Chapter 191: Forced Into It
"What is that?!"
A dazzling beam of light shot straight across the sky.
Following it back to its source, everyone soon discovered that it had come from the warship riding atop the waves.
Wherever the beam passed, the dark clouds split apart and scattered. Even from a distance, one could feel the tremendous pressure behind it.
Could an ordinary beam of light cut through storm clouds?
No one needed to think too hard to know the answer.
That light had to possess terrifying power.
"Pluton... Was that an attack from Pluton?"
At that moment, no further explanation was needed.
Everyone believed it.
That was the real Pluton.
Only Pluton could unleash such an impact.
After that strike, the dark clouds slowly parted. Dawn sunlight poured down through the gap, spilling over the rain-soaked city.
The tsunami had not fully subsided. The wind still roared, and the rain continued to fall.
Even so, the crowd erupted into cheers.
At this moment, Pluton, the ship that had brought them the light of hope, braved the surging waves and advanced against the angry sea, heading toward the direction from which the tsunami had come.
Wave after wave crashed against it.
None could swallow it.
"Is that Pluton?"
"The greatest work of all shipwrights..."
Everyone stared in awe.
After the ship sailed away from the center of the waves, the beam of light gradually faded.
At the same time, Axel let out a quiet breath of relief.
Maintaining that light had not been easy.
A beam stretching across the sky like that consumed a great deal of mental energy. He had to rely on his Calculation Power to sustain it. A single minor error could have caused the beam to vanish on the spot, ruining the breathtaking effect he wanted to create.
Of course, that beam was only for show.
It looked dazzling and magnificent, but in truth, it was merely light manipulation. To make it shine so brightly, Axel had sacrificed nearly all of its actual power.
As for slicing through the clouds, that was not the beam itself. He had simply used his ability to scatter them with wind, creating the illusion of overwhelming force.
The beam that everyone believed to be terrifying probably could not even pierce an ordinary wall.
But others did not know that.
Pluton had been lost to history. No one had truly seen how it attacked. That ignorance gave Axel room to act.
Even with Tom's superb skill, recreating the real Pluton in such a short time was impossible. A ship like that required not only technology, but also materials, time, and manpower. Building it alone was out of the question.
Sure enough, after seeing the scene, Spandam immediately made his judgment.
It was real.
Only the real thing could unleash such a grand and dazzling attack.
He shoved his way through the crowd, drawing angry shouts from all around him.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Watch where you're going!"
Spandam ignored them all.
He rushed toward a nearby building, barged into a room, checked to make sure there was no one inside, and immediately locked the door.
Then he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and contacted the World Government.
"Plu... Pluton has reappeared!"
Axel did not look toward Water 7.
If he wanted, he could have adjusted the refraction of light in the air and drawn the distant scene before his eyes.
But there was no need.
He already knew his intended effect had been achieved.
The plan had only just begun.
The current performance was merely to make people believe that Pluton had truly reappeared. The World Government flag on the bow of the ship also created another impression.
This was a World Government vessel.
Would anyone else in this world dare use the World Government's flag?
Powerful pirates would disdain it. Flying that flag would be no different from submission.
Weak pirates would not dare use it either, because doing so would invite Marine pursuit.
As for civilians, they would never even consider it.
Therefore, the idea that someone might be impersonating the World Government did not exist from the start.
Once the civilians of Water 7 knew that Pluton had reappeared, and that it was in the hands of the World Government, the next phase of the plan could unfold step by step.
"The more someone tries to hide something," Axel murmured, "the more people will start guessing."
After saying those seemingly inexplicable words, he steered the ship into the distance.
Its destination was precisely Enies Lobby.
...
"Have you heard about Pluton?"
"You mean the Pluton that appeared in Water 7?"
"Yeah. I heard it sank!"
"Impossible! Where did you hear that?"
"It's spreading everywhere now. They say Pluton was attacked by pirates on its return voyage and sank to the bottom of the sea."
"What kind of pirates are that powerful? They even sank Pluton, the legendary warship!"
"I don't know. But I heard those pirates were all captured and sent to Enies Lobby. They probably weren't that strong."
The speaker leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"But I think the World Government is trying to cover it up. Think about it. What kind of warship is Pluton? How could it just sink like that?"
His friend was a shipwright.
He had grown up hearing stories of Pluton, the legendary battleship. Naturally, he found it hard to believe that such a ship could simply sink.
After hearing those words, he immediately felt they made sense and nodded.
Similar rumors spread wildly everywhere.
Meanwhile, inside Enies Lobby, a group of pirates who had appeared under strange circumstances were being interrogated.
"How exactly did you get here?"
"I don't know. We woke up, and we were already here."
No matter how many times they asked, and no matter how many people they questioned, the answer remained the same.
The news of Pluton spread like scattered starlight.
Inside Enies Lobby, all they had gained was a group of criminals, yet they could not extract a single useful piece of information from them.
Considering the earlier competition and the flag tied to the Pluton-like ship, the Enies Lobby Marines naturally suspected that this might all be the work of the San Faldo Marines.
However, when they leaked that idea, no one believed it.
Everything was wrapped in mystery.
Because of the rumors, more and more pirates who once would never have dared approach Enies Lobby began appearing nearby.
Some seemed to be scouting.
Some seemed greedy.
Some simply wanted to investigate the truth.
Elsewhere, at San Faldo Navy Base.
"You had me secretly transport a group of pirates underwater," Tom said, still unable to understand. "What was the point of that?"
"There was a point."
Axel took a bite of pastry from the table. After swallowing, he continued unhurriedly.
"Because that makes the rumors true. There really was a group of pirates delivered to Enies Lobby, and 'Pluton' really did sink. Those are facts, aren't they?"
Tom still did not understand.
Seeing his confusion, Axel smiled and continued.
"Even if the World Government tells the truth and says I designed all of this, even if the Marines at Enies Lobby believe them, who do you think the public will believe? Them or me?"
Tom fell silent.
"And how would it sound to others?" Axel said. "Fake. At least most people would think it was fake. They would see it as an excuse made by the World Government. I would simply become a scapegoat they dragged out to cover the truth."
He pointed at himself.
"Besides, how could a kid this young come up with such a plan?"
Rumors stop with the wise.
That saying was mostly just something people used to comfort themselves.
What truly spread was not the words of a few wise individuals.
It was whatever most people were willing to believe.
"But what use does that have?" Tom asked. "Won't it anger the World Government? And it also exposes that you know about the blueprints."
"On the contrary," Axel said. "Doing this makes the World Government hesitate to act rashly."
He picked up another pastry.
"Once news of Pluton spreads, no matter what, the fact that the World Government is searching for Pluton will leak out. To ambitious people, that is both a threat and an opportunity. They will want Pluton too, even if the chance is slim."
Axel's tone was casual, as if he were talking about the weather.
"After that, the World Government will have no shortage of trouble coming straight at them. Their hands will be full."
He paused briefly.
"There's another point. They won't dare."
Tom frowned.
"The existence of the blueprints does make me more dangerous," Axel said. "But when danger reaches a certain level, they have to compromise. My actions are too forceful. Unless they are absolutely certain they can arrest me immediately, they won't act."
"If the Pluton blueprints spread, the threat to their rule would be far too great. There may be trouble later, but at least not now."
He smiled faintly.
"On the contrary, they'll probably adopt a conciliatory policy. Keep me in the Marines. Give me some inexplicable merits. Stabilize me first."
Axel leaned back in his chair.
"That's the World Government for you."
Tom shuddered.
"How does your head have so many twists and turns in it?"
"Forced into it."
Axel replied simply, then sat back and continued enjoying the food.
.....
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