Perona's ghosts passed through Noyer's body repeatedly. He silently gave a command to the system.
'No matter how many of these foreign talents come, don't absorb them.'
Perona stared at him, dumbfounded, and stammered, "You… you — why aren't you becoming negative?"
Noyer casually made something up, "Probably because I'm a deep kind of guy?"
Perona opened her mouth wide, covering her head in distress, "Why is this happening?"
Just as the two were talking, Lucci appeared from behind and struck the back of her neck. She immediately fainted. Robin and Conis quickly caught her.
"She's very loyal to Moria. Let's keep her under house arrest for now."
Having more subordinates had its benefits. Since boarding the Thriller Bark, aside from dealing with Moria, Noyer hadn't lifted a finger. With one command, someone immediately carried it out — this was the treatment of a boss.
As the new user of the Kage Kage no Mi, he quickly took control of all the zombies on the ship, truly gaining control of Thriller Bark. Although the zombies didn't look great, as products of the fruit's power, they were quite loyal to him.
Just as Noyer was about to relax again, Blueno's spatial door opened before him once more. Poor guy — because of his Devil Fruit, Noyer had turned him into a messenger.
Blueno emerged from the door, panting from using his ability multiple times, "Captain, someone wants to see you!"
Noyer looked at him in surprise, "There are other people on the island?"
Blueno scratched his head and gestured as he described her, "It's an ugly woman with a big head wearing lipstick. Their shadows seem to have been taken by Moria, so they've been hiding here all along."
Noyer suddenly understood — he remembered now. The woman on the ship was called Lola, right?
Lola, one of Big Mom's many children, had been called by her delighted mother to arrange a marriage with a giant prince (Loki) to improve relations with the giants.
But who knew that although Lola wasn't much to look at, her personality was truly bold. She dared to defy Big Mom's orders, running away and escaping from the New World, infuriating both her mother and the giants.
Noyer nodded, "Bring her to see me."
Soon, an ugly woman and her subordinates were brought over.
She really was an eyesore…
When Lola saw Noyer, she bowed respectfully with her followers, "Hello, new Kage Kage no Mi user, sir."
Noyer nodded and got straight to the point, "You want your shadows back, don't you?"
Lola hesitated, then said with difficulty, "Warlord Moria took our shadows. We haven't seen sunlight for many years…"
Noyer raised his hand to interrupt her, "I can return your shadows, but I have a condition."
Lola was stunned, then overjoyed, "That's great! We'll do our best to meet your conditions."
Noyer shook his head and pointed at her, "It's nothing major. I just need your mother's Vivre Card."
Lola was puzzled — how did he know she had a Vivre Card?
Still, this deal wasn't bad. She didn't have much affection for her mother. Besides, she didn't believe this man could threaten a mighty Emperor.
She obediently took out Big Mom's Vivre Card. Noyer kept his promise and returned the shadows to her and her subordinates. There weren't many of them — losing a few shadows was nothing.
After Lola left with her people, the expressionless Lucci finally spoke, "Why negotiate? We could have just killed them and taken what we needed."
Noyer lazily reclined on the sofa his subordinates had brought over, "Why resort to violence when a few words can solve the problem?"
He'd killed plenty of people, but he wasn't a bloodthirsty killer. Lola had shown respect and courtesy befitting her strength — of course he was willing to talk.
Sure, crushing them would be as easy as crushing ants. But who goes around killing ants for no reason? In his past life, that would either be the makings of a serial killer or a total idiot…
◇◆◈◆◇
Over the next few days, Noyer kept sending people to search for the skeleton Brook. He wanted to copy his Yomi Yomi no Mi — an ability that could give you an extra life. No matter what, he had to find it.
But the Florian Triangle was too vast. After some time had passed, they hadn't even spotted a single ship.
Time passed slowly, and Brook's trail remained elusive. Noyer didn't want to wait any longer. With no choice, he returned to the Celestial Drake, preparing to head to Sabaody and seize the Heavenly Tribute first.
As Noyer's first seized territory, Thriller Bark couldn't be abandoned. He left several CP9 squad members behind, taking only Lucci, Kalifa, and Blueno with him.
As for Perona — ever since learning that Moria had been killed, she'd stayed in the castle refusing to eat or drink. Noyer couldn't do anything about it.
