Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

Chapter 260 The Reason

The New World, Beehive Island.

Thanks to the fact that Beehive Island is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is an excellent base for pirates.

This explains why Wang Zhi established his base here, and why Blackbeard later used it as his stronghold.

Its previous owner was the Wang Zhi Pirates, and its current owner is the Red Earl Pirates, which are currently very popular and belong to one of the Four Emperors!

And unsurprisingly, this place once again became a paradise for pirates.

At this moment, in a dark room at the very top of the iconic skull building in the center of Beehive Island.

Two figures sat facing each other.

One of them had red hair braided into two braids, red eyebrows and a red beard, and a pierced lower lip connected to an earring in his left ear. He wore a crimson shirt, blood-red trousers, and a large red high-necked cape (lined with yellow and blue diamond patterns), decorated with a huge blue rose.

He held a slender umbrella in his hand, but those familiar with it would know that this umbrella was not an ordinary umbrella, but an umbrella sword, with a sharp blade hidden beneath the umbrella shell.

This man is none other than Red Earl Redfield, the captain of the Red Earl Pirates!

Opposite him stood an incredibly burly and robust figure, wearing a horned pirate hat, with a rugged beard, a heavy and ornate coat, and a thick gold chain around his neck, exuding power.

The skin still bore the marks of chains left by Impel Down.

And this man was none other than Bundy Wald, the world destroyer who had vanished from the high seas in the past two years!

At that moment, the Red Earl held a glass of blood-red wine, took a slow sip, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face. Then, he turned his gaze to Bondi Wald across from him and spoke softly:

"By the way, I'm really curious why you put me in the spotlight!"

"Your fame is no less than mine. If you were to do it yourself, your influence would be just as strong as mine. Why go through all this trouble and form a pirate crew in my name?"

The Red Earl's tone was filled with confusion.

That's right. Forming a pirate crew was not his wish. Given his habit of going it alone, how could he possibly become something like a pirate crew, which is a burden to him?

That was naturally because he encountered Bundy Wald while searching for ways to restore his strength and prolong his life.

Then Bondi Wald offered him the Bat Fruit - Vampire Form in a deal.

Indeed, the fruit he ate was given to him by Bondi Wald.

The condition was that a pirate crew be established in his name, and that he serve as the crew's public leader, while Bondi Wald would remain in the shadows.

As for the timeframe, it's five years!

During those five years, he was essentially tied to the Red Earl Pirates. Although he didn't have to handle anything normally, his freedom was restricted.

If it were him back then, he definitely wouldn't have agreed to this condition.

Who is he?

Redfield, the solitary hero!

With his pride, he would never make a deal with Bondi Wilder. He has always despised teams and bonds because he sees people as ugly and untrustworthy. Therefore, he dislikes crowds and prefers to be alone.

But after decades in Impel Down, his thinking has changed somewhat.

Overall, he remains proud, aloof, and still dislikes teams and ties, as well as living in groups.

But some things have quietly changed. For example, he is anxious about his declining strength and aging body. In order to regain his youth and strength, he is willing to pay the price and endure things that he was unwilling to endure before.

For example, their freedom is restricted, or they are forced to live in groups.

So after Bondi Wald proposed the terms of the deal, he accepted them without much hesitation.

Once he eats the Vampire Fruit, his lifespan will be greatly enhanced, far exceeding a few five-year periods. Therefore, a mere five years is nothing to him.

While the establishment of his pirate crew has indeed had some impact on him, overall it hasn't been as unacceptable as he had imagined.

Because he only needs to lend his name and demonstrate his strength when something big happens; otherwise, he doesn't need to do anything.

All matters concerning the pirate crew were handled by Bondi Wald, who remained hidden in the shadows.

Redfield knew this was because Bondi Wald only needed a spokesperson, while the other party wanted to seize control and initiative over the pirate crew.

Redfield was more than happy to see the other party do this. He didn't want to deal with the pirate crew's affairs in the first place, and now that Bondi Wald wasn't letting him have any contact with anything, that was the best possible outcome.

As for whether this will result in him being just a figurehead with no real power?

He was just using that name anyway!

However, just like Redfield asked Bondi Wald, he was curious why the other party didn't come forward to call up the pirates himself.

Given the other party's fame and strength, theoretically their appeal is definitely no weaker than his, so why go through such a roundabout way?

Using his name to form a pirate crew while he remains hidden behind the scenes—isn't that pointless and redundant?

Regarding Redfield's question, Bondi Wilder remained silent for a long while before speaking slowly:

"I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I did this because of someone!"

"Someone?!"

"right!!"

Bondi Wald nodded, then looked to one side where there were several windows through which sunlight streamed in, and through which one could also see the outside.

This is practically the highest point on the entire Beehive Island, so you can easily see the whole island from one side.

Looking at this land known as Pirate Paradise, Bondi Wilder didn't directly answer Redfield's question. Instead, he asked:

Do you know who used to rule this place?

Redfield glanced at him indifferently and said:

Do you think I, with my personality, would pay attention to these things?

"That's true!"

Bondi Wald nodded again, and then said:

"This was once an island ruled by Wang Zhi!"

This time, before Redfield could speak, Bondi Wald continued:

"That's right, it's Wang Zhi, the one you know, an officer on the Lockheed ship!"

"Although Wang Zhi isn't as strong as us, he's still a figure of some importance and strength, and he ruled Beehive Island for a very long time!"

"However, one day, his rule was destroyed by a sudden naval squad."

"And the name of that naval squad..."

"Call him Canglan!!"

……