Marineford, Aokiji's office. Search this site: dangkanshu.com for free reading.
"Doflamingo? That guy has some questionable background, and the way he became a Shichibukai is quite unusual. But these were approved by Mariejois."
Aokiji shrugged: "I didn't want to bother with that."
Dillon glanced around: "You've been promoted, Admiral Kuzan."
Aokiji scratched his head, looking somewhat helpless: "There's nothing I can do. The Grand Line isn't peaceful right now. Speaking of which, have you completed what you needed to do?"
"Done."
Dillon extended his hand.
A mass of lightning gathered in his palm: "I went and got a Devil Fruit."
Upon seeing the arc of lightning, Aokiji's lazy demeanor vanished immediately: "Goro Goro no Mi?"
Such a Logia-type fruit ranked high on the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, and Aokiji recognized it in an instant.
"Yes." Dillon nodded: "This is also my main goal for coming to the Grand Line."
"You..."
Aokiji's body leaned slightly forward off the back of his chair, but then he slumped back down: "You're lucky to have gotten it. Arara, I really envy you."
What a load of nonsense! Aren't you a user of a Logia fruit as well?
Though he thought that, Dillon was quite pleased with finally acquiring the Goro Goro no Mi he had long desired.
After all, lightning had flight capabilities and extremely high mobility, and its destructive power was quite formidable.
Moreover, using lightning to hone his body would also allow his physical form to continuously strengthen, preventing him from being completely suppressed by the sea and Sea-Prism Stones like other users.
"You're not here for anything else, are you?" Aokiji slouched a little more on the couch: "I don't have many people here to help, and I have a lot to do myself. If you have the time, could you take on some tasks for me?"
You have "a lot to do"? Is it riding your bike to stalk your loli? Or sunbathing on Garp's ship?
"Certainly, but as a Lieutenant Commander, it would be hard for me to represent you."
How could a Lieutenant Commander be sent to deal with killings for an Admiral? That'd be a bit hard to justify, wouldn't it?
"Military rank, huh? Ah..." Aokiji tugged at his hair, realizing how tricky this was. Although rank in the Marines is generally based on background and strength, the honors of officer ranks still require real combat merits.
This wasn't a time when the top-tier combat strength of the Marines had shrunk after the War of the Best, and the world was frantically recruiting.
"I got it!" Aokiji's eyes lit up. After rummaging through a drawer, he pulled out a bounty poster: "You can take care of this guy, and I'll apply for your rank."
Dillon took the bounty poster and looked it over.
"Bloodhook" Road, bounty—550 million Berries.
Hmm? There's such a character?
"Who is this guy? Why have I never heard of him before?"
"Well... arara, you're still young; it's normal not to have heard of him. He was a minor character from a terrifying pirate crew long ago."
Terrifying pirate crew?
A minor character!?
Dillon rubbed his chin and re-examined the photo on the bounty poster.
He appeared to be in his fifties or sixties; at such an age...
"He wasn't a member of the Rocks Pirates, was he?"
"Ah, yes, it's the Rocks—" Aokiji's eyes widened: "You know about the Rocks Pirates? How old are you?"
Really!?
If that's the case, then he is indeed a minor player.
Compared to Whitebeard, the Golden Lion, Kaido, and Linlin, these big names...
The Golden Lion... that guy is hiding in the sky studying monsters. Should I take him out early?
Ordinarily, these fruit users are locked away rather than killed; that way, it effectively curtails the influence of the Devil Fruit powers.
If you kill the user as soon as you catch them, it might end up like the Mera Mera no Mi, where the previous holder only died recently and another pirate got their hands on it.
Such a scenario is clearly something the Marines and the World Government would be unwilling to see.
As for the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi...
Forget it for now; I can look for it later when I have time. It's not urgent to take him out.
After all, I'm just a lowly Lieutenant Commander now.
Hmm, just a Lieutenant Commander.
"Where is he?" Dillon pointed at the man who looked violent on the bounty poster; this photo was probably taken recently. So the Marines should have grasped his whereabouts.
"His latest tracking was in the Alabasta Kingdom. You can go check it out; if there's any new news, HQ will notify you using a Den Den Mushi."
Alabasta? Isn't that where Crocodile is? By now, Crocodile should already be preparing to find "Pluton" after failing against Whitebeard.
"Then I'm off."
Dillon rolled up the bounty poster, tucked it into his pocket, and left.
Once Dillon's footsteps faded from the office, Aokiji pulled down his eye mask.
"How does he know the location of the Devil Fruits? And knows about Rocks?"
"What a hassle, forget it!"
······
In the first half of the Grand Line: "Big Brother Daifuku, why haven't I heard of that guy named Road before? Mom surprisingly takes him so seriously? She even called me to 'Paradise' to bring him to Totto Land."
Charlotte Daifuku, with two balloon-like objects on his shoulders, glanced at his brother beside him.
