Chapter 142: Sengoku Plan!
After a full day of instruction from Leo, Enel, a seasoned native of the pirate world, finally mastered the operation of the trading system.
At Leo's request, Enel also learned how to recommend products and props to others. However, considering Enel's naturally arrogant character, Leo decided against assigning Miss Joy to the Pokémon Center this time. The thought of the lovely Miss Joys having to endure Enel's bratty personality pained his heart.
To ensure the Pokémon Center could operate smoothly in his absence, Leo retrieved a batch of experienced Rotom electrical appliances from the system and installed them throughout the center. He then integrated a highly capable Rotom into the main control system of the Celestial Gym.
Even though the absence of Miss Joy and Geely Egg made the Pokémon Center feel a bit strange, the compatibility between these Rotoms and Enel turned out to be unexpectedly high. Enel, with his thunder and lightning abilities, attracted the electric Pokémon, and his immense power reserve made him appear like a nurturer to them. This immediately won him the favor of all the Rotoms, who quickly reached the maximum level of affection for him.
Seeing this, Leo smiled in relief and prepared to leave the sky island, moving on to the next stage of his journey!
...
As Leo, whom Enel greatly admired, turned into a meteor and disappeared into the sky, Enel stood at the edge of Celestial Sky Island, refusing to look away. Having returned to a physical age of 18, he was now brimming with energy. Who would have thought that just a few days ago, Enel was arrogant and narrow-minded, like a frog in a well, and now he was being appreciated by a [True God].
Although his status had suddenly changed from the God of Sky Island to a trainee assistant, his social standing had improved significantly. "Celestial Gym..." Enel turned around and gazed at the Poké Ball logo adorned with a thunder pattern, a determined smile slowly spreading across his face. He vowed to manage the Celestial Gym well and never let Leo down!
"God Rotom!" Enel suddenly called out into the void.
"I'm here!" A disembodied voice answered from above Celestial Island.
Enel smirked and commanded the God Rotom as its master, "Let's go to the White Sea!"
"Yes!" God Rotom responded, and the island floating in the sky began to descend, moving toward the White Sea below.
Enel, having witnessed countless worlds and broadened his horizons, no longer held any attachment to his original land. But despite this, Enel, now a dimensional merchant's assistant, intended to extract every last bit of value from this place! He had not forgotten that at the edge of the White Sea, beyond the range of his Observation Haki investigation, a group of Shandia still toiled to reclaim their sanctuary.
Though he no longer needed this land, he saw an opportunity to stir conflict between the Shandia and the original priests of Sky Island. The relationship between the Sky Islanders and Shandia was akin to that of Americans and Native Americans on Earth. Although the land once belonged to the Shandia, the Sky Islanders now saw themselves as the rightful owners. Following Leo's teachings, Enel understood that demand was essential for there to be a market.
Enel decided to abdicate his position as the God of Sky Island to the former god, Gan Fall. Without Enel's erratic tendencies to destroy Sky Island in later years, the Sky Islanders would never permit the Shandia to access their sacred ground!
This would create two opposing forces on the sky island, and Enel could capitalize on this by selling Pokémon to both the Skylanders and Shandorians! Although his plan was still in its infancy, Enel believed that by sparking the trading desire among the Sky Islanders, he would undoubtedly become a qualified dimensional merchant (assistant)!
——
[Ding! The Celestial Gym has officially opened and is now open to all trainers.]
[From today, trainers in the Grand Line region can apply for transactions directly with the Celestial Gym owner and can train at the Celestial Gym.]
[For more information, please click below to view the text version of the details.]
This day was yet another exciting day for all traders! Less than a month after the battle area opened, the dimensional merchant had introduced a new concept and established a gym where people could train! While this news did not incite as much discussion across the seas as previous announcements, some astute individuals quickly understood the significance of the gym after purchasing the details from the Pokémon Center.
As a result, their attention immediately shifted from the battle area to the Celestial Gym. After all, challenging gyms and earning gym badges was a core theme of the Pokémon world!
Of course, many people remained puzzled after seeing the news. They only knew that there was now another entity in the Grand Line capable of conducting dimensional transactions. For those who had not yet participated in any transactions, the chances of encountering a dimensional merchant seemed to have doubled.
But everything appeared to be heading in the right direction.
...
The news of the Celestial Gym's establishment indeed stirred the hearts of many. However, since the Celestial Gym did not have a fixed location like the battle area, many people eventually forgot about it. Only a few truly influential individuals prioritized exploring the newly appeared Celestial Gym.
