One Piece: Starting with the execution of Pirate King Roger

Ryan leaned back in his chair as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and pointed to the bustling port outside the window:

"Of course I'm stationed at the base, overseeing the overall situation. I'm very busy."

What Renn was really thinking was: "I finally got a government position and some money, so I should enjoy life. As for the hardships of wilderness survival, I'll leave that to you young people who need to be toughened up."

"Tch! Lazybones!" Smoker gave him the middle finger.

“Gion, why don’t you stay and help me?” Renn looked at Gion again.

Gion saw through Rein's attempt to slack off at a glance, but could only shake her head helplessly without exposing him.

"Alright, Moore, go prepare the ships and supplies."

Ryan waved his hand, indicating that Moore could leave.

Moore felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He quickly saluted and turned to leave the oppressive office.

"Oh, right."

Just as Moore's hand touched the doorknob, Ryan seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked:

"Moore, what's the name of that island...? Is it marked on the nautical chart?"

Moore, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks.

He scratched his receding hairline, which had started to thin due to recent stress, and tried hard to recall the unfamiliar word:

"The name... I did see it in a nautical logbook..."

"It seems to be called... Ver... Vermeer?"

Chapter 109 Burning Ambition

“...Vermeer”.

When Colonel Moore uttered that awkward syllable with a hesitant tone, time seemed to stand still in the office.

Raine's hand, holding the teacup, hovered in mid-air, the amber tea inside rippling slightly, reflecting his suddenly constricted pupils.

On the surface, he maintained his languid posture, not even disrupting his breathing rhythm. But beneath his seemingly calm exterior, his heart began to pound violently, as if injected with a high concentration of adrenaline.

“Vermeer…”

He silently chewed on the name in his heart, and a flame called greed and ambition was burning wildly in his chest.

As a time traveler who was familiar with the course of world history, how could he not know what this name meant?

That was not an ordinary deserted island, nor was it some kind of gladiatorial arena.

That is—the lair of "Golden Lion" Shiki!

It is the territory of the legendary pirate Shiki the Flying Pirate, who once rivaled "Pirate King" Roger and "Whitebeard" Newgate and almost ruled the entire sea!

Even though he severed both his legs and greatly diminished his strength in order to escape from prison, and endured excruciating pain for years with a ship's rudder stuck in his head, the Golden Lion at this moment was still an absolute UR-level powerhouse.

Ryan's brain began to work at lightning speed, and countless pieces of information quickly pieced together a complete puzzle in his mind.

"As mentioned in the original work, in order to carry out the revenge plan called 'Destroy the East Blue', the Golden Lion hid on a floating island called Vermeyou and used the local 'IQ' plants to cultivate ferocious mutated beasts. He hid there for a full twenty years."

It has only been about a month since the Golden Lion escaped from Impel Down.

Raine felt his throat go dry, and his eyes burned with ambition—a physiological reaction to extreme excitement.

Although Shiki is currently incredibly strong, he is truly all alone! He doesn't have the large fleet of the Flying Pirates, nor the thousands upon thousands of mutated beasts protecting him!

Most importantly, if I don't act now, and he lifts Wilmaeu up to 10,000 meters in the air and disappears into the vast sea of ​​clouds, where will I find him?

"I don't have that kind of patience. If I'm going to take something, I'll take the most valuable first kill!"

"If only I could kill him..."

Raine gripped the teacup tightly, his knuckles turning white.

What terrifying benefits would come from successfully hunting down this legend of the old era?

Peak-level physique? Two great swords belonging to Shiki? Or Shiki's swordsmanship, capable of cleaving the sea and splitting the sky?

Any one of these factors would be enough to allow Renn's strength to leap forward in an instant, directly crossing the threshold of general and truly standing at the pinnacle of this world!

The temptation was too great. Great enough for Ryan to overturn all his previous plans.

Raine slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and gently placed the slightly cooled teacup on the table.

"call……"

His eyes regained their clarity, but a coldness and determination that he didn't usually possess appeared deep within them.

Now that it's been confirmed that it's the Golden Lion's territory, the nature of the situation has completely changed.

Sending Smoker with hundreds of greenhorns who only know how to fight when things are going well to Vermeer? That's not training them, that's feeding the beasts of the Golden Lion.

Putting aside the risk of total annihilation, the mere fact that we might alert the enemy is absolutely unacceptable.

If the Golden Lion is alarmed and directly controls the island to fly ten thousand meters high, then this cooked duck will fly away.

Such top-tier prey must be approached silently by the most skilled hunters, who can then strike with deadly precision.

"Plan changed."

Raine suddenly stood up, his lazy aura vanished, replaced by a sharp and intimidating presence that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

The hem of his coat traced an arc in the air as he strode toward the door.

"what happened?"

