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Meanwhile, Smoker, who was chasing Luffy, finished replying to Sengoku's message and wanted to smash his phone!
He clenched his fists, his face full of anger and unwillingness.
"Damn it, I was about to catch Luffy, why did Fleet Admiral Sengoku suddenly give such an order!"
He was almost exploding with rage. After chasing at full speed for so many days, the duck that was almost in his grasp was suddenly ordered to change direction. This was truly difficult for him to accept.
But Tashigi beside him looked at Smoker in surprise. She could feel his anger, but she had a different idea.
In her opinion, catching up to pirates didn't necessarily mean they could capture them.
She had a strong feeling that even if they caught up, they would end up like last time, with the Straw Hat kid escaping.
But she couldn't say these words directly, so she could only comfort Smoker from a different angle.
"Captain Smoker, you should think of it this way: compared to one pirate, the safety of a country is obviously more important!"
Hearing this, Smoker was stunned for a moment and looked up at Tashigi, while Tashigi continued to convince him with righteous words.
"I believe Fleet Admiral Sengoku also understands this principle, which is why he made us change course to Alabasta midway."
Speaking of this, Tashigi seemed to suddenly realize something and looked at Smoker in surprise.
"Captain Smoker, do you think Fleet Admiral Sengoku's meaning could be: let us go to Alabasta in advance and wait for Straw Hat Luffy to take the bait?"
Smoker was suddenly stunned, his mind felt like it had been struck by lightning, and he froze in place, unable to move.
After a long time, his body jolted, and he suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with light, having completely understood!
"I understand! It must be like this!"
"Princess Vivi is on Straw Hat Luffy's ship and might be taken as a hostage. If that's the case, then even if we catch up to them, it won't be of much use."
There was a hint of excitement in Smoker's voice, and the more he spoke, the brighter his eyes became.
"And once they reach Alabasta, Princess Vivi will definitely leave the Straw Hat Pirates. At that time, it will be our chance to act!"
The more Smoker spoke, the brighter his eyes became, as if he completely understood Fleet Admiral Sengoku's meaning.
He then looked at Tashigi admiringly and patted her shoulder.
"Tashigi, you've finally grown up."
...
Baltigo,
A desolate island covered in white, where a humid sea breeze blows year-round, sending stone chips flying. This is the secret headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
However, inside a hidden cave somewhere, Dragon's hearty laughter could be heard.
"Luffy is truly young and hot-blooded. As soon as he entered the Grand Line, he dared to challenge a Warlord. He's even more fierce than his old man was when he was young."
Dragon sat on a rock inside the cave, holding a phone in his hand. The screen showed Luffy's latest video, and a satisfied smile was on his face.
Since they parted ways in Loguetown, he had thought he wouldn't see Luffy again for a long time.
But unexpectedly, with the appearance of phones, he could see Luffy every day and even keep track of his movements, as if Luffy were right beside him.
He couldn't be more satisfied with this outcome.
"If he wasn't hot-blooded, how could he be called a young man?" Sabo said with a smile as he walked in from outside the cave. He still carried a hint of the sea's smell on him, clearly having just returned.
Seeing that Dragon was watching Luffy's video, he couldn't help but tease. "Mr. Dragon, watching Luffy's updated video again?"
"Yeah, this kid talks about becoming the Pirate King every day, it's hard not to notice him."
Sabo also smiled. Dragon's son was indeed a bit too bold.
However, looking at Luffy's appearance, he felt very familiar, as if he had seen him before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where.
(T/N: Below is from author, not me)
(PS: The author found that many readers here don't understand and say that it was mentioned before, so why say it again? The author will explain:)
(The previous meaning was that Dragon would mention Luffy when chatting with Sabo, and would also mention that Luffy is younger than Sabo. But Sabo had not recovered his memory, only knew Luffy's name, and would feel familiar seeing the photo. At this time, he still hadn't recovered his memory; he recovered his memory after the Summit War ended, when he saw the news of Ace's death.)
Moreover, every time he tried to think, he would get a headache, which made him feel very strange. Could it be that they knew each other before?
He had asked Mr. Dragon about this later, but it was denied.
Because Mr. Dragon said that Luffy grew up in Foosha Village when he was a child, while the place where he saved Sabo was the island where the World Nobles lived.
The distance between the two is too great, the difference is too large, it is impossible for them to have intersected.
Sabo also thought this way. Perhaps some people he had lost memories of looked very much like Luffy, causing him to feel a sense of familiarity when he saw Luffy.
He shook his head, casting aside this strange feeling, and turned his attention back to Luffy's video.
"This kid, he can really make people worry," Sabo said softly.
"Alright, let's not talk about Luffy. How did this mission go?" Dragon looked at Sabo and asked with a smile.
"We made a fortune!"
Sabo's eyes were full of smiles. He took a map from his pocket, unfolded it, and pointed to a location as he reported. "Our phones are selling incredibly well in the West Blue. Morgans and his group sell them for 100 Berries, and we sell them for 300 Berries. Although the price is three times theirs, we can't even keep them in stock!"
"Hmm, that's somewhat expected," Dragon nodded. Even he himself knew that he had been playing on his phone all day except when sleeping.
This shows the appeal of phones!
Once people have phones, they develop a very strong dependence on them, a dependence that cannot be easily shaken off.
"Of course, it didn't disappoint. After getting phones, those residents also understood: there are countries beyond their own, and many islands beyond their own island!"
Sabo described the scene with eyes full of longing. "We helped those residents find their personal worth, helped them take control of their own destiny, become the masters of their own countries, and take charge."
Speaking of this, Sabo seemed to remember something interesting and looked at Dragon with a smile.
"Mr. Dragon, you might not know this, but there were two or three countries with tyrannical rule that were overthrown by the residents themselves."
"It's quite interesting; they all watched the videos we filmed before, as if they awakened, and stood up. And all these people have now become our fans."
Dragon nodded, a hint of relief in his tone. "There are many countries like this. They just need a little help to become masters of their own destiny."
Sabo also nodded and continued. "Furthermore, the phone sales in the East Blue, North Blue, and South Blue are quite similar to the West Blue."
"As soon as we arrived, the phones were almost completely bought up. The phones we ordered from Mr. Morgans before are simply not enough to sell. Now, every base is calling every day, urging us to ship the goods."
With the popularization of phones, more and more people can see the world beyond their islands.
The countries where people are not oppressed and don't get beaten every day are what they yearn for, so their consciousness is awakening, and their free will is gradually emerging.
Sabo was also happy to see this. They had helped many people, and their dream was for all those who were oppressed and exploited across the entire sea to stand up and take control of their own destiny.
Just then, Sabo's phone suddenly vibrated, and a message popped up. He glanced at it, then looked up at Dragon and said, "Mr. Dragon, I'll be going now. The goods from Mr. Morgans have arrived."
"Okay, go ahead, and pay attention to the Marines' movements," Dragon instructed.
"Yes!" Sabo nodded and turned to leave the cave.