One Piece Gunslinger

“I said, Maxim, I even wonder if we are long-lost brothers. Our thoughts are always so similar. I was also in that 3,000-strong unit that was training overseas.”

"Oh? Really? Hahahaha..."

"Hahaha……"

Asia City, the headquarters of the Wolf Fang Gang.

"Brother, it seems they're serious this time. They've mobilized a lot of people, you could even say they're going to send out their entire force."

"How many times have I told you, call him Boss Vasily!" the man addressed as "Big Brother" roared. "Looks like he's planning to take over the whole country this time."

"Yes, yes, Brother Vasily." The man was probably used to being scolded and didn't pay much attention to Vasily's roar. "But with their military strength, let alone taking over an entire country, they're not much different from the kingdom armies controlled by the World Government."

"Hmph, my stupid brother," Vasily scoffed. "You underestimate them too much. All these years, I've been holding out in this city of Athet, not just because of the rich iron ore, but because I haven't found an opportunity to break out. Compared to those two monsters, I can only barely hold Athet. Now even we've expanded to three thousand men. If you think they're still only two thousand and haven't grown any bigger, then you're a fool."

"So, they have someone secretly hiding behind them?"

"Hmph! Although I don't know exactly how many people they've hidden, and even the intelligence from the Shadow faction doesn't have any relevant information, it's definitely quite a lot," Vasily said calmly. "But daring to do this is tantamount to declaring war on everyone at the same time. Just how much strength are these two hiding?"

"No matter how much strength they're hiding, this is our only chance, brother."

“That’s true. Once they’ve dealt with the others, they’ll turn around and deal with us. We need to get moving quickly.” Vasily said, stroking his chin. “By the way, I always forget to call him Brother Vasily.”

Inside the royal palace.

"Father, it seems this is a very bad situation. They want to use Jack as a pretext to seize the entire kingdom," a young man said, sweating profusely.

"Don't rush, my son, let them fight. No matter how fiercely they fight, they won't reach us." King Donald, now sixty years old, sat calmly on his throne. "I knew long ago, when my generals betrayed me, that this land would once again be engulfed in bloodshed. The excellent position of the Kingdom of Yutakana is not a blessing for our kingdom, but a curse."

"At that time, we just watched them..."

"Sergei! What else can we do but keep an eye on you? Do you think you can defeat them if you go out there?" the old king scolded. "You should feel lucky to be a member of the royal family. In the end, whoever actually takes power in this country will still need us. In the end, our royal family will still be the royal family, and we can still enjoy wealth and honor, instead of suffering the same fate as others."

Hearing King Donald's words, the young prince lowered his head and unconsciously clenched his fists.

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Weak

"These weapons are truly advanced, far superior to those used within our Revolutionary Army," Haku remarked, marveling as he inspected the newly delivered weapons and equipment.

Jack also found a pistol and replaced his old flintlock pistol, which could only hold one bullet, with a new one that could hold five bullets at a time. After getting the new equipment, Jack said, "It has to be advanced. Maybe this is the advanced equipment that the Navy is using. The World Government has the most powerful scientific research capabilities in the world, so it's not surprising that they can develop something like this. Maybe they'll have even more powerful weapons in the future."

However, even with technological advancements, the design of firearms in this world remained unchanged. In Jack's memory, even ten years later, these guns were still largely the same, only their internal mechanisms had undergone drastic changes.

I don't know what's wrong with these people's aesthetic sense, or if they think the current appearance is already reasonable enough and doesn't need improvement. In any case, from Roger's time until more than twenty years after his death, the appearance of the firearms has remained unchanged.

"Well, although this design is completely ergonomic and uncomfortable to use, it's actually quite cool, especially for cosplay," Jack muttered to himself as he played with his new toy.

"However, the delivery speed is a bit slow. We might not have enough weapons by the time we start fighting on the front lines," Haku sighed worriedly after counting the batch of weapons.

"How many people can these things arm?" Jack asked calmly, tucking his pistol back into his belt.

“It’s only enough to equip a little over 1 people,” Haku replied. “And only five cannons have been delivered, which is far from enough.”

“This amount of stuff should be enough with two ships, but Hatton certainly doesn’t only have two,” Jack asked. “What about his other ships?”

“This…” Haku shook his head helplessly. “He said that his main forces still have to be on guard against the threats from Sea Kings and pirates at all times, and dare not send them all out. He can only send out two ships to help with the transport.”

“Later, I offered to use our ships to help with the transport,” Haku continued, “but he refused, citing the military secrets of the storage location.”

"It's obvious that the so-called storage place for supplies must be some kind of naval branch base." Jack sighed. "Two days have passed, and this is all they've sent. It seems this guy doesn't really want to help us deliver supplies properly; I wonder what he's up to."

"Oh, by the way, is that matter still not settled?" Jack suddenly changed the subject and asked about something else.

