Chapter 619: Tesoro Makes His Move
But clearly, Aokiji's questioning was a wasted effort.
For someone as simple-minded as Edward Weevil, how could he possibly remember attacking a Marine training ship? Zephyr had always remembered him as the murderer of his students, but Edward Weevil had probably forgotten about it completely soon after the incident...
Moreover, he had no idea that the person who just kicked him was a former Marine Admiral. So after helping his mother, Bakkin, back to her feet, this fool clenched his fists in anger and tried to charge at Aokiji to kill him.
Fortunately, at that moment, Bakkin came to her senses and quickly stopped Edward Weevil, shouting at Aokiji, "Aokiji, what do you think you're doing?! You're not a Marine anymore! You have no right to arrest my son!"
"And who are you?" Aokiji asked Bakkin with a frown.
Aokiji found it strange. He remembered that when the World Government had investigated Edward Weevil through CP intelligence agents, there had been no mention of an old woman like this by his side.
"Me?" Behind her sunglasses, Bakkin's eyes darted around, and suddenly she burst into loud laughter, pointing at Edward Weevil beside her. "Look at him! Can't you tell just by looking?"
"Tell what?" Aokiji asked, frowning.
"His mustache! My son is the biological son of Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!" Bakkin stomped her cane. "And I am Whitebeard's most beloved woman! If you dare lay a hand on me and my son, the Whitebeard Pirates won't let you off!"
Since Whitebeard was still alive, Bakkin usually avoided clarifying the relationship between Edward Weevil and Whitebeard, neither confirming nor denying it, letting others guess. But now, fearing Aokiji, she actually blurted out this lie! She only hoped to scare Aokiji into not attacking them.
The moment the lie was spoken, not only Aokiji and Smoker but even Edward Weevil himself was stunned.
"Re... really, Mama!?" Edward Weevil quickly lowered his head and asked, "Am I really Whitebeard's son?"
Although simple-minded, Edward Weevil had heard of the Four Emperors' Whitebeard. Suddenly hearing his mother say he was Whitebeard's son, he became extremely excited.
At this point, Bakkin had no choice but to grit her teeth and admit it. She pulled out a photo of Whitebeard and said to Edward Weevil, "Of course! Look, you look so alike! How could you not be his biological son?"
"Ah, really! It really looks like me, like looking in a mirror..." Edward Weevil was fooled.
Aokiji watched Bakkin and Edward Weevil's performance with a speechless expression, finding it utterly ridiculous. As a Marine Admiral, he knew very well from the Marines' investigations of Whitebeard that Edward Newgate had no direct blood relatives. He himself was an orphan, which was why he took in those who lacked love and were abandoned by society as his sons.
In Aokiji's many years as a Marine, he believed that pirates always had reasons for their existence. Truly evil people were rare; it was mostly the influence of their environment. For example, another representative figure among pirates, Big Mom, had been abandoned by her family as a child. After becoming an Emperor, she also built her own family. The difference from Whitebeard was that she gave birth to her children herself—they were all biologically hers...
So Aokiji didn't believe Bakkin's nonsense at all. He thought that if Bakkin claimed Edward Weevil was Big Mom's biological son, it might be more believable... both so fat and so ugly...
Not wanting to waste words with Bakkin, Aokiji crouched down, pressed his hand to the ground, and cold air surged out. Frost quickly spread across the ground, rushing toward Bakkin. She was still talking to her son and was caught off guard, instantly frozen into ice by Aokiji!
"Ah! Mama!" Edward Weevil panicked when he saw his mother turned into an ice sculpture, not knowing what to do.
Half of Aokiji's body had turned into ice crystals, his cold aura raging, dropping the temperature of the entire street. He straightened up and walked toward Edward Weevil.
"I believe Teacher Zephyr will be very pleased to see you arrested and imprisoned!" Aokiji said.
"You... you! I'll kill you and tear you to pieces!" Edward Weevil clenched his fists and roared angrily at Aokiji.
