Chapter 98: The Deal with Charlotte Linlin

"Mommy, of course! Do you want a Homie? I can make you a high-quality Homie for free, as long as you help me with one thing."

Upon hearing Li Yuan's inquiry, Charlotte Linlin's eyes lit up with excitement, as if she wanted to consume him.

"I refuse your request."

"I can make a deal with you. You use the materials I provide to create a high-quality Homie, and in exchange, I can give you a Devil Fruit—the Paramecia-type, Flavor-Flavor Fruit. How does that sound?"

Li Yuan knew exactly what Linlin meant by "help," so he immediately rejected her proposal.

"Flavor-Flavor Fruit?"

Upon hearing the name of the Devil Fruit, Linlin's eyes sparkled. She had a particular fondness for fruits related to food.

"What materials are you talking about?"

But upon hearing about the materials, she didn't immediately agree and instead asked for more details.

"A massive stone, roughly the size of half of my ship, that can increase the surrounding gravity by 15 times."

Li Yuan described the gravity stone.

"Mommy, mommy! Creating a Homie from such material will require a significant amount of my energy."

Charlotte Linlin responded.

"Just tell me whether you'll make this deal or not."

"If not, I can always ask Shiki to help me move that gravity stone myself."

Li Yuan shot Linlin a sideways glance. It was clear she still had her sights set on him. If she continued to make unreasonable demands, he wouldn't proceed with the deal.

"Mommy, mommy, don't be impatient! I'll agree to the deal."

"But it has to wait until I have the time; Rocks has called all of us officers back recently."

Seeing that she wouldn't get her way with Li Yuan, Charlotte Linlin decided to accept the deal for now, ensuring she secured the Devil Fruit before it could fall into Shiki's hands.

"Alright, once things settle down with the Rocks Pirates, I'll take you to the gravity stone. I can't just bring it to you."

Li Yuan replied.

"Mommy, mommy, it's settled then!"

Although she didn't get what she initially wanted, securing the Devil Fruit made Charlotte Linlin quite happy.

Li Yuan didn't want to linger with her any longer. After reaching a verbal agreement, he walked away.

"Damn it!!!!"

Not far from him, Li Yuan, with his keen senses, naturally overheard Charlotte Linlin's words.

Suppressing the urge to strike her down, he quickly left the area, fearing he might lose control of the Seven Star Sword within him.

Fortunately, he had grown quickly; otherwise, he might have been taken advantage of by this woman!

Within a few days, all the officers returned to Hive Island, and Rocks convened a meeting with them.

"We, the Rocks Pirates, can be said to be the overlords of the New World, but we are not the absolute rulers, as the Navy still has seven forts in the front of the New World!"

"I've gathered you here to destroy all the Navy forts!"

"This time, not just the Rocks Pirates will participate. I will call on all the pirates in the New World to join this war to completely obliterate the Navy forts!"

"We will drive the Navy out of the New World completely and turn it into our pirate paradise!!"

"Gahahaha!!!"

Rocks' manic and magnetic voice ignited the passion of most officers present, stirring their blood!

"Gahahaha, Captain, let's do it! Let's kill all those Navy scum!!"

"Yohoho! The Navy always obstructs my treasure hunts! This time, we'll plunder the Navy's riches!"

"Mommy, mommy, let the Navy die!"

"…"

They were all pirates, and pirates were inherently opposed to the Navy. Before Rocks' rise, the Navy had always kept pirates underfoot.

Many of the officers present had been pursued by the Navy to varying degrees in the past.

Thus, hearing Rocks speak of driving the Navy out of the New World resonated deeply with them, as it was a significant goal for them as pirates!

"Rocks is indeed impressive!" 

Hearing Rocks' decision, Li Yuan felt invigorated.

"Captain, if our Rocks Pirates go against the Navy, we can achieve a hundred percent victory. But let's not forget, the World Government stands behind the Navy."

While everyone was filled with excitement, Li Yuan's voice interrupted their enthusiasm.

"What do you want to say, Li Yuan?"

Rocks glared at Li Yuan, clearly displeased with the disruption to the atmosphere.

