NOVEL NEXT Chapter 346: The Leader of God's Knights!
"The war has never stopped?"
Morgans slowly set down the Den Den Mushi, sitting dazed at his desk as he muttered to himself.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"Kwahahahaha! Rogers Daren... you're a complete lunatic!"
Clutching his stomach, Morgans laughed until his face flushed red, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
Broadcasting live to the entire world, using the North Blue Fleet's long-range strike capabilities to intimidate the major Member Nations, forcing the World Government to back down... Daren had stabilized the situation in North Blue and severed it from the Member Nations' political system—an unprecedented, earth-shattering feat.
Even a veteran like Morgans, who had witnessed countless tides rise and fall across the seas, couldn't help but admire Daren's boldness and cunning.
Had it been anyone else, they would've desperately clung to such hard-won "peace," carefully maintaining and protecting it.
Even if the World Government made a move, they would likely respond with restraint to preserve the fragile stability.
But Daren had said, "The war has never stopped."
Morgans couldn't find another word for it—only "madness" fit.
...
Grand Line, on a remote island.
The World Government's authority flag, shaped like a cross, flew high and proud from the mast. The sleek, snow-white government ship lay quietly moored along the coast.
"No!!"
A piercing scream shattered the stillness of the sea, filled with indescribable sorrow.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. A Freedom Fighters soldier's head snapped back as a bullet tore through it, spraying blood into the air behind him.
His body wobbled for a second, then collapsed with a heavy thud. A dark red pool quickly spread from the back of his head.
The remaining Freedom Fighters turned away, their faces ashen. Gritting their teeth, they refused to watch.
Their hands and feet were shackled with heavy irons, while over a hundred World Government CP agents stood around them, guns raised and aimed.
Waves lapped rhythmically at the shore, but couldn't wash away the bloodstains or the chilling tension that filled the air.
Everyone remained standing.
Except for one man.
He wore a sharply tailored, light-colored modified suit. His short silver-white hair gleamed under the sun, and his whole demeanor radiated nobility and poise.
A thick, upright collar concealed his neatly groomed stubble. Draped over his shoulders was a long, dark hooded coat that reached his ankles, decorated with medal-like insignias on the upper arms. At his waist hung a silver Western-style sword.
He sat cross-legged on a coastal rock, toying with a ruby-inlaid revolver in one hand.
His crescent-shaped silver-white hair shone like a crown of light, dazzling in the sun.
Even sitting so casually, the man gave off an aura of absolute, untouchable superiority.
"Still not willing to talk?"
The silver-haired man sighed and shrugged at the group of Freedom Fighters in front of him.
"...All I want is a location."
"You want us to betray our cause and give you the headquarters' location? Keep dreaming!"
A scarred Freedom Fighters soldier sneered.
"You so-called nobles really think you can rule this world forever?"
"The flame of revolution will never die. Dragon will lead us—"
Bang!
The soldier's head jerked back violently, the light in his eyes vanishing in an instant.
The revolver smoked lightly in the air. The rubies embedded in it gleamed with a deep, blood-red glow.
Another body hit the ground, still warm.
"Sorry, I wasn't asking you."
The silver-haired man casually blew the smoke from his barrel, not sparing the corpse a single glance. His gaze shifted slowly, finally landing on one figure.
"Miss Ginny, Eastern Commander of the Freedom Fighters. A pleasure to meet you."
He gave a slight, courteous bow.
"My apologies for inviting you in such an uncivil way, beautiful lady."
He wasn't wrong.
Ginny, the Eastern Commander of the Freedom Fighters, was indeed strikingly beautiful.
She had short pink hair, a pair of windproof goggles resting on her forehead, and communication earpieces clipped to her ears.
Her figure was lithe and athletic. She wore a crisp white short-sleeved T-shirt and brown camouflage pants, tucked into black combat boots that added to her commanding presence.
Even now, with blood staining her shirt, injuries on her body, and dirt smudging her face, her charm and strength remained undiminished.
"So, the encrypted intel I intercepted before... it was all fake?"
With her hands cuffed behind her back, Ginny looked at the man radiating nobility before her. She pursed her chapped lips and asked flatly,
"You planted that false intel yourself?"
"No, no. The intel was real."
The silver-haired man shook his head, replying with a calm, offhand tone.
"The government is indeed secretly working to infiltrate the North Blue nations. Even those secret arms transport routes you intercepted—they all exist."
"Your Freedom Fighters will successfully seize those shipments. That alone will boost your overall combat strength by at least twenty percent."
Ginny's eyes narrowed sharply.
She finally understood.
This had all been a setup—from the beginning, it was a trap meant just for her.
The man idly spun the ruby-inlaid revolver in his hand, smiling.
"The intel had to be real. Only then would someone like you—Eastern Commander and Head of Intelligence—be willing to take such a risk. And without even realizing it, you stepped straight into the government's net."
"Of course, I knew this level of intel wouldn't be enough to bait you."
"So, I sweetened the pot with something you couldn't possibly ignore."
Ginny's breath hitched. She glared at him, gritting her teeth.
"You really know the secret of the Buccaneer Race?!"
The silver-haired man stood slowly from the rock and walked toward her with a smile.
He stopped in front of her, then gently lifted her bloodstained chin with the cold barrel of his gun and said with a calm smile,
"Yes, I know everything you're trying to find out."
"The Buccaneer Race's past, its history, its legends, everything they possessed..."
"More precisely, I know Bartholomew Kuma's origins."
"Isn't that what you've been chasing all this time? Searching for answers... for him?"
"There's no need to go through all that trouble. I can tell you everything—right now."
Ginny froze, her face suddenly going pale.
"No... that's impossible. There's no way you'd know that much! Even if you were a Celestial Dragon—"
"Who told you I was a Celestial Dragon?"
The silver-haired man chuckled.
Suddenly, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger on a Freedom Fighter standing beside Ginny.
Bang!
A spray of blood erupted through the air as Ginny stood frozen in place.
"Please, allow me to introduce myself properly this time, Miss Ginny."
The blood-specked man gave a serene smile, bowing with a god-like grace.
"I am Saint Jaygarcia Michael, the current leader of God's Knights."