is that if we want to take down this Black Bear Association, we can't replicate the success of the previous two times.

The first attack was essentially a decapitation strike, the simplest of tactics. But even so, the battle with Joyce was fraught with danger.

The second time, before things had completely fallen out, Jack Haku ventured deep into enemy territory alone, causing Hans to lower his guard considerably. With Fujitora's assistance, they finally managed to deal with the cunning Hans.

Without Fujitora, even if they could defeat Hans, he might have escaped. Once he returned to headquarters, they would have faced a tough battle, and they might not have been able to win.

Of course, with Fujitora's help now, if he goes all out, let alone the Black Bear Society, they could even storm into the royal capital, Gran, and flatten all the mess there with a few meteorites.

However, this move will inevitably attract a lot of attention, and it is not a good thing to attract too much attention to the revolutionary army too early.

"Although I put a lot of pressure on the Black Bear Society by using those nobles and merchants, it can only be considered a supplementary measure. In the end, we may still have to face General Hatton."

Jack slumped in his chair, looking up at the sky with a helpless expression.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Fujitora said doubtfully. “Even if there were many complicated circumstances surrounding General Hatton’s betrayal of King Donald, our conflict with the Black Bear Society has nothing to do with him.”

"So, you see, Fujiwara, uh, Uncle Issho, you don't know enough about the World Government." Jack almost called him by the wrong name again.

Jack was also at a loss, always calling him by the wrong name, and couldn't help but want to call him Fujitora. But Fujitora was only given the nickname Fujitora when he went from being a civilian to an admiral during the Navy's recruitment process; his real name was Issho.

"Emma, ​​how about this, Issho-san? From now on, you'll be an admiral in our Revolutionary Army, just like a naval admiral. Let's give you a nickname too. I've thought about it for a long time, and 'Fujitora' seems quite suitable. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Fujitora looked bewildered, wondering why they had just been discussing serious matters and suddenly started talking about nicknames.

After a moment's thought, Fujitora felt that the nickname suited him surprisingly well, as if it had been made for him.

Fujitora nodded slightly in agreement, saying, "Anyway, a name is just a code. If you want to call me Fujitora, I have no objection."

Then Jack sat up straight and said in a serious tone, "Okay! Let's not change the subject, let's get back to business."

Everyone was at a loss with Jack; he was the one who kept changing the subject.

Jack seemed oblivious to the expressions on everyone's faces and continued, "If you knew enough about the World Government, you would come to the same conclusion as me."

"What conclusion?" everyone asked in unison.

"That's the World Government's intelligence agency. They're everywhere. If they can't figure something out or it doesn't make sense, they can just shift the blame onto the World Government."

Seeing the bewildered faces of the crowd, Jack further explained, "These soldiers have no reason to betray the king. What's the difference between betraying the king and not betraying him? They get the same pay and do the same work, it's meaningless."

“Unless you’re a born villain who can’t stand not doing bad things,” Jack said slowly, leaning back in his chair and fidgeting with his hand as if he were holding a feather fan. “Then think about it again. If a world government were added between the king and the army, wouldn’t everything make sense?”

The quick-witted Chris immediately replied, "You mean, the World Government is behind these generals? Giving them enough benefits to betray the King?"

"That's right, this place is a vital transportation hub and a strategic location. How could the World Government really abide by the agreement and not interfere in the affairs of its member states? They must be maintaining this complicated situation so they can fish in troubled waters."

Jack really wanted a feather fan at that moment, even though a feather fan didn't quite fit Jack's style.

“I see.” Fujitora also understood the key point. “If this country were a monolithic entity, completely under King Donald’s control, then the World Government would have no interests here. But in the current situation, there might actually be many organizations supported by the World Government.”

“Yes, if you support and control enough organizations, then it’s essentially the same as controlling the country,” Chris answered for Jack in his childish voice.

"So General Hatton..." Everyone suddenly understood, and everything made sense.

"No matter what happens between us and the Black Bear Society, Hatton definitely won't come to our aid because we're not on the side of the World Government. He'll definitely try to stop our actions, and it's not impossible that he might even directly help the Black Bear Society. We need to prepare for the worst."

