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Chapter 62: Azure Emperor's Open Scheme! Cadres with Their Own Agendas
Marine Headquarters.
Steel Bone Kong quietly handled the aftermath reports. The fall of Sabaody Archipelago was also a significant blow to Marine Headquarters.
Hundreds, even thousands of Marines had been killed or wounded.
Though this level of loss wasn't enough to cripple Marine Headquarters,
It still could not be taken lightly.
Wearing his justice cape, Sengoku sat frowning in a chair, looking at the busy Steel Bone Kong and asking.
"Fleet Admiral, are we really just going to let this 'Azure Emperor' title spread?"
"In the end, he's just a pirate. That Lotte doesn't deserve such a name at all."
"If we acknowledge it, it would be a humiliation for the Marines!"
Sengoku couldn't understand.
Why Steel Bone Kong wasn't suppressing the rising "Azure Emperor" moniker.
Clearly "Tree Demon" suited that dangerous kid much better—
He was a complete devil!
Steel Bone Kong paused slightly upon hearing this, then looked up at Sengoku.
"Sengoku, you still have a lot to learn."
"Right now, Marine Headquarters temporarily has no way to deal with Lotte. But that doesn't mean the Rocks Pirates are a monolith inside."
"The fact that we received intelligence about Lotte was likely because of internal conflicts within the pirate crew. As long as we grasp this point, we can take action."
He spoke calmly.
While the "Azure Emperor" title sounded impressive,
It was also a death warrant.
Steel Bone Kong didn't believe that cunning and treacherous Rocks would tolerate such a ticking time bomb among his subordinates.
The man aiming to become King of the World
Would absolutely never allow any pirate to surpass him in strength or status.
The reason Steel Bone Kong allowed the "Azure Emperor" name to spread
Was precisely for this.
Sengoku was stunned for a moment, then frowned in thought.
Suddenly his eyes lit up and he looked up.
"Fleet Admiral, I understand now."
"In that case, let him keep the 'Azure Emperor' title for the time being."
"I hope he lives long enough to enjoy it."
Sengoku sneered coldly.
Rocks' wild ambitions were plain for all to see.
With such a monstrous genius suddenly threatening his position among his subordinates,
Could he really sit still?
...
Rocks Pirates.
As news of the Sabaody Upheaval spread across the world,
The many pirates of the Rocks Pirates were filled with excitement.
"As expected of Lord Lotte and Lord Newgate! They killed another Celestial Dragon!"
"Now both of their bounties are at 2.5 billion berries! That's second only to the Captain!"
"I heard hundreds or even thousands of Marines died!"
For ordinary crew members,
What Whitebeard and Lotte had done undoubtedly boosted morale tremendously.
Killing a Celestial Dragon right under Marine Headquarters' nose on Sabaody Archipelago
Was essentially a slap in the Marines' face!
That Whitebeard and Lotte had accomplished such a feat was simply unbelievable!
But in the eyes of many cadres,
Lotte and Whitebeard had been hogging the spotlight far too much lately!
Silver Axe sat alone in his dimly lit room, gripping the newspaper with a face full of ugliness. Hatred flashed through his eyes once again.
Those World Government bastards were truly useless!
He had clearly provided the information, yet they still failed to eliminate that Lotte!
What a bunch of trash!
Since that was the case,
He would have to find another way to deal with that kid himself!
Completely opposite to Silver Axe's resentful expression was Shiki, standing at the bow laughing heartily while holding the newspaper.
"Jie hahahaha! Lotte really made a huge scene this time!"
"I heard he's even being called 'Azure Emperor' or something—what an arrogant kid."
Shiki didn't mind the "Azure Emperor" title at all.
After all, in his view, Lotte was destined to become his vice-captain. Though there was still quite some time left until the one-year agreement,
He was already the guaranteed winner!
Since they'd be crewmates eventually, a slightly arrogant title was no big deal.
After all, Shiki harbored ambitions of becoming King of the World and taking Rocks' place.
On another ship,
Kaido sat in his office, eyes narrowed as he stared at the newspaper in his hand.
Then his fingers tightened, piercing straight through the paper. With a cold snort, he tossed it out the window.
"Hmph! I'll catch up to you sooner or later!"
Charlotte Linlin, lounging on the sofa and eating dessert, spoke calmly.
"Lotte caused quite a stir this time. But what concerns me most isn't the incident itself—it's his new 'Azure Emperor' title."
"Using 'Emperor' as a suffix… even Rocks hasn't achieved that."
"I don't think the Captain will just ignore it."
The title "Azure Emperor" was no small matter. Even in the history of the World Government, no pirate had ever been given such a name.
Kaido raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
"What do you mean? Are you saying Lotte will be punished by the Captain?"
"That's unlikely. The Captain's favoritism toward Lotte has been obvious lately—people are starting to wonder if Lotte's his illegitimate son."
"Getting the Captain to deal with Lotte is pretty unrealistic."
Charlotte Linlin didn't deny this.
She simply continued calmly.
"The only reason Rocks favors Lotte so much is because of his greater value."
"Right now, Lotte's role is extremely important. But that doesn't mean Rocks won't deal with him—it's just a matter of time."
"On these seas, there is never room for two kings."
Charlotte Linlin saw things very clearly.
Given Rocks' personality, he would never allow Lotte to slip out of his control.
His ambition would never tolerate any pirate growing stronger than him.
Hearing this,
Kaido fell into deep thought.
While the various cadres harbored their own thoughts,
Captain Rocks stood calmly at the bow of the main ship.
The torn fragments of the newspaper drifted away with the wind.
To Rocks, the Sabaody Upheaval was nothing significant.
But this "Azure Emperor" title…
Made him narrow his eyes slightly.
He had to admit,
Lotte's talent was truly shocking.
But to reach his level, it would take at least four or five years—impossible otherwise!
Still, some attention was needed.
Once God Valley was done and the kid had served his remaining purpose, he could be dealt with.
Otherwise, he really would become a threat to his position.
Rocks made up his mind.
He turned and calmly walked back onto the now-lively deck.
In the distance, a familiar-looking small manned boat sailed toward the pirate fleet, riding the waves.
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