Chapter 371: Gaji's Decision
After Ian's fleet set sail and departed, a distortion suddenly appeared in the light above the sea surface near the battle site. Then, a figure gradually materialized out of thin air.
This figure wore headphones on his head and jet-propelled shoes on his feet, his entire outfit colored green. Who else could it be but Yonji?
"Dammit... dammit, what now? That tall guy in the suit, he's Marine Admiral Aokiji, right?" Yonji muttered gloomily, staring in the direction Ian's fleet had gone.
During the earlier battle, everything had been chaotic. Crocodile, when fighting Yonji, hadn't gone all out at all, allowing Yonji to escape.
When Yonji returned, he happened to witness his father Gaji fighting the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock. He could tell that his father was no match for Boa Hancock, but since he had heard Gaji's orders through his earpiece earlier, Yonji didn't dare rush in to help. So he had no choice but to first break away from the Germa fleet and fly farther away to hide.
At this point, it's worth mentioning the cape he was wearing. In fact, this cape was part of the Germa battle suit. Its function was to grant invisibility through optical camouflage!
Using the cape's invisibility effect, Yonji stayed just below the sea surface, poking his head out to watch the entire process.
Since there were quite a few Germa soldier corpses floating on the sea, Yonji managed, by sheer luck, to evade Fujitora's Observation Haki perception. This was also why, when Gaji asked about his children aboard Ian's ship, everyone realized Yonji had gone missing.
However, because Gaji suddenly made his move and escaped with Reiju and the others, no one paid Yonji any further attention. Nobody cared where that guy was.
On Ian's side, they assumed Yonji had escaped with Gaji, so they didn't search for him. And since Gaji was pressed for time, after bringing Reiju and the others back to the ship, he immediately set sail and left. Yonji couldn't catch up with them in time.
Yonji also noticed this, so he quickly contacted Gaji and the others through his earpiece.
When Gaji learned that Yonji was still at the original location, he was somewhat surprised. But after hearing Yonji's explanation that he was currently in an invisible state, he decided to let him stay there first to monitor Ian and his crew's movements.
Yonji carried out the order, but he didn't dare get too close. He could only watch from a distance, even when Waldo led people to salvage the Germa snail ships, he couldn't intervene to stop them.
However, this surveillance allowed him to witness Aokiji boarding the ship.
Yonji saw Aokiji talking with Ian, but he didn't see them fight. Instead, Aokiji ended up leaving with Ian's ship.
He immediately realized that big trouble was brewing!
Tapping his earpiece, Yonji contacted Gaji, who was still fleeing, and said, "Father, it looks like your guess was right. The World Government has set their sights on us!"
Then, he reported the situation of Aokiji boarding the ship to Gaji.
Hundreds of kilometers away, after listening to Yonji's account, Gaji couldn't help but slam his fist angrily on the table.
Reiju, Ichiji, and the others were sitting on the sofa in the meeting room with their arms crossed and legs crossed. Seeing Gaji's furious expression, Ichiji spoke up, "Father, I told you long ago that the World Government would eventually lose their patience!"
Gaji knew the situation of the Germa Group better than anyone.
Over the years, with Gaji's relentless efforts and investment, along with the continuous growth of Ichiji and the others, the Germa army's reputation had once again risen worldwide. Gaji was getting closer and closer to restoring Germa's former glory.
But as attention grew, Germa's situation was actually becoming precarious. After Vegapunk joined the Marines, the power of science and technology had increasingly gained importance in the eyes of the Marines and the World Government.
In the World Government's research, Devil Fruits, Haki, and scientific power seemed to be gradually occupying a balanced, parallel position.
Devil Fruits were hard to come by, and Haki depended on a person's talent. Both had many limitations. But science could be popularized. After discussions, the World Government unanimously agreed that scientific power would help the Marines gain even greater strength, and if possible, could even use science to end the Great Pirate Era once and for all!
This was why the World Government placed such extreme importance on the scientist Vegapunk, even going so far as to set him apart and establish the Marine Science Unit, generously funding his research.
And the genius scientist Vegapunk didn't let the World Government and Marines down. Various technologies helped the Marines gradually grow stronger, from Seastone application techniques, to research on Devil Fruits, to the PX Pacifista project—all of it greatly benefited the Marines and the World Government.
