The members of the Straw Hat Pirates and the villagers of Cocoyasi Village stared angrily at Rear Admiral Nezumi.
They could easily tell that he had observed Luffy's reaction before giving his answer.
The villagers of Cocoyasi Village had long harbored resentment towards Rear Admiral Nezumi. He had previously stolen the money that Nami had saved for years, and now he was stealing the answer as well.
How could there be such shameless person in this world, and a Marine at that!
The Straw Hat Pirates were also furious, but now that Nezumi had beaten them to the answer, there was nothing they could do.
Judging from Luffy's expression, it was clear that Nezumi's answer was correct.
The Arlong Syndicate showed a mix of regret and disdain on their faces. Though they were a step behind and Nezumi had beaten them, they found it more acceptable than allowing the humans on the other side to answer. After all, they were also engaging in a bit of trickery.
Despite Nezumi's cleverness, the result pleased Warring States.
He didn't expect Nezumi, who appeared unremarkable, to be so quick-witted. He could be considered a talented individual. If he could claim the reward from this live question and answer session, it wouldn't be a bad idea to promote him to the headquarters.
It would be a face-saving move for the Marines.
Keep up the good work and secure the subsequent questions as well!
At this moment, everyone at Marine Headquarters felt like victory was within their grasp. The desperate expression on the faces of the Straw Hat Pirates indicated that this was the answer Luffy intended to give, but Rear Admiral Nezumi had beaten him to it.
Marines from all around the world felt delighted. They couldn't let the reward from the question and answer session fall into the hands of pirates. The previous time when it went to Whitebeard, the Marines had paid a great price. This time, the Marines had to claim it.
On the pirate side, there was anger. They believed that even if it was for the Straw Hats, they couldn't allow the Marines to succeed. Who knew what kind of reward awaited them? They couldn't let the Marines have it under any circumstances.
However, for the common people, they were more interested in watching the spectacle. On one side, there were the Marines, and on the other side, the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp. The outcome had little impact on them. They were simply fascinated by the question and answer session.
Usopp glared at Rear Admiral Nezumi with angry eyes while scolding Luffy for showing his intentions so clearly, resulting in the answer being guessed by the enemy.
"Luffy, no matter what answer you hear next, don't show any expression. Let's discuss it quietly before answering, understood?"
Luffy nodded in response and then pulled his face to make an expressionless look.
However, the next moment, his expressionless facade crumbled.
"Wrong answer! The Marines lose their chance to answer, and they can't answer the next question either. The right to answer will be restored in the fourth question. Now, let the answering continue."
How could this be? The answer was actually wrong?!
Rear Admiral Nezumi was dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning, standing still in disbelief.
He looked at Luffy incredulously, thinking, "You with the thick eyebrows and big eyes, were you pretending just now to deceive this old man?"
Marines at Marine Headquarters were also stunned. They all turned to look at Garp with eyes that said, "You cunning old man, you managed to deceive us?"
They had just believed in Garp''s words and felt sympathy and sadness for Luffy's brother, but now you're telling me that it was all a lie?!
Give us back our sympathy and grief!
"Garp, what's the meaning of this?" Sengoku asked angrily. "You old man, aren't you honest?"
Garp scratched his head, equally confused. "I don't know either. He definitely died, right? Luffy and the others even built a monument for Sabo and mourned for a long time. Could it be... that someone saved him?"
Garp's words made Sengoku's eyes narrow. Suddenly, he remembered the other three options mentioned by Luo ke: a commander of the Red Hair Pirates, a Rear Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, and the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
Garp knew that he personally appointed all the Rear Admirals in the Marine Headquarters, and there was no corresponding character among them.
That meant there were only two options left.
But what made matters worse for the Marines now was that Rear Admiral Nezumi had answered the previous question incorrectly, which meant they would lose the chance to answer the next question. This also meant that they only had two chances left.
...
At the same time, Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates heard this answer and was momentarily stunned. Then, in an instant, his shocked expression turned into ecstatic joy.
What did this answer mean? Sabo was alive!
Ace couldn't help but burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.
No one interrupted Ace. Let him fully experience the joy of regaining his brother.
Luffy was also overjoyed, but his slow-witted brain took a moment to catch up. It was only after being reminded by Usopp and the others that he realized Sabo was still alive.
Luffy immediately hugged Usopp tightly, almost breaking his bones.
"Sabo is alive, Sabo is actually alive! This is amazing! I knew it, how could Sabo just die like that?"
"We even made a promise to set sail together and decided to see who would become the Pirate King first. How could he just die like this?" Luffy couldn't contain his joy, tears streaming down his face.
The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates couldn't help but be infected by Luffy's happiness, but it wasn't the time to celebrate just yet.
"Luffy, think carefully about which of these three options could be the right one," Usopp said.
"Wait, we also need to be cautious of those guys over there. Don't let them steal the answer again," Zoro said, looking coldly at Rear Admiral Nezumi and the Arlong Pirates.
"That's right, we must be careful of these despicable fellows," Usopp nodded repeatedly, then he pulled Luffy to a place farther away from them and began to think quietly.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Nezumi was left dumbfounded in place, feeling miserable. What did I steal from them? I only stole the wrong answer. As a result, not only did I answer the question incorrectly, but I also lost the chance to answer the next question. What a setback.
The Arlong Pirates, on the other hand, were rejoicing. Fortunately, they were a step slower earlier, allowing Rear Admiral Nezumi to be the guinea pig. Now, there were only three answers left, increasing their chances of getting it right.
But which of the three remaining answers was the correct one?
The members of the Arlong Pirates considered all three options, realizing that any of them could be possible.
Luffy was the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp, so it wasn't impossible for his brother to become a Marine.
He also had a close relationship with the Red Hair Pirates, so it made sense for him to become a commander there.
And Luffy's father was a member of the Revolutionary Army, so being the Chief of Staff there wouldn't be surprising either.
All three answers were possible, but none of them were certain.
......
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