Capítulo 107: Chapter 107: Harry Merkel
"What?!"
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Hammons William paled as he received a transmission from the World Government. Shocked and furious, he rose to his feet, exclaiming incredulously, "You're saying that Navy Captain Harry Merkel is a member of the Fallen Angel Pirates?"
"Impossible!" he muttered under his breath.
Harry Merkel was not just any Navy captain; he was Hammons William's own nephew. Though not particularly gifted, Harry had been diligent, reaching the rank of Captain at twenty-five, which pleased William greatly. William had even planned to give his nephew a Devil Fruit from the treasury to boost his strength and personally train him, potentially leading to a promotion to Rear Admiral. However, with the Fallen Angel Pirates emptying the entire treasury, those plans had been foiled.
That morning, he had assigned Harry to oversee Tsuru's confinement. Stripped of her youth and weakened by age, Tsuru was supposedly too frail to resist. Harry himself had overseen the poison Tsuru had taken. After confirming her death, he had been instructed to transport Tsuru's body to Mary Geoise as a gesture of appeasement. Now, with CP officials claiming Harry was a member of the Fallen Angel Pirates, William felt a chill run down his spine, realizing the grim implications.
"Yes," confirmed the CP0 official on the other end of the line. "He claims to be a member of the Fallen Angel Pirates. It's unclear whether he was impersonated or blackmailed into joining them. Given that he's your nephew, it's more likely the former. You should verify Captain Merkel's situation immediately."
"Damn it! He must have been impersonated by someone with a special ability!" William snarled, his face contorted in fury. "Someone, get in here!" he bellowed.
An officer burst into the room and saluted, only for William, his face dark with rage, to bark, "Check Captain Merkel's quarters at once!"
The officer, stunned, broke out in a nervous sweat. Knowing that Captain Merkel was the Fleet Admiral's nephew, he wondered what could have gone wrong.
"What's the current situation?" William demanded, steadying his breath. "When is the hostage exchange?"
"The Fallen Angel Pirates have demanded three separate exchanges, with only one Celestial Dragon returned each time. The first exchange is in three days, in the Sabaody Archipelago."
The CP0 official continued, "After the negotiation, Merkel left on a Navy ship. Out of concern for the Celestial Dragons' safety, we didn't interfere. We deployed surveillance ships, but the ship sank into the ocean just minutes ago, and he's vanished without a trace."
'Click!'
Hammons William slammed the receiver down, his face dark with anger. "Damn them!" he growled, feeling like he'd been made a fool. How could he have missed that his nephew had been replaced right under his nose? He could only hope Tsuru's presumed defection would deter Carp and Sengoku from rashly abandoning the Navy.
'Brrring—brrring—'
The phone rang again. Before William could respond, his officer's anxious voice came through, "Fleet Admiral William—"
"What happened? Did you find Merkel?"
William's heart pounded; he had a sinking feeling about this call. His nephew, with his ambition and lack of bad habits, had been one of his favorite family members.
"We found Captain Merkel's body… in the restroom."
Standing in the ornate quarters of the officer's dormitory, William's aide continued, "He was likely killed around three or four in the morning. There are no visible injuries, so he may have been smothered in his sleep. Because it's a single-officer suite and he was seen leaving this morning, no one realized he was missing."
"What?!"
William stumbled, gripping the desk for support, fury blazing in his eyes. "Damn you, Fallen Angel Pirates!"
...
"Wheee!"
"Be careful, Linlin!"
"Hey, Gerd, want to join us?"
"Everyone, let's get on the Ferris wheel!"
Elsewhere, a massive floating island with a face drifted across the sea. The island had colorful bubbles floating above it, with animated playgrounds and attractions creating a whimsical, fairytale-like world. Linlin, Lily, Gerd, and Lillian climbed onto the massive Ferris wheel, which was woven together by thick vines and sized for giants.
"Tsuru, do you want to join us?" Gerd asked, inviting the former Rear Admiral.
"Not interested," Tsuru replied with her arms crossed, though she couldn't help glancing at the massive Ferris wheel.
"Mamamama! Don't tell me the great lady of the Navy is scared?" Linlin taunted.
"Hmph! I'll show you," Tsuru grumbled, her face turning red as she hopped onto the Ferris wheel.
"Hold tight, everyone!" the Ferris wheel chanted happily as it secured everyone with vine-like seat belts.
...
Meanwhile, inside a massive wooden cabin on the island, El and a few senior members of the Fallen Angel Pirates gathered. Sally, disguised as "Captain Merkel" for the negotiation, had just returned through Barry's Mirror-Mirror portal.
"Well done, Sally," El greeted her. "How did it go?"
"Flawlessly, El-sama!" Sally replied with a smile. "As per your instructions, we arranged for three separate exchanges to keep the World Government cautious."
"At first, we demanded two Logia, two Mythical Zoans, and three Ancient Zoans. After some back and forth, they agreed to one Logia, one Mythical Zoan, and one Ancient Zoan, plus four other fruits for the first exchange. For the second, they'll provide one Logia, one Ancient Zoan, and five other fruits. The third exchange will include one Mythical Zoan, one Ancient Zoan, and four other fruits."
"Three days from now, in the Sabaody Archipelago, we'll exchange the first hostage."
El nodded, satisfied. "The first two exchanges should be manageable, but for the third, we'll need to be fully prepared. The World Government is unlikely to play fair."
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder