Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Shock Tsuru
"Where... am I?"
Tsuru felt as if she'd just awoken from an impossibly long and terrifying dream.
She had dreamt of being controlled, forced to take down a World Noble, only to be harshly ordered by the World Government to face punishment. The Navy's Fleet Admiral, Hammons William, had fought to mitigate her sentence... until she ultimately drank the poison and departed for the afterlife. Ironically, they deceived themselves, convincing themselves this was in the name of "justice" and that there had been no other choice but to compromise.
"Sh-shh…"
No. This wasn't a dream!
The instant she opened her eyes, Tsuru, drenched in cold sweat, abruptly snapped to attention, only to find herself face to face with figures she could never forget—Charlotte Linlin and her crew, the very people who had brought her to this moment. Her body tensed, her gaze hardening with both anger and vigilance as she glared, clenching her teeth. "Charlotte Linlin—"
"Mamamama, so you're awake?"
Linlin sat nearby, looking down at Tsuru with a smug smile. "How does it feel to be betrayed and discarded by the Navy you devoted yourself to?"
"That's all thanks to you…" Tsuru replied bitterly, her voice laced with both shock and disbelief. "But I drank the poison, didn't I? Did… did you save me?"
Tsuru, ever sharp, quickly pieced together the situation. She was a Navy officer who had defied the Celestial Dragons, and, as far as the Navy was concerned, she'd been secretly sentenced to death. For Linlin to infiltrate and tamper with the poison to save her, they'd need an informant within the Navy. The thought was as astonishing as it was disturbing.
"Indeed, the Navy headquarters is no easy target," drawled Rock, who sat nearby, leaning back as he chuckled at the still-shaken "Navy's Flower" before him. "Especially since you were under heavy guard as a high-profile criminal. We weren't even sure if we could pull this off… But as it happens, luck was on your side."
"Hah. Do you want me to join you? Become a pirate?" Tsuru scoffed. Though her faith in the Navy's "justice" had wavered, she had never intended to become a pirate, let alone join this crew of ruthless criminals. At first, she might've been willing to go undercover if her life had been spared by the Fleet Admiral. With her sense of justice intact, she would've used her position to relay information and assist the Navy in bringing these criminals to justice.
But as someone the Navy had now "executed," she had no such purpose or privilege anymore.
"Why not? You've already been cast aside…" Linlin grinned, observing Tsuru as her expression gradually steadied. "Join us, and I could restore your youth."
"Dream on…" Tsuru's voice was resolute as she glared back. Her expression firm, she said coldly, "I won't be intimidated by pirates, nor would I ever sink so low as to join criminals like you."
Tsuru despised the Fallen Angel Pirates for pushing her to this, for ruining her life. How could she ever willingly join them?
"Is that so? Seems like dying once has made you even tougher." Moss approached, sneering as he looked down at her defiant figure. "Oh, right—I heard you'd hoped to have your ashes scattered at sea after you drank the poison, but it seems your Fleet Admiral didn't plan to honor that wish. He had your body secretly sent to the Holy Land, Mariejois, to appease the angry nobles. We intercepted it halfway."
"What?!"
Tsuru's expression shifted dramatically. She didn't believe for a second that he was lying.
"Damn it…" Her face darkened as she clenched her fists, biting her lip. The Fleet Admiral's grand words had been empty; he hadn't even granted her a final act of dignity. A bitter rage filled her, crumbling the beliefs she'd clung to for so long.
"Mamamama, if your body had actually made it to Mariejois…" Linlin's smile turned sinister, her brow raised as she continued, "they'd likely have chopped it up and fed it to the dogs. Or maybe they'd hang your head for display. Or, considering the cruelty and arrogance of those Celestial Dragons, they might've preserved your body as a human specimen, to be viewed at leisure."
"This is the 'justice' of the Navy." Nef sneered, her tone dripping with disdain as she added, "Those self-righteous nobles, so full of their own sense of honor… So easy to preach when sacrificing others. But how many of them would truly sacrifice themselves for 'justice'?"
"Hmph…"
Though Tsuru's faith in the Navy had eroded completely, her disdain for Linlin was no less evident.
"Justice or not, you pirates are in no position to lecture—criminals who pillage and harm the innocent have no moral standing whatsoever!"
"No morals?" Rock snorted, crossing his arms. "Now, now, watch your words…"
"Am I wrong?" Tsuru's expression was steely as she demanded.
"Most pirates might fit that description…" Moss replied, glancing at her coolly. "But the Fallen Angel Pirates were formed to oppose the World Government, to create a land where all races can coexist. So far, we've only fought the Navy and other pirates; we've never targeted civilians."
As for collateral damage, that was unavoidable in war. Even the self-proclaimed "just" Navy couldn't entirely prevent innocent casualties.
"An ideal country where all races can coexist peacefully? Quite ambitious…"
Tsuru's expression was skeptical. They could make it sound as noble as they wanted, but at the end of the day, it was all for El's ambition.
"Believe it or don't… You'll see in time." Fishman Jaeon remarked indifferently.
"Speaking of which…" Nef looked at Tsuru with a smirk. "Ever heard of Hell's Trading Company?"
"What?!" Tsuru's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Nef. "The Fallen Angel Pirates… are behind Hell's Trading Company?"
She'd certainly heard of the organization, which had risen to prominence in recent years. Hell's Trading Company was a major influence, monopolizing the grain and medicine markets across the New World and the West Blue, and gradually expanding into other seas. She hadn't expected it to be supported by the Fallen Angel Pirates.
"You think all that grain and rare medicine just appears?" Nef asked, giving her a sidelong look. "It's all thanks to El-sama, who grows it with his Devil Fruit abilities."
