"Hmm? The main force of the Buggy Pirates isn't on the island?"
On Sweet Island, Caesar was surprised by Katakuri's report and felt somewhat exasperated.
When he'd initially sent Katakuri and Kuzan with a group of elite Beast Pirates to Karai Bari Island, Caesar had still been a bit uneasy.
After all, while everyone said Buggy became a Yonko largely due to luck, Caesar knew the World Government wasn't foolish enough to elevate someone purely based on chance.
If Buggy could rise above the countless pirates in the New World to become a Yonko, there had to be a reason.
Perhaps it was due to the alliance of former Warlords, or his ties to the Roger Pirates—or maybe, just maybe, it was something about Buggy himself.
Caesar would rather believe that it was the World Government and the Marines who discovered this man's true strength and thus crowned him as one of the Four Emperors.
He himself was reluctant to believe in something like luck.
Decades ago, Rocks had gone to great lengths to search for a Devil Fruit known as the Luck-Luck Fruit.
It was said that whoever possessed this ability would be draped in the skirt of Lady Luck, ensuring a future of boundless prosperity.
"Yes, Father. I suspect that Buggy the Clown may have already learned of Edward Weevil's death. After all, Oven Island has vanished from the map. Once they realize this fact, they can deduce Weevil's fate. And judging by Buggy's usual behavior, if they lack confidence in their own strength, the likelihood of him fleeing is extremely high. I believe he has most likely gone to seek refuge with the Red Hair Pirates."
Katakuri wore a look of certainty.
Caesar frowned. "The Red Hair Pirates? Over these past few days, I've reviewed various reports and have come to know a bit about them. Their captain was supposedly an apprentice on Roger's ship? I never expected a mere apprentice to rise to such a position.
This man's talent and strength must be considerable. Ah, now that I think of it—during the battle in Wano Country, there was a one-armed red-haired swordsman whose strength was no less than Kaido's. He must be this so-called Red Hair, right?"
Katakuri was startled.
He hadn't realized Caesar had already encountered Red Hair.
He nodded. "That's correct, Father. A one-armed red-haired swordsman whose strength rivals Uncle Kaido's—there's likely only one such man on the seas. How did you come to meet Red Hair, Father?"
Caesar chuckled. "That day in the Flower Capital, as the great battle was nearing its end, the remaining survivors were about to be annihilated by the three of us. The man you call Red Hair, along with another who could manipulate air currents or wind, appeared and rescued them.
Both of them are among the foremost powerhouses on the seas. Aside from Red Hair, the identity of the other man has piqued my curiosity. Katakuri, do you know who he is?"
"A man who can manipulate air currents or wind?" Katakuri frowned, pondering for a moment, but couldn't recall any such ability user emerging on the seas.
He could only shake his head in ignorance.
Caesar wasn't overly concerned.
The sea was vast, and strong warriors and monsters could be found everywhere.
Some hid on remote islands or inland regions—not all powerhouses sought fame on the open waters.
"What does Father plan to do with Buggy's territory?" Katakuri asked again.
Caesar fell silent for a moment before replying, "Our own territory has grown somewhat too large. Manpower is an issue. How many direct subordinates do we currently have, including our pirate forces and the defense corps of Totto Land?"
"The pirate count is nine thousand three hundred, and there are three guard legions, each with exactly ten thousand men. These forces are evenly distributed across the islands of Totto Land. Even for our current number of islands, these troops are insufficient to defend all eighty-seven islands.
The pirates of the New World are insane—even knowing it's the territory of an Emperor, as long as it's not a core island, there are always reckless fools who'll raid and plunder.
Just these past few days, three islands were ambushed by the Worst Generation pirates Capone Bege and Urouge, resulting in heavy losses of personnel and wealth."
Katakuri was well-versed in the military strength of Totto Land.
Currently, these matters were jointly managed and allocated by him and King.
For a territory like Totto Land, with a population in the tens of millions, a mere few tens of thousands of troops was truly meager.
On average, each island could only be assigned a few hundred men—and there was no guarantee they'd even be assigned capable officers.
Hearing Katakuri's explanation, Caesar immediately felt a headache coming on.
Recruiting people was actually quite simple.
All Caesar had to do was make a public call, and the young men of Totto Land would likely rush to join the ranks of an Emperor's forces.
But the combat strength of these recruits would be little better than ordinary civilians, hardly forming a real fighting force.
The best approach would be to absorb existing pirate crews already active in the New World, turning them into subordinate forces under their banner.
The one who had excelled at this was Whitebeard.
In his heyday, he had forty-six renowned pirate divisions under him, numbering tens of thousands, with no shortage of noteworthy captains among them.
"How's the recruitment of those pirates going?" Caesar recalled the night when King had proposed expanding their forces, and Doflamingo had provided funds afterward.
Presumably, the plan was already in motion.
Katakuri, however, gave a bitter smile.
"Pirate crews capable of thriving in the New World aren't simple pushovers. They won't willingly submit to another's banner unless we capture them outright. Take Capone Bege—if mama hadn't forcibly kept him, he wouldn't have stayed in Totto Land. And in the end, he still betrayed us."
Caesar nodded in agreement.
Any pirate who could break through the barriers of the Four Blues, endure countless hardships, and finally reach the New World—regardless of their actual strength—would at the very least possess no small ambition.
If not aiming to become the ruler of the seas, they'd at least want to carve out their own territory, establishing themselves as a power in the New World to live freely.
Knocking on the table, Caesar said gravely, "We must hunt down and eliminate those two Worst Generation pirates. The dignity of the Beast God Pirates cannot be violated. As for Buggy's territory, leave it for now—let Doflamingo think of a way to handle it.
As for troop numbers, I'll make time in a few days to return to Wano Country and recruit a batch of samurai. Also, preparations for the Fishman army must be made in advance.
Oh, and I've heard the Germa Kingdom can clone powerful soldiers—that's worth considering. Actually, forget it. Katakuri, go call that Judge over. I'll ask him myself. And bring Queen along too."
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