"One Piece:The True Codex"Chapter 379: The New Member of the Shichibukai
"He intends to use our identities as a disguise!" Karslana revealed William's strategy at the time, which also hinted at the source of her current anxiety and fear. "But now it seems he no longer needs us! He doesn't need us anymore!"
Brook, his legs dropping from the table, finally spoke after a moment: "Even so, I won't flee with you. You don't have a clear understanding of William-san's true strength. You know he's formidable, but you don't know just how formidable. I've been sparring with him often, discussing swordsmanship. I've never seen anyone possess such understanding and insight into swordsmanship as he does. Do you know what this means? It means that even without a Logia Devil Fruit, I estimate that Moria wouldn't be his match."
One of William's greatest strengths was his eagerness to learn. Even if Brook's skills were inferior, William would humbly seek knowledge when he found merit in Brook's sword techniques, asking questions without shame.
William had accumulated multiple specialties such as Zen Sword Arts, Sudden Enlightenment, and Integrated Mastery. In terms of swordsmanship alone, his talent was exceptional.
In life, Brook was renowned in his homeland for his swordsmanship talent and prowess. But after conversing and sparring with William, he realized what true genius was, coupled with a fear of William's cunning. He was terrified of the consequences of a failed escape attempt.
Seeing Brook's resolute stance, Karslana pondered for a moment before abruptly changing her tone, speaking with utmost seriousness: "If you escape with us, I'll give you a pair of Portia's panties!"
Across the table, Portia, who had remained silent, blushed furiously at her friend's words.
Karslana had absurdly yet accurately pinpointed the key to their exchange of interests.
When it came to matters between men and women, William and Brook were two physiological and psychological extremes.
In his twenties, William, who should have been brimming with youthful vigor, was as abstinent as a monk. Though he occasionally made suggestive remarks to the two women aboard or joined in bawdy jokes with the other men like a seasoned flirt, he clearly preferred to win hearts among the crew.
Brook, on the other hand, despite being a skeleton, was more akin to a lecher. Upon meeting pretty women, he would unabashedly ask for their panties.
When he first met Karslana and Portia, he had made such a request, only to be flatly refused by both.
At this point, Portia, usually composed, was genuinely angered, her face flushed as she loudly rebuked: "Karslana, you're going too far!"
"I'm trying to save our lives!" Karslana defended herself.
"Why don't you offer your own instead?"
Karslana fell silent. Brook seized the opportunity to cough, asserting his presence, and with feigned indifference, said: "You think you can bribe me with just one pair of panties? You're underestimating me."
"You..."
Before Karslana could finish, Brook raised two gleaming fingers: "At least two pairs! One from each of you!"
Karslana genuinely considered the proposal, while Portia looked at the two individuals who had twisted their originally tense and serious escape plan into this absurdity, unable to resist mocking Brook: "Didn't you just say this was dangerous?"
"As long as I have panties, I'm fearless!" Brook declared with bravado. "Yohohoho!"
Unable to endure their nonsense any longer, Portia stood up to leave the dining hall, nearly colliding with a hurried sailor at the door.
"Something big has happened!" the sailor exclaimed upon seeing Portia.
Portia quickly asked, "What is it?"
Without speaking, the sailor handed a newspaper to Portia.
As soon as Portia unfolded the paper, she saw a headline in enlarged, bold letters: "From Prisoner to Honored Guest: A New Member Joins the Shichibukai!"
Below the headline was a photo of William, taken when he escaped from the Kalmar City prison, standing before the prison gates. He wore the Marine cloak Gin had draped over him, bit into a cigar, and gazed confidently at the camera, his eyes defiant.
The photo had been captured during a live broadcast, and it was still unclear how the Grand Line newspaper had obtained it. It was a testament to their resourcefulness.
Portia continued reading the article, and soon, Karslana and Brook, drawn by the commotion, emerged from the dining hall.
Karslana asked, "What's going on?"
"William-san has become the new Shichibukai!" Portia replied, her eyes still glued to the newspaper, her tone complex.
Karslana's face changed dramatically, but Portia didn't notice and continued: "Gecko Moria was stripped of his Shichibukai title and executed by the Marines for harming civilians. Morgan William has taken his place. Additionally, the World Government has acknowledged his status as the king of the Navia Kingdom and, with the royal family of the Faraise Kingdom nearly extinct, has simultaneously appointed him as the ruler of the Faraise Kingdom."
"This... this can't be possible!" Karslana exclaimed in disbelief.
She was referring to the Marines and World Government compromising with William despite his numerous serious crimes, but Brook misunderstood her intent.
Brook also remarked, puzzled: "Indeed, Gecko Moria was clearly killed by William-san, which we all witnessed. How did it become the Marines who executed him?"
Portia glanced at the dumbstruck Karslana, understanding her friend's meaning unlike Brook: "The newspaper says that Morgan William's previous conflict with the Marines was due to provocations from hostile forces led by the Yonko. Some corrupted individuals used media and public opinion to try to stir discord between the government and its allied nations. These criminals were uncovered during internal investigations by the government and Marines, and now all misunderstandings between both parties have dissipated."
Upon hearing this, Karslana was left speechless. If there were any investigations into collusion with the Yonko, Morgan William should have been the first suspect, given that the entire ship had traveled with him to meet Red-Haired Shanks.
...
"Extra! Extra!"
"The World Government recognizes the new ruler of the Navia Kingdom, Morgan William becomes a Shichibukai!"
"From Pirate to King: The Birth of the Year's Super Criminal!"
"One Billion Beli: A New Record for the Highest Shichibukai Bounty!"
"Detailed Analysis of Morgan William's Rise..."
Inside a small café on the commercial street of the Sabaody Archipelago, William, now once again on the headlines of major newspapers due to his appointment as a Shichibukai, listened to the cries from the street and chuckled, tossing the newspaper lightly onto Dampier's table beside him.
(End of Chapter)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!
📚This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today![✨patreon.com/GoldenLong]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━