Pirates: How Many Divisions Do the Five Elders Have? I'm Your Long-Lost Second Granduncle!

"As expected of the man who made that prodigal son Rat turn over a new Nezumi, Smoker also speaks highly of you. Ma Qiao, you are indeed as rumored, a man with a strong sense of justice."

"Then please remember to attend the Navy's live broadcast ceremony. I can't really trust those guys guarding Impel Down."

After several rounds of conversation, Akainu realized that the man in front of him was indeed very reliable.

At least when Ma Qiao was diligently recording his experiences in the military, his serious demeanor wasn't feigned.

Today's young people, under the banner of so-called freedom, idolize pirates who roam the seas with impunity.

In this Great Pirate Era, there are still ordinary people like Ma Qiao, which makes Akainu very gratified.

He glanced at the group, who stood respectfully outside the door —Jax, Xin Zhao, and Graves— who looked extremely reliable.

Because Ma Qiao's invitation was so impressive, the gatekeepers also let his guards through.

"Your henchmen all seem quite capable. Would you be interested in having them join the navy? I heard that Captain Garen, who's doing very well under Nezumi now, used to be one of your henchmen."

Akainu's words were not just empty flattery.

He wouldn't, and there's no need for him to, say such a thing.

He could really tell that these guards were quite capable.

Especially Graves, who had a cigar in his mouth and looked like a gangster.

In other places, such a person might not be eligible for conscription at all.

But Akainu himself always had a cigar in his mouth and several tattoos on his neck, looking like a gangster, so Graves naturally found him particularly appealing.

A troubled look appeared on Ma Qiao's face.

"Admiral Akainu, it's not that I, Ma, am reluctant to part with these brothers under my command, but they are used to being free and undisciplined, and are indeed not suited for military life."

"You can rest assured about that. When it comes to being free-spirited and undisciplined, the Marine Headquarters is second to none."

Akainu looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, with tears welling up in his eyes.

Clearly, he was recalling the years he'd been overwhelmed by the Salted Fish Kuzan of Kizaru and Aokiji.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

Akainu shook his head and patted Ma Qiao on the shoulder. "Think it over carefully. Actually, you're a very good prospect for the Navy."

"Haha, thank you for your kind offer, but I think I'll pass."

Ma Qiao pointed to the red scarf around his neck.

"This was passed down to me by an elder in our family, and it holds special significance for me, so..."

"I understand."

Akainu took a deep drag on his cigar, instinctively tightening his precious navy cap. "A remarkable man once gave me this hat; the man who gave you this scarf must have been remarkable too!"

"Yes, he was a man who would rather lose money and only be able to take the bus himself than not help children realize their dreams!" Ma Qiao nodded emphatically.

"Do you help children achieve their dreams?"

Although Ma Qiao was referring to a skin discount, Akainu had already imagined it as something more sophisticated. "Do your best; justice comes in many ways."

After saying goodbye to Akainu, Ma Qiao leisurely prepared to leave.

The conscription rally will begin tomorrow.

I still have time to go out and enjoy a meal with my brother Teach in the evening.

Along the way, Ma Qiao saw groups of young people carrying suitcases, walking towards the Galley-La shipyard's dormitory area under the encouragement of veterans.

These young men are clearly outstanding soldiers who just passed the initial screening by their respective branches this year.

If they pass the test at tomorrow's recruitment rally, they will officially become proud new recruits of the Marine Headquarters.

New recruits at the Marine Headquarters have a head start compared to other naval personnel, making it a coveted position for all young people joining the military.

Galley-La has many vacant dormitory rooms.

But to accommodate so many new recruits, the boatmen would definitely have to make room for some of them.

This is probably why Barry was in such a hurry to take his paintings away.

To be fair, this guy's paintings are really good.

Ma Qiao has many excellent works in his mind, but words alone are not enough to express them.

If that old lecher Barry comes to help me, it will be like adding wings to a tiger, solidifying and strengthening my position as a big shot in the sex industry.

The Navy has already paid the rent to the Water 7 City government, so it can't be considered a forced requisition of the dormitories.

Although Iceburg was not very happy, the Navy dealt with him as the mayor of Water 7, not as the shipyard manager of Galley-La.

The Water 7 city-states similar to Venice.

Iceburg is like the Doge of Venice; there's a certain amount of politics involved.

Of course, if the Doge of Venice were truly politically savvy, there wouldn't be so many Paradox Interactive players constantly clamoring to hang him.

Just as Ma Qiao was about to leave the Galley-La shipyard, he spotted a suspicious-looking young man with blond hair next to a building marked as an equipment room.

"Hey buddy, the dorms are over there, you've got the wrong place."

