hotmtlnovel Chapter 390: The Sails at the Shore and the Undercurrent
Chapter 390: The Sails at the Shore and the Undercurrent
"Bulu Bulu~"
The Den Den Mushi used for communication trembled slightly in Aokiji's palm, and the simulated voice was deliberately kept gentle, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
"Mr. Sengoku, the mission is accomplished. The Kingdom of Solbe is now under our control. Unfortunately, Bartholomew Kuma escaped using the power of the Meatball Fruit, and there are no remnants of the Revolutionary Army left at the scene."
Kuzan stood at the edge of the melting ice field, his boots rolling over the ice that had not yet melted, making a slight crackling sound.
In the distance, the navy soldiers who were stunned by the domineering color were rubbing their temples and standing up, looking at the scorched earth with confused eyes - they would never know what kind of thrilling collision had taken place on this land.
And all the conversations just now have been sealed in the deepest ice cellar of Kuzan's heart.
"I see." A slow response came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi. The sound of paper shuffling could be faintly heard.
"While it's a shame we couldn't keep Big Bear, defending the territories of the member states is the bottom line." The sound of old knuckles tapping on the table came through the airwaves.
"The World Government is still pushing for the reorganization of the member states' armies. Although most of it has been completed, there's still some trouble in the South China Sea. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make another trip, Kuzan."
Aokiji stood on the ice, the wound on his left shoulder temporarily frozen in place. He gazed at the waking marines in the distance. Although he was already slightly exhausted from this mission for the Solbe Kingdom, he whispered,
"Well, please give me your orders, Mr. Zhan Guo. After all, I'm probably the only one in the South China Sea who can solve the problem you mentioned."
"The target is a police officer from the Taya Kingdom named Huangmu. Although he has been keeping a low profile in the past, the reorganization of the army has finally exposed his information to the Navy." Zhan Guo's voice became solemn.
"Intelligence indicates that the opponent is suspected to be a user of the Nature-Type Forest-Type Fruit. They can create a forest in an instant. Leveraging the sun, they can even survive months or even years without food or water. Their vitality almost surpasses that of an Animal-Type user. Their estimated strength is probably above that of a Lieutenant General.
During the reorganization of the kingdom's army, he refused to obey the order on the grounds that he "needed to protect a woman". The local garrison failed in several negotiations, and as a result, they surrounded the entire royal capital with a sea of trees.
Kuzan, your mission is to resolve the Taya Kingdom's predicament. If possible... no, do everything you can to recruit them into the navy. Every person with abilities of this level is extremely important to the navy!"
. . .
"For a woman?" Aokiji repeated in a low voice, stepped onto the surface of the sea, and boarded the warship with a leap.
Rejecting a world government for a woman? This sounds like an absurd reason, as absurd as what Sakaski would sneer at as "womanly kindness."
But for some reason, when the wind blew from the sea, this absurd idea took root in his mind, and entangled with a figure in his memory along his blood vessels - Dorag.
Wasn't that man, always frowning, like that back then? He chose to ignore the bright path of the navy and plunge into the dark vortex of revolution.
His colleagues at the time all said he was crazy, throwing away his future as an admiral to go against "true justice" for "his own justice." Just like Aramaki now, who dared to disobey the World Government's reorganization order for a woman.
Aokiji looked down at the thin ice forming in his palm, his own face blurred in the reflection. Back then, he'd thought Dragon's rebellion was incomprehensible, but now, even the Five Elders frowned at the mere mention of "Azur Lane." That belief, once considered "unrealistic," had actually taken root in this ocean, growing into a force capable of challenging the World Government.
"Well, no matter what, the mission still needs to be completed. Anyway, let's go and take a look at this guy who might become a colleague."
Aokiji shook his head, throwing his chaotic thoughts into the sea. The mechanical feeling of executing orders in his heart unconsciously faded a little. No matter what, he had to see it with his own eyes - see what kind of guy this man is who dared to challenge the World Government for a woman.
Just like that period of history, the words of the Five Elders alone are not enough to convince me.
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In the new world, Dressrosa, this island that was almost shrouded in shadow, has now been completely revitalized - the bullfighting arena stages exciting fights every day, the sails of the port rise and fall, connecting the trade within the Azure Lane, and the sunflower fields in the palace's inner courtyard are spread out like a golden ocean, and layers of waves of flowers surge up when the wind blows.
Since Doflamingo's conspiracy was "exposed", Dressrosa has become the headquarters of Azur Lane with its strong national strength. The former royal palace has been transformed into the meeting place of the revolutionary army. Under the new governance model, every inch of land here seems to be full of new vitality.
In the palace courtyard, Scarlett stood side by side with Ginny beside a flower field, a gentle smile on her face. She wore a simple linen dress, which shed the royal elegance and gave her a more approachable air.
Violet stood aside, her brown eyes occasionally looking at the sea, her fingertips unconsciously curling the hair around her ears, as if waiting for something.