Jack sighed deeply; this Black Bear Society was proving to be a real problem.

Chapter Forty-Five: Ghosts?

Meanwhile, inside the Black Bear Society, Black Bear Benny and the tall man were still discussing countermeasures, while Benny had already sent his two henchmen away.

At this point, only the two of them remained in the room.

"Did you just come here to laugh at me?" Benny tore the list to shreds and said viciously, "If that's the case, then you've achieved your goal. Now you can get out of here."

The tall man knew Benny had a bad temper, so he wasn't angry. He said slowly, "I'm not here to laugh at you, I'm here to save you, Benny. We used to be brothers, and even though we're on different sides now, it doesn't affect our deep brotherhood. As soon as I saw you were in trouble, I rushed over immediately."

"Ha? Save me? Brotherhood?" Benny curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Stop with your hypocritical face. Do you think I don't know you? I'm afraid you're only here because you're acting on orders from your master."

At this point, Benny listened for a moment, then gave a meaningful look: "Or perhaps you're afraid. You're afraid that this new Captain Jack Sparrow of the Red Rock Society, who is not under your threat or control, will affect your interests, or even replace you in your position."

The tall man seemed to have his thoughts exposed, paused for a moment, and then said angrily, "Forget all that nonsense, just tell me, do you still want to fight against the Red Rock Society? If you just want to surrender as soon as possible, then I'll turn around and leave right now."

When the tall man brought this up, Benny frowned. Although Benny was very confident in his and his men's fighting ability, he really wasn't sure he could win against Captain Jack, who had integrated the resources of two gangs.

"Okay, let's talk about that. What should we do now?"

"Benny, to be honest, the only one who can save you now is the World Government." The tall man immediately seized the opportunity to try his best to persuade Benny to submit.

"Hmph!" Benny snorted coldly, and said to the tall man without any politeness, "Don't think I'll be like you, Hatton! Don't even think about making me, Black Bear, someone else's lackey."

It turns out that the tall man who suddenly appeared before Benny was one of the generals who had betrayed King Donald, Hatton.

Hatton was also a little annoyed, but for the sake of this mission, he calmly said to Benny, "Don't put it so harshly. Look at me, whether I'm working for Donald or for the World Government, I'm just doing things for someone else. It's just that the World Government is offering higher terms."

“Hatton, I won’t blame you for siding with the World Government out of consideration for our past friendship, but don’t compare me to you. What I, Black Bear Benny, value is not profit, but freedom.” Black Bear Benny remained unwavering.

Hatton sighed, "It's only because of our past friendship that I came to help you out this time. If it were someone else, they would have gone straight to the Red Rock Society. After all, in the eyes of those big shots, it doesn't matter whether the Red Rock Society or the Black Bear Society controls Pacqui City. As long as they control that gang, it doesn't matter. If you're not willing, the Red Rock Society might be quite willing."

And indeed, as Hatton said, the World Government only instructed him to win over one side.

But after receiving the order, Hatton went straight to Benny's place without even thinking about it.

It's a very simple principle; within a few days, Captain Jack's amazing abilities had been imprinted in his mind.

Before Captain Jack arrived, no one had imagined that an unknown, powerless person could control two guilds in just a few days, and even have the potential to unify Pacquia.

If he were to try and win over Captain Jack Sparrow, his status in Pacquiado would inevitably fall below Jack's. Given Jack's methods, Hatton might even become Jack's subordinate someday.

This was something Hatton couldn't tolerate. At most, he would accept working with someone like Benny, where they would be evenly matched, and Hatton might even be able to overpower Benny.

Hatton patted Benny on the shoulder again: "In this world, there are always times when you have to bow your head. Don't even mention the Black Bear Gang, even those three big gangs will eventually be controlled by the World Government. It's better to bow your head sooner rather than later. Maybe in a few years, the leaders of those three big gangs will have to call you their senior."

Hatton used his persuasive skills and emotional appeals to repeatedly instill in Benny the idea that following the World Government was the only true path.

Seeing that Benny was still somewhat uneasy, Hatton directly administered a strong dose of medicine: "The higher-ups have also spoken. Once the Red Rock Society is dealt with, the entire city of Pacqui will be under your control. At that time, you and I will take charge of internal affairs and external affairs, and we'll be back to our valuable and carefree lives. On this land, we will be the emperors."