"Hey, are you talking about the thing Kevin was handling?" Haku paused for a moment before realizing what Jack was asking. "Everything has been resolved in all areas, but we still haven't found the location of the Shadow's current stronghold. That building in the capital is just a window for selling information to the outside world."

"However, Kevin has been tracking those people's movements for the past few days, saying that he will soon find out where the real headquarters of the Shadows is."

Just then, Jack's Den Den Mushi rang.

"Chief of Staff, this is bad news. The two major gangs are preparing to mobilize all their forces, totaling four thousand men. They are fully equipped and ready to go. It seems that the two leaders have reached some kind of consensus. They will be at the city gates in two days at most."

Upon hearing the devastating news from the Den Den Mushi, Jack frowned and said, "Continue listening. If you find any valuable information, relay it immediately." With that, Jack hung up the phone.

"We only have two thousand men, while they have four thousand, and most of them have been fighting alongside the gang for years. They are a group of elites that should not be underestimated. They are completely different from us new recruits who have never experienced war. They have no conscience whatsoever. This battle will really be tough," Haku said, shaking his head and sighing.

"Oh, right, along with this batch of weapons, these two documents were also sent." Haku seemed to remember something and took out two clipped documents from behind his back.

Jack took the documents, only seriously looked at the first page, and then just flipped through the rest of the contents haphazardly. Finally, he glanced at the photos of Yuri from the Mercury Group and Maxim from the Villain Party, and then casually tossed them aside.

Haku, who was standing nearby, hurriedly took the documents and asked doubtfully, "Aren't you going to take a closer look? Maybe we can find a way to deal with them in there."

"Find a way? That's impossible. I understood as soon as I saw 'two thousand members' at the end of the first page." Jack put his hands behind his head and said helplessly, "This information is just something Shadow used to fool us. The only useful thing in it is the last photo. You just need to spread the photo out as much as possible so that everyone remembers these two."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Haku also noticed the phrase "two members" that Jack mentioned and asked doubtfully, "Is there any problem with that? We only have two thousand people, right?"

“Even among large gangs, there are still different levels; they’re not all the same,” Jack said. “Take the Wolf Fang Gang in Asia City, for example. They’re clearly a level below. Otherwise, they wouldn’t just stay in Asia City. The real powerhouses go to the capital to grab the biggest slice of the pie.”

“We’ve just consolidated the power in Pacqui City, and even the Wolf Fang Gang can’t compare. So the strength of the two major gangs is definitely far superior to ours.” Jack further explained, “Those people won’t stay put. They must be accumulating power somewhere. Even if the Shadow hasn’t specifically investigated which force it is, they should have some clues. It’s not like this information doesn’t mention it at all.”

"So, we're now the weakest force in the entire country?" Haku asked, speechless.

Jack nodded silently upon hearing this: "That's right. Everyone is preparing us to use this as a starting point to get a glimpse of the strength of both sides. Since that's the case, the only thing we can do now is to build a high wall to protect Pacqui City and buy some time. The longer we can hold out, the less those people will be able to resist, and the easier it will be for both sides to expose their weaknesses."

"Hey, hey. Something doesn't feel right when I hear this." Fujitora, who had been sitting on the side for a while, finally spoke up. "Didn't you say that I shouldn't make a move and cause a big commotion? You want to build a high wall in just two days? That can only be done by my abilities, right? Since we've already caused such a big commotion, it would be better to let me drop a few meteorites down and make it quicker."

"No, no, no, Fujitora, don't misunderstand. I'm not asking you to do it in front of everyone." Jack said with a mocking smile. "Besides, how is it possible to build a city wall overnight? That must be the work of the gods."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Divine Manifestation

"What?" If Fujitora weren't blind, he would definitely have pried open Jack's head to see what was inside.

“Now you just watch me. We’ll make our move when it’s late at night,” Jack said, stroking his woven fake beard.

Wangdu Gran.

"Yuri, are you ready or not? I can't wait any longer."

"Don't rush, Maxim, we've waited all these years, what's one or two more days?" The short Yuri hurriedly calmed the irritable giant beside him. "Now is the most critical moment, so be careful before you act and don't be too reckless."

Maxim understood the reasoning Yuri was giving, but he had waited far too long over the years, which inevitably made him a little impatient.

Just then, a subordinate ran up and reported: "The Red Rock Society is currently preparing to build a city wall to defend against our attack."

After he said that, everyone in the room was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

After a while, everyone burst into laughter at him again. "What? Don't make us laugh, okay? You're saying they're building a city wall? That's fucking hilarious."

"I've heard of sharpening a spear at the last minute, but I've never heard of repairing a wall at the last minute. If a city wall can be repaired in a day, then why bother sharpening a spear? Repairing a wall is much more effective than sharpening a spear."

"Oh my, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts. More than two thousand people want to build a city wall. How many years will it take to finish?"

