"We must find a way to salvage our reputation!"
"But how can we do that? We can't stop the broadcast now, and let's not forget how he handled the previous live stream."
This deepened the furrowed brows of the Five Elders.
During the previous live stream, to prove that the Summit War had truly occurred, a man named Luo Ke presented footage from the past and future.
If he could present such footage in the previous live stream, it was highly likely that he could do the same in this one.
If that were the case, a simple denial wouldn't work.
They couldn't abandon any of the Celestial Dragons; it was their principle and bottom line. Even if they had done wrong, as long as they didn't betray the Celestial Dragons, they had to protect them.
"In that case, we must completely deny the words of this man named Luo Ke. Issue an immediate bounty on him and publicly declare that everything he said is a lie, and the footage is all fabricated.
There is no evidence to prove that the future shown in the footage is real. From that perspective, there is also no evidence to prove that the past events he mentioned are true.
We must completely deny it."
They thought it through clearly. Since future footage had been revealed, would people who knew the future continue to follow that course?
Impossible!
Therefore, the footage Luo Ke presented was already a paradox. The moment he presented that footage, the future of this world had already changed.
In that case, they had nothing to worry about regarding this so-called "conclusive evidence" because such a future was never going to happen in the first place.
"We must frame him with another accusation, portraying him as someone who incites hatred between the World Government and the Four Emperors, attempting to profit from it and overthrow the World Government. We must blacken his image at all costs to raise doubts among the public.
Once the people begin to question this man's motives, no one will care about the things he presents."
"This must be done immediately. No one knows how much more he has in his possession. If he exposes everything, it will be extremely detrimental to us."
"Immediately instruct CP agents to search for this man based on his appearance and name. I refuse to believe that he can leave no trace. Once found, have the Admirals and CP-0 capture him alive.
Make him surrender what he holds, extract all its value, and then kill him!"
"I agree with this approach."
...
Actions against Luo Ke were immediately initiated within the worldwide CP network. However, they couldn't fathom that even if they knew Luo Ke's appearance and name, they couldn't find his whereabouts.
That's because Luo Ke was no longer on that planet.
While the World Government was working on tarnishing Luo Ke's image, the live broadcast continued on Luo Ke's side.
Two questions had already been asked, and both were answered correctly by the Straw Hat Pirates. Now, only three questions remained.
Moreover, due to Captain Nezumi's incorrect response in the second question, the Marines had no right to answer the third question. The initiative of this quiz broadcast had already fallen into the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Luo Ke clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's proceed with the third question. Listen carefully.
Question: After the Summit War, who took Luffy as their apprentice?
Here are four choices..."
"a. Admiral Sengoku of the Marines.
b. Captain Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates.
c. Captain Whitebeard of the Whitebeard Pirates.
d.Dark King Rayleigh of the Roger Pirates.
Please make your selection within two minutes."
Once again, it was a question related to the Summit War.
Upon hearing this question, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were the first to show delight.
They found an option that included Whitebeard, their father figure.
Could this mean that their old man didn't die in the Summit War but managed to survive?
Furthermore, it implied that even Luffy wasn't killed by Akainu's punch but instead survived and became Whitebeard's apprentice.
The more the members of the Whitebeard Pirates thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, he was Whitebeard! Their crew was not finished yet.
For them, this news was a silver lining in an unfortunate situation. Fortunately, their father figure didn't meet his end at Marine Headquarters after Ace. If that were the case, the Marines now knowing this news would have to reconsider the outcome and the price they paid for starting the Summit War. Was it really worth it?
...
Warlord Sengoku and other high-ranking officers were not entirely satisfied with this outcome.
The fact that Akainu's punch didn't kill Luffy meant that someone had intervened to save him.
What concerned them even more were the options provided. If even Whitebeard wasn't killed, it meant that an angry and alive Yonko posed a significant threat to the Marines, and the cost they would have to pay was not insignificant.
However, the idea of Whitebeard still being alive remained doubtful.
Sengoku remembered that Whitebeard didn't take apprentices; he only considered his crew as his sons. But according to the question, someone else had taken Luffy as an apprentice. If the question was accurate, it meant that someone other than Whitebeard had taken him under their wing.
Who could it be?
Sengoku himself? Impossible. The Fleet Admiral wouldn't do something that humiliating.
Shanks? That was highly possible. Given Luffy's relationship with Shanks, it wouldn't be surprising if Shanks took him as an apprentice after the Summit War.
That left one option: Rayleigh, the former first mate of the Roger Pirates.
This old man had disappeared from the seas ever since the dissolution of the Roger Pirates over twenty years ago. There were reports of sightings in the Sabaody Archipelago, but the Marines hadn't been able to locate him despite their attempts. Considering that he hadn't caused any trouble at sea since then, the Marines had temporarily given up on capturing him. Even if they wanted to catch him, it would come at a considerable cost. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Sengoku remained skeptical about this man who had been missing for over twenty years suddenly appearing to take Luffy as his apprentice.
Considering the four options, Shanks seemed the most plausible.
Others held the same view as Sengoku.
In the crowd on the Sabaody Archipelago, an old man with white hair looked at the live broadcast with surprise. He didn't expect to hear his own name mentioned here.
"So, it's Straw Hat Luffy," Rayleigh murmured softly. He squinted his eyes, a hint of curiosity flashing in his gaze.
...
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