Chapter 76: Three Years Later, Hancock's Call
Time flies like a white horse, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In the past three years, Cross Kahn, the "walking natural disaster" who made a sensation in the world three times in a row on the Sea Circle Calendar in 1503, has been very low-key.
He has been so low-key that the world almost forgets about him.
Of course, those who forget about Kahn are from the first half of the Grand Line and other parts of the world.
However, the pirates and civilians in the New World not only remember Kahn but are even more impressed with him.
Because in the past three years, two more islands have appeared next to Dressrosa, and the situation has been changing constantly.
The larger one is the Island of Minerals, Morlaix, which was seized as a trophy three years ago after Kahn wiped out the "Mighty Fist Pirates".
Now, Dressrosa citizens are continually mining on this island.
At the centre of the island, a huge base has been established.
In this base, it is now continuously producing all kinds of thermal weapons.
Three years ago, the box Kahn brought back from Capone Bege was also placed in the corner of the base, and it was full of blueprints with weapon designs and data.
These blueprints originally belonged to the "Cross Family" but were given to Capone Bege by Kahn to let him take over the arms business of the "Cross Family" and rapidly develop the Capone family.
After gaining a firm foothold in the New World, Kahn went back and reclaimed the blueprints for the munitions.
In the past three years, the "Cross Family" has successfully established long-term cooperation with the "Deep Ocean Current" Umit, and every month, part of the minerals are transported from Morlaix Island to Capone Bege.
At the same time, the "Cross Family" also established a partnership with the "Donquixote Family" to transport the produced arms to North Blue and have Doflamingo help sell them.
Kahn didn't sell them himself because his ammunition wasn't high-quality in the New World. It's better to ship it to North Blue, where wars continue, and let the best intermediary in the dark world help him sell the ammunition at the highest price.
As for the small island, it has been cultivated by the little people for three years, and now it's full of various flowers, plants, and medicines.
It is also the base camp of the "Cross Family" at this stage.
This island allowed the "Cross Family" to gain a firm foothold in the New World in only three years.
Because arms are only a small part of the Cross Family's business.
The biggest business of the "Cross Family" is a variety of the best medicinal materials on the market, as well as the knowledge Kahn collected on Drum Island, which was passed on to Mansherry, who has the Heal-Heal Fruit.
Overseers and team leaders, medicines, and potions made by the little people have become bestsellers in the dark world.
Even the World Government and Marine Headquarters often buy medicines and potions from the "Cross Family" from the dark world, just as they also buy weapons from pirates.
Their medical level and equipment may be far higher than that of the "Cross Family," but in terms of cultivating medicinal materials and making medicines, their ingredients and efficacy are far inferior to those cultivated and manufactured by the little people themselves.
For this reason, the World Government also sent people to secretly negotiate with Kahn, and the two sides reached a secret cooperation.
Although Kahn killed the Celestial Dragons, it damaged the image of the gods that the World Government had created for the Celestial Dragons for eight hundred years.
But in this world where strength and interests are paramount, there are no real enemies.
Even the hatred of killing one's father or taking one's wife can be let go as long as enough interests are involved.
The medicinal materials and medicines produced by the "Cross Family" are enough to make the World Government put aside its hatred and actively show favour to him.
In the eyes of the Five Elders, Cross Kahn is not a member of the D family, nor does he have a Paramecia Gommu Gommu no Mi Fruit. To be precise, he is not a person with the Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
Although he has the templates of two major monsters, his strength is at most at the level of Whitebeard, or even stronger.
Moreover, such a peak period can only last for a few decades, and it cannot shake the World Government's rule over this world at all.
Therefore, Charlotte Linlin, who is also a natural destroyer, can be allowed to establish the "Totto Land Kingdom" formed by thirty-five islands in the New World, and Kaido can be allowed to become one of the three monsters and, together with Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin can check and balance the New World. The Five Elders can also let Kahn grow, making him the youngest sea overlord and allowing the New World to enter a situation where four Emperors rule.
As long as these forces are not united, and the overall strength of a single unit does not exceed the sum of Marine Headquarters and CP organizations, then there is nothing to fear.
This is the arrogance of the World Government.
Eight hundred years of background also gave them the confidence to be arrogant.
In the past three years, apart from the fact that the strength of the "Cross Family" has not yet reached the standard, the influence in the New World and the Dark World is already undoubtedly top-notch.
If it were any other first-class force, if the person in charge didn't have Kahn's strength but occupied the world's only drug business, it would definitely attract the coveted eyes of countless people.
Whether strong or weak, everyone wants to bite off a piece from him, including those overlords who will be tempted by it.
Among the three monsters, the "Whitebeard Pirates" is also a major customer of the "Cross Family".
As time passed silently, the legends of the previous era were still able to retain their peak strength in the early days of the Great Pirate Era.
Even in the later stages, these superpowers were still capable of destroying islands.
However, the strength remaining does not mean their stamina is the same as that of their peak period. They can't fight for three days and three nights, five days and five nights, or ten days and ten nights like they used to.
On the contrary, as time goes by, the traces left by time on the superpowers of the old era become deeper and more obvious.
Three years later, Whitebeard has entered a period of hair loss.
When all his dazzling golden hair fell out, it meant that the strongest man in the world was no longer at his peak.
The pirates' medical equipment and level are far inferior to the Marines', which is supported by World Government military spending.
Also, a legend of the old era, Whitebeard is covered in scars all over his body. When the peak was not there, Sengoku, who was his old enemy, didn't even have a single scar, and he didn't have any hidden diseases.
Therefore, as a ship's doctor, Marco immediately used his private money to buy medicinal materials, medicines, and potions produced by the "Cross Family" on the black market after he noticed his father's hidden illness. These were used to treat Whitebeard.
For these, Whitebeard's opponents and sons were neither aware nor cared.
By the time they notice and realize it's time for the lions to grow old.
Sea Circle Calendar August 15, 1506.
On this day, Kahn, who did not move into the stronghold of the "Cross Family" and was still living in the flower fields in Dressrosa, received a call from Hancock, who had said she would be back soon but made him wait for three years.
"Master, I have completely ruled the entire 'Amazon Lily Kingdom,' come and pick us up quickly. I miss you so much!"
As the Den Den Mushi imitated Hancock's cheering expression, the eighteen-year-old Kahn slowly stood up.
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