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Chapter 51: Auction Crowd! Admiral on Guard
Lotte raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Someone as skilled as you is quite rare in the first half of the Grand Line. As for how I know your name, I just heard it through the grapevine."
"Redfield, don't worry about these small details."
"We're planning something big this time—want to come along?"
He spoke with a playful smile.
If he could get the later "Lone Red" to help,
It would be extremely advantageous for his plan.
Hearing this, Redfield fell into deep thought.
His goal was to become the king of the seas, to take Rocks' place.
But cooperating with people from the Rocks Pirates right now wasn't unacceptable. He had long grown tired of this filthy Sabaody Archipelago.
The unbearable voices constantly entered his Observation Haki perception.
It was time to teach those people a lesson!
Redfield's gaze became firm.
"Lotte, since you've said so, I'll agree to this."
"But in reality, Marine Headquarters doesn't seem unprepared. Lately, the security around this sea area and the island has become much tighter."
"Are you sure there's no leak?"
As the words fell,
Whitebeard couldn't help but frown.
"How could the news leak so quickly… we only set out not long ago."
"In my Observation Haki perception, I never sensed any spying gaze. How exactly did the Marines know we were coming here?"
He had originally thought this would be a perfect case of hiding in plain sight.
Unexpectedly, something went wrong.
Lotte narrowed his eyes as he recalled Silver Axe's resentment.
"Since it's not information from Marine intelligence channels, and they knew in such a short time, the only possibility left is someone on our own ship."
"I didn't expect him to have the guts. He really isn't afraid of death."
Lotte sneered coldly.
Hearing Lotte say this, Whitebeard also reacted.
His expression instantly darkened, subconsciously clenching his fist.
"That bastard Silver Axe… to actually dare do something like this."
"When I get back, I'll kill him!"
Lotte waved his hand.
"There's no point talking about it now. We'll deal with Silver Axe when we return."
"Even if Marine Headquarters has strengthened their defenses, with the three of us combined, even if an Admiral personally comes, there's nothing to fear."
"As long as we don't get dragged into a prolonged battle, it's basically guaranteed."
He spoke calmly.
At the current stage, the three of them working together had an extremely high success rate.
After all, both Redfield and Whitebeard were top-tier powerhouses. Together, suppressing a single Admiral wouldn't be difficult.
Add in him—who could unleash Tree World Descent—and robbing an auction was child's play, right?
As for that Silver Axe…
The moment Lotte returned would be the day of Silver Axe's death!
Whitebeard calmed down slightly and nodded in agreement.
Redfield naturally wouldn't miss the chance to fight side-by-side with such top powerhouses.
In his eyes, both Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte were opponents he would have to defeat one day to dominate the seas.
But now, joining forces to deal with the Celestial Dragons
Wasn't a bad thing at all.
.....
A few short days passed in the blink of an eye.
This grand auction finally began its prelude.
Attracted by various rare treasures, the number of Celestial Dragons and bidders was absolutely enormous.
It even drew the attention of Marine Headquarters.
Bang!
Steel Bone Kong slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with indignation.
"Damn it! Didn't I say Tree Demon Lotte and Whitebeard were in this sea area recently?!"
"Why are those people still holding such an auction?!"
"And CP0 didn't stop them?"
He glared at the white-robed man in front of him and shouted.
The CP0 member still spoke calmly without any change in tone.
"This isn't something you should worry about. Marine Headquarters only needs to cooperate with the operation."
"If even Sabaody Archipelago can't be protected, what's the point of having stationed Marines?"
"To ensure everything goes perfectly, please dispatch an Admiral."
Steel Bone Kong now felt like he was surrounded by pig teammates. At a time like this, they were still holding an auction—what were those Celestial Dragons thinking?!
Hadn't they been killed enough by Tree Demon Lotte last time?!
Steel Bone Kong almost cursed out loud.
But since the Celestial Dragons had already gone to the auction, even if he raised objections, it would be useless.
After all, Marine Headquarters' superiors were the World Government.
If even the World Government agreed, could he refuse?
Steel Bone Kong forcefully suppressed his anger and sneered coldly.
"I understand. I'll send an Admiral over right now. Let those people wait patiently."
"If anything unexpected happens, CP0 should prepare yourselves too."
"We Marines have already tried to stop it."
Marine Headquarters was currently short on manpower.
But to be safe, Steel Bone Kong had no choice but to dispatch an Admiral.
After all, if it wasn't an Admiral, facing the combination of Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte,
Protecting the Celestial Dragons from their attacks
Could only be done by Marine Headquarters' current strongest force.
Even if Whitebeard and Lotte were strong, they couldn't break through an Admiral's defense line!
On this point, Steel Bone Kong had absolute confidence!
As Fleet Admiral,
He had to stay and guard Marine Headquarters at this time.
After receiving the satisfactory reply, CP0 turned and left without hesitation.
Then Steel Bone Kong dialed the Den Den Mushi, gave a few instructions, and hung up.
Since that Admiral was taking action,
He could finally relax a bit.
Steel Bone Kong thought this and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to rest properly,
Bang!
The office door was slammed open again.
Garp stormed in with a face full of displeasure, standing in front of the desk and glaring at Steel Bone Kong.
"Fleet Admiral, why are you making me and an Admiral protect Celestial Dragons?!"
"What the hell do those guys deserve?!"
Garp had absolutely no good feelings toward Celestial Dragons!
The reason he chose to become a Marine wasn't to act as a bodyguard for Celestial Dragons, but to uphold justice across the seas!
Seeing the agitated Garp,
Steel Bone Kong felt another headache coming on.
But suddenly, inspiration struck. He cleared his throat lightly and looked at Garp.
"Ahem, there's a purpose to having you protect the Celestial Dragons. Tree Demon Lotte and Whitebeard are very likely planning to attack this auction."
"Didn't you always want to fight them?"
"This is a great opportunity."
Hearing this, Garp's eyes immediately lit up. He clenched his fist hard and said,
"Ohhh! In that case!"
"Then just leave it to me! I absolutely won't let those two bastards succeed!"
With that, he turned and rushed out impatiently.
Leaving only Steel Bone Kong alone.
Silently staring at his door, which had been knocked down once again...
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