His ultimate dream for this sea voyage was to reach the New World smoothly and arrive at the territory of the Endgame.
But the ship was gone, the coast was blocked, and he had no time to be disappointed before the Endgame unexpectedly descended from the sky and came to their little place!
And leading them was Lord Shano!
"Don't get too excited and upset Lord Shano."
Beside him, Ah Bi was calmer, somewhat awkwardly tugging at his friend's sleeve and reminding him softly.
"Sorry, Lord!"
Ah Ni snapped out of it, scratching his head with a red face, feeling a bit embarrassed:
"My name is Ah Ni and my dream has always been to join your faction, to be a part of the Endgame! Today, I am fortunate to see you in person, and your men saved us from the Heavenly Celestial Dragon. I... I'm really..."
"Get to the main point, you fool!"
Ah Bi finally couldn't hold back, taking over the speech, "Lord, it's like this! The people on the island probably don't know what's really happening and are kept in the dark. Ah Ni and I can testify for you!"
"We saw with our own eyes World Government agents blocking the coast, trying to trap us all, and we saw the Endgame save the island's residents! The truth should not be distorted, good people should not be doubted!"
"Yes, yes, Ah Bi and I have lived here for over ten years and know many people. Everyone will surely believe us!" Ah Ni hurriedly added on the side.
Shano quietly listened to the two young ones, looking at their sincere faces, he chuckled silently and reached out to rub their heads.
Behind him, Kuina, Kuma, and other top cadres shared a glance and smiled.
Eh?
The two young ones scratched their heads, confused.
What's everyone smiling about; their concerns should be correct.
The Endgame worked so hard to come all this way for them, and if the World Government turns around and smears them, causing the citizens to repay kindness with malice, that would be infuriating!
"This sentiment is commendable; we've received your kind thoughts, thank you both."
Kuma spoke with a smile, "But don't worry, Lord Shano had already prepared and arranged for situations like this."
"Victor." Shano then turned his gaze to the side, "There's no need to hide; come out and show the two young ones."
"Yes, Lord."
A respectful voice sounded, and the light closely behind Ah Bi and Ah Ni suddenly distorted.
A slim man dressed in a black uniform, smoking a pipe, whose camouflage matched the environment, slowly revealed his figure.
He was the head of the Endgame intelligence department, Victor, the Chameleon Fruit Ability User.
"Wow——!"
The two young ones were almost scared out of their wits. What's with this chilly man, since when was he standing right behind their heads!
Also...
Hey, what's that thing in the man's hands, a Radio Snail?
"It's a recording Radio Snail."
Victor winked at the young ones, pressing a button on the shell lightly with his right hand, "It can stream live and has the functionality to playback projections."
Broo~
The Radio Snail in Victor's hand slowly opened its eyes, projecting a huge image.
Next to it, Nojiko immediately snapped her fingers, creating a large cube of snow to serve as a whiteboard screen.
In the image, it displayed the town central square of Lubunier Kingdom——
Countless citizens gathered there, looking at the big screen with expressions of either terror or anger.
And on that screen, it was currently showing the previous scene atop the high platform with the Golden Bell, with a masked host excitedly reading the hunting game rules of the Heavenly Celestial Dragon!
"This..."
Ah Ni's eyes widened, finally reacting, "So you guys already..."
"Indeed."
Victor nodded calmly, "From before the hunting game started, the dialogues between the Heavenly Celestial Dragon, agents' conversations, to the host announcing the rules, the Heavenly Celestial Dragon being counter-surpassed, up to the Navy's defeat, and the Five Elders' fall, all have been broadcasted across the island."
"Now, everyone in this country has witnessed the true colors of the World Government, and this is just the beginning. The Endgame will spread these images worldwide, revealing the truth to the whole world!"
The two young ones listened in shock.
Jack was also dumbfounded beside them: "Eh? We had such an arrangement!"
No wonder, it's Shano the boss, thinking so thoroughly!
"What were you listening to in the confidential operation meeting earlier!"
Kuina, amused and exasperated, kicked the fool hard, "Even the captains knew clearly, and yet you, a top cadre, are like this!"
"After hearing the front's battle arrangements, I started fantasizing in my head about who I should beat, which guy I should defeat to restore my reputation and wash away the shame from the last time I was beaten."
Jack covered his sore butt with grievances, "I really didn't listen to what the boss said afterward, big sister."
"Dare to slack off during a meeting presided by Lord Shano."
Kuina expressionlessly placed her right hand on the Wado Ichimonji at her waist, "Next time, forget about wanting your Ivory back."
"Got it."
Jack shrank his neck, obediently stepping back.
It's not a joke, even with Life Return, regrowing Ivory isn't simple.
Back then in the Water Capital, the old Kaido broke one, and it took several months to grow back!
On the other side.
With a click, Victor casually turned off the Radio Snail, the light screen dissipated, and he smiled at the two young ones:
"Anyway, this is the role I played in this operation; those without combat ability can contribute like me in other ways."
Eh? Ah Ni was stunned.
This gentleman seems quite nice, did he notice I want to join the Endgame but dared not speak, so he's encouraging me to openly express my feelings to Lord Shano?
"Your combat ability isn't lacking at all, uncle, you're too modest!"
Ah Bi exclaimed admiringly on the side, "You managed to record everything in such a dangerous environment, if it were ordinary people, I'm afraid they'd have been blown to pieces long ago. Not to mention, you must be excellent in defense and dodging!"
"Hahaha, thanks for the compliment."
Victor struggled to hold back a laugh, "But you misunderstood, I'm not that good in these two areas either, the reason I wasn't injured is that since the battle started, there's been someone silently helping me, always protecting by my side."
He reached over and snapped his fingers lightly, releasing his ability and revealing the figure of a green mohawked punk youth.
It was Bartolomeo; his hand was still on Victor's back, having been camouflaged with the chameleon effect.
Conversely, his Barrier-Barrier Fruit ability had also protected Victor and the recording Radio Snail.
"This was my proactive suggestion to Lord Shano; isn't it awesome!"
Barto proudly pointed his thumb at his chin, seeing the two young ones look at him in amazement, "This got praise directly from Lord Shano in the strategy meeting as a genius idea!"
During the last Ten Thousand Nations battle, he and Chopper formed an unstoppable battlefield ambulance.
This time, paired with Victor, they made a war journalist car with maxed stealth and defense!
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit is incredibly versatile.
World Government wants to hide and cover up the truth, twist black into white?
They should ask Barto first!
Barto became more and more pleased, striking a pose with his feet wide apart, his hands on hips, laughing sinisterly and proudly:
"Hey hahaha——!"
Everyone else immediately sighed in resignation; Barto was very loyal and enthusiastic, and in everyday interactions, everyone quite liked him, except for his constant self-satisfaction, which was really hard to watch.
"There's one last thing to report to you, Lord."
Victor carefully put away the Radio Snail and reported:
"We've collected all the prizes from this hunting conference of the Heavenly Celestial Dragon, and by summarizing and researching recordings, remote communication, and consulting with Lady Robin, we've figured out what they are specifically."
"Oh?"
Shano finally showed a hint of interest, "Let's head back to the ship, have the items brought over for everyone to see."
He almost forgot about this.
This must be one of the most substantial rewards from this operation.
From the Divine Valley back then, merely for adding hype, they could directly kidnap the world's most beautiful woman, Shakky, just to see.
The Heavenly Celestial Dragons may not be good people, but the prizes they give their own kind must be rare treasures in the world, worth anticipation.