……

"But, but," the man said, his face flushed as he was mocked by the crowd. "I don't know what method Jack used, but not only the Red Rock Society members, but the whole city is helping with the construction."

Upon hearing this, the people laughed even harder, so much so that they couldn't straighten up and were almost rolling on the ground in laughter.

However, Maxim, who was three or four meters tall, stood up, looked down at the gang member who had delivered the message, and asked, "Anything else unusual?"

Yuri chimed in, "Jack is no ordinary man to have unified Pacqui City. He's probably using the construction of the city walls as a cover to do other things."

Hearing how much the two managers cared about the matter, the others stopped laughing and began to wonder if there was something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Upon hearing Yuri and Maxim's words, the subordinate also took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed his companion outside Pacqui City.

However, after repeated confirmation by the people there, it was indeed just a simple construction of the city wall. If there were any other activities hidden behind it, they would not be able to detect them with their abilities.

If the scouts sent out by the two individuals couldn't figure it out, then presumably no one else could.

However, this did not dispel their doubts; instead, it left them even more confused.

"Could it really just be a simple matter of building city walls? I just can't believe it." The two couldn't help but ponder the reasons in their minds.

After thinking for a while, Yuri asked the Den Den Mushi, "Are those civilians really helping them build the city walls?"

The Den Den Mushi said seriously, "Yes, whether they are farmers, fishermen, or anyone else, they are all wearing all sorts of clothes, but they are all doing the same thing, and the number of people is enormous. It seems that the whole city has been mobilized. Everyone is putting in all their strength, and many people have even started demolishing houses in the city in order to gather enough stone."

"This Jack is truly extraordinary; he actually managed to incite the common people to help build the city walls," Maxim praised after hearing the story.

Yuri pondered for a long time, but still shook his head: "This still doesn't make sense. Even if the whole city worked together to build the city wall, it would definitely not be completed in a few days."

“Forget it, Yuri.” Maxim decided not to dwell on the matter anymore. “No matter what Jack is up to, we’ll just go and fight him tomorrow and find out. I don’t believe that some petty tricks can make up for a difference of two thousand men.”

"Well, that's all we can do."

The next day, Maxim and Yuri received a report from the scouts early in the morning.

"Oh no! Something terrible has happened! A city wall has actually been built in Pacquia overnight!"

"What??!!"

After the two of them had been marching for several hours, leading their troops on a forced march, they arrived outside the city of Pacqui. Jack was already sitting on the city wall, quietly watching the four thousand soldiers below.

Despite their meticulous planning and careful consideration, the two hadn't anticipated any underhanded tactics Jack might be up to. It turned out he wasn't doing anything underhanded at all; he was openly and brazenly carrying out a major operation, intending to build a massive wall in a single day just to put it to the test.

The truth is, no one knew that Jack held Fujitora as a trump card. What kind of trump card? It was a royal flush! Otherwise, everyone would have known that this was Fujitora's doing.

The people in the city were also stunned by the magnificent high wall early the next morning. They had only laid the foundation yesterday and it was still a long way from being completed. How could it have been built so suddenly?

It turns out that yesterday Jack continued to leverage his greatest strength: his persuasive speaking skills. He delivered a wave of inspirational speeches that left everyone feeling dizzy and spurred them on to join the mission of protecting their homeland.

What followed was essentially a process of inspiring unity and rallying everyone's spirit. They say that with united will, we can overcome any obstacle, and now we truly are united in spirit.

Early that morning, Jack sent people to spread rumors that the people's kindness and their indomitable spirit in resisting evil had moved even the gods. So, in the middle of the night, the gods sent two golden-armored gods who completed the city walls overnight.

Of course, this fantastical explanation is hardly convincing; it's simply something used to fool young children.

But rumors can spread like wildfire. There's no inherent truth in this world, but when many people repeat a rumor, it becomes accepted as truth. Plus, some people did indeed see the stones flying up and piling up on their own at night. Now, thinking about it and connecting the dots, wasn't it just unseen gods moving the stones? These people instantly convinced themselves.

He not only convinced himself, but once he believed it to be true, he went back and tried to convince others.

In this way, the word spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, until now everyone in the city knows that a kind deity has sensed their sincerity and built a magnificent city wall for them.

The people were so moved that they immediately decided to build a temple for this unknown deity, right next to the city wall. If the army hadn't already besieged the city, they probably would have started construction already.

Given how things have developed, even if Jack were to jump out now and tell them that there are no gods at all, and that it was that uncle named Yixiao who did it, no one would believe him.

So why tell them the truth? Wouldn't it be better to let everyone believe that kind and upright people are protected by the gods?

“So,” Jack stood on the city wall and shouted to the two attacking gangs below, “what reason do you have to defeat Captain Jack, who is blessed by the gods?”

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The First Small Victory