Moria had raised her since childhood. Her affection and loyalty weren't something an outsider like him could shake, at least not yet.
As for Hogback — though he was also blindly loyal, if not for his medical skills, he would have been killed already. Both would be locked up for now and dealt with later.
With several people taking care of Thriller Bark, Noyer felt much more at ease. Few in the first half of the Grand Line could defeat them.
Before leaving, he instructed Kaku to report immediately if they found news of Brook.
What puzzled Noyer most was how Moria had sailed Thriller Bark to the New World and back. A ship the size of an island — what kind of coating would it need to pass through Fish-Man Island?
The Celestial Drake sailed away from the fog, and the long-missed sunlight shone on their faces once more.
Noyer stretched and said, "Places with sunlight are so much more comfortable."
Robin flipped through the sea chart, smiling, "We're finally almost at the Sabaody Archipelago."
Conis asked curiously, "Is that island very special?"
Robin nodded and patiently pulled out a small board to explain, while Conis and the others sat in a neat row, listening attentively.
"At the start of the Grand Line, there are seven routes to choose from. But the junction from Paradise to the New World — if you can't pass through Mary Geoise atop the Red Line, you can only go through Fish-Man Island. And Fish-Man Island is 10,000 meters below sea level. You can only coat the ship at Sabaody to dive into the deep sea."
Enel exclaimed, "Sky Island is 10,000 meters in the sky, Fish-Man Island is 10,000 meters under the sea — the difference is that great…"
Conis said longingly, "So there really are fish-men in the world!"
Seeing everyone so excited, Noyer felt a bit thrilled inside too.
The island where the seven routes converged was also where he and Ace had agreed to reunite. They had to hurry there.
They'd even bet a meal on it!
◇◆◈◆◇
The Sabaody Archipelago sat adjacent to Marine Headquarters, so Noyer and the others had to be careful sailing there.
Before they even landed, everyone could see the magnificent bubble islands from afar.
The Sabaody Archipelago was called an island, but it was actually formed by the world's largest mangrove tree, Yarukiman. Its enormous roots were exposed above the sea surface, and over time, people came to call it an island.
Sabaody's specialty bubbles were actually resin secreted by the mangrove's root respiration.
As the ship docked, Wyper looked at the bubbles floating everywhere and sighed, "It's so beautiful…"
Bubble cars, bubble Ferris wheels, houses on bubbles…
Conis pulled Kalifa along, with the little fox running around behind them like a hyperactive husky. She shouted excitedly to Robin, "Sister Robin, look! So many things made of bubbles!"
Enel stood majestically on a tree, feeling deeply moved.
Such a beautiful place… ruling it would be pretty nice too…
Kalifa still wasn't quite used to Conis's friendliness, but the enthusiastic angel didn't mind. She continued shouting to Robin, "Sister Robin! Let's go shopping!"
Robin nodded, then held out her hand to Noyer beside her.
She smiled, "Give me some money."
Just like a wife asking for pocket money before going out…
The wealthy Captain Noyer waved his hand generously and gave each of the three girls a backpack full of money.
Enel jumped up, "I want some too!"
The generous Noyer bled money once again, handing out large sums. The four men each clutched a single hundred-denomination coin in their hands, falling into contemplation.
Wyper nudged Enel with his elbow, "A hundred belly — isn't that the price of cotton candy down here?"
Enel patted his shoulder with the attitude of someone experienced, saying earnestly, "You don't have experience, so you don't know — actually, a hundred belly is a lot down here!"
Wyper: I don't shop much, but don't try to trick me.
Lucci and Blueno looked at Enel like he was an idiot.
What had this kid been through?
Having spent a fortune to send off the four men, Noyer clapped his hands. He planned to check out the coating factory and look for Ace.
But just then, his crotch suddenly started vibrating…
Under everyone's strange gazes, Noyer calmly pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pants pocket, "Moshi moshi?"
A gentle voice came through, "Mr. Noyer, now that you've arrived, can we discuss the details?"
The Revolutionary Army's… what was her name again? Something-ne.
Was their intelligence that accurate? How did they call him right when he landed?
Noyer looked at the Den Den Mushi, which had transformed into a soft-featured woman's face, "No problem. What's the location?"
