Chapter 100: Sengoku's Reminder
"Purururu!"
"Purururu!"
The Den Den Mushi rang again, but this time it was not Judge on the line; it was Tsuru calling Rodney.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru? Is there something you need?" Rodney asked politely. He had always respected the elderly, especially those who had dedicated their lives to justice.
But this time, the Den Den Mushi didn't show Tsuru with wrinkles all over her face; instead, it had a person with round glasses along with a long goatee.
"I am Sengoku," the voice on the other end said.
"It's an honor to speak to you. I was planning to visit Marine Headquarters to see Vice Admiral Garp and thought of paying you a visit as well," Rodney said, sounding friendly.
"As long as you don't cause trouble, everything will be fine," Sengoku said helplessly.
"Vinsmoke Judge, the King of Germa, has accused you to the World Government of kidnapping their princess and capturing all the princes who came to rescue her. He suggested revoking your Shichibukai position. Of course, if you return the prince and princess to him, the accusation can be withdrawn."
"Hmph! This guy is tattling like a villain?! Reiju is my crew member, right? Reiju, please explain this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Understood."
"Reiju Vinsmoke is indeed your crew member, and I am aware of that. However, Vinsmoke Judge insists otherwise. He firmly believes that you kidnapped their princes and princess. As a member of the World Government and a country eligible to participate in the World Conference, it's quite challenging for us to handle this matter," Sengoku said, feeling a headache coming on. How could such a minor issue fall on the Marine's plate? Wasn't she, as a Vice Admiral, supposed to be working on other issues?
Judge decided to seek the World Government's help, offering a bounty of nine billion bellies and three Devil Fruits. The thought of giving away that much money pained him, but he wanted his sons and daughter back. He didn't want to pay, so he turned to the World Government, saying, "You'll find this person, not me. I don't care. You resolve this matter for me!"
He was acting like a rogue.
"I apologize for causing you trouble, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and thank you for informing me of this matter. Besides, I want to accuse the Germa Kingdom of attacking the Shichibukai and causing damage to Sabaody Archipelago. The three princes of the Germa Kingdom have caused significant mental distress to me and my crew, and we demand compensation and a total of 1.35 billion bellies for their release."
Sengoku: "..."
This was the first time she encountered someone who tried to turn the tables like this. Shouldn't a normal person downplay such matters and try to resolve them peacefully?
Rodney then set a condition, "I'm willing to donate 57 million bellies to repairing the damaged roads in Sabaody Archipelago and donate 300 million bellies to the Marines to supplement their rations. Have you seen how thin some of the Marine personnel are? They don't even have the strength to fight!"
Sengoku: "..." This guy is blatantly bribing me.
"I appreciate your intentions, but your money didn't come from nowhere. Regarding the Vinsmoke family's matter..."
"Two Devil Fruits will be my contribution to the Marine's combat strength. After all, my crew only needs one."
"..."
"That's enough! What do you take me for, Rodney? I don't want to get involved in the Germa Kingdom's affairs, but you must resolve the matter with the World Government. Otherwise, your Shichibukai position won't be secure. I don't want some shameless pirate taking your place. Compared to pirates, you're much better, but let's get this clear; you have to handle the rest yourself. I have other things to attend to. That's all."
The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
The group looked at each other, and Rayleigh smirked. "Looks like Fleet Admiral Sengoku values you quite a bit."
"Just as he said, compared to pirates, being a Shichibukai is much better. Haha, it seems he's also annoyed with those pirates. The era of the Great Pirate Era that Roger started isn't something that can be easily suppressed. I'm just taking this opportunity to make a fortune," Rodney said.
This era, a few years later, would be known as the "Worst Generation." A group of supernovas with bounties exceeding one hundred million would enter the New World, and in fact, they were far inferior to the strong figures of Rayleigh's generation.
Rocks, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Big Mom, Kaido, Pirate King Roger, Dark King Rayleigh... these monsters in their youth were much more formidable than the young generation. That was the real "Worst Generation," the darkest moment in the sea.
The Pirate King Roger's Great Pirate Era brought numerous young people thirsting for treasure and freedom into the sea, increasing their quantity but decreasing their quality.
Of course, this was in comparison to Roger's era. If compared to other times, Luffy's generation was quite remarkable.
"Roger..." Reminiscing the past, Rayleigh smiled. Rodney suddenly interjected, "By the way, you guys have someone named Buggy with a red nose on your ship, right?"
"Oh, Buggy? Do you know him?" Thinking of the young man who joined their pirate crew with Shanks, Rayleigh couldn't help but smile.
"I do. I met him when he was robbing a village, and I captured him. Now he's probably in Impel Down."
"Oh, that guy..." Rayleigh shook his head. Everyone had their own fate, and that was Buggy's choice.
As they were drinking, a familiar laughter echoed from outside the door. "Yohohoho! I'm back! Mr. Rayleigh and Miss Shakky!"
A skeleton in a suit pushed the door open, one hand holding a cane and the other wearing a top hat, showing proper etiquette with one hand placed on his chest.
"Oh, Brook, let me introduce you. This is the person you've always wanted to meet, Rodney." Rayleigh introduced Rodney to Brook.
As soon as Brook heard Rodney's name, he rushed over and held Rodney's hand, full of gratitude. "So it's you! Thank you so much for telling Laboon that I'm still alive. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how long I would drift in the Florian Triangle without even seeing the sunlight. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
He was genuinely grateful to Rodney for letting Laboon know that he was alive. Crocus was right—Laboon had been relentlessly hitting the Red Line every day, hoping to fulfill the promise and meet them again. Brook felt both guilty and moved. After Rayleigh rescued him, he decided to come to Sabaody Archipelago and wait for Rodney to arrive.
He wanted to thank Rodney personally and also express his wish to join his crew.
"Join my crew? Brook, we are bounty hunters, you know, doing legitimate work."
Robin thought for a moment and said, "Well, only the captain is a bounty hunter. I'm a wanted criminal, Reiju rarely takes action, and Perona is even less involved. Leicester is a chef, so technically speaking, there's only a bounty hunter on this ship."
"What..." Rodney thought for a moment and realized it was true. He fell into silence for a while.
"Yohohoho, that's okay. You guys are going to the New World, right? Take me with you! Even though you're bounty hunters, Crocus told me that you, Mr. Rodney, might be going to the Reverse Mountain again. I just want to fulfill my promise to my friends—to circumnavigate the world once and meet them again on the Reverse Mountain. I won't die again! So I must go there and fulfill my friends' last wishes. Besides, I want to repay your kindness as well. So please, take me on your journey!" Brook said solemnly.
"Indeed, and we also have adventurer status. Well, bounty hunting is just a side job. Yes, a side job." Rodney said, comforting himself. But he also extended his hand to Brook.
"In that case, Brook, welcome aboard my ship. From now on, you're a member of my crew, and the position of musician will be yours."
Brook kneeled on one knee. "Yohoho, I'm Brook, a member of the Rumbar Pirates. I'm now officially joining Captain Rodney's crew and swear loyalty to you!"
"Please rise, Brook. As we enter the New World, our missions will be different. We won't just be hunting pirates anymore!" Rodney said, spreading his arms. "Our journey will take us across the vast sea of stars!"