On this particular day, in a towering building near the Holy Land Mariejois on the Red Line, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the top floor.
"What!? The Goa Kingdom has been occupied by the Revolutionary Army!?"
Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's army, glared furiously at the den-den mushi in front of him and bellowed:
"It has been almost a month since strange events began in the Goa Kingdom. Why are you only now discovering this anomaly!?"
A face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Navy Marshal Sengoku's appeared on the den-den mushi, his forehead wrinkled as he questioned:
"You should ask the World Government why someone bypassed the Navy Headquarters and issued a direct order to Navy Captain Smoker to cancel his mission and investigate the Goa Kingdom!"
"If it weren't for that guy Garp claiming he never saw Smoker in Alabasta, I would have assumed he had already reached the Kingdom of Alabasta!"
"What!?" Kong was momentarily taken aback by Sengoku's query but quickly realized something. His eyes widened in alarm as he asked the den-den mushi, "Why did you send Garp to Alabasta?"
"Could it be... that bastard also became a trainer!!?"
"Uh..." The expression on the den-den mushi momentarily froze. Apparently, on the other end of the line, Sengoku realized he had inadvertently revealed more than he intended.
He quickly interrupted, "Commander in Chief Kong, let's get back to the issue of the Kingdom of Goa!"
"According to intelligence gathered by the East Blue Sea Navy, Smoker is likely still in the hands of the Revolutionary Army," Sengoku continued. "Smoker is a Logia Devil Fruit user with an excellent background and a stellar track record. He is also fiercely loyal to the Navy. We must rescue him!"
"If the other admirals find out that a character like Smoker has been captured by the enemy without any rescue attempts, it will surely dampen their spirits," Sengoku sighed, expressing his concern.
"..." Kong fell silent. It dawned on him why Sengoku had suddenly reached out—this old fox was here to request troops!
Although Sengoku commanded the Navy and held a prestigious position, the Navy's primary role was to combat pirates and maintain order at sea. Handling political issues like the Revolutionary Army typically fell under the jurisdiction of Commander-in-Chief Kong himself. Thus, Sengoku's request for troops was understandable.
However, everyone knew that the Navy was the most powerful military force under the World Government. Even if Kong dispatched more troops, could he really spare any Admiral-level figures to the Navy? It was clear that Sengoku's intent was to signal to the World Government: "I'm preparing to lead troops into battle! Hurry up and provide some bonuses to show your support!"
In essence, Sengoku was asking for military funding from Kong. Kong had already heard about the Five Elders' refusal to allocate additional funds for the Navy's dimensional transactions. At this moment, he suspected that Sengoku had been aware of the situation in the Goa Kingdom for some time, waiting for the dimensional merchants to cause a stir so he could use this as an opportunity to bypass the Five Elders and directly request funds from him.
Nevertheless, the matter concerned the Revolutionary Army, and as the Commander-in-Chief, Kong could not ignore it. Moreover, the Five Elders' distrust of the Navy also made Kong, a former Navy Fleet Admiral, feel uneasy.
After a moment of contemplation, Kong addressed the den-den mushi, "In these troubled times, other armies are performing their duties and cannot be deployed. I will authorize a transfer of 2 billion Beli from the military budget for this expedition to the Kingdom of Goa."
"2 billion?" A dissatisfied tone echoed from the phone, "I've heard that the Revolutionary Army in the Goa Kingdom has seized all the kingdom's funds and struck a deal with a dimensional merchant to purchase a powerful Pokémon. By the way, Commander-in-Chief Kong, are you aware of Pokémon? It's the magical creature that recently defeated Akainu with ease. A military budget of 2 billion Beli might not suffice for the Navy to rescue Smoker..."
Sengoku was essentially conveying: "It's hard for me to get things done with such limited funds."
*Click!*
A powerful force suddenly struck the handle of Kong's chair. "This cunning fox, Sengoku, is scheming against me!" Kong snorted angrily and then bitterly responded to the den-den mushi, "The most I can authorize is 5 billion Beli!"
To prevent Sengoku from continuing to press the issue, Kong quickly added in an indifferent tone, "I have already provided this year's military budget at the beginning of the year! Technically, this additional expense shouldn't be allocated, but considering the current chaos in the world, I hope you can make the most of this budget and resolve the issues in the Kingdom of Goa as soon as possible."
"Understood!" *Snap!* The den-den mushi was firmly placed down.
