One Piece: Groudon the Beasts

Chapter 314 News about the Flame-Flame Fruit

Calm Belt, Hoenn Main Fortress.

In the marshal's office.

Good, Aokiji, Zephyr, Dragon, Fujitora, and an out-of-place rookie instructor, Rayleigh.

High-ranking officers of the Hoenn Navy gathered.

Everyone's gazes instinctively focused on Rayleigh, their eyes filled with doubt, scrutiny, and some indescribable meaning.

It's like saying, "So you've finally met your match?"

Apart from Good and Fujitora, the rest of them were old acquaintances.

Dragon is the same age as Akainu, but a few years older than Aokiji. In his youth, he was also a rising star of the Navy. Back then, he and the older generation, including Zephyr, chased after the Roger Pirates.

Roger's opponent was an admiral, and their opponents were naturally Rayleigh and Jabba, his two right-hand men.

Back then, they were young and inexperienced, and they suffered a lot at the hands of this old man. But decades have passed, and now they are in their prime!
stare!
Rayleigh was drenched in sweat, and the tea in his hands was almost spilling out.

Since becoming a pirate, he has faced countless life-or-death crises over the decades, but none have made him as nervous as he is now.

Please, he's just a part-time rookie instructor!
"Should I leave?"

"Need not."

Good shook his head, amused.

These seasoned veterans actually teamed up to bully Lei Li in the workplace. If word got out, wouldn't they be ashamed?

"How are Dorag, Mori, and Ivankov doing?"

"The demonization has been reversed, but both of them are extremely weak."

A shadow fell over Dorrag's eyes.

After leaving the Kingdom of Lulucia, he led his officers to Hoenn Fortress to find a way to remove the demonization.

They found the mark of the contract on Ivan and the other person, destroyed it, and the demonization was also lifted.

However, both of them were severely weakened.

According to Ivan's self-examination, while they gained immense power by becoming demons, they also lost at least a decade of their lifespan.

A truly evil contract.

Dorrag briefly described the two men's physical condition.

"There's one more special case."

"Hmm, it can be transmitted to others?"

Goode looked bewildered.

Dorrag nodded slowly.

"I discovered it by accident."

Before the demonization was completely reversed, a medical worker mistakenly entered the space between them, and as if playing a game of Go, the medical worker turned into a demon.

Moreover, it wasn't just one person.

Fortunately, it was discovered early, preventing significant damage.

"infect."

Good felt so tired.

Okay, okay, let's continue stacking boxes.

He's actually starting to look forward to seeing what other tricks Im can pull off; they're almost as outrageous as "Nika's."

Goode looked at the others.

"How much do you know about Im?"

"."

Everyone shook their heads.

Although they had served as generals, they had never heard of Im's existence and were quite surprised when they first received the news.

Everyone looked at Rayleigh.

Rayleigh is a member of the Pirate King's crew and has been to Laugh Tale, so he might know something.

"Don't look at me, I don't know either."

Rayleigh waved his hand repeatedly.

He did know about the Void Century, but the historical section only mentioned the war between the Twenty Nations and the Great Kingdom.

Furthermore, this was the captain's final choice before his death, so he wouldn't reveal anything about Laugh Tale; it was his bottom line. Rayleigh hesitated for a moment.

"I can tell you that in less than two years, a new Pirate King will be born, and the secrets hidden in Laugh Tale will be revealed to the public."

"Less than two years!"

Everyone was shocked.

Although it's unclear why Rayleigh is so certain, he must have his reasons. In the absence of confirmation, it's best to treat it as true and prepare accordingly.

"It's okay if you don't know."

Goode spoke in a deep voice.

"The Knights of God have lost two members, the Navy has lost an admiral, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea system has completely collapsed. Now the World Government will definitely try to expand its military strength."

"We must be prepared to deal with this and prevent the world government from resorting to desperate measures!"

"But there's no need to worry too much. The World Government won't go to war with us in an all-out war unless it's absolutely certain. As long as we manage our base in the North Sea well, we'll have enough resources to confront the World Government head-on."

The Hoenn Navy has increased its number of strong personnel, but its mid-to-low-level forces are still far behind the rest of the navy, requiring steady development.

After the meeting, Goode returned to his office, where Chikara immediately came up to him and handed him the newspaper.

"Lord Goode, this is today's newspaper."

"Ah."

Goode flipped through the newspaper, a smile playing on his lips.

"Abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system."

Hawkeye and Moria's decision to relinquish their titles finally convinced the World Government to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system.

In recent years, the Seven Warlords of the Sea have repeatedly run into trouble, losing face and causing far more harm than good.

That was a very correct move.

But there's a small problem.

Without the title of Shichibukai, Doflamingo will be hunted down by the Navy, and his current situation is probably not optimistic.

He didn't want Xiaoming to go to jail because he had asked Xiaoming to help him find something.

Flame-Flame Fruit!

Putting everything else aside, Doflamingo's ability to collect Devil Fruits is quite impressive; almost all of his family's executives are Devil Fruit users.

Goode put down the newspaper and picked up his teacup.

"How is Doflamingo?"

"Lord Goode, Doflamingo is still in Dressrosa."

Chika produced the intelligence: "Furthermore, according to intelligence from Marine Headquarters, the Navy's high command received an order from the World Government prohibiting the pursuit of the Donquixote Family."

"prohibit?"

Goode frowned.

What does this mean? Does the World Government consider Xiaoming's Celestial Dragon bloodline and not intend to hunt him down?
That shouldn't be the case. The Navy has hunted Doflamingo quite a bit before, and Vice Admiral Tsuru almost gave him psychological trauma.

Unless, the current Celestial Dragons are willing to accept Xiaoming!
"It's really possible."

Goode snorted coldly.

Xiao Ming is indeed timid towards the beasts, but he has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. His status in the underworld is second only to the Four Emperors, making him a highly sought-after silver medalist.

Even in terms of individual strength, Xiaoming is not much worse than the members of the God Knights. His only drawback is that the potential of the String-String Fruit is too low, which is not as good as the God Knights' configuration.

The question is, is Xiaoming willing to return to the Holy Land?
Good stroked his chin.

He remembered that the kid hated the Celestial Dragons to the core. If he just went back like that, his vision would be too narrow.

"Lord Goode, there's one more thing."

"Chikara whispered."

"There are rumors of the Flame-Flame Fruit, which is said to have appeared on the black market in the Sabaody Archipelago, but the veracity of the rumors cannot be confirmed."

"."

Goode's eyes lit up a little.

If there's anything he desires, the Flame-Flame Fruit is one of them, second only to the "Mother Flame" created by Vegapunk.

"Send someone to investigate immediately!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)