"What?" Tsuru inhaled sharply, starting to understand. El's Mythical Zoan ability allowed him to produce resources on an incredible scale. Most people with such powers would never devote the necessary time and energy to mass-producing crops. But with his Lunarian and Giant bloodlines, El had the strength and stamina to make it happen, generating substantial profits without needing to plunder.
"Hey, Nef, careful about spilling intel to outsiders… She's not one of us yet!" Giantess Lily warned.
"It's fine," Linlin, reclining lazily, waved her hand. "El said that since we've already made such a grand entrance, the World Government will inevitably trace Hell's Trading Company back to us."
"Every branch is ready to go underground when necessary," Linlin added. "We've got everything in place to keep our operations running, even out of sight."
Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Enormous Homies
"You claim we're pirates who do nothing but evil?"
On an unnamed deserted island, Moss gazed down at Tsuru, whose face was filled with shock. He spoke with a scornful smile, "Even though we run these businesses for profit, the sheer quantity of grain we provide has driven market prices down by at least half."
"Do you know how many lives this grain and medicine have saved?"
"Do you understand how many people in the New World and the West Blue struggle to survive each year because of food shortages, all while paying massive tributes to the World Government to sustain the Celestial Dragons' indulgent lifestyles? Some are so impoverished they can't even afford the tribute, leaving citizens starving, desolate, and their nations on the brink. These people survive thanks to that very grain."
And that was only the beginning. Over the years, Hell's Trading Company had quietly provided relief to impoverished islands in the latter half of the New World. They organized periodic charity clinics with recruited doctors and protected these islands from pirates, either driving them away or eliminating them. The company also employed idle young men from these regions, offering them respectable, stable jobs. For many locals, they were seen as saviors.
Although their ultimate goal was to take control of these islands once the Totto Land Plan was fully realized, they had still saved many civilians who would otherwise have perished.
"What?!"
Tsuru's eyes widened, her face struck with shock. During her campaigns with the Navy against pirates, she'd heard citizens in poorer towns and villages mention that grain prices had fallen, particularly in the New World, where the drop was most noticeable. These lower prices were making life easier for the struggling lower classes. Hell's Trading Company's business, it seemed, had inadvertently done a lot of good.
"Consider this: if Hell's Trading Company suddenly ceased its grain trade…" Uthan, the Minotaur, leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, his tone calm. "For starters, some of those struggling nations in the New World and West Blue would immediately face a food crisis, potentially leading to severe famine, even the complete collapse of some."
"If that happened, hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of civilians would gradually starve. How many of those would then be driven to the sea, forced to turn to piracy?"
"Is that true?"
Hearing Uthan's words, Tsuru took a sharp breath, her scalp prickling. She hadn't realized that Hell's Trading Company wielded such influence, with the fate of countless civilians hanging on it.
"Mamamama, you know what my power is capable of. If I wanted to harm civilians, the entire Sabaody Archipelago would have been drenched in blood." Charlotte Linlin grinned, looking down at Tsuru, whose face was filled with turmoil and disbelief. "You may see us as ruthless for killing Marines, but in the end, it's just a difference in allegiances. When the Navy hunts us, they don't hold back either."
Linlin's voice dropped, filled with anger. "And with El as a Lunarian, we're natural enemies of you Navy 'dogs' of the World Government. For hundreds of years, the World Government has ordered the Navy and CP to hunt down Lunarians, Three-Eye Tribes, Buccaneers, and other unique races, nearly driving them to extinction. They've been fighting to survive all along."
"From El's perspective, do you really believe these soldiers who hunt his people are innocent? Or are they simply ignorant, misled by the World Government?"
"And even if they knew, do you think they'd stop following orders?"
"Don't deceive yourself."
"…"
Tsuru frowned. Although she was disillusioned with the Navy, she knew that most Marines, like herself, had joined with the ideal of upholding justice. Yet it was true that, under the World Government's control, the Navy couldn't pursue true justice independently. It had always been a tool created to uphold the Government's rule, cloaked in the guise of justice.
Though Tsuru still believed El and his crew were excessively violent for killing so many Marines, there was truth in Linlin's words. After all, if an entire family or race were being hunted down, was it unreasonable for them to resist?
Especially now that her own faith in the Navy's brand of justice had eroded, she was beginning to see the World Government's true nature. This vast power that ruled the seas wasn't so different from the tyrannical regimes of other kingdoms. The "Celestial Dragons," with their absolute privileges and arrogance, were no better than oppressive royalty. And she knew the dark side of the Navy well enough to recognize that Linlin had a point.
'Swish, Swish'
At that moment, a "cloud" in the distance grew larger, approaching with surprising speed.
"What's that?"
"Wow, it's huge—"
"It's El-sama and Gerd!"
"Amazing… is that an island cloud from the Sky Islands?"
"Compared to Zeus and Hera, this one is beyond huge!"
Linlin, Lily, Nef, and the others widened their eyes, watching in awe as the enormous island cloud hovered closer. They were both astonished and thrilled.
"Is that…"
Meanwhile, Tsuru's face was one of stunned disbelief. As the island cloud drew nearer, she could make out what looked like a massive, humanoid face on its surface.
"A homie created with the Soul-Soul Fruit?" The former Navy icon gasped, breaking into a cold sweat. "This size is… unthinkable."
Having studied the Devil Fruits and their abilities, she was familiar with homies and had seen Hera on Sabaody. She had also witnessed Zeus and Prometheus after Gerd's arrival. But their size was nothing compared to this enormous homie.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
397 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment