Chapter 344
Garp's Doubts
Chapter 344 Garp's Doubts
Wu Ma's voice was transmitted throughout the world via a live Den Den Mushi.
What followed was an exclamation of surprise from countless countries around the world.
The meaning behind Wu Ma's words is truly profound.
"It's one thing for the merfolk to have royalty, but there's even a giant among them!"
"The Regent, the King of the Underworld, and his Queen?"
"I've heard that the current King of the Underworld among the giants is said to be the son of the previous Giant King, possessing a physique far exceeding that of a normal giant—it must be that blindfolded guy!"
"So, it's all true? The merfolk and giants have joined the 'Twelve Constellations'?"
To put it bluntly, this news alone was enough to change the entire situation of the ocean.
Who doesn't know the strength of the merfolk and the giants?
Even the weakest of the fish-men possess strength and physique dozens of times greater than that of ordinary humans, allowing them to swim freely in the deep sea—in fact, this is the main reason why they can be sold for such high prices as slaves.
And the giants are even less of a match.
It's important to know that Elbaf is recognized as the world's leading superpower.
It is said that the army of giants in Elbaf is comparable to the 'Naval Headquarters,' the strongest force in the sea in recent years.
Over the years, both the Four Emperors and the World Government have tried to bring the Giants into their camp.
But according to Wu Ma, both races have now allied with the twelve constellations.
And that's not all.
"The 'Starship Esther'... it must refer to this giant ship?"
"And what about Stargardia? Is that an island? Or some kind of outpost?"
"Were those illusions that appeared behind 'Wu Ma' just now? Were they mirages? Or some kind of ability?"
In that instant, this issue became the focus of attention for almost everyone in the world.
Anyone with even a little understanding and knowledge of the world can clearly realize that the message Wu Ma is revealing at this moment is information that is truly capable of changing the world.
Every single word he uttered may be as significant to the world as the birth or fall of one of the Four Emperors.
Today, the power of the twelve zodiac signs is widely recognized, and many forces and powerful individuals have assessed and investigated them.
In the assessment, the twelve constellations are certainly not forces that should be easily offended—considering that just six constellations alone are enough to kill the Four Emperors, each constellation is currently confirmed to be a top powerhouse in the sea.
Before that, there was a very basic question about the twelve zodiac signs.
That's because they're too mysterious.
Aside from the major events they caused, their existence was almost never discovered by anyone in the world.
They were like a group of ghosts, shaking the sea and asserting their presence, yet never truly revealing their true forms.
There are even some theories on the high seas that the twelve constellations may not actually exist, but are merely an organization created by a few powerful individuals for unknown purposes.
But now, reality has shown them that their thinking was completely wrong.
The twelve constellations not only exist, but also have a flagship called the 'Ester'—a massive island ship as large as a continent, and for some reason, it is escorted by deep-sea sea kings.
The twelve constellations also have their own headquarters, although it is impossible to determine whether it is an island or something else, but it seems to be a base called 'Starrosia'.
This has led many to speculate that the twelve constellations not only exist in reality, but may have even been secretly developing for many years, much like a revolutionary army.
More importantly
"The giants and merfolk have joined them."
This news sent chills down the spines of nobles in many kingdoms around the world.
It's no exaggeration to say that with the armies of the fish-men and giants, plus the Twelve Constellations and the Star Lords—each a powerhouse whose individual strength is beyond comprehension—this combination would be enough to sweep aside almost all the countries in the sea, and perhaps even more.
"This level of strength is something even the Four Emperors can't compare to. What do these people want to do in the future?"
"We could practically declare war on the World Government now, right!?"
Considering what the twelve zodiac signs have been doing all along, some observant people can glimpse this chilling truth.
Everyone's gaze slowly shifted towards Mary Geoise.
After the Void Century, the world has been ruled by the World Government for a full eight hundred years.
