"Captain, we are on the front page of Le Monde again. This time it is on the first page of the main board..."
The next day, just as the gray sky dawned, the Seagull postman delivered the latest newspaper.
On the deck, Anna flipped through the newspaper, pointed at the latest reward order with the navy's red seal, and said brightly to Raymond: "Look, your reward has been raised again by the World Headquarters..."
After all, he killed the great pirate, [Flamingo] Rhine Carredo, who had a bounty of 955 million. Naturally, Raymond's bounty also increased, rising to 888 million.
"front page?"
Raymond glanced at his reward order, briefly read the contents of the newspaper, pursed his lips and didn't pay much attention.
The bald man is not afraid of lice, since the bounty is high anyway, and he doesn't care about the extra 100 million.
He spread his hands and said: "Now that the commotion is over, there will probably be a lot less people who come to trouble us in the future. But the enemies we encounter next time will probably be the real top powerhouses..."
Being on the front page this time, the exposure of the matter slightly exceeded some of his expectations.
He has been in "Le Monde" twice before, once in Eludnes, the "City of Eternal Night", and once in Gaffathlon, the "Land of Giants".
However, the two reports, although the limelight is not small, are just "side news" incidental to [Blood King] Capone's big move.
In the eyes of others, their "ghost group", no matter how pirate supernova they are, is nothing more than Capone's glory.
But this time, Raymond proved their strength with his strength.
Not only did they kill a captain of the "Eight Endless Emperors" squad, they also defeated eighty capture ships that surrounded the battleship.
This battle allowed the "Ghost Pirates" to establish their reputation as strong men in the Endless Sea for the first time.
Although [Flamingo] Rhine's rank has not reached sequence 0, no one denies his strength.
"Le Monde" clearly recorded the incident of Raymond killing Rhine alone... Everyone realized that the little pirate they regarded as a "newcomer" had already acquired the super strength of a real veteran big pirate. .
...
After reading the newspaper, Raymond looked at the friends who gathered around to watch the excitement, pursed his lips and said: "So, the limelight is out, but everyone should be more careful when traveling in the future."
Everyone responded in unison: "Got it, Captain!"
In the naval battle last night, the "Golden Ghost" defeated the [Night Emperor] regiment's siege fleet with an absolute advantage, and sank more than 30 warships, including three "Sea King" class warships.
But the Iron Toad itself suffered a lot of shells, and the hull also suffered some damage.
After hearing what Raymond said, Colin put down the tools he was repairing the hull and said: "When we mature the 'magic annihilation technology' on shipboard artillery, even if we are rounded up by a large fleet, there will be nothing to worry about. Already..."
Raymond nodded: "Yes."
Sol on the side also looked thoughtful.
He rubbed his chin and said in a loud voice: "I have to work hard to become stronger! I don't know when I will be as powerful as the captain..."
Sha Mao: "I want to practice hard too..."
Lulu echoed: "My 'No. 8 Strengthening Potion' has also entered the final experimental stage. When the top experts come, I can also help..."
Jiji: "Zhizhizhi..." (King Jiji will help you take care of the ship, you go ahead.)
Raymond chuckled. Except for a certain monkey, everyone looked energetic.
But at this time, a different voice appeared.
"Oh... Captain, you already have a bounty of 900 million. If you work harder, it will be over 1 billion in no time!"
Anna, however, looked careless, as if she had thought of something, with a joking smile in her eyes, "Didn't Sister Helen say at the beginning that when you get a reward of one billion, she would come and sail with us? Then she would be like her
A master of the Shichibukai level is on board, no matter how powerful the enemy is, we don’t have to be afraid..."
"..."
Lei Meng's eyelids jumped when he heard that Hu was arrested.
Although what he said made sense, for some reason, the way he looked at Anna always felt like something was strange.
Just then, the phone started ringing.
As soon as I answered the call, my eardrums were severely damaged by Capone's rough voice.
"Oh, you are so good, you actually infected that guy from Rhine? How about you, you weren't hurt..."
"I..."
Raymond felt flattered as he listened to Mr. Capone's opening remarks.
But another thought immediately flashed through his mind, and he felt that this boss definitely didn't call specifically to care about him.
Sure enough, before he had time to say some polite words, hearty laughter rang out from the other end of the phone.
"Hahaha... I asked you why you weren't worried about those [Night Emperor] guys coming to round you up before. It turns out that you have freed up such a powerful treasure."
As expected, Mr. Capone kept his ink as usual and said straight to the point: "Have you already developed the 'magic annihilation weapon'? How about your 'predator-class' ship-based artillery that breaks through the range and power? And your iron toad?"
The defensive armor uses SS-level enchantment runes? Where did you get so many 'black titanium alloys'? Oh, be quiet, I didn't know you were so rich...
.”
"that..."
The boss asked a series of questions that immediately confused Raymond. He didn’t know which question to answer from.
But listening to Mr. Capone's "pleasing for nothing" tone, he had a vague premonition in his heart.
How would a top boss like Capone from the "Eight Endless Emperors" be so free to call him early in the morning just to care about his juniors?
