After handing the two items to Whitebeard, Roy didn't look back. He lightly touched the side of the ship with his toes, and his figure floated up, flying away towards Hachinosu.
His reasons for giving Whitebeard the potion and the ring weren't so simple.
He hoped that Whitebeard would be at his strongest during the Paramount War.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit combined with the Three Types of Haki at its peak Whitebeard, and the sickly Whitebeard who couldn't even unleash Whitebeard Conqueror's Coating, are completely different concepts.
For the Paramount War, Roy needs a fully-fledged Whitebeard, and the Marine Headquarters will have to pay an even greater price.
The greater the cost to the Marine Headquarters, the less resistance will be encountered in what Hachinosu can do next.
The more the Marine Headquarters invests, the more beneficial it is to Hachinosu. That's a self-evident calculation.
After Roy left, Whitebeard's eyes flickered as he looked at the 'sons' who had surrounded him. Although Marco and the others were quite strong, they had no chance of winning against someone of Roy's caliber.
If I were to leave, the same fate that befell Big Mom might befall the Whitebeard Pirates.
After a moment's thought, before Marco and the others could stop him, Whitebeard swallowed the potion Roy had provided without hesitation.
Immediately afterwards, a series of crackling sounds came from Whitebeard's body Whitebeard. After Whitebeard spat out a mouthful of blood, the feeling of power returning to his body made him laugh out loud.
Then, the Whitebeard slipped the enormous ring onto his index finger, murmuring to himself:
" Roy, kid! I've really fallen for you!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates were overjoyed to see Whitebeard's drastically changed state, and they all screamed, "A banquet! A banquet!"
Meanwhile, only Blackbeard stared at the empty glass tube of medicine, a fleeting glint of ambition in his eyes.
Back on Hachinosu, Roy summoned all the core members to the conference room.
Everyone arrived very quickly.
Bullet walked straight over from the training field, still covered in sweat.
Hawk Eyes leaned against the doorway, Black Blade Yoru slung over his shoulder. Tesoro floated in, the gold coin in his hand still spinning.
Crocodile strolled in, a cigar dangling from his lips, the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit spreading a layer of fine sand beneath his feet.
The Kuma stood silently in the corner. Kyros sat in a chair with his arms crossed.
Moria's shadow bat darted restlessly around the corner.
Roy glanced at Crocodile and Moria, and got straight to the point.
"You two are preparing to defect from Hachinosu."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Crocodile took the cigar from his lips. "What do you mean?"
"Literal meaning."
"You two find a time to cause trouble, then each lead a team and leave Hachinosu."
Roy tapped his fingers twice on the table.
" Crocodile, you go to Alabasta; Moria, you go to the Florian Triangle."
To the outside world, just say it's a defection. Hachinosu will symbolically hunt you down for a while, just to make a show of it.
Moria blinked. "Captain, who's this show for?"
" World Government."
Crocodile was the first to react. " The Shichibukai."
"Right.
You two were both prominent figures back in the day, with formidable skills, shady backgrounds, and you even fell out with Hachinosu.
The Navy will not let such talent slip by.
Especially since you've expanded into the first half of the Grand Line, posing no direct threat to the Marine Headquarters, they'd be happy to recruit you.
With their combined strength, they're more than capable of being Shichibukai.
Moria scratched his head. "How long are we going to be outside?"
"It depends."
"At least until Luffy sail. Then you'll have a mission."
Beat that Straw Hat Boy up, push him to the brink, then pretend to be outmatched and let him turn the tables.
The performance had to be convincing; he couldn't tell.
" Straw Hat Boy?" Moria looked blankly at him. "Who is that?"
Crocodile exhaled a smoke ring. " Garp's grandson? That brat who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit?"
"Yes. He'll be going to sea in the next couple of years."
Roy said,
"You two are just there to be his experience points."
The atmosphere became a little awkward after those words were spoken.
The cadres exchanged bewildered glances, not quite understanding why Roy was specifically targeting a kid who hadn't even set sail yet.
But Roy didn't explain, and they didn't ask any further questions.
Roy has never made a major mistake in his decisions over the years, so asking him is pointless.
"Of course, if you can also gather some shadows or develop some subordinates along the way, that's up to you."
Roy continued,
I have an additional arrangement in Alabasta.
Roy glanced at someone in the corner of the conference room.
Nicole Robin emerges from the shadows.
She is no longer the little girl who buried herself in books in the Hachinosu Library.
Ten years have sculpted her into a graceful young woman, dressed in a dark purple dress with her long black hair draped over her shoulders, exuding a calm yet slightly aloof demeanor.
" Robin, your mission is different."
Roy stood up and walked over to her.
"You will also go to Alabasta and stay by Crocodile's side as the vice president of Baroque Works."
After Luffy appears, find an opportunity to join his pirate crew.
Robin frowned slightly, a small movement that Roy noticed.
"Captain, I'm doing very well on Hachinosu and don't see the need to move."
"I'm sending you there for no other reason than..."
Roy looked at her,
" The Straw Hat Pirates will travel the entire Grand Line, from Alabasta to Sky Island, from Water 7 to Fish-Man Island, and will also enter the New World."
They will encounter more Poneglyph.
Robin's expression changed.
The Poneglyph —these four words were more important to her than anything else.
Although Hachinosu has the world's most comprehensive intelligence network, Poneglyph are scattered all over the world, and you can't find them without going there yourself.
" Luffy, that guy, is D. Clan," Roy added.
Robin fell silent.
"I want you to infiltrate the Straw Hat Pirates, record the location and content of all the Poneglyph they encounter, and send them back regularly."
But this is just a mission. You've been on that ship too long; I won't interfere with your own choices.
"I agree." Robin didn't hesitate this time.
After settling things off with Robin, Roy also went over Ace's situation.
In 1518, Ace set sail, obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit, formed the Spade Pirates, and swept through the seas with unstoppable momentum.
Roy's intelligence network sends out news every few days.
Ace defeated a certain pirate crew, Ace his bounty increased again. Ace bypassed the territory of Hachinosu and directly entered Whitebeard's territory.
Then came that battle that everyone knows about.
Ace single-handedly boarded the Moby Dick to challenge Whitebeard.
After fighting for over a hundred rounds, he was sent flying by a powerful punch from Whitebeard. He got up and charged again, only to be sent flying once more, and then got up again.
This happened countless times, until he could no longer stand up.
Whitebeard looked down at Ace, who was lying on the ground, and asked, "Kid, where do you think you're going?"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Ace roared back, "I'm going to take your head!"
"Gulala lala! You've got guts! Then take it slowly on my ship!"
From then on, Ace stayed with the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Spade Pirates disbanded, and he was assigned to the Second Division, becoming its Second Division Commander a year later.
Roy was very satisfied with the result.
Ace's fate was not disrupted, Blackbeard was still on Whitebeard's ship, and everything was in line with the original story.
Now only one final step remains—waiting for Blackbeard to defect.