After Hatton's barrage of attacks, Benny, who was already overwhelmed, was also tempted.

Yes, if I don't bow my head, someone else will. Since someone will always bow their head eventually, wouldn't it be a loss if I didn't bow my head sooner?

But Benny still held onto a sliver of conviction.

He finally asked, "So how are you going to help me? You can't just send your warships and soldiers to attack the Red Rock Society, can you? At least in name you are still the country's army, and gangs are legal."

Hatton shook his head, and seeing that he was about to succeed in persuading me, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course it's impossible. If the army attacks a legitimate organization within the territory, unless I want to openly rebel, whether it's the World Government or other generals, they will come after me for the sake of their reputation. Such behavior is tantamount to courting death."

Benny, however, was not so patient. He said impatiently, "I don't think you're the kind of person who came here without having a plan. Tell me quickly what good idea you have."

"It sounds complicated, but it's actually quite simple," Benny said, feigning seriousness. "I wonder if Boss Benny has ever heard the saying, 'Money makes the world go round.'"

Upon hearing this, Benny suddenly realized: "Could it be...could it be them..."

“That’s right, in this Kingdom of Yutaka, there just happens to be such a ‘ghost’, isn’t there?” Hatton smiled, it seemed the trip was worthwhile, and Benny’s submission to the World Government was a foregone conclusion.

“But getting Yao to get that ‘ghost’ to do it will cost a lot of money.” Benny hesitated for a moment and said with difficulty, “Even if my Black Bear Society goes bankrupt, we can only ask them to do it two or three times at most, and if the target is Jack himself, one time won’t be enough.”

Hatton laughed heartily and said in an unquestionable tone, "You don't need to worry about the money. If you're willing, someone will naturally cover it for you."

Benny paced back and forth in his office, while Hatton remained patient, eagerly awaiting Benny's reply. He believed that as long as Benny didn't want to surrender to Jack, he would definitely take the bait.

Sure enough, after a short while, Benny resigned himself to his fate and said, "Okay, I agree."

Chapter Forty-Six: Ghosts!

Banning and Hatton then reached a consensus on the matter.

At this point, the World Government paid to bring out the so-called "demon," and Benny successfully joined the World Government, working for it just like Hatton.

So what exactly is this so-called "ghost"?

You probably still remember the concept of the Eight-Legged Forces, the first of which is an assassin organization.

This organization is called Hell's Gate. The number of its members is unknown, but each one is no ordinary person. To be able to thrive in this chaotic country and maintain neutrality, they must have some real skills.

And this "ghost" isn't actually a ghost; it's a person.

He is the leader of the Gates of Hell, and the most powerful assassin within the Gates of Hell.

It is said that whenever a "ghost" appears, no one can escape its calamity.

Moreover, their whereabouts are mysterious and their methods are peculiar. Even with the utmost precautions, some people who lock themselves in airtight spaces find themselves dead the next day when the secret room is opened.

Seeing this, some witty readers might not be able to resist commenting, "This idiot must be dying of frustration."

However, that was not the case. The man died from having his throat slit. When the "ghost" committed the crime, he was lying in bed and lost his life in his sleep, with blood flowing all over the floor.

Later, people repeatedly checked the secret room and found no signs of damage.

To open the door to this secret room, you can either do it from the inside or use the only key.

"Maybe that person stole the key." Naturally, some people would think that.

However, the key was not hidden away. Instead, it was placed openly in the reception hall, covered with a glass case, and guarded by several people at all times. They were certain that the key had not been lost for even a second.

Wow, that's impressive.

After committing several major cases, "Ghost's" reputation grew day by day, and his fees also rose accordingly.

Only now does Benny admit that if they were to hire a "ghost" to deal with Captain Jack Sparrow himself, they wouldn't be able to afford it even if they went bankrupt.

As the most powerful member of the organization, "Ghost" has never failed in his missions, yet he never accepts any missions to assassinate leaders of major factions. At most, he has only killed waiting cadres in large gangs.

This makes many people feel regretful, but also somewhat relieved.