"The World Government and Navy are well aware of our upper echelons. They will definitely dispatch corresponding powerful figures to stop us."

"If we want to destroy all the Navy's forts in the New World, we cannot afford to delay. We must resolve this quickly."

"The longer we wait, the more unfavorable it will be for us, the Rocks Pirates."

"Therefore, we need to add some unexpected powers that neither the Navy nor the World Government would anticipate."

Facing Rocks' inquiry, Li Yuan spoke calmly.

"Oh? Additional powers? Tell me your thoughts!"

Upon hearing Li Yuan's suggestion, Rocks became intrigued. The Rocks Pirates had reached a bottleneck in their development.

That was also why Rocks had initiated this war; he wanted to eliminate the weak and filter out the strong, allowing the Rocks Pirates to grow stronger through the crucible of war.

Hearing that Li Yuan believed the Rocks Pirates could still gain additional strength piqued Rocks' interest.

"The Rocks Pirates previously had two officers captured by the Navy and imprisoned in Impel Down."

"Impel Down is where the most notorious pirates and criminals are held."

"If we make a big show of attacking the Navy's forts, the troop movements and travel time will take at least seven days."

"During that time, we can launch an aerial assault on Impel Down to rescue those willing to join us. This will bolster the strength of the Rocks Pirates."

"We can release those who refuse to submit, allowing them to return to the seas and draw some of the Navy and World Government's forces away from us."

"Captain, what do you think of my proposal?"

Li Yuan said with a smile.

However, as the various officers looked at Li Yuan's smiling face, they couldn't shake off a sense of unease.

Li Yuan had always projected an innocent, aloof demeanor.

Yet deep down, he was a ruthless killer.

Now, many officers quietly added the label "cunning" to their impressions of Li Yuan.

"Gahahaha! Li Yuan, your proposal is brilliant!"

"Brandon and Leondona were caught by the Navy in an ambush. As their captain, it's my duty to rescue them!"

Hearing Li Yuan's suggestion, Rocks' eyes sparkled with excitement.

If this plan succeeded, the Rocks Pirates could gain at least two more officer-level powers.

Moreover, the inclusion of numerous notorious pirates would significantly boost the Rocks Pirates' strength in a short time!

Additionally, this would strike a blow to the Navy and World Government's reputation, as Impel Down, known as an impregnable fortress for over a century, would be breached by the Rocks Pirates.

For the Rocks Pirates, this would be a monumental achievement.

When officers reached Rocks' level, they were no longer solely focused on enhancing their strength; they also prioritized reputation, as it would attract more pirates to join them!

"Time is of the essence; gather all pirates immediately and head to the front of the New World to attack the Navy forts!"

"Shiki, Whitebeard, Wald, and Li Yuan, you four will accompany me to assault Impel Down!!"

Rocks decisively determined the strategy moving forward.

"Li Yuan, how did you come up with such a useful suggestion?" 

After the meeting ended, Shiki remarked with dissatisfaction.

He felt that Li Yuan should share the same sentiments as him, being dissatisfied with Rocks' rule and wanting to break away from the Rocks Pirates.

Yet, the opinion Li Yuan proposed would greatly strengthen the Rocks Pirates, and the two officers he had suggested rescuing, like John, were not aligned with Shiki and the others.

It seemed as though Li Yuan was digging a pit for his side!

"Shiki, you need to broaden your perspective. Don't you want to understand just how powerful the World Government is behind the Navy?"

"This is an opportunity. If we, the Rocks Pirates, cannot achieve absolute victory over the Navy, how can we discover how much strength the World Government is hiding?"

Li Yuan calmly responded.

"The World Government?"

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Shiki began to understand.

At their level, they no longer viewed issues superficially or solely focused on the present.

Shiki's ambitions mirrored those of Rocks; they both sought to dominate the world, with the Navy standing as a major obstacle, and the World Government lurking behind it.

If he wanted to conquer the world, he needed to contend not only with the Navy but also with the World Government that supported them.

However, he was completely unaware of the World Government's strength, which was a dangerous signal.

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