"Boy Raymond... you know that our [Blood Emperor] regiment has been at war with the World Headquarters recently, which is when equipment is scarce."
As expected, the boss was completely rude and said directly: "What kind of 'magic annihilation weapons' are you using to support us? There are also a few of the artillery on your ship... not too many, 1,800 can be equipped."
Just stick to the fleet..."
After a pause, he continued: "Oh! And the armor runes on your ship. The mechanics in my regiment actually said that they couldn't do it to your level. Oh, it's so irritating..."
Raymond: "..."
Capone: "Yes, yes, yes... I don't mean anything else. I just want you to let the mechanics on your ship come to our [Blood Emperor] group to guide us and stay for a while? And your Toad Battleship?"
, follow this example and get a few ships for our group..."
"Eighteen hundred artillery pieces?"
Raymond heard a thump, Mr. Capone's tone was really quite serious.
Moreover, this not only requires equipment, but also people?
He said with a tone full of helplessness: "Senior Capone, it is very difficult to manufacture artillery, and you may not be able to build one in half a month. Ship manufacturing is even more troublesome. Even if there is a large shipyard, it will take at least half a year to produce one." There are not many black titanium alloys left... There are not many finished products of the 'Magic Annihilation Weapon'. If you want it, senior, I can give you the manufacturing blueprint first..."
"Hahaha... I was just kidding you kid before."
A big guy like Capone naturally can't do things like taking advantage of juniors.
Moreover, he didn't know how difficult it was to build ships and cannons, so he added: "However, we do need the technical support of your ship's mechanics. I will send a mechanic to contact you when the time comes."
Raymond: "..."
After a pause, Capone continued: "Also, you've been in too much limelight recently, so it's best to keep a low profile. The power of the Night Emperor is not simple, and even if it's my face, he may not give it to me. Now that you have killed another squad leader, there may be some trouble. Also, over at the World Headquarters, the technology of the 'Mana Annihilation Weapon' has been cracked, and the Ministry of War will most likely find a way to prevent the technology from leaking. There may be some problems. The masters are here to intercept and kill you..."
It has to be said that a strong man like Capone who is standing at the top of the world has a much higher vision than ordinary people.
In a few words, he analyzed the pros and cons of some of the linkage reactions triggered by this incident.
This conversation lasted for more than half an hour.
"Okay, let's get down to business here. If you have any trouble that you can't solve, just tell me and I'll send someone to help you..."
After Mr. Capone said this, he hung up the phone.
Raymond looked at the phone bug in his hand, raised his eyebrows, and many causal clues flashed through his mind.
Lulu's matter had not been resolved before, but now that Tie Toad's black technology has been exposed, the World Headquarters must be more concerned about their "ghost group".
This time I went to Hippocratic City, the "medical capital". If Lulu's parents are really still alive, they must be saved. It would be best if they can be rescued in a low-key manner; if not, I'm afraid there will be a big fuss. ..
"It seems like we need to plan carefully..."
Raymond muttered something in his heart, his eyes flashing sharply...
"Dingling bell~"
At this time, the phone rang again.
When he picked up, it was Arnold.
"Master, the cp9 headquarters has raised your attention level. It is now the 's' level. This means that once your whereabouts are discovered by intelligence personnel, you will be closely monitored. The Navy will also send out patrols in nearby waters. Chase down the above combat power..."
"There is another important news. Dr. H of the Ministry of War also sent a secret order to the headquarters, asking us to pay close attention to the movements of your team, Master. We also specifically asked the branch in Hippocrates City, saying that you might go there..."
"..."
After hearing the news from Arno, Raymond's eyes showed a hint of amusement.
Just now he was still guessing, but now it has become a fact.
It has to be said that there is a "hidden man" at the captain level of the CP9 headquarters, which provides him with an important channel to obtain high-level confidential information.
...
The news that the "Ghost Pirates" defeated the [Night Emperor] Division 16 spread throughout the Endless Sea.
What was most shocking was not the various people who looked down on Raymond and the others, but the scientific researchers from the War Department of the World Headquarters!
Some high-level "big shots" even got the news before the "Le Monde" newspaper was printed. Not only the text, but also the live battle video sent back by the secret agents lurking in the "Night Emperor" group.
Dr. H looked at the black light that interrupted [Flamingo] Rhine in the video, and immediately recognized it as the "magic annihilation weapon" that they regarded as the biggest secret of their scientific research institute.
This is the "killer trump card" that their research institute claims can change the future battlefield pattern.
Because of this technology, they recently received a strong award from the top management of the World Government.
Unexpectedly, besides them, there are outsiders who have mastered this "top secret technology"!
Therefore, the secret scientific research department of the World Government held an emergency meeting.
The usually arrogant scientists sat together quietly and watched the video of the entire naval battle.
The whole process was silent, and everyone's expressions were very gloomy.
At the end of the scene, their cheeks were burning with pain, as if they had been slapped in the face.
A layman watches the fun, an expert watches the door
These scientists, who are at the forefront of the scientific community, understand the technological content of the "Golden Ghost" better than others.
Although the shape of the steel toad is not the same as the design of conventional ships, no one dares to deny that it is a whimsical and high-end design.