Over the past eight hundred years, countless powerful figures have emerged, including legendary figures like Rocks, the Pirate King, and the Four Emperors, but none of them could truly shake the World Government's rule.
And now, a behemoth that is truly qualified and has the potential to confront the world government head-on is beginning to take shape!
Of course, that's not all.
Because for most ordinary people...
They didn't really care whether the World Government's rule was being shaken, nor whether the kings and nobles were worried or fearful—those were things too far in the future.
So what they actually heard was Wu Ma's last words.
"From today onwards, will this ship sail the world?"
"Anyone can board the ship and enter the 'Garden of Stars' to undergo trials. If they succeed in the trials, their wishes will be granted?"
If these words were spoken by an ordinary person, they would obviously be completely unbelievable, almost like a fairy tale.
However, coming from the mouth of the twelve constellations, coupled with the horrifying scene on the live broadcast screen, the situation is different.
Just like the words of the Pirate King Roger before his death, which caused people to rush to the sea in a frenzy.
Over the past year, people all over the world have witnessed the remarkable feats accomplished by the twelve zodiac signs.
They plundered the Heavenly Gold, annihilated the Seven Warlords of the Sea, assassinated the Kings, established the Dream Island, and overthrew the Four Emperors. The number of things they have done is countless, and they have long since earned a reputation in the world that is no less than that of the Pirate King.
Especially that mysterious star lord—who pierced through the Red Earth Continent with a single blow; that miraculous power still remains on the Red Earth Continent to this day.
So, people were tempted!
This is especially true for those who have long been oppressed by royalty and lived in misery—and unfortunately, such people even constitute the majority on the sea.
"Do you guys think this is true? I have a feeling it's a conspiracy."
"Of course it's true—when have the twelve constellations ever gone back on their word?"
"A conspiracy? What do you have that would make someone plot against you?"
"If that ship really comes to the waters where I am, I must go aboard. My Lani died of illness two years ago, and I want to see her one more time!"
"Forget about wishes, I've heard that 'Neverland' is where the 'Sheep' of the twelve zodiac signs lives. I want some of the Fountain of Youth to give to my mother!"
Such conversations are almost ubiquitous across the vast ocean.
Meanwhile, the group of people who had been paying attention earlier turned their attention to another place.
That is it.
What will the government's reaction be?
They knew that this was the crux of the problem.
The high-profile appearance of the twelve zodiac signs is undoubtedly a provocation against the World Government from any perspective!
Wu Ma's statement that the 'Esther' would sail on the seas starting today is something even the Four Emperors wouldn't dare to do in the past—even the Four Emperors' activities were limited to the New World.
Unlike the hustle and bustle on the sea.
At this moment, within the Star Hunting Force
"No news at all?" Sabaody Archipelago, former headquarters of the Star Hunting Force.
The archipelago that had existed there for hundreds of years had sunk with the Sun Tree Eve in the previous giant waves and natural disasters.
Now, the only ships here are those of the Starhunter Force, which have been resurfaced after being coated.
The leading one was a warship with a dog-head prow.
That was naturally Garp's own warship—after he took office as the commander of the Star Hunting Force, the warship 'HQ·3', which originally belonged to the Navy, naturally joined the Star Hunting Force.
Meanwhile, aboard the warship.
"Yes, there's been no news from Lieutenant General Capo's government. I asked General Borsalino, and he hasn't received any orders to operate either."
Karp sat upright at the bow of the ship, with his second-in-command, Bogart, reporting to him from the side.
"That's amazing."
Upon hearing this, Kapmo stroked his unshaven chin and couldn't help but ask, "Are those guys in the government really going to sit idly by this time?"
To be fair, Garp didn't know the whole story.
But as the commander of the Star Hunting Force, he knew more information than others.
For example, he knew that the cause of this was the World Government's plan to destroy 'Fishman Island' and 'Sun Tree Eve'.
Judging from the current situation, it seems that the Sun Tree Eve may indeed have been successfully destroyed by Roy.
