You can never wake up someone who is pretending to sleep. If this person can be awakened, then he was probably truly asleep.
Kaidou sat up drowsily, then saw the newspaper already pressed against his face.
"John? That guy ran to the South Sea and attacked a Navy base?"
Looking at the news in the newspaper, Kaidou was full of disbelief. From what he knew about John, he couldn't possibly do such a thing.
"So the John in the newspaper is the John you know?"
"Judging by the photo, it's him. Kachira Island... Queen, where is this island?"
"Near the Windless Zone, not too far from the direction we were originally heading. But why does this look so strange? Is this person mad?"
After comparing the direction with the compass, Queen adjusted the course and continued to flip through the newspaper.
Although the information on it might not all be true, it still had some reference value. As for Queen calling the other person mad, it was because their actions were completely provoking the dignity of the Navy.
It went on to detail the current situation John had caused. He actually spread the word at the Navy base, recruiting pirates to form John's Grand Fleet.
There are those who dare to attack the Navy base, but daring to seize it without fleeing immediately and instead occupying the island to recruit subordinates is surely madness.
If it were Rocks doing this, Queen could understand, having heard of Rocks' crazy deeds. But Captain John, although notorious over the years, was mainly known for plundering, with few reports of direct confrontations with the Navy.
Even Kaidou, who once shared a ship with John, found it puzzling.
The Navy or the World Government, of course, wouldn't publish the news of pirates recruiting crew members in the newspaper, but the current leader of the World Economic News, Morgans, is never afraid of stirring things up.
He loves big news. The more sensational, the more he wants to report it. Although he employs exaggeration and sometimes fabricates stories for attention, no one can stop him from reporting what he desires.
A pirate daring to do such a thing would be considered unprecedented big news. Naturally, he wouldn't pass up on it, dedicating an entire spread to it.
"Madman? I see it as a fool. Even though this is the South Sea, doing something so flagrantly provocative, is he treating the Navy as mere decoration?"
Shaina gave a new judgment. The Lunarians Race has had centuries of grievances with the World Government, of which the Navy is a subordinate institution. In her life on the run, she naturally had encounters with the Navy.
The largest power on The Sea is the Navy. Even decades later, when many forces like the Four Emperors, Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Revolutionary Army emerged, the Navy remains the dominant force.
Due to various restrictions and the policies of the World Government, The Sea is kept in a relatively chaotic state. Pirates may dominate a territory, but they are no match for the colossus that is the Navy.
This was true even decades later, let alone today.
Even though the new generation of the Navy hasn't grown up yet, the older generation still fights on the front lines. Not to mention, five years ago, after the battle of Divine Valley, the birth of Hero Garp elevated the Navy's morale like never before.
Roger had yet to utter that classic line, making The Sea relatively more peaceful overall.
While the Four Seas' Navy may not be very strong, doing something like this means as long as there's one person alive at the Navy Headquarters, they won't just sit by and do nothing.
"You're right, only a fool would do such a thing. Not even Rocks would dare. John knows what kind of strength Rocks possesses.
Plus, that guy knows when to advance and retreat. Though greedy, he's not stupid. He wouldn't do something this foolish."
Although Kaidou often does things that seem reckless, it's because his strength allows him to skip the thinking part. Why bother contemplating so much when you can just barrel through with brute force?
The word cunning wouldn't be inappropriate to describe him. When he was still an intern, John was already an officer on the ship. Pirates of the Four Seas were too weak in his eyes. Even if there were good prospects, they hadn't matured yet.
Specifically traveling from the Grand Line to the Four Seas to recruit subordinates, unless John's brain got kicked by a donkey.
To fool someone unfamiliar with John might work, but for him, this news was full of holes.
"So this is a con artist? But could a pirate from the Four Seas pull this off?"
Hearing Kaidou say this, Arceus seemed disappointed, and also a bit doubtful.
This world has many lookalikes and those with face blindness, and with the twisted tech trees, information is not always accessible everywhere. People can only judge one's identity from wanted posters, possibly never seeing the person in reality.
Dress up in signature attire based on the wanted poster, paint a pirate flag, and pretending isn't that hard.
However, based on what Queen said, the Navy base on Kachira Island is relatively strong in the South Sea. Not to mention, the base has warships and shore cannons. Without some strength, taking over is impossible.
"Not necessarily. That does look like John, and the traces left by the destruction are also similar to his, but the personality doesn't quite match. Maybe the guy changed over these five years. Going there to see for ourselves will reveal everything."
With just this newspaper, Kaidou couldn't determine what exactly had happened. The best course of action was to go there and have a look.
"But that means we can't sail leisurely over there. The news in the paper is from yesterday. It won't take more than a few days for forces to be dispatched from the Grand Line. We have to figure out this John situation before the Navy arrives."
Kaidou's body started to expand, blue scales covered his skin, and flame clouds beneath his claws lifted the small boat below, soaring towards Kachira Island.
At the same time, on the Red Earth Continent, a team of elite Navy was changing ships, heading to the South Sea.
At this moment, Vegapunk had just joined the World Government. The technology to integrate Seastone into the bottom of warships to block the perception of Sea King Types hadn't been implemented yet. Even if a Navy Fleet crossed the Windless Zone directly, it might still cause unnecessary casualties.
Although the ship specifications of the Four Seas are slightly inferior to those of the Headquarters, it doesn't matter. It's the combat power of the soldiers and the leading officers that are the elite factor.
Changing ships from the Red Earth Continent would waste some time, but it was more secure.
Meanwhile, near Kachira Island, various pirate ships of different sizes were also approaching. The Sea is not short of clever people, nor is it short of fools. Pirates and the Navy are naturally opposing forces, and in most cases, pirates are evading Navy pursuit.
For a pirate to attack a Navy base, just this act could attract a significant number of pirates.