A Dress Rehearsal for the Shichibukai

"A special mission? Dealing with that super-mad dog?" A flash of inspiration struck Bred, and he probed indirectly.

Laskey froze, then met Bred's searching gaze. His expression turned grave. "What do you know? How did you find out? Bred! Don't joke about this."

"In May—May thirteenth, to be exact—I happened to learn some intelligence the government had concealed from Shack Yak. She's the head of the Hunter Association's West Blue branch on the island, an intelligence hunter. A government vessel was attacked by the World Pirates' captain, the great pirate Bundy World, known as the 'World Destroyer.' The dragonfolk aboard the ship narrowly escaped with their lives." Bred tapped his temple. "It left a deep impression on me! After all, there aren't many people bold enough to offend—or even outright try to kill—the dragonfolk who rule the world."

Laskey looked startled and suspicious. "And then you connected it to our mission..."

"Back then, I was certain of it! That super-mad dog was obsessed with 'destroying everything that stood in my way.' Whether Marines, merchants, tourists, civilians, or even fellow pirates, he destroyed anyone blocking his path and bit down without letting go. He had finally kicked an iron plate. The government would never let him run wild again. Attacking dragonfolk was equivalent to violating the government's dignity and challenging its bottom line," Bred said calmly.

Laskey: "..."

"But I waited a long time and never heard that he had been captured and imprisoned. So I guessed that the government needed time to prepare a special plan. Otherwise, there was no need to suppress news of this incident. With the government's power, they could have publicized it, expanded its impact, then spared no troops in wiping out the World Pirates in one stroke. By using their destruction to intimidate the world and once again emphasize the dragonfolk's supreme status—killing the chicken to scare the monkeys—wouldn't that have been even better?" Bred spoke fluently. "More than three months have passed now, and you happened to say, 'There's another special mission waiting.' A special plan, a special mission—they overlapped. I only made a casual guess, but your nervousness revealed everything."

"Are you some kind of monster, kid?" Laskey asked helplessly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Bred smiled. "Carefully digging into the information hidden in intelligence, coupled with bold speculation, always yields something."

"You scared me. I thought something had gone wrong with the mission," Laskey said with a sigh.

"How does the government intend to deal with Bundy World?" Bred asked. "I'm very curious."

"Since you already know," Laskey said after pondering, "this is a hunting operation beyond all common sense. P7 and P8 infiltrated the World Pirates to turn their crew against them. P5 and P6's people are doing everything they can to bribe and incite pirates who hold deep grudges against the World Pirates, making them cast aside their doubts and reservations and join the Marines in a coalition army to punish the World Pirates..."

Bred clicked his tongue. "Cats and mice catching a super-mad dog? An interesting special plan. No wonder it took three months to prepare!"

His thoughts raced wildly.

"Pirates are manageable. Money, pardons for their crimes—the government has plenty of means to make them set aside their doubts and reservations and join the Marines in a coalition army to punish the World Pirates." Bred raised his head. "But what is the Marines' attitude toward forming a coalition army with pirates to punish the World Pirates? The Marines are an army with faith and principles. Many among them hold extremely radical ideals. They absolutely cannot tolerate justice joining hands with evil to punish another evil. That would be an outright humiliation to those who believe justice must triumph over all evil."

Laskey held up three fingers. "While the government was preparing this special plan, there were three seppuku suicides at Pangaea Castle. A Marine brigadier general, a Marine rear admiral, and a Marine vice admiral died. The protests kept escalating! Fortunately, the Marines' only active admiral, Sengoku the Buddha, isn't part of the hawkish faction. Otherwise, history's first Marine admiral to die as a martyr out of dissatisfaction with a government decision might have appeared."

"How did the government higher-ups react?" Bred asked with great interest.

Laskey shook his head. "It wasn't as if they did nothing, but they only had a talk with Fleet Admiral Kong. After all, once you understand what the government higher-ups are after, it's just Bundy World. He's not Shiki, Roger, or Newgate. Is there really a need to go to such lengths?"

"The government is playing a much bigger game. This isn't a hunting operation beyond common sense—it's a carefully designed experiment." Bred seemed to realize something, his words meaningful. "The Marines' attitude toward joining pirates in a coalition army to punish the World Pirates is what the government higher-ups truly want to understand. Once the situation undergoes some earth-shaking change, the Marines will grow accustomed to justice joining hands with evil to punish another evil."

Laskey: "..." Who am I? Where am I? I don't understand a word!

The method of recruiting pirates to fight pirates, using pirates to wear down pirates—Bred was familiar with it. Wasn't that the Shichibukai?

But what Bred found even more awe-inspiring was that the World Government was already secretly planning a trial run for the Shichibukai. Did they seem to believe the situation was bound to undergo some earth-shaking change, or was the World Government taking the initiative...

Cold sweat trickled down Bred's forehead.

"Bred? Bred!" Laskey said. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Bred snapped out of it. "I'm fine, Uncle Laskey." Adjusting his mindset, he immediately changed the subject. "By the way, what role does your P9 play in this special mission?"

"Cleanup. We'll take back all the 'rewards' the government promised those pirates—including their lives." Laskey tightened his black leather gloves. "Let's leave it at that. I need to go."

They couldn't continue chatting anyway. Laskey was actually afraid of that side of Bred's—

"Give Aunt Xue Fazi my regards. You should also make time to keep Aunt Xue Fazi company. Have a safe journey." Bred waved.

Watching Laskey's back gradually disappear, Bred turned around.

"You're unhappy?" Mosquito Girl walked while bent awkwardly at the waist, studying Bred's expression.

"I suddenly realized that the world is even more dangerous, Joanna." Bred had never been very optimistic.

Mosquito Girl repeated what she often said: "Joanna will protect Bred!"

"You haven't even mastered Nen yet." Bred spread his hands. "And I don't dare forcibly help you awaken your life energy. Our body structures are different. Work a little harder, Joanna."

Mosquito Girl bit her red lip. "Mm!"

"Keep it up. You can succeed," Bred encouraged her.

It's time to research ways to increase combat strength, Bred silently added.

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PS: Thanks to reader [Jinglin] for the 100-point coin donation. Thank you.