Ma Qiao thought it was some careless new recruit.

However, when the man turned around, Ma Qiao immediately realized that he seemed to have encountered someone extraordinary.

He had blond hair, wore goggles, carried a water pipe on his back, and had a burn scar on his left eye.

Who else could this be but King Luffy's second older brother?

Of course, considering that Ma Qiao had just eaten pig's head meat with the future Four Emperors last night, and had just been chatting and laughing with Marine Admiral.

The mere presence of his second brother was no longer enough to move Ma Qiao.

"Sabo, what are you doing here?"

Ma Qiao called out his name directly.

Just as Sabo was about to go along with what Ma Qiao had said and admit that he was a new recruit to fool everyone, he was stunned, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

Since the other party was able to call him by name so readily, and judging from their confident tone and expression, there was no possibility that they were trying to trick him.

"Are you a lackey of the World Government, or a revolutionary with a heart for the revolution?"

Sabo quietly slipped his hand behind his back and grasped the water pipe, which was as sharp as a divine weapon.

Swish!

Almost instantly, Sabo suddenly exploded.

I only spoke up to ask the question to distract the other person.

The probability of encountering fellow Revolutionary Army in this place is far lower than encountering World Government henchmen.

Moreover, through years of training, Sabo not only mastered the Dragon Claw Fist, but also improved his control over power and angles to a very high level.

Without a doubt, Sabo at this stage was much stronger than Luffy, reaching the entry-level of Supernovas.

Sabo was confident that this pipe strike would incapacitate his opponent, but wouldn't cause any irreversible damage.

If the other party is truly a revolutionary, then all I can say in advance is, "I apologize for the inconvenience!"

After all, ensuring the completion of the mission is the top priority.

However, Sabo's confident attack was suddenly blocked by a street lamp.

The water pipe collided with the streetlight, producing a metallic clang.

"Your weapon is too bizarre!" Sabo stared at the strange man in the cloak before him.

Jax grinned. "You're just as good."

Sabo and Jax, each wielding their signature weapons, exchanged blows for another seven or eight rounds.

Sabo suddenly feigned an opening, leaping onto a branch of a Maokai: "Your attack had no killing intent!"

"Of course I want to kill you. Anyone who lays a hand on my master should be hung on a lamppost."

"Unfortunately, my master is very kind; he does not wish to harm you."

With that, Jax put away the streetlight.

At the same time, Sabo suddenly noticed a man holding a sniper rifle emerge from the bushes in the distance.

Prior to this, he had no idea that there was a sniper there.

The man who initially revealed his identity still had two formidable-looking bodyguards behind him who hadn't yet made a move.

With four experts of similar strength protecting him, the man before him must be someone of extraordinary ability.

As if to confirm Sabo's conjecture.

A small patrol of soldiers hurried over.

Sabo quickly used the tree trunk to shield himself.

"Teacher Ma, what happened?"

The team leader happened to be the same Navy lieutenant who had verified Ma Qiao's letter of introduction at the main gate and led him all the way to Admiral's Akainu.

"It's nothing. A young man just attacked me without any sportsmanship, and I broke his nose with one punch. You new recruits really need to improve your discipline."

The sailors exchanged glances, and one of them couldn't help but complain, "We told you long ago we shouldn't have recruited those gang members; they're just causing us trouble every single day."

The lieutenant leading the team coughed twice.

The navy officer quickly realized his mistake and shut his mouth.

The most righteous are often the lowly butchers, while the most ungrateful are often the scholars.

This time, the person in charge of selecting new recruits is Admiral Akainu.

He himself came from a yakuza background, so naturally he recruited many yakuza members during the new recruit selection process.

Whether something is right or wrong, it's not something these soldiers can discuss.

After confirming that Teacher Ma was not injured, the lieutenant led his troops away.

Before leaving, he assured Ma Qiao that he would strictly enforce discipline, find the soldier with the broken nose, and give him a good beating.

Once the navy had gone far away, Sabo jumped down from the tree.

Why didn't you denounce me? Are you really a revolutionary?

"No, those navy personnel are so respectful to you, are you someone from the World Government?"

Sabo looked at Ma Qiao and the others with suspicion.

Ma Qiao shook his head.

Sabo's second brother was arguably the smartest of the three.

But it wasn't that he was smart; it was just that the other two were too stubborn.

Sabo is a bit better than a simpleton; it looks like a diode.

"Can't I have a third identity?"

Ma Qiao shrugged and tentatively uttered a spell. "Ace is a big idiot, Luffy is a little idiot?"

Sabo:???

