(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
Gil Island—a name that sounds a bit strange. However, the island's terrain perfectly matches its name.
It consists of a nearly 2000-meter-long straight cylindrical ground, connected at its ends by two elliptical landmasses, each with a radius of a hundred meters.
Quite fitting! Every man who comes here feels a strong sense of familiarity. Of course, Sonic is an exception.
This peculiar terrain is likely why the Beasts Pirates and the Donquixote Family chose this location for their transaction.
Byakuya and his team hid at the junction of the cylindrical ground and the elliptical land, using the dense forest as cover.
To avoid detection, fewer than thirty people were left on the island.
From the Marine side, only Aokiji and Byakuya remained; the rest were all members of the intelligence organization.
There was no choice—when it came to stealth and individual combat skills, the intelligence agents were superior to the Marines.
Everyone has different roles to play. Sonic, too, was hiding on Gil Island.
Just as the Marines couldn't match the intelligence agents in stealth, the agents' hiding techniques did not match Sonic's.
After all, Sonic underwent rigorous ninja training and was an elite from the Ninja Village.
Without the system, even Byakuya wouldn't have been able to sense Sonic's position.
While everyone waited, two trading ships from the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates gradually approached Gil Island.
Reisun quietly explained, "According to our investigation, both sides have dispatched high-ranking officers for this transaction."
"Doflamingo has sent Trebol and Diamante, while the Beasts Pirates have sent Jack the Drought, one of the 'Disasters'."
Aokiji questioned, "Jack the Drought? Kaido values this transaction so much that he sent one of his three main officers?"
Byakuya, feigning curiosity, asked, "What do you think they're trading that's so valuable it requires such high-ranking officers?"
Reisun responded, "We're not certain yet, but it must be something extremely valuable."
In reality, everyone had the same thought: the trade between the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates likely involved their target, Palace Mapelseciel.
However, without confirmation, no one dared to state this outright.
By planting this idea in their minds, Byakuya's question had served its purpose.
With this thought in mind, rescuing Palace Mapelseciel from the traded goods would seem more plausible and acceptable to everyone, fitting their expectations perfectly.
Under Byakuya and his team's watchful eyes, the trading ship from the Donquixote Family met Jack's Mammoth at the junction of the two elliptical lands.
Jack's enormous shadow completely covered Trebol and Diamante in the moonlight, exuding a suffocating primal aura rattling their nerves.
It was as if they were facing a giant elephant from the wild, full of oppressive force.
Weaker pirates might have been scared to death just by facing such a presence.
Jack's deep voice rumbled, "Where's the trade goods? Bring them out quickly, don't waste time."
Trebol and Diamante, intimidated by Jack, hurriedly ordered their men to unload several small boxes from their ship.
In no time, a small mound of boxes had formed. Jack's men then stepped forward to open and check the contents, ensuring the numbers were correct.
Since this wasn't their first transaction, Jack didn't bother verifying the artificial Devil Fruits' effects on the spot.
He didn't think Doflamingo would dare deceive them anyway.
"Boss Jack, we've counted them all. There are exactly one hundred artificial Devil Fruits." Jack nodded in satisfaction.
"Give them the money, load the boxes onto the ship, and prepare to head home!"
According to their agreement, they would conduct a transaction for every hundred artificial Devil Fruits produced.
The Beasts Pirates purchased each artificial Devil Fruit for ten million Berries, making the total transaction amount one billion Berries.
Trebol and Diamante, trembling, accepted the ten boxes of money handed to them.
They dared not open and count the money before loading it onto their ship.
The disparity in strength between the two sides was too vast.
Even if the Beasts Pirates didn't provide the full amount, Trebol and Diamante couldn't do anything about it.
They certainly couldn't capture Jack and force Kaido to pay up.
If it weren't for Doflamingo's refusal to hand over the technology for artificial Devil Fruits and Kaido's inability to trace the source of these fruits, Kaido's character would not have allowed for any transaction.
He would have taken everything without spending a single Berry.
As Aokiji watched the transaction nearing its end, he frowned. "Aren't we going to make a move yet?"
Reisun calmly replied, "Wait, I haven't seen any sign of Palace Mapelseciel."
Witnessing a secret transaction between the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates was enough for the Marines.
However, for 'CP0,' these details were secondary; their primary mission was to find and retrieve Palace Mapelseciel. They wouldn't act hastily until she was seen.
Byakuya grew anxious. If Jack and his group escaped, all his efforts to stage a performance in front of Palace Mapelseciel would be wasted.
Worse, it could lead to suspicions that someone was deliberately framing the Donquixote Family for kidnapping a Celestial Dragon.
This would ruin the entire plan.
Since they wouldn't make a move, Byakuya decided he would force their hand. At that moment, Sonic was hiding in the nearby forest.
Following Byakuya's orders, Sonic shouted toward Jack and the others, "Marines are hiding in the woods at ten o'clock! Be careful!"
Though Sonic's voice wasn't loud, in the quiet of the night, any unusual sound could raise alarms.
Moreover, they heard the word "Marines."
Jack, Trebol, and Diamante, who had been preparing to leave, stopped in their tracks, warily eyeing the direction Sonic had indicated.
This reaction wasn't due to stupidity; they instinctively assumed that since they hadn't stationed anyone on the island to patrol, this must be a warning from someone on their side.
After all, if someone was warning them, it had to be a pirate! No one had anticipated that Byakuya would be stirring the conspiracy on the island.
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. I have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:OPM NOVEL TIER