Can fly into the sky, escape into the sea, leap forward...
As far as the functionality of a steam steel battleship is concerned, the design of this ship is almost impeccable.
Of course, now that we have the idea of such a finished ship, it is not a big problem to use the endless resources of the World Headquarters to imitate it.
The real problem is...the "black technology" onboard the Iron Toad!
Whether it is the "Prey-class" artillery that exceeds the range of the "Sea King-class" artillery...
Or the ultra-short interval of magic energy charging time...
Or maybe it's the rune armor with amazing defense...
Each of them is an unknown field that exceeds the upper limit of the technical reserve of the World Headquarters Research Institute!
These scientists can naturally see the essence beneath the surface at a glance.
They had to admit that the mechanics of the "ghost group" not only possessed the world's top technological knowledge, but also mastered top-level rune enchantment knowledge that far exceeded all of them!
How ironic is this?
The mechanics of a small pirate group created a super battleship that even the scientific experts trained by the World Headquarters with huge sums of money cannot match.
This comparison is a slap in the face.
After the video was played, Dr. H looked at the silent scientists sitting down with his eyes filled with haze.
Naturally, he was the minister who faced the greatest pressure from this "rapid leak incident".
He couldn't help but get furious and said angrily: "What do you do in the Technical Security Department? The 'Magic Energy Annihilation Weapon' was only revealed once and was cracked, and you said it was foolproof?"
Actor A: "Mr. Minister, our technology should be fine. The ship's mechanic of the 'Ghost Pirates' can master the 'Magic Annihilation Technology', probably because he is a direct disciple of Grandmaster Connie." , I already understood..."
Sidekick B: "Yes, I heard that Grandmaster Connie's granddaughter was also on board that 'Ghost Group'. Although it was just a small pirate group, their technical reserves were no worse than any top research institute..."
"Hmph! Are you still making excuses?"
Dr. H had a dark face, although he also knew that what his subordinates said might be the truth, but the "big shots" in the World Headquarters would not listen to the reason, but only clung to the fact that the technology had been leaked.
Seeing that no one dared to talk to him, Dr. H had nowhere to vent his anger, and his old face was bruised.
"The leakage of the 'Magic Annihilation Weapon' technology has become a fact. I won't say more for now. It has been handed over to CP9 for investigation..."
His eyes were full of coldness, and he said another sentence: "The problem now is that a certain 'big man' in the World Headquarters has spoken, asking us to imitate that kind of 'Toad Battleship'. Everyone, you can figure it out... "
"..."
As soon as these words came out, the entire venue immediately went cold.
Everyone knows that it is not difficult to imitate a battleship in the form of a toad.
But those "black technologies" on the ship cannot be thoroughly studied in a short time.
This group of scientists also had different expressions when this difficult problem was raised.
After a long while, someone finally spoke.
"Minister... Although our research institute has brought together the world's top scientists. Judging from the video, we have to admit that the disciple of Grandmaster Connie has indeed mastered some advanced knowledge on enchantment runes that we have not designed. .If the superiors want us to prevent the Toad Battleship...I mean, it's best to find the mechanic named Colin..."
"Not bad! Minister, I see that the runes have traces of ancient magic, like the lost dwarf epic runes in ancient legends. The top runes in our research institute are only three or five SS-level incomplete runes. That toad ship obviously has a complete set of enchanting runes..."
"If it is a complete SS-level rune, it is far beyond the current level of runes. The best option is to capture that Colin and ask... Otherwise, without rune technology, we want to imitate the toad battleship. It's impossible..."
"Mr. Minister, it is secondary to the superiors scolding us for our incompetence... The most important thing is that this kind of technology must not be in the hands of outsiders!"
"That's right! That old guy Connie didn't abide by the rules back then, and now his disciples have brought us so much trouble. It's best if you can bribe him, but if you can't, don't leave any trouble in the future!"
"..."
Everyone started talking about it, and the more they talked, the more excited they became.
The emergence of "black technology" affected the interests and status of everyone present, and immediately aroused the common hatred of a group of scientists.
In comparison, they have become trash in the eyes of those "big men" who are worse than pirates.
If you can't beat others with technology, just bribe them.
If it cannot be bought, it will be destroyed.
This is the consistent style of the World Government.
It is impossible for them to imitate a toad battleship, but they are very skilled at doing such an immoral thing.
After listening to everyone's words, Dr. H seemed to have his original plan in mind. He waved his hand and said lightly: "I know, I have my own arrangements for this matter."
...
Fast forward nearly a month.
On this day, the "Golden Ghost" slowly sailed into a sea with biting winds.
At the end of the field of vision, a steel city covered in white snow shone in the sunlight and reflected the cold light.
Raymond stood on the bow of the ship and recognized this extremely familiar city at a glance.
He let out a breath of white air and whispered softly: "Huh... we're finally here."
This city of ice and snow is nowhere else, it is the legendary "Medical Capital" in the world of navigation - the City of Hippocrates!
Beside him, the big-headed son looked at the land where he was born and raised, his big eyes full of crystal tears.