For Wood, truly betraying the Marines was never an option, but for now, returning to Marine headquarters wasn't in his plans either.
He had come to understand that with the display of his strength and intelligence, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the other high-ranking officers were already preparing to groom him for greater responsibilities, even bestowing upon him the codename "Dark Serpent."
Even if he gave up on the undercover mission and returned to Marineford, it was unlikely that Sengoku would allow him to take on a simple post as a branch captain, living out his days with minimal effort.
If he was going to work hard, then why not try to start something of his own? Instead of diligently working under someone else's command, being an undercover Marine operating freely on the seas offered much more autonomy.
Moreover, with a considerable amount of funds at his disposal now, how could he resist the opportunity to experience life as a wealthy individual before returning to the drudgery of a Marine's duties?
As for Nico Robin, even if she hadn't overheard the conversation between Rosinante and Sengoku, Wood had always intended to reveal his true identity to her.
Wood was now planning to establish a company, using the technology from the Pluton blueprints to manufacture advanced products or weapons. He had already decided on the core team, including those who had been dismissed from Tom's Workshop. Naturally, Robin, with her ability to read the Poneglyphs, was an indispensable member of this group.
With the right personnel and sufficient funds in place, the only thing missing was a sales network to complete Wood's overall plan.
Originally, Wood had considered collaborating with Doflamingo for the sales network. After all, Doflamingo had extensive connections in the underworld and was well-established—one of the reasons Wood had initially spared him.
However, due to Doflamingo's betrayal, Wood had now removed him from the list of potential partners. The underworld had plenty of other influential figures, and Doflamingo was just one of the newer power players. As long as the products were good enough, Wood had no concerns about finding a market.
Once the business was up and running, Wood planned to make contact with the Revolutionary Army and initiate the final phase of his plan.
However, he knew that he couldn't accomplish all of this on his own. One of the critical hurdles was Robin, who held the key to decoding the Pluton blueprints. Robin was incredibly intelligent, and keeping secrets from her was nearly impossible.
So, instead of trying to hide things from her, Wood decided to bring her into the fold. Given Robin's skills and abilities, Wood believed she would make an excellent secretary—just the kind of capable person he needed by his side.
During this conversation, Wood didn't hide much from Robin, choosing to share most of his future plans with her.
Robin's expression shifted rapidly as she listened to Wood's ambitions—from initial confusion to shock, and finally to excitement.
Just as Robin had suspected, Wood wasn't like the rigid Marines. The justice he pursued was the true form of justice, unparalleled and absolute.
He was someone who moved within the darkness to carry out real justice.
The pirates believed he was one of them, while the Marines saw him as their own. However, his heart leaned towards the Revolutionary Army, with the ultimate goal of bringing down the World Government.
Robin, who harbored a deep hatred for the World Government, didn't hesitate to offer her help once she understood Wood's resolve.
Whether Wood was deceiving her or trying to use her—this was something Nico Robin would judge in time. But she couldn't deny the pleasure she felt when Wood revealed that she was the first person to know his true plans.
In Robin's eyes, at least in some respects, she had already won over that annoying female Vice Admiral by a considerable margin.
As for long legs and a full figure, those didn't matter much to Robin. She was still growing, and it was only a matter of time before she caught up to her rival in those areas.
When Wood finally awoke and joined Robin on the deck, it was no surprise that everyone aboard was taken aback. After regaining his composure, Wood retrieved his two Den Den Mushi, informing both Tiger and Fleet Admiral Sengoku that reinforcements were no longer necessary—he could handle the situation himself.
Tiger's side was easy to convince, but it took Wood quite a bit of effort to explain everything to Sengoku.
When Sengoku mentioned the five billion Berries, Wood bluntly hung up, leaving the Fleet Admiral on the other end fuming, his mustache bristling in frustration.
"Bring the ship closer over there," Wood ordered. "Come to think of it, despite being pirates, we haven't actually plundered anything yet. Today, no matter what, we should get a taste of what it's like to be real pirates."
Upon seeing the pirate flags flying on the ships ahead, Rus, who was like a walking encyclopedia of pirate knowledge, quickly recalled the backgrounds of the approaching pirate crews.
Once it was confirmed that these crews weren't anything significant—just some minor thugs—Wood had Rus steer their ship closer.
The pirates, who had been discussing how to divide the loot from Wood's crew, were stunned when Wood's ship approached them instead.
They were about to mock Wood and his crew for not continuing to hide like turtles, when they suddenly saw a massive blade of energy arc towards them.
The crescent-shaped blade flew across the sea, slicing through the waves for dozens of kilometers, before cutting a medium-sized pirate ship in half as if it were made of cake.
The terrifying blade energy continued on, splitting the sea behind the pirate ship for dozens more kilometers before finally dissipating into the vast ocean.
As their ship was split in two, the crew frantically searched for their captain to issue orders and calm their nerves.
But the ship's first mate soon discovered that their captain, who had a bounty of 95 million Berries, had been sliced in half just like the rest of their ship.
The sudden turn of events left the other pirate crews, who had been planning to gang up on Wood's crew, completely dumbfounded.
The pirate crews that had gathered here were all roughly equal in strength—otherwise, they wouldn't have spent so much time bickering. But to see one of their own get wiped out in a single slash, with both the captain and the ship taken out simultaneously, was a horrifying demonstration of power.
In that moment, the pirates understood the vast difference in strength between themselves and Wood's crew. The roles of hunter and prey had suddenly been reversed.
Initially, these pirate crews had hesitated because of Wood's one billion Berry bounty. But after repeatedly provoking Wood's crew, and seeing them avoid confrontation every time, the pirates had come to a conclusion: either something was wrong with Wood's Nirvana Pirates, or the whole "super rookie" reputation was just a hollow title.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 350+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a