Kong sat quietly in his office, his gaze wandering. He silently pondered, "With only 5 billion Beli, the Five Elders likely won't notice anything. It just so happens that the new batch of CP training camp plans has just started, so we'll deduct the 5 billion Beli from there."
It was evident that the actions of the Five Elders had not only chilled Sengoku's heart but had also frustrated Kong. However, given his position, he had little choice but to comply.
"Alas..." A long sigh echoed through the office.
---
Meanwhile, Sengoku, having put down the phone, looked somewhat relieved. He glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was sipping hot tea across the desk, and said slowly, "It seems Commander-in-Chief Kong hasn't completely forgotten about us."
"I'll leave the next steps to you, Tsuru."
"Yes," Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded slightly and replied, "With the 5 billion Beli supported by Commander-in-Chief Kong, we can probably raise around 20 billion Beli now. It's time for Aokiji to contact the dimensional merchants."
"As for the Kingdom of Goa, let Akainu and his team handle it. Given their stance toward the World Government, they'll be eager to participate in the suppression of the Revolutionary Army."
"..."
After Tsuru spoke, the office fell silent. After a long pause, Sengoku finally let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh... I really don't know if our current approach is the right one. I never expected that the Shichibukai, a concept I proposed, would end up recruiting cadres from the Revolutionary Army..."
Reflecting on this, Sengoku shook his head in disappointment. His thoughts drifted to a private meeting he had with the newly promoted Shichibukai, Bartholomew Kuma. If not for Kuma's information, Sengoku might still be unaware that Smoker was intercepted by the World Government and redirected to the Kingdom of Goa. Furthermore, it would have been impossible for him to know that the Revolutionary Army had occupied the Kingdom of Goa.
Colonel Smoker was also captured by the revolutionary army.
Whatever Garp didn't discover, it was actually all fake.
That playful guy has long been enjoying himself in the battle area, so you think he still has the mood to care about Smoker?
The reason why Sengoku brought up Garp was actually to make Kong lose face.
After all, among the three of them, Garp and Sora had the best relationship.
The bear who suddenly revealed his identity was obviously well prepared.
That night, he communicated with the Commander-in-Chief for a long time.
...
...
Time flies by.
The navy quickly formed a powerful fleet, ten times larger than the Demon-Slaying Order!
Because this time, the navy actually dispatched an admiral directly.
This shows how strong the navy is in suppressing bandits!
Of course, it is impossible for the World Government to be unaware of such a big matter.
In order to win this battle, the World Government also sent a high-ranking official to supervise the battle...
Spandine.
The former CP9 chief has now officially entered the top ranks of the world government. He can be said to be one of the most powerful groups of people under the Five Old Stars!
In order to attack the revolutionary army and conquer the Kingdom of Goa, the World Government specially sent him, who had cooperated with Akainu, in the hope that the revolutionary army could be wiped out and no more mistakes would occur.
After all, the navy is notoriously unreliable among the World Government.
In the first case, Garp ignored the orders of the Celestial Dragons, and in the second case, Aokiji let go of Nico Robin.
There are some things that the World Government has not made public due to the identities of Garp and others.
But that doesn't mean the world government is unaware.
With Aokiji's ability to instantly kill a fellow Vice Admiral, how could he accidentally let go of a little girl!
Not everyone in the navy is blind. Who can see the wide ice road between the islands and not know what is going on?
It's just to give each other face, and everyone knows it.
That's all.
A huge fleet sailed toward the East Blue Sea without any confidentiality measures.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the navy's unobstructed action demonstrates the navy's confidence and strength.
But in the eyes of the four emperors...
...
...
New World Sea, on the Moby Dick.
"Dad, the navy ran to the windless zone so arrogantly, should we ambush them?"
"Huh?"
Whitebeard, who was in the process of infusion, wiped the wine from his beard and couldn't help but laugh:
"Gurararara, let's forget it!"
"Let other young people participate in such an interesting thing."
…
…
New world, a certain island.
Beckman looked at the newspaper in his hand with a puzzled expression: "Shanks, what does the Navy mean? Why don't I understand it?"
"This..."
The red-haired man also frowned.
"To tell you the truth, I can't understand it either."
...
...
Wano Country.
Kaido: "Worororororo! Akainu actually ran out of the navy headquarters!"
"I can put my death plan on the agenda again!!!"
...
...
Totto Land.
Big Mom: "Hungry!!!"
"Where's my food!!!"
(End of this chapter)