Under Gaji's leadership, the Germa Group's technology took a different path. Since Germa was a member nation, the World Government couldn't help but notice their changes. Seeing the uniqueness of Germa's technology, they began to consider whether they could acquire Germa's technology as well.
This was where Germa's predicament lay. The World Government had also set their sights on Germa's scientific achievements. But because Germa was a World Government member nation, the World Government couldn't easily make a move against them. So gradually, a rumor began to circulate: the World Government was discussing whether to revoke Germa's membership status!
Gaji had caught wind of this rumor and had been growing increasingly anxious. He knew very well that once Germa lost its member nation status, the Marines could act against them. In the past, Germa, as an organization that sold war, had been in a confrontational state with the Marines. That's why they had earned titles like "Army of Evil" and even appeared in storybooks.
If that time came, Germa would be finished. The entire world would be their enemy!
The Germa Group wasn't some invincible protagonist; they couldn't single-handedly take on the whole world. So during this period, Gaji had been leading Germa in search of a way out. On one hand, he aggressively took on war commissions worldwide, earning large sums of funds to accelerate Germa's technological research. On the other hand, he was considering whether to find a powerful backer to ensure Germa's survival after losing its member nation status.
To be more precise, at this point in time, Gaji was already leaning toward aligning with one of the Four Emperors.
The only ones who could contend with the Marines were, of course, the Four Emperors. If Germa could gain protection under an Emperor, they would have no more worries.
This was also the reason Gaji had accepted this underworld commission in the first place. He wasn't unaware of Ian's reputation as a Warlord. In the past, he wouldn't have provoked Ian for a bit of money; he had to consider the World Government's attitude. But at this moment, Germa not only needed money but also needed to show the Four Emperors in the New World the value of the Germa Group!
And there was no better choice than attacking a Warlord. Warlords were appointed by the World Government and the Marines. Strictly speaking, they belonged to the World Government and Marines' side. So if, at the next World Conference, Germa really had its membership revoked, it would mean standing in opposition to the World Government. Then Gaji wouldn't need to worry about the World Government's thoughts anymore.
Various factors determined Germa's attack on Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates this time. Unfortunately, Gaji had thought of many things but never expected Ian's extreme reaction!
Ian had brought four Warlords to settle the score!
And now, after learning through Yonji that even Marine Admiral Aokiji had appeared and boarded Ian's ship, Gaji's frustration was beyond words.
In Gaji's view, Aokiji's appearance represented an attitude from the Marines and the World Government! Aokiji hadn't stopped their battle; instead, he had sided with Ian and the others. This meant that the rumor about the World Government revoking Germa's membership at the next World Conference was already a foregone conclusion!
"Since that's the case, don't blame me for turning hostile!" Gaji gritted his teeth and made a decision. He contacted Yonji and said, "Yonji, I have a task for you. Your current position shouldn't be far from Cotton Candy Island. That's the territory of the Big Mom Pirates. I want you to go to Cotton Candy Island and see if you can contact the Big Mom Pirates!"
Hearing Gaji's words, Reiju was shocked. "Father!? You want to ask the Big Mom Pirates for help!?"
"It's the only way!" Gaji nodded. "Among the Four Emperors, the Whitebeard Pirates have ties with Ian, so we can't approach them. The Red Hair Pirates are elusive and don't have much fixed territory, so they're hard to find. As for Kaido of the Beast Pirates, that man is a madman. I really don't feel safe cooperating with him. So in the end, only the Big Mom Pirates are the best partner!"
"But Father, cooperating with pirates..." Reiju hesitated. "Our strength is far inferior to the Four Emperors. If the Big Mom Pirates have other intentions, then we..."
"Don't worry. The underworld also has its 'code of honor'!" Gaji said. "Big Mom may be brutal, but she's quite trustworthy. Since everyone is eyeing our Germa technology, we might as well find the best buyer and sell it at a good price! Don't worry about Ian and the other three Warlords chasing us now. As long as the Big Mom Pirates step in, even with Aokiji added, they won't be able to do anything to us!"
And so, the matter was decided by Gaji. After receiving the order, Yonji immediately set off for Cotton Candy Island.
Ian knew nothing of this. If he had, he might have sighed in reflection. After all, because of his involvement, it seemed the connection between Germa and Big Mom had been brought forward...