Chapter 618: Aokiji's Fury
Tesoro was well aware that the Revolutionary Dragon was an extremely sensitive figure!
The Gran Tesoro frequently hosted high-ranking World Government officials and CP intelligence agents. This was because these individuals had covert cooperative relationships with Tesoro; he provided them with funds and even privately bribed them to gain access to intelligence channels and use official power to help him resolve certain troubles.
Tesoro naturally held these people, who could be manipulated by his money, in contempt. These greedy hyenas, as long as they were fed with cash, could be used by Tesoro to bite others on his behalf.
However, he also understood that while these fellows might be swayed by him on other matters, there would be no compromise when it came to the Revolutionary Army!
This was especially true for the Revolutionary Dragon. If news of his presence here were to reach them, they would hunt him down like madmen. If Tesoro made a decision contrary to theirs in this matter, they would immediately report it to the World Government's higher-ups, leading to the revocation of his privileges!
Tesoro didn't really want to provoke the Revolutionary Army either, but when forced to choose between them and the World Government's power, he ultimately sided with the World Government.
Because the Revolutionary Army operated discreetly, many in the world were unaware of their true strength, even though Dragon was hailed as the world's most dangerous criminal. Tesoro's choice to stand with the World Government was a normal one. Moreover, Tesoro was well aware that there were secretly some Revolutionary Army members active within his Gran Tesoro. To him, these revolutionaries were like rats in the sewers—annoying beyond measure. If he could use this opportunity to eliminate them all at once, that would be for the best.
Therefore, he immediately ordered all his subordinates to mobilize and search the entire city for Dragon's whereabouts.
After his orders were issued, the Five Elders indeed called him, commending his decision and instructing him to fully assist the World Government officials, CP intelligence agents, and Marines currently in the Gran Tesoro in capturing Dragon!
If they succeeded in capturing Dragon, the Five Elders promised Tesoro unimaginable power!
After hanging up, Tesoro sneered contemptuously. As for the so-called "unimaginable power" promised by the Five Elders, Tesoro could roughly guess what it entailed—at most, recognizing the Gran Tesoro as a nation and making him its king, perhaps even granting it the status of a World Government member state. Tesoro found this disdainful; his current status and position were already no different from that of a country. Becoming a World Government member state might not necessarily be all that beneficial.
What Tesoro truly wanted was simply to maintain his current transcendent status...
However, for some reason, after deciding to assist the World Government in capturing Dragon, Tesoro had a bad feeling, as if he had overlooked something.
Why had Dragon suddenly appeared here? Was it because of the Revolutionary Army members imprisoned in his golden dungeon?
Tesoro thought for a while but found no clues. So, he shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it further. He stood up from the sofa, and as Baccarat beside him helped him into his suit, Tesoro snapped his fingers and said, "Let's go!"
He led the way out of the room, followed by his subordinates Baccarat, Tanaka, and a group of others filing out, leaving behind only a beautiful girl with purple hair in the room.
This beautiful purple-haired girl was the super-popular diva Carina, whom Tesoro had recently found. She was now a representative figure in the Gran Tesoro, so Tesoro always kept her by his side, tacitly regarding her as one of his important executives. However, since Carina lacked combat ability, Tesoro left her behind when he departed this time.
After Tesoro left, Carina's eyes darted around. Seeing that there were few guards in the room, she stood up and slipped out as well.
Leaving the room, she tried her best to avoid various surveillance cameras, deliberately choosing to move through blind spots, and headed straight for the hotel where the Dragon Hunter Pirates were staying...
…………………………
While Tesoro and his men were searching the entire city for Dragon, Bakkin was also leading her son, Edward Weevil, around looking for Dragon's trail.
Because Edward Weevil had been slammed into the ground by Dragon earlier, they had lost track of him, only knowing the general direction he had fled. This frustrated Bakkin, who could only search based on memory.
However, in the midst of their chaotic wandering, they unexpectedly encountered someone.
That person was the former Marine Admiral, Aokiji!
Aokiji had just finished eating with Smoker and the others at a restaurant. As they stepped out, they found the streets in an uproar, with security personnel from the Gran Tesoro everywhere, searching for something. Aokiji found it strange—wasn't the Gran Tesoro supposed to have good public order?
Just as they were speculating about what had happened, Edward Weevil, with his mother Bakkin on his shoulder, came rumbling past Aokiji and the others...
The moment he saw Edward Weevil's figure, Aokiji's pupils contracted sharply!
Aokiji was a student of Zephyr. Unlike others, Aokiji had always deeply respected Zephyr. When Zephyr's Marine training ship was attacked and Zephyr's right wrist was severed by the culprit, the entire Marine headquarters was in an uproar. They dispatched a large number of personnel to search the world for the killer's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, the killer had been hiding in the New World, and the Marines were stretched thin. After pursuing him for a while, they had to let the matter drop.
Nevertheless, they had identified the culprit: Edward Weevil!
The Marines' pursuit gradually weakened and eventually fizzled out. Apart from Edward Weevil's formidable strength, there was also his distinctive crescent-shaped mustache. At the time, without clarifying the true relationship between Edward Weevil and Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, the Marines dared not push too hard. Or perhaps there were some covert schemes by the World Government involved. In any case, a combination of factors led to the pursuit ending anticlimactically.
Aokiji had always regretted that Zephyr's grudge remained unavenged. Now, suddenly discovering Edward Weevil here, how could he hold back!?
Without a second thought, he immediately chased after Edward Weevil in the direction he had fled. Quickly catching up, he kicked out at Edward Weevil's lower back!
Boom! Edward Weevil's massive body was sent flying a great distance by Aokiji's kick, bouncing on the ground like a balloon a few times, cracking the pavement beneath him.
Aokiji struck with pent-up fury, so the force was naturally extraordinary. Bakkin, who had been sitting on Edward Weevil's shoulder, was thrown off, landing in a daze, feeling as if her old waist was about to break...
However, this kick did not injure Edward Weevil. He roared as he stood up from the ground, and the ice that had frozen his waist from Aokiji's kick fell off in large chunks as he moved.
"You... who are you!? Why did you ambush me!?"
Edward Weevil, with snot running from his nose and tears in his eyes, shouted angrily at Aokiji.
Then, seeing his mother Bakkin staggering from the fall, he quickly ran over and helped her up.
Tashigi and Kuina, hands on the hilts of their swords, moved behind Aokiji. Smoker, a cigar dangling from his mouth, said quietly to Aokiji, "Admiral Kuzan, this is an absolute territory recognized by the World Government. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to start a fight here?"
But Aokiji didn't answer Smoker at all. He simply stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at Edward Weevil, and said coldly, "Edward Weevil, I've been looking for you for a long time! You attacked the Marine training ship back then, killing almost all the trainee Marines and cutting off Zephyr's wrist. Did you think you could hide forever?"
Hearing this, Smoker and the others finally understood why Aokiji had suddenly attacked a stranger.
Realizing that this man was the pirate who had attacked the Marine training ship, Smoker and the others naturally sided with Aokiji. They immediately cast aside any concerns about the "absolute territory" and spread out, surrounding Edward Weevil.