The Dream Team wasn't surprised to find themselves being put on a wanted list.
Ever since Akainu became the new Marine Fleet Admiral, they had expected the Marines' attitude toward their team to change.
"Vice Admiral Garp said Akainu promised that the Marines wouldn't change their approach toward the East Blue orphanage. That part really caught me off guard," Nami said softly, looking a bit confused.
"He's supposed to stand for absolute justice, right? But now it feels like what he's doing doesn't quite match up with that," Nojiko added, also puzzled.
After all, one reason they were working on building a new Sky Island was because they feared Akainu might go after them without holding back.
"Maybe it's because his position has changed, so the way he sees things is different now…" Robin said thoughtfully.
Ryuen turned to her and asked, "Let's put that aside for now. Robin, any news from Aokiji?"
Robin became serious and replied, "Aokiji is indeed looking for someone strong enough to be a Marine Admiral. But... Ryuen, why are we helping him?"
Robin wasn't the only one confused. The others also found it strange. If they could find someone that powerful, why not keep them for themselves?
"Wait—Ryuen, are you planning to control this new Admiral? Like you did with some of the other Marine officers?" Daisy guessed suddenly.
Everyone's eyes lit up. So that's what Ryuen was planning!
That kind of thing was right up their alley—they'd done it before and knew how to do it well.
"What are you guys thinking? Someone strong enough to be a Marine Admiral isn't the kind of person you can just control like that. These people aren't just powerful, their will is unshakable," Ryuen shot them a look.
"Stop being mysterious and just tell us!" Nami said, giving Ryuen a light smack.
"Ahem~"
"It's nothing that complicated. I've thought about what you're thinking too. It's true—if we had someone strong enough to be an Admiral on our side, or stationed at the East Blue orphanage, that would help us a lot."
"If Sengoku were still Fleet Admiral, or if Aokiji had taken the role, that would've been the ideal case."
"But now Akainu is the Fleet Admiral, and his stance on the World Government is still unclear. That makes him a possible threat."
"Right now, we've already got a good number of Marine officers under our influence, and Aokiji is friendly toward our Dream Team. You could say we've already made some progress inside the Marines."
"But… it's not enough!"
"Akainu is a very tough and aggressive person. As soon as he took over, he made it clear he's against us."
"That's why we need to strengthen our position even more inside the Marines. Akainu is now starting a global draft for new Marines—this is the perfect opportunity for us!"
"If we can get two Admirals who support us, even if Akainu wants to go after us, he won't have the backing to do it!"
"Besides, this is also a big opportunity for the East Blue orphanage…" Ryuen explained his plan in detail.
When he finished, the others looked down, thinking deeply.
...
"That's true…"
"Ryuen's plan really is the best option we have right now."
"The Marines may not be as strong as before, but they're still the biggest power on the seas. Their position affects too much."
"Our main focus now is the world map project, so we *have to* make sure we have enough say in what goes on in the Marines," Nojiko said seriously.
"But… where are we supposed to find the right person?" Hogg asked, confused.
There were definitely some unknown powerhouses out there—like the giant elephant Osmond, for example.
But finding someone strong, and more importantly, someone who would be friendly toward the Dream Team *after* joining the Marines… that sounded almost impossible.
"Don't worry about that. I already have someone in mind. Morgans is helping me search for him," Ryuen said calmly.
And the person he had in mind was, without a doubt—Fujitora.
If they could find Fujitora and get him to join the Marines, he and Aokiji would make a great team.
That would greatly boost their influence inside the Marines.
However, there was one person Ryuen absolutely did *not* want to see join the Marines: Ryokugyu, the man many called the "useless Admiral."
So while he had Morgans looking for Fujitora, he also told him to keep an eye on Ryokugyu's movements.
At the same time, Ryuen was closely watching the Marine ranks himself, waiting for that man to show up.
As soon as Ryokugyu shows up, Ryuen will take him out without a second thought if he gets the chance!
Seeing how confident Ryuen looked, the others relaxed a little.
"Also, about the Marines placing bounties on us—those people in the New World seem to be watching how we respond," Kuina said coldly.
There was a flash of annoyance and disdain in her eyes.
She was furious about the bounty. It felt like a slap in the face—a complete insult to her strength!
The Marines had recently issued bounties for everyone in the Dream Exploration Team, and it got a lot of attention.
Naturally, Ryuen had the highest bounty—he was given a massive 3.755 billion berries for his overwhelming strength and influence!
Right behind him was Kuina, with a bounty of 1.733 billion berries.
But Kuina was not happy with that number. She felt it didn't match her true power.
Compared to her, the others didn't seem too bothered.
Hogg had a bounty of 1.116 billion, Nojiko had 643 million, Nami had 411 million, Robin had 370 million, Daisy had 320 million, Anya had 170 million, and Leah had 137 million.
Surprisingly, even Reina from the Mink Tribe was given a bounty. It was only 5 million berries, but it still showed that the Marines saw them as a serious group.
After all, Reina didn't even have much fighting ability right now.
Actually, it wasn't just Kuina who was upset about her bounty. Even Marine HQ started to regret it.
That bounty was based on a single clash with Mihawk during the Summit War—but back then, Kuina hadn't even revealed her Devil Fruit powers!
Now, it turned out she had the same ability as Kaido. What stung the most? That Devil Fruit came from the Marines themselves!
Because of that, both Sengoku and Garp got chewed out by Akainu!
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