"Sabaody Archipelago, Lawless Zone No. 16. Someone will meet you there."
"Alright, see you soon."
After hanging up, Robin said, "I'll come with you."
Noyer nodded, then called out to Lucci and Blueno, "Don't go play around — come with me."
Lucci didn't know Noyer had partnered with the Revolutionary Army and was somewhat confused. Still, having something to do was better than embarrassing himself with a hundred-belly coin.
Taking the three of them to meet the Revolutionary Army, the remaining four ran off to explore the archipelago.
Just for a little while — they shouldn't cause any trouble… right?
The archipelago was composed of seventy-nine trees, each with towns and facilities. Noyer and the others were heading to Grove 16.
Groves 1 to 29 belonged to the lawless zone. Various gang forces were deeply entrenched there. All sorts of people mixed together, and fights and killings could be seen everywhere.
Even more alarming — since the archipelago's actual rulers were the Celestial Dragons, things like human trafficking and slave auctions were tacitly permitted here.
And this place was right next to Marine Headquarters…
Noyer let out a sigh. Subordinate to the World Government — or rather, to the Celestial Dragons — how could the Marines ever achieve true justice?
The acts he saw as evil, the Marines could only turn a blind eye to, even helping the Celestial Dragons clean up their messes.
If he had chosen to join the Marines back then, what would he have become?
Lost in thought, Noyer arrived at Grove 16 without realizing it.
On the chaotic island, he looked up and immediately spotted that hulking figure — the man who could match Wyper's pteranodon form using only physical strength. His name was Gang.
Though Gang was huge, his eyes were innocent. Seeing Noyer and the others, he spoke simply, "Please follow me."
Such a youthful voice. Noyer asked curiously, "How old are you?"
Gang scratched his head, counted on his fingers, and said, "Twelve years old!"
"Hiss…" Noyer gasped in shock.
The Revolutionary Army uses child labor?
Wait, this child laborer looks more built than Noyer himself…
The "small and thin" child Gang led him through a series of twists and turns to a small house.
As soon as he entered, the silver-haired beauty Christine came out, extending her hand with a smile, "Welcome, Mr. Noyer."
Noyer cautiously glanced at her hand. Seeing she was wearing white gloves, he shook hands with relief.
A user of the Soft-Soft Fruit — the ability of "softness" was definitely a superior fruit that countered all men!
Christine invited the four of them inside, where several other Revolutionary Army soldiers were seated.
Robin sat beside him, while Lucci and Blueno stood behind him like pine trees. Accompanied by bodyguards and a secretary, Noyer felt his words carried more weight.
Looking at the unfamiliar faces, Noyer asked in confusion, "Just the few of us are going after the Heavenly Tribute?"
Christine shook her head, "Our squad will infiltrate the transport fleet — we're just providing support. The Revolutionary Army members on the outside will do the heavy lifting. Of course, you may be called on to act as well."
Talking to polite people was so comfortable.
Noyer nodded with satisfaction, "So what exactly do you need me to do?"
Christine's expression turned serious, "The Heavenly Tribute fleet is guarded by elite forces from various countries and government agents — it's very difficult to infiltrate. We need your abilities to replace everyone on one ship and substitute them with our Revolutionary Army members so they can blend into the fleet."
Noyer tapped his fingers on the table and frowned, "Replacing everyone on an entire ship — won't that be discovered?"
Christine smiled slightly, "Actually, we already have someone on that ship. She'll handle the identity matters."
Noyer was dumbfounded. Then what's the point of infiltrating? Haven't you already arranged everything?
Christine seemed to read his confusion, "We can only send in one person, and she can't carry weapons — she can only provide support. Besides, the ship's actual leader is a government official, so large-scale action isn't possible."
Noyer understood and nodded.
The infiltrator would support Christine's team from inside while they caused trouble to help the Revolutionary Army outside.
Is all this trouble really necessary for a robbery?
Noyer suddenly remembered his days in the East Blue.
One ship, one sword, and one Nami with a keen sense of smell — he'd dared to hijack an entire pirate fleet!
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $5 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
I'm currently translating another project (for $1.5) where the main character travels through various worlds, like Highschool of the Dead, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Darwin's Game, and many more, building a massive harem. It will have smut chapters (+18) and spicy images of the female characters. Check it out if you're interested! :)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)