Just as the battle between them was about to begin, suddenly, a large number of black-suited men surged out from the surrounding streets, drawing guns and surrounding both sides.
"What's going on?" Tashigi drew her blade, on guard against these black-suited men.
"I don't know, but it looks like there are World Government people among them!" Kuina stood back-to-back with Tashigi, replying.
Among these black-suited men, there were indeed many World Government officials and CP intelligence agents. The aura of these people was completely different from Tesoro's guards. When Aokiji noticed this, even he couldn't help but frown.
Tesoro appeared, wearing a coat and sunglasses on his head. Beside him was a World Government official with a black top hat and a scar at the corner of his eye. They walked toward Aokiji together.
"Sir Aokiji, I'm sorry to interrupt you!" Tesoro said with a smile. "That old woman is annoying, but she wasn't wrong about one thing: you're no longer a Marine Admiral. You have no law enforcement authority here!"
"So what?" Aokiji frowned. "This guy is a pirate, and the one who attacked the Marine ship. Are you going to shield them?"
"Heh! Shielding them isn't up to me!" Tesoro shrugged casually. "Let Sir Solomon explain it to you!"
Solomon was the government official standing beside him. He stepped forward with his hands behind his back and said seriously to Aokiji, "Sir Kuzan, we've just received intelligence that the Revolutionary Dragon has appeared in Gran Tesoro. The two you want to arrest are exactly the witnesses. So, sorry, but this matter is now in our hands!"
"Dragon!?" Aokiji was stunned when he heard that name.
"Yes!" Solomon nodded. "Anyone who obstructs our operation to capture Dragon will be treated as an accomplice of the Revolutionary Army. So, Sir Kuzan, you'd better be sensible. As Sir Tesoro said, you're no longer a Marine. You have no law enforcement authority!"
Aokiji glanced back at Smoker and the others, only to find them looking at him as well. Aokiji hesitated.
Although Aokiji had left the Marines, that didn't mean he had rebelled against them. He simply felt that the Marines had problems now. He left to see more of the corners of the world that the Marines couldn't reach, to find a way to redeem the Marines. If he clashed with the World Government here over Edward Weevil, it would likely mean being seen as an enemy by the World Government, and then there would be no turning back.
So, Aokiji backed down. He took a step back and also signaled Smoker and the others not to conflict with the World Government's people.
But just because he backed down didn't mean the simple-minded Edward Weevil knew how to do the same. With a roar, ignoring the crowd of armed men surrounding him, he clenched his fists and charged at Aokiji, trying to kill him.
His naginata had been snapped by Dragon, so he had no weapon now... but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.
However, Tesoro was right there. How could he let Edward Weevil cause trouble in front of him?
Extending his hand, covered in gold rings, Tesoro made a pinching motion toward Edward Weevil from a distance. Suddenly, countless golden liquids emerged from within Edward Weevil's body, instantly wrapping him up.
"What... what is this?" Edward Weevil was startled and struggled desperately, but his efforts were useless. His immense strength had no effect on the golden liquid. Soon, he was completely encased, a layer of gold liquid covering his entire body, gradually hardening and rendering him immobile.
This was Tesoro's advantage as the master of the territory. In fact, every person entering Gran Tesoro, when passing through the harbor tunnel, would see countless gold dust slowly falling from above. Many didn't know that this gold dust was actually the power of Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit. The dazzling gold dust, after landing on people, would gradually seep into their bodies. When Tesoro needed it, he could simply manipulate the gold dust to seep back out, turning into liquid and easily subduing people!
Moreover, because this gold was formed by Devil Fruit ability, enhanced by Tesoro's Awakening, it was indestructible. No amount of strength could break it! Only by soaking in seawater could the power of this magical gold be dispelled.
Well, of course, Logia users, due to their "fluidity," could resist the erosion of this gold dust. Similarly, ability users like Ian, who could control flames, could also melt Tesoro's gold dust.
But Edward Weevil was clearly not among these exceptions, so he was quickly subdued by Tesoro...
[Address]
(37 Chinese Net)