Seeing Sabo's bewildered reaction, Ma Qiao felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

As expected, unless a major event like the Paramount War occurs, Sabo's memories will not easily Awakening.

After all, in the original story, before Sabo Awakening his memories, Ace had already been famous on the sea for many years, with a bounty of over 500 million Beli.

Luffy has already shot through the World Government flag on Enies Lobby and caused a huge Enies Lobby, becoming a sensational news figure.

As the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo could not possibly have been unaware of these two names.

But he never regained any memories related to his two brothers.

It wasn't until the news of Ace's death, pierced through the chest by Akainu, during the Paramount War, that Sabo was so shocked that he fell into a coma, eventually regaining all his memories.

And in this life...

To be honest, whether Sabo has a chance to regain his memories is still unknown.

It's hard to say whether this was his good fortune or misfortune.

Having realized this, Ma Qiao adopted a sorrowful expression:

"Sabo, I recognize you. Is there no other possibility besides the Revolutionary Army and World Government employees?"

"A third possibility? Could it be...?"

Sabo took a step back in surprise; he had indeed considered one possibility.

Although many years have passed since he was rescued by Mr. Dragon's men, according to Mr. Dragon, apart from still having his old name, he looks very similar to how he did when he was a child, and even his clothes and weapons have not changed due to habit.

In other words, if it's someone who knew you before, they are very likely to recognize you immediately when you see them.

"That's right..."

Ma Qiao nodded, forcing out a few tears. "I'm actually your long-lost second uncle!"

"Second Uncle?"

Sabo's eyes widened, then he said angrily, "Get lost! You're trying to take advantage of me, aren't you? How could I possibly have such a young second uncle?"

"That's a long story; it's about seniority."

Ma Qiao was too lazy to explain further; the European family in which Sabo was born was so complicated that it would take three days and three nights to unravel the complex web of kinship.

It makes perfect sense that he has an uncle in his twenties.

However, Ma Qiao's claim to have secured Sabo's second uncle's favor was not based on those complicated marriages.

He's on very friendly terms with that old scoundrel Garp.

Saying he's Sabo's second uncle doesn't mean he's taking advantage of him.

After all, Garp treated Ace like a grandson and even tried to take advantage of Roger, so Ma Qiao felt that his little trick was nothing.

"After you disappeared in the East Blue, your grandfather and I were very worried, but no matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find you. We never expected that you would join the Revolutionary Army."

Ma Qiao's words greatly shocked Sabo.

Not only could he call out his own name instantly, but he could also accurately state that he disappeared in the East Blue.

Could this person really be my elder?

Ma Qiao managed to squeeze out a hint of kindness from the capitalist's shrewd gaze.

"Sabo big grandson, it's fine if you don't believe my identity. Time will tell. What brings you to Water 7 this time?"

Was it Dragon's order? Let me guess... was it to sabotage the Navy's recruitment livestream?

You even know that?

Sabo could no longer hide the surprise on his face.

There's no need to hide it anymore.

Sabo felt like a naked little girl, with no secrets from the man before her.

If this man before them truly is a henchman of the World Government, then the Revolutionary Army's operation is undoubtedly doomed to failure.

"Second... Second Uncle"

"Hey, my dear grandson!"

Sabo, forcing himself to speak, called out, Ma Qiao answered immediately.

Moreover, the loving-kindness in his eyes grew even stronger.

Seeing that Ma Qiao showed no hostility, Sabo's doubts lessened even further.

Of course, he didn't really believe that the young man in front of him, who looked to be no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, was his second uncle.

At this very moment, the lives of himself and his three companions, as well as the success or failure of Mr. Dragon's plan, all rested on the other's whim.

Let alone his second uncle, even if it were his own grandfather, at this moment, Sabo would have no choice but to swallow his pride and accept it for the sake of his comrades and the ideals of the Revolutionary Army.

"Say it again, Da Sunza."

"Second Uncle..."

"Hey, you're so good!"

Ma Qiao, he rummaged in his pocket and, after a while, pulled out an exquisite pocket watch.

This is an item in League of Legends, commonly known as the Mini Zhonya's Hourglass, which can be used once and grants immunity to all damage.

This pocket watch, or rather, Stopwatch, has been with Ma Qiao for more than half a year, but Ma Qiao has never used it once.

In the Silver rank in the suburbs, compared to Guardian Angel, Stopwatch and Zhonya's Hourglass are really not as good.

"Since we're meeting so suddenly, your second uncle didn't prepare any gift for you. This magical pocket watch is probably the most valuable thing I own; I hope you like it."

As he spoke, Ma Qiao placed the Stopwatch in Sabo's hand with a kind expression, just like an old man giving lucky money to a younger generation during Chinese New Year.