Chapter 127: Set Sail

After the founding of Whole Cake Island, many forces were very surprised by the unexpected outcome.

Previously, everyone assumed Luo Ning would either become Big Mom's son-in-law or directly overthrow the entire Big Mom Pirates. No one anticipated Katakuri being left behind to establish a nation.

Furthermore, with Luo Ning's protection, Katakuri and the others withdrew from the ranks of pirates, solidifying Whole Cake Island's status as a real country. Essentially, Luo Ning dismantled a Yonko pirate crew without causing excessive disruption to the New World's balance.

Most importantly, the ordinary people protected by Big Mom remained unaffected by this event.

***

"One must say, Mr. Luo Ning is impressive! To stabilize the situation while eradicating a Yonko force, this is undoubtedly the best possible outcome!" On the side of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon was highly impressed while looking at the newspaper reports. Their army has been dedicated to revolution, overthrowing the rule of nobles and "liberating the civilians."

However, to be honest, it's very difficult to manage. Their focus is more on fighting. While some countries have been liberated, the situation has also been destabilized. Although everything is moving in a positive direction, recovery will take time.

To put it bluntly, their approach is "break everything before you can build anything." While destroying the past is necessary for rebuilding, restoring everything to its original level takes a significant amount of time.

Luo Ning's operation, on the other hand, eliminated the old regime of the Big Mom Pirates without disrupting existing structures and has been stabilizing the situation. This is no small feat, considering it involved a Yonko power. It's important to remember that while there are many kings in the world, many are like Doflamingo of Dressrosa, ruling over just a small island, essentially a city.

The scale of Dressrosa is completely different from Alabasta. They aren't even comparable.

While many kings have territories, they are nowhere near the size of a Yonko's domain. After all, Yonko are Sea Emperors for a reason. Their title holds significant weight.

"It certainly is impressive, the entire territory of a Yonko! But we have our own strengths too. After all, our reach extends much farther than his."

Belo Betty said with a smile. As a user of the Pump Pump Fruit, her ability is crucial to the revolution. It essentially provides a group buff.

While she admires Luo Ning's operations, it's not the time to rest on their laurels. Due to his actions, the Revolutionary Army's progress has been significantly accelerated.

This rapid progress has naturally impacted their original plans, resulting in some staffing shortages. To put it bluntly, the Revolutionary Army's weakness lies in manpower and economic resources.

They aren't like Luo Ning, who can unscrupulously create all sorts of rare treasures to exchange for money.

Luo Ning has never directly created money. He creates valuable treasures instead. These are more than enough for Impel Down's needs, and their consumption rate isn't that high.

This approach is far superior to Tesoro's. Tesoro used his powers to gradually develop his wealth to its current level. In fact, there was a large-scale outflow of gold from his hands. Fortunately, he eventually discovered a way to generate wealth.

Otherwise, the value of gold in the sea would likely be much lower now.

The truth is, the real wealth lies within this sea. Countless riches have been sunk here over the years, but unfortunately, no one can salvage it all.

Because the Revolutionary Army operates in secrecy, it lacks significant public income. This has always been a major flaw for them. Now that an opportunity for expansion has arisen, they're unable to fully capitalize on it.

The Revolutionary Army is currently very busy.

"Alright, let's move on from this topic. We have a lot to do!"

After Dragon finished speaking, Belo Betty nodded in agreement, and they set off again.

Sabo, on the other hand, remained on Baltigo. The island has always required at least one person in charge, and that responsibility now falls to him.

Sabo's intelligence remains exceptional, which is why he holds the position of second-in-command.

It can be said that these three brothers are no ordinary men, each possessing incredible talents.

***

On the Marines' side, Akainu's face was etched with frustration. They had anticipated opportunities to enter the New World this time, but Morgans' newspaper report shattered their plans entirely.

There was no chance for them to intervene. Turmoil would have been their opportunity, but Luo Ning's involvement ensured complete stability. The death of Big Mom and the lack of subsequent conflict surprised everyone.

As a result, the Marines returned empty-handed this time, leaving Akainu feeling particularly depressed. He felt like he was dying before he could even retire. He had mobilized such a large force with the intention of accomplishing something significant, but everything fell apart before it even began. No wonder he was feeling down. As for the others, they were mere spectators in this entire situation.

Tsuru couldn't argue with the situation either. She had tried to dissuade Akainu from acting rashly, but his impulsive nature proved difficult to restrain. This, of course, led to the current predicament.

Akainu's actions were also exposed by Morgans, turning the Marines into a laughingstock for many seafaring forces. Instead of gaining an advantage, they lost face. Akainu received a scolding from the Five Elders, further deepening his depression.

Garp and Sengoku, upon learning of Akainu's situation, erupted in laughter. These two old timers no longer had to worry about the Marines' future, considering Sengoku had maintained the position for ten grueling years.

Sengoku, after retiring, became even worse than Garp, unburdened by responsibility and finally experiencing the carefree life Garp had been living. In this regard, Tsuru felt utterly helpless – these two were truly beyond saving.

***

Luo Ning, however, remained unconcerned. After stabilizing Whole Cake Island and enjoying some leisure time there, they set sail once more.

Luo Ning's next target is Whitebeard. While capturing or killing him isn't the goal, gaining combat experience from him certainly is. After all, his primary objective for this trip is experience.

However, Luo Ning has also encountered an old acquaintance - someone he met back in East Blue: Fire Fist Ace.

Ace's arrival in the New World isn't particularly surprising. As a user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, he has few opponents on the Grand Line.