"Well... it's normal not to know; he's an old man, a subordinate on Mom's ship back in the day."
"On Mom's ship? The 'Queen Mama Chanter'? How come I've never heard of it?"
"It wasn't here..."
Daifuku gazed at "Paradise," which was much calmer compared to the New World.
"It was a ship from long ago. In terms of strength... no one was stronger than them."
...
Alabasta Kingdom.
Rainbase.
Unlike other regions of Alabasta, Rainbase, true to its name, was wet and refreshing.
In the "Rain Dinners" Casino, a tall and handsome Dillon caught the eye of the welcome girls.
Aside from his height and good looks, this man's attire and sword, along with his imposing aura, made it clear that he was a wealthy individual.
Several welcome girls desperately showcased themselves to Dillon, hoping that this handsome man would choose one of them to accompany him.
Feeling their burning gazes, Dillon paused slightly and scanned the room.
"You."
Dillon pointed to one of the blonde welcome girls.
The blonde girl beamed with joy, striding over and pinching Dillon's arm between her bosom.
"Customer, what would you like to play?"
She said, winking and arching her back, making Dillon's arm experience some friction.
"Uwahahaha!!"
A loud and boisterous laughter came from the distance in the hall, making Dillon raise an eyebrow.
Just as expected.
On the seas, notorious for their intelligence abilities, were the "BIG·MOM Pirates," followed closely by Morgans and the "CP" organization.
However, the intelligence of the Marines was equally powerful and covered a broader scope.
Not long after Dillon left Marineford, a detailed report about "Bloodhook" Road had been sent to him via a Den Den Mushi.
Included were the guy's preferences and behavioral traits.
Gambling was among them.
Back in the days with Rocks, this guy had gotten so red-eyed with gambling that he lost his right hand.
"I'll bet big!!!"
The rare winner, Road laughed as he threw chips on the table.
Seeing this, others immediately followed suit.
"I'll bet small."
An equally cocky voice came from across the table.
Dillon, with a crooked smile and a cigarette hanging from his mouth, tossed a handful of chips and saw Road look over while defiantly blowing out smoke.
"Hmm?? Uwahahaha, let's start quickly then."
Road licked his lips: "Let you see that Lord Road's luck is always unbeatable!"
Ten minutes later.
The people who originally stood behind Road had all vanished, while a crowd stood behind the young man across from him.
"Hey, hey, out of money? This is so dull. When did Rain Dinners start entertaining these poor beggars?"
Can Dillon gamble? Of course not.
But controlling the direction of the dice with slight electric currents was quite easy.
Just as Road stood up, prepared to leave, applause erupted from behind him.
The young man in front of Dillon tossed the chips in front of him: "Come on, all of this is... all from the uncle with the broken hand treating us."
After saying that, the young man laughed heartily: "Everyone thank the uncle with the broken hand!"
The surrounding characters were first taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Thank you, uncle with the broken hand!!"
Road's body stiffened, and dark Haki began to amass around his hook.
"N... No way!"
Road swallowed hard.
Having narrowly escaped the Marines' pursuit, he absolutely couldn't be discovered again in a place like this. Back then, even a man like the captain had been defeated by Garp.
Though Whitebeard and the others looked powerful now, Road knew that once he was really targeted by the Marines or the World Government, it would definitely not end well.
Dillon, in the distance, continued tossing chips into the air while placing several high-value coins into the blonde girl's palm.
"This is a reward for you. I hope that by the next time I come, you're not here."
Dillon stood up and stopped the blonde girl from following him.
"Customer?"
The blonde girl watched the white-haired youth stagger out of the "Rain Dinners" with a blank expression.
What does that mean? Generally, if a customer is satisfied with an escort's service, wouldn't they hope to have her accompanying them next time?
As Dillon walked out the door, the blonde girl's body trembled slightly, her expression complex as she looked at the entrance.
"What a... gentle customer."
After speaking, the blonde girl tightly clenched the chips in her palm and raised her hand to adjust her neckline.
...
Outside Rainbase, Dillon stopped.
"Hey, hook guy, you've been following me the whole way; are you not going to make a move?"
Road walked out from behind a hill, face clouded: "What are you trying to get at by deliberately drawing me out?"
"Oh?" Dillon chuckled looking at the wary Road: "HO~? You're quite cautious. Since you know I'm drawing you out, why do you still dare to follow me?"
"Uwahahaha!"
Road instinctively licked his lips: "If it were Sengoku or Garp... no, even if Aokiji or Sakazuki were here, I would've run a long time ago. But you..."
Haki instantly covered his right hand's hook: "I haven't heard of you before!"
"What a coincidence."
The black Haki instantly enveloped the sheath of Shura.
"I've also never heard of a character like you in the original story!"
······
"Big Brother Daifuku! Not good!!"
Outside Alabasta, a skinny young man rushed to Charlotte Daifuku, pinching a small card with his fingertips.
"That guy's Vivre Card is burning! He's going to die!"