NOVEL NEXT Chapter 137: 137 The Art of Snitching
Sometimes they both turned into pure elements, and sometimes back into human forms to fight fiercely.
But let's not forget, Tyrant Kuma was on the revolutionary side.
After he evacuated all the revolutionaries, he stayed hidden in the shadows, not making a move.
Fast is different from Lynch. Kuma knew he could act freely in front of Lynch, but if Fast discovered his true identity, it could ruin his plans.
So, as long as Dragon wasn't losing, Kuma stayed hidden.
Thankfully, Dragon didn't disappoint and even managed to put Fast at a disadvantage at one point.
At this point, Fast regretted letting Lynch leave first. Dragon's strength was more than he expected.
After an hour, Fast was on the defensive.
Three hours later, he coughed up blood and was forced to retreat.
"Dragon, remember this day! As long as the seas and islands are still the same, your head stays on your shoulders—for now!"
Fast snarled before turning into a gust of wind and vanishing.
After defeating Fast, Dragon collapsed without giving chase. Since Fast had the hurricane ability, pursuing him would be useless.
Dragon knew it would be hard to kill someone with powers so similar to his own. Besides, he needed to prepare for the inevitable revenge from the World Government.
"Kuma, let's go," Dragon said, gathering himself for what was to come.
…
In the distance, Lynch lowered his telescope, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Not even an Admiral can escape the tide of time"
Fast had once been an Admiral, and his strength was undeniable.
But now, after just three hours of fighting Dragon, he was severely injured and coughing up blood. While Dragon was undoubtedly strong, the bigger reason was clear—Fast was getting old.
It's easy to imagine that while the Marine Admirals may appear to be in their fifties, they're likely pushing sixty or seventy in reality.
Unlike Rayleigh, who retired and rarely risked his life for a fight, it's hard for someone that age to keep up in battle.
"DamnFive Elders, even exploiting the old guy!" Lynch thought, frowning.
"No, I can't risk Fast reporting back to the Five Elders. I'll have to take him out before he can snitch."
Lynch felt no sympathy for those who chose to be pawns of the World Government.
Instead, he quickly dialed the Five Elders' Den-Den Mushi and explained everything that had happened on the island, placing all the blame on Fast.
Meanwhile, Fast occasionally withdrew from his elemental form, coughing up blood and wearing a dark, frightening expression. "Why won't my injuries from Dragon heal?!"
As a powerful Logia user, Fast's recovery speed may not match that of the Phantom Beast, but he was still far from weak. The current situation felt strange to him.
He had stopped at a small island base, thinking about his next move and not realizing that he have the same thoughts as Lynch.
"I misjudged the situation this time. I can't afford to leave a bad impression on the Five Elders,"
"It looks like I'll have to blame Lynch for this."
All the CP members who set out were dead, so how could Fast claim to have the final say?
If anyone were to punish Lynch, it would have to be the Five Elders; it had nothing to do with him.
With that in mind, Fast dialed the Den-Den Mushi for the Five Elders. "Yes, Lord Five Elders, it's all Lynch's fault. If he hadn't insisted on doing things his way, our operation wouldn't have failed,"
"If he hadn't dragged me down, I would have taken Dragon's head back! Please, adults, punish Lynch severely!"
On the other end of the Den-Den Mushi, the Five Elders' expressions grew darker. "You fool! Lynch has already told us what happened. Why are you trying to hide the truth? Get back here!"
Five Elders hung up the Den-Den Mushi angrily.
Both sides insisted on their own opinions, but due to preconceived reasons, Five Elders severely reprimanded Fast.
There's another reason for this. The Five Elders are more inclined to trust Fast since he is one of their own.
However, given the current situation, they feel they must side with Lynch.
Fast belongs to their inner circle, while Lynch does not. To gain Lynch's favor, they had to temporarily sacrifice Fast's position, regardless of the circumstances.
As Fast listened to their harsh words, he stood frozen in place.
Why... did Lynch snitch too? Even faster than I did? Damn it.
...….
After submitting his report, Lynch happily returned to the Marines, carrying eight Devil Fruits.
The day after his return, he received a summons to meet with the Five Elders in the Holy Land of Mariejois. Lynch had anticipated this.
Excluding the time he spent with Tiger, this would be his first official entry into Mariejois.
This place, the center of power in the world, exudes unimaginable luxury.
After crossing through various areas, Lynch was taken to an empty hall.
"Wait here; the Five Elders will summon you shortly," the cold attendant said before leaving.
In the opulent hall, even the floor tiles were made of gold, and the edges of the windows were adorned with thousands of sparkling diamonds, showcasing a simple yet extravagant elegance.
The red carpet extended for a hundred meters beneath Lynch's feet, leading to a massive golden door that towered a hundred meters high. The door was closed, keeping him outside.
Inside the Five Elders' conference room, they observed Lynch through the surveillance Den-Den Mushi in front of them.
One of the Elders said coldly, "Let him wait a bit longer; we need to keep his arrogance in check."
"Let him know that even as an Admiral, there's someone above him" the Five Elders said with wicked smiles. Lynch had angered them greatly, and they needed to keep him in check today.
However, within half an hour, the Five Elders could no longer sit still.
"Report...report to Master Five Elder! Admiral Sun Candle has started prying the gold bricks off the ground!" A CP member ran in, sweating profusely.
Lynch was in one of the most sacred places in Mariejois, the only path to the Void Throne. In the past, people who passed through here were filled with excitement and nervousness, afraid of showing any disrespect.
But Admiral Sun Candle treated it like his family vault, prying the gold bricks as if he owned the place!
"We saw it."
The Five Elders looked at the surveillance video with extremely ugly expressions.
Now, instead of prying up gold bricks, Lynch had moved on to digging for gems the size of pigeon eggs from the roof of the shed.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. It's those revolutionaries who are making your blood boil…" The Five Elders could only try to calm themselves and keep their rising blood pressure in check.
"Go, bring Lynch to me!"
It couldn't go on like this.
Lynch had nearly dug up all the floor tiles! While his actions seemed excessive, he was actually very calculated.
He could tell that the Five Elders wanted to punish him, and it wasn't in his style to sit back and wait.
With his status as an Admiral, as long as he didn't openly betray the World Government, the worst that could happen was a reprimand from the Five Elders.
He believed that Akainu would confront the Five Elders in the future and wouldn't take them seriously at all.
In this situation, even a scolding felt like a win.
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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