"...The newly arrived civilians have been settled in the East City District. Kerla is leading people to count the supplies."
Ginny's voice was bright and clear with a hint of subtle concern, and her eyes swept across the sea.
"Even though Kuma's fruit ability makes him no match for Kuzan, he can still escape. But he is a marine admiral after all. If I had known earlier, I would have dragged him away with me even if it meant forcing him to do so."
On the side, Ivankov and several other legion commanders also nodded, with worried expressions on their faces.
"Mr. Big Bear has always been steady and will definitely come back safely." Scarlett said softly to Anwei, but even so, her eyes looking at the sea were a little more anxious.
Just as he finished speaking, a pale white beam of light suddenly flew from far away to near in the sky above the King's Highlands. The pale white halo unique to the meatball fruit lit up, and a bear paw-like mark fell into the sunflower field with a "bang".
A figure with lightning stepped out first, and the scabbard of Butsugumihun shone coldly in the sunlight - it was Yakumo Haku.
The big bear following closely behind breathed a sigh of relief. When its huge body landed on the ground, it brought up a gust of wind, causing the surrounding sunflowers to bend down.
"Ah! It's Kuma-kuma!"
Seeing this, Ginny, who had been worried, rushed over first, while Scarlett suddenly froze in place, her eyes that always contained a smile suddenly widened, filled with incredible surprise.
"Ya...Mr. Yakumo?!"
After a few seconds, surprise flooded her cheeks like a tide. She lifted her skirt and walked quickly through the flower field, trotting to Yakumo Shiro like a butterfly. There was an imperceptible tremor in her voice, full of joy of reunion after a long separation.
"You, how could you..."
"Sister, run slower!" Violet also hurried over, with the same surprise in her eyes, but also mixed with a bit of doubt - with Yakumo Shiro's ability, he could obviously return instantly through the anchor point planted in Dressrosa, but why was he with Kuma?
Seeing this, several other legion commanders gathered around. They nodded to Yakumo Shiro before asking with concern, "Big Bear, is everything going well with Solbe? Are there any injuries? What's the current situation?"
In their understanding, this mission was originally carried out by Nobita alone, and the appearance of Yakumo Shirai was an accident.
"It's Aokiji," Big Bear added in a deep voice, briefly explaining what happened to Solby. "If it weren't for Mr. Yakumo's intervention, I'd have had a hard time escaping unscathed, let alone returning unscathed like I am now."
Ivankov and the others suddenly realized what was going on, and looked at Yakumo Bai with a bit more gratitude and solemnity.
Betty walked up to him directly, opened her arms and gave him a big hug.
"It has to be you, Yakumo-san. Whether on the battlefield or supporting Big Bear this time, you always suit my taste. If you have the chance, come to my house and do it. I guarantee you'll be satisfied~"
The extremely warm hug made Yakumo Bai feel a little helpless for a moment, but she did not resist. After all, there were not many women as capable and generous as Betty.
At this moment, a breeze blew by, and they saw Dorag had appeared in front of everyone at some point. His cloak was still stained with the fishy smell of seafood. It was obvious that he had just returned from patrolling the port. When he saw the scene in the courtyard, a hint of warmth instantly appeared in his deep eyes.
"Looks like we've arrived at the right time." He stepped forward, his eyes moving between Yakumo Shiro and Big Bear before finally settling on Big Bear. "Thank you for your hard work on Solbe's matter, Big Bear."
Big Bear shook his head: "It's what we should do."
Dorag looked at Yakumo Bai again and was about to say thank you, but he saw that Big Bear's face suddenly darkened, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his always calm eyes.
"Drago, there's something I must tell you and everyone immediately." Big Bear's voice deepened, instantly drowning out the laughter in the courtyard. "The Knights of God may soon launch an operation against Azur Lane!"
The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Ginny's smile froze, Lightning instinctively gripped the scissors in her hand, and Dorag's face instantly darkened. He turned and led everyone into the palace behind them, which served as a meeting place.
As Inazuma's general and a key figure in the formation of Azur Lane, Yakumo Haku is naturally qualified to participate in the core planning of the Revolutionary Army.
However, when it comes to the maintenance and development of Azur Lane, Shiro Yakumo did not participate too much. After all, he only provided some ideas and suggestions at best, and the actual implementation was almost entirely done by the Revolutionary Army. Having said that, it did not prevent him from finding a seat by the window to see how the current Revolutionary Army would deal with this sudden crisis.
But of course, Yakumo Shiro will not really stand idly by, because from one aspect, the Revolutionary Army is also his ally, as a force to jointly fight against the World Government, it obviously should not be destroyed.
From another perspective, even if the Knight of God is immortal and can teleport between any two people at the same time regardless of distance, if the opponent comes this time and operates properly, can't he achieve a hunt?
The only thing that aroused Yakumo Bai's curiosity now was who the two guys who came this time were?
And what kind of fruits can you reap?