Chapter 332: Cloak and dagger
"I want to go too," Luffy threw a tantrum instantly. Seeing his tantrum, everyone just sighed.
"Luffy-san, your home might be destroyed. Don't you think it's better to leave it to someone who can just go in and out in the blink of an eye?" Brook said. Those wise words seemed to strike Luffy quite a bit, and thus, he chose to be silent and sit down. This made everyone surprised, as none of them expected Brook to come out with words to actually calm Luffy down.
Even Jinbe couldn't do it.
"That's our Brook."
"The musician does know how to calm people down."
Everyone praised Brook, who just smiled and started playing his electric guitar. Meanwhile, Ken put on a hood and a body jacket before using his Kamui dimension to vanish. Luffy saw Ken leave and was still sulking.
He declared that the next time he must be included. The other Straw Hats promised to do so and were just glad that Ken was allowed to go alone. When Ken appeared again, he was in the Oykot Kingdom.
The once serene and picturesque kingdom was now marred by the shadows of impending turmoil. The once-quaint kingdom had transformed into a military stronghold, with Marines bustling about, their uniforms a stark contrast to the serene surroundings.
The harbor, once a lively center of trade, now teemed with marine vessels and warships. The clinking of armor and the barking orders of officers replaced the usual lull of the ocean waves.
Moving through the kingdom's streets, Ken witnessed the hurried preparations for an impending confrontation. Makeshift barricades lined the pathways, and Marines fortified strategic positions. The marketplace, now devoid of its usual lively atmosphere, echoed with the sounds of drills and the clatter of weapons being readied for battle.
The atmosphere was tense, and Ken overheard snippets of conversations, revealing the kingdom's grim reality. Tales of the devastation on the distant islands caused by Lion Shiki's mutated creatures sent shivers down the spines of those who recounted the stories. Fear lingered in the air like a palpable entity.
As Ken moved around, he heard the bad from the Navy, but his Haki had also allowed him to notice two distinct voices that Ken didn't expect. One was from an Admiral, and the other was from a man whom Ken didn't expect to exist.
The Admiral that Ken heard talking was Green Bull. The one with an inflated thought that doing evil was a requirement that the Government must do to keep the balance. Among all the admirals that Ken had come across or knew of, Green Bull was probably the only one whom Ken hated the most.
This guy was not only a coward but also someone who could go to any lengths just to fulfill his aim. This person had no morals. At least Kizaru had his morals, and though he was ready to break them to follow the rules, it didn't mean he didn't have them. This Green Bull had none of it.
And the other person that Ken had heard was someone who was half associated with the Navy. Or at least he was associated once. He was someone who trained a lot of marines but now he was an outcast.
His name was Zephyr. His portrayal was in the movie One Piece: Z, and he was currently ousted from the Navy because an enemy of his was taken in as Shichibukai by the Navy. This enemy of his killed his family. In the movie, he wanted to bring destruction to the New World to bring an end to the era of pirates.
But at the end, he was unable to do so, as Luffy put an end to it, and even two Admirals were also involved: Aokiji and Kizaru. Ken didn't expect another movie individual to be here. Now he was feeling a little guilty if Apis and other characters in different movies were really present, and he didn't meet them because he had changed the story by huge proportions.
Ken didn't stay in one place for long and vanished again. This time appearing away from the bustling capital and in a deserted harbor which hadn't seen maintenance for a very long time. It was dilapidated, and moss seemed to have grown all over the broken walls and doors. The wind blew strong, and the humid weather did bring a strange kind of comfort in this place.
For some reason, there were various lights being lit around the harbor, and one could see a small number of people roaming around. As soon as Ken appeared, many of these people who seemed to be guards went on high alert and pointed their guns at him.
"Who is it? This place isn't for outsiders. Leave."
"We are bandits. If you treasure your life, then get away from here."
"Don't come near."
There were weird shouts from the people around as they pointed their guns at him. It was strange because they threatened Ken in such a way; it felt like they were forcing themselves to be the bad guy here just so he couldn't reach their 'base.'
"You should upgrade your threats. Forget about pirates. Your threats won't even make a rat go away, forget about human beings," Ken replied with a very calm tone. His face and body still weren't visible to the people, so these people feared him, thinking he belonged to the Navy.
The people who were threatening him were the private army of Zephyr, which had followed him once he left the Navy. They were his diehard followers of Zephyr and would even die for them if they were asked to.
"What are all the shouts about?"
"Sensei... There is someone just outside our base and is not leaving."
"What?" Zephyr was surprised and soon came forward to see what the commotion was about. He was surprised to see a man standing in a cloak and a hood. For some reason, he felt chills in his spine as he watched him. He couldn't help but shout.
"Who are you?"
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