Chapter 243: Bargaining Chips
As soon as this warship appeared on the horizon, the patrol boats of the Whitebeard Pirates had already spotted them and quickly reported the matter to Whitebeard.
Thus, when the warship arrived at the port, the strongest lineup of the entire Whitebeard Pirates was there to greet them.
Looking around, every figure in sight was a renowned name from the Whitebeard Pirates, causing the legs of the ordinary soldiers on the warship to tremble uncontrollably.
Only the group of masked individuals, upon reaching the port, calmly boarded the Moby Dick.
On the deck, Whitebeard Edward Newgate sat in his massive, exclusive throne, his captain’s coat open across his chest, squinting disdainfully at the group.
“A pleasure to meet you!” The leading man, wearing a feathered mask and a black suit, stepped onto the ship and approached Whitebeard, speaking in an odd, falsetto voice: “Edward Newgate!...”
However, before he could finish his sentence, countless weapons around them were already aimed at them.
Jozu, though usually quiet, now sneered with a grim face: “Quite the nerve, daring to utter the Old Man’s name directly!”
Surrounded by so many weapons, with everyone glaring at them like predators, it seemed a single wrong word could lead to them being torn apart. Yet the feathered-mask man remained unfazed, merely spreading his hands and saying: “Is this how the Whitebeard Pirates treat their guests?”
Whitebeard rested his chin on one hand, looking down at them from above: “Skulking rats hiding their heads and tails, not even daring to show your faces—what kind of guests are you?”
“Our apologies, but we are CPO, so we cannot reveal our true identities!” the feathered-mask man said.
Ian, standing right beside Whitebeard, felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing these guys reveal their affiliation.
The World Government’s direct secret intelligence agency, the organization’s full name is Cipher Pol 1, abbreviated as CP! This organization is no secret around the world. According to the World Government’s classification, there are eight publicly known direct secret intelligence agencies: CP1 to CP8. These eight intelligence agencies operate globally, collecting various intelligence for the World Government and wielding immense power.
Above these eight agencies lies CPO, known as the World Government’s direct highest secret intelligence agency, nominally the leader of CP1 to CP8. The difference is that CP1 to CP8 are primarily responsible to the World Government, while CPO directly serves the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
These are the nine publicly known intelligence agencies. There is also a more secretive one, little known to most: CP9, whose responsibilities differ—they mainly handle the covert assassination of Revolutionary Army officers.
A total of ten intelligence agencies—this is the dark force of the World Government, the justice of the shadows.
When Ian saw this group of CPO board the ship, their attire immediately made him suspect they were CP agents. However, he wasn’t sure which division they belonged to. So when they announced their designation, Ian was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected this.
Whitebeard, it seemed, was also familiar with CP, so he couldn’t help but ask with some confusion, his tone cold: “Why are you the ones here? Have all the senior officials of the World Government died off?”
“Senior government officials cannot appear for this negotiation!” the feathered-mask man said. “Because the World Government does not conduct transactions with pirates!”
Whitebeard was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught on and burst into loud laughter.
He wasn’t the only one. The sharper minds on the ship picked up on the hidden meaning in the feathered-mask man’s words and joined Whitebeard in laughing. The slower ones, seeing others laughing, followed suit.
The entire crew of the Moby Dick was laughing, some even wiping tears from their eyes. Yet the CPO members remained unmoved, standing straight, their expressions beneath the masks unknown—likely still cold and indifferent.
Once the laughter finally subsided, Whitebeard spoke: “How amusing. But it’s understandable—they always need a hypocritical mask to deceive the world, don’t they? Just like the masks you’re wearing now...”
This remark nearly made Ian and Marco laugh again. Only Fujitora, leaning on his staff sword while sitting in a nearby chair, shook his head in disappointment.
“Alright, since the World Government doesn’t deal with pirates, who are you representing?” Whitebeard asked, glaring at them.
“We are here on the orders of the World Nobles!” the feathered-mask man said to Whitebeard. “After all, for the Whitebeard Pirates, the identity of the trading partner doesn’t matter—as long as you get the benefits, right?”
When the CPO mentioned the World Nobles, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates couldn’t help but glance at Ian. Even Whitebeard and Marco did the same—they knew the background of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Though Ian remained expressionless under their gaze, a sense of realization dawned on him.
He finally understood why CPO had been sent. It seemed their mission was to resolve two issues at once: one was the Whitebeard Pirates, and the other was Ian’s Dragon Hunter Pirates.
So, negotiations were finally about to begin? Ian thought, staying silent and just listening.
Whitebeard grabbed a barrel of sake, tilted his head back, and chugged a large gulp. Wiping the liquor from his lips, he squinted and asked: “Alright, let’s hear it!”
“In light of this conflict, we are willing to offer 5 billion Berries in compensation!” the feathered-mask man said, holding up one hand. “The condition is that the Whitebeard Pirates and all affiliated crews withdraw and cease any attacks on Marine or World Government bases and facilities.”
Hearing the condition, Ian immediately understood why the World Government and the Marines were so wary of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Though the Marines’ influence in the New World was relatively weak, they still had numerous bases and research facilities. These installations couldn’t be heavily guarded everywhere. The unique geography and climate of this world allowed the Whitebeard Pirates, as pirates, to move freely. They could strike any base or facility they knew of, causing incalculable losses to the Marines and the World Government.
It was like guerrilla forces versus a regular army—under unique geographical conditions, guerrillas could still beat the regular army to a pulp...
As far as Ian knew, many of the Marines’ and World Government’s secret research institutions in the New World housed not only Vegapunk but also numerous scientists. These were vital technological assets that couldn’t be compromised.
Thus, to avoid Whitebeard’s wrath leading to widespread destruction, the World Government had to compromise and send representatives to negotiate.
However, throughout the CPO’s proposal, there was no mention of the Salamis Duchy. Though everyone knew the compensation would ultimately end up in the hands of the Salamis Duchy, the CPO deliberately avoided mentioning it, focusing only on negotiations with the Whitebeard Pirates.
This made Ian wonder: how many non-member nations like Salamis, despised by the World Government, were there?
No wonder there was a saying in the New World: either join an Emperor’s crew or be destroyed. Even nations faced this fate, let alone pirate crews...
“5 billion Berries?” Whitebeard scoffed at the amount, then abruptly straightened up, glaring at the masked man. “Forget it. I don’t want this money. Let’s just have a good fight!”
“Whoo! Let’s fight!”
The Whitebeard Pirates’ members erupted in cheers, echoing their captain.
Even Ian was impressed by Whitebeard’s bold declaration. Damn, this Old Man was too domineering. He didn’t even haggle over the compensation amount—he just outright rejected 5 billion Berries, looking ready to flip the table immediately.
Ian knew this was Whitebeard’s negotiation tactic, but no one else could pull it off...
Because he was Whitebeard!
Sure enough, the feathered-mask man was startled and quickly waved his hands: “Wait, wait! Let’s talk this out! 20 billion Berries at most! That’s the World Government’s bottom line!”
With a single sentence, Whitebeard had forced out their trump card—extremely effective.
Hearing this figure, Whitebeard paused his actions and sat back down in his chair.