Treasure, in the end, was just wealth. And wealth? If Badak truly wanted it, he could obtain it easily without even searching for the City of Gold or Captain John's treasure. Just selling the dandelions made by Mansherry could bring him endless riches.
But having wealth didn't necessarily mean he could keep it. In this dog-eat-dog world, the number of hyenas waiting to pounce was countless—and the first bite might just come from the World Government itself.
What Badak cared about most was how to increase his strength. Only a lion powerful enough could make a pack of hyenas think twice.
A glacier harder than steel, capable of self-repair—this was exactly the treasure Badak needed to sharpen his skills. Perfect for honing his swordsmanship and Armament Haki.
But whether it was truly as he imagined still needed testing. Badak drew Shusui, sensing the glacier's breath, and in an instant, slashed downward with a Flying Slash, leaving a sword mark on the ice.
If the obstructing glacier were compared to a person, Daz Bones' strikes had only grazed its skin, while Badak's mark had reached the muscle. But it was still far from enough to cleave through the glacier.
Not being able to cut through was even better. Badak felt invigorated—he had a new goal. By the time he could split the glacier with a single strike, he was certain both his swordsmanship and Haki would have made tremendous progress.
"Ah, even you can't break through?" Perona's mood soured as she watched Badak's sword mark vanish rapidly under the glacier's regeneration.
"For now. I plan to train here for a while. Bonis, you're with me! What about the rest of you?" Badