Chapter 78: Another One Bites the Dust

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Chapter 78: Another One Bites the Dust

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Max came back to his base in Risky Red, he was a little tired. Using <Geppo> to fly all night made his legs ache in pain. Well, normally he could travel like that for days, but he had to travel halfway through the New World to meet Whitebeard and then come back before the sun rose.

Now he was in his simple office in one of the official buildings in Risky Red, Max felt more relaxed. Negan stood guard outside of the door and Raynare had made sure that no one noticed his absence. All of this was done to stop anyone from knowing what had happened. Because while Max had been confident that Whitebeard didn't have any spies on his crew, the same couldn't be said about Max's subordinates. 

There were thousands of marines amongst them and he had already killed off Kaku and Blueno. So the World Government had most likely sent in new spies he didn't know about. Though even if he didn't have any spies in his unit, just one loudmouth would spill the beans. So unless it was Negan or Raynare, no one else knew what he was doing.

Suddenly the door opened and Negan came in, his spiked bat leaned on his shoulder and his body posture slouched. The man looked like the definition of a lazy guard, but as soon as the door closed, his whole demeanor changed. "I just got the news that you will be under Vice Admiral Vergo and G-5. Sengoku definitely doesn't like you. Putting you in that loser place where only violent marines who act more like criminals reside."

Ignoring the irony of his statement, Max nodded. "That was something I already expected."

Though both he and Vergo were Vice Admirals, the latter had been one for longer so there was unspoken seniority between them. So in the New World, Vergo would show him the ropes of how things were done. Yeah, that would be a normal procedure and the one Smoker did during the canon timeline two years from now.

But Max was different, he didn't care about tradition and already knew the World Government didn't like him. So instead, he would use Risky Red, an unpopulated island that sometimes had volcanic eruptions and the temperature would go extremely high during some parts of the year. 

But none of that mattered to Max, as he planned to establish a base here, one that would have Neo Marines amongst them and the World Government would be too busy with Luffy and Enies Lobby to do anything.

He had also created another problem for the World Government, one that should keep the Five Elders worried about bigger fish.

After all, Max wouldn't be seen as a threat in the general gist of things. He didn't exactly have the background, nor the Devil Fruit potential to be dangerous. Someone like Whitebeard had the Devil Fruit potential, and someone like Luffy had the background. Max wasn't someone like them, he would thrive in the background and never reveal himself until the time was right. 

Of course, the enemy wasn't dumb either. And Max saw everyone who wasn't with him as an enemy. It didn't matter whether they were Marine, Pirates, or Revolutionary. If they got in his way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, then they needed to be destroyed. 

He didn't hate them, after all, hating someone meant that you were willing to do anything to take them down. That would usually lead to irresponsible actions which have disastrous consequences. 

"Tell them that we don't give a shìt about Vergo, or the G-5 bastards. None of them are worth our time." Max clarified, making Negan smile widely. But then he looked up and reminded him. "Word that better though so it doesn't come off as us dismissing them without consideration. We are here to do our thing, not waste any more time following someone else."

Also, Vergo was a spy, so Max wouldn't cooperate with him on anything. He wouldn't want to fall into one of Doflamingo's traps, especially since they had fought before and the men didn't have a good relationship with each other. Since Max took over Jaya Island, a place that was unofficially under Doffy. It was also used as a weapon's storage in Paradise, that was something that he learned after taking over.

'Doflamingo, he must be killed soon, preferably before the Time Skip. After two years, he will have undoubtedly prepared something that would be dangerous to me. So he must be taken care of now, I just needed a good opportunity to get rid of him.' - Max contemplated, knowing that while Doflamingo was dangerous as an opponent. The man's connections made him even more troublesome. 

Who knew when the World Government would be fully on board to get rid of him once and for all. So Max had to be careful on all sides here, no matter what, he must appear to have no weakness. Because as soon as a nick in his armor became apparent, then he would be killed. Thankfully though, he had Sharlia on the inside and she had been quite useful recently.

Max took out a  newspaper from his drawer and read it with a nostalgic smile. On the fort of the page was Sharlia waving at a group of people who consisted of an impoverished nation. It used to have a corrupt leader, so as she went there to visit, the World Government took over due to 'cruel' practices by the King. Of course, the people accepted due to Sharlia's kindness and how she had brought shipments of food to them. Her whole demeanor had changed, Max's lessons had sunk into her. 

Negan came and looked at the newspaper. "Oh? It's that World Noble girl... Shala."

"Sharlia," Max corrected him. "She was someone who used to be quite arrogant when we met-"

"Then you turned her smarter and more like you, right?" Negan interrupted, a knowing smirk adorned his face. "People don't usually notice it, but anyone who stays too close to you will turn into a version of yourself," he frowned after saying that and copped his chin. "No… that doesn't sound right, it's more like the parts about them that you don't like change and become more suitable for you. Essentially they become better versions of themselves. Ones that suit your needs."

"Is that so?" Max inquired with an intriged but gentle smile on his face.

He knew that Negan would say it how it was and never sugarcoat things. So he didn't refute the man's behavior.

"Yeah, even when one pays attention they don't notice the process. But when you look at it from how they used to be and how they end up. Well, the difference becomes uncanny." Nagan explained, though by the way, his words came out, even he seemed still a little confused by the prospect.

"You are frighteningly observant sometimes," he joked while fiddling around with a pen. "But that isn't exactly what I do, after all, the kinds of people I hate the most are those like myself. If I meet someone like me, there will be nothing that would stop me from killing them."

Negan looked at Max and felt an uncomfortable feeling rise up his spine. "Yeah, I agree on that, people like you are way too scary."

*sigh* "That's the thing though, people like me are easily made. There are probably thousands of people like me out there," in his last world he would even say millions of people like him existed.

Society will always be a place that breeds excellence. Usually, the ones with a cold heart and calm mind had it easier to rise up the ladder.

Most people didn't turn how they did because they wanted to. Even criminals didn't usually want to be criminals, most of them were so due to circumstances that they couldn't control. 

To Max, life was like a bitch, you always have to be in charge of it, or one day you will wake up and find that she has ruined your future prospects. Some mistakes cannot be recovered from, and words can't be taken back once spoken.

*purupurupuru*

Suddenly a transponder snail rang out and Max pulled it out of his suit's jacket. 

*catcha*

"Monkey D. Luffy has destroyed Enies Lobby. Any Marine or World Government Agent who gets sight of him has been ordered to aim for extermination," a machine-like voice came from the other side. 

He smirked at this. "Negan, call everyone, and let's get ready. Now is the time to move!"

Max had now seen the perfect chance to act and let everyone be initially concerned with Luffy. "Let's rock this world a little."

Negan's body subconsciously reacted to the news, his teeth clattered and his fingers twitched. Small gaps of electricity also came out. "Hell yeah!! No more listening to your philosophical bullshìt!"

"What?! I thought you liked those talks!" Max yelled back with a hurt look on his face.

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A/N: I don't know if you noticed, but every time Max is bored he guides someone else into a philosophical conversation to cure his boredom.