Smoker, who was about to head out to assemble the team with a cigar in his mouth, was taken aback by Ryan's sudden change of heart and subconsciously stopped in his tracks: "I've already figured out how to train those bastards."

"no need."

Ryan continued walking, his voice deep and resolute, brooking no argument:

"Training exercise canceled. Everyone, remain at the base for regular training."

"Huh?!" Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Didn't you just say you were going to teach them a lesson? Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Ryan stopped, turned his head, and spoke in a serious tone that seemed to be for the greater good but actually concealed his true intentions:

"I've thought about it. The magnetic field there is chaotic and wild beasts roam freely. There's a high probability that they'll never return... It's not suitable as a training ground for troops."

“I want to train them, not send them to their deaths. These few hundred men are a team I painstakingly built up with money. I’d be heartbroken if they all died in that godforsaken place.”

Ryan thought of a reason and explained:

"So, I need to go and scout it out first. I need to confirm whether the danger level there is within a manageable range."

"Reconnaissance?" Smoker frowned. "Wouldn't it be enough to just send a few scouts?"

“That place is too dangerous even for a scout,” Ryan shook his head. “It’s more appropriate for me to go myself.”

After saying that, he ignored Smoker's protests and went straight out the door.

However, just as he was about to step out of the office door...

"Wait a moment."

A cool, clear voice came from the corner of the room.

Gion, who had been silent all along, suddenly put down her coffee cup.

She stood up, her long legs taking a few steps to block Renn's path.

Those beautiful eyes, which seemed to see right through people, were now slightly narrowed, staring intently at Renn's eyes with a hint of scrutiny and suspicion.

"Raine, something's wrong with you."

Gion's voice was soft, but it hit the nail on the head.

"I've known you for so long, when did you become so caring towards your subordinates?"

"Your eyes don't look like you're detecting danger."

Gion stared at Rein and took half a step closer, her aura suddenly becoming sharp, and said, word by word:

"It's more like... going to hunt some prey that interests you."

Renn looked at Gion blocking his way and sighed inwardly.

"This woman... her intuition is far too sharp," he thought to himself.

He paused for two seconds, then shrugged, a helpless smile on his face, and said, half-jokingly:

"Nothing can escape the eyes of the Major General."

"Yes, I am indeed very interested in that place."

Raine lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone:

"Just think about it, a pristine island that few people visit, with so many legendary beasts... I'm looking forward to seeing if I can encounter any challenging beasts there."

This reason, though far-fetched, is barely plausible.

"is it?"

Gion still looked at him with a mixture of belief and doubt.

“Of course.” Renn said frankly, “This operation is quite dangerous, so I won’t trouble you all. I can go by myself.”

"No."

Gion refused decisively.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, completely blocking Ryan's way out.

"Don't forget my identity. I am your special inspector. You cannot leave my sight until you have fully passed your probation period."

"and……"

A meaningful smile curved Gion's lips as she gently placed her hand on the "Konpira" sash at her waist.

“If you’re really going there to find out what’s going on, then I’d better go with you. What could make you look like that… I’m also very curious about what it is.”

"I'm going this time too."

Looking at Gion's resolute attitude, Rein quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

"……All right."

Renn sighed, feigning a helpless compromise:

"Since the Inspector insists, I have no choice but to comply. But let me make it clear, if you encounter any danger, you must not act recklessly."

“No problem.” Gion nodded in satisfaction, a sly glint in her eyes. “As long as you don’t do anything reckless.”

The two reached an agreement and turned to leave.

"Hey!! Wait a minute!!"

Smoker, who had been ignored all along, finally snapped. He rushed forward and blocked the two of them, his face filled with disbelief and indignation.

"And what about me?! So you two went on your 'honeymoon'... no, I mean, you went on reconnaissance, leaving me all alone here?!"

"I'm the adjutant! I want to go too!"

"What are you going to do?"

Renn stopped and gave him a disdainful look from head to toe:

Can you fly?

“I…” Smoker choked, “I can fly in elemental form!”

"How high can you fly? How long can you fly? Can you coordinate with me in the air?" Renn asked three merciless questions in a row.

Smoker was speechless. Although his Smoke-Smoke Fruit allowed him to fly, it was more for propulsion, a completely different concept from the true aerial flight of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"Moreover, the base cannot function without people."

Ryan walked over, patted Smoker on the shoulder earnestly, and gave him a high compliment:

"These hundreds of soldiers have just received their paychecks and their minds are still unsettled. Besides you, who else can keep them in check?"

"What if we leave and the pirates come to raid our base? What if that coward Moore can't hold the line?"

“Smoker, guarding the base is more important than reconnaissance. This is the greatest trust I have in you.”

After being misled, Smoker felt something was off, but couldn't find a reason to refute it.