Before they could even lay a hand on the fleeing fishmen, Fishman Island was miraculously saved by the Twelve Constellations.
For some reason, Garp immediately felt relieved.
He then speculated that the government would immediately take action against the twelve zodiac signs.
But the truth is that neither he nor Kizaru, who was in the nearby waters, received any orders from the government to take action.
"Hmm, that's strange."
Karp muttered to himself, but he didn't seem anxious at all.
After much thought, he concluded that his initial emotion was a small sense of relief—if he could, he wouldn't want Fishman Island to be destroyed by the government.
"Haha, those guys from the Twelve Constellations, although they're dangerous, they're not bad at getting things done."
Thinking of this, the old man burst into laughter.
"Lieutenant General Garp, what should we do now?"
Bogart, standing to the side, skillfully ignored his superior's words and asked hesitantly.
Without orders from the World Government, the decision of what to do clearly fell to Garp.
"what?"
Karp looked at Bogart as if he were an idiot: "Since the government hasn't given any orders, why should we bother with that?"
As he spoke, he picked his nose and said, "I am also interested in fighting the twelve constellations, but there is no need for that in this situation."
As he said this, he looked to the side and said, "Notify all members of the Star Hunting Force not to take action. Get the civilians to a safe place first!"
Bogart instantly understood what Karp meant.
Because at this moment, next to Garp's warship, the head of a giant sea king, at least over a thousand meters long, had already emerged.
Its gaze was fixed intently on Garp and the warships there—clearly, if they showed any hostility, this deep-sea king would immediately take action.
Of course, deep-sea sea monsters are terrifying.
As one of the strongest beings in the ocean, Garp was not afraid of it.
However, just because Garp wasn't afraid didn't mean the other ships in the Star Hunting Force weren't afraid—after all, every Star Hunting Force warship was carrying a considerable number of civilians from the nearby seas.
Therefore, logically and emotionally, unless the World Government issues an order, Garp has no reason to take action at this time.
"But then again, the Twelve Constellations says this ship will sail on the open sea. With a ship this size, even with sea kings as escorts, that wouldn't be easy to do, would it?"
But then, Garp looked at the Esther with a curious expression.
Although I witnessed the Ester rising from the sea, can a ship of this size really move smoothly on the open ocean?
It was at this point in Garp's speech that...
"Buzz!"
Everyone present saw it at the same time.
On that island ship, which was as large as a continent, movement had already begun.
The enormous island ship seemed to be alive, and its appearance began to change instantly.
A tail fin suddenly appeared beneath the island ship, and shimmering starlight fell from above, scattering across the surrounding sea.
Wherever starlight falls, the sea surface takes on a transparent hue that seems like a dream.
It wasn't just the sea surface—even the giant sea monsters swimming near the Esther were now covered in starlight, their forms gradually becoming translucent.
quickly
"Buzz!"
With its tail fins swaying, the giant ship, like the king of all sea kings, began to move, surrounded by them.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The familiar drumbeats sounded again, and the enormous ship sailed faster and faster.
But strangely enough...
Although the giant ship has begun to move forward and accelerate.
However, it did not create huge waves or smash the rocks it passed through as Garp had predicted.
Quite the opposite.
The ship moved without making a sound or creating any waves—if it weren't for the fact that the ship was clearly seen moving, and that there were even giants and fish-men standing on it, the surrounding sea surface would hardly have been able to sense the presence of the ship.
It and those sea kings even crossed all the reefs along the way.
Like a mirage formed by the convergence of starlight, it gradually sailed away from this sea area.
"You really left?"
As Garp watched the ship gradually disappear into the distance, he shook his head and muttered, "The Twelve Constellations... what a strange bunch."
no doubt.
The sudden actions of the Twelve Constellations and the strange attitude of the World Government were so odd that even Garp found them rather bizarre.
"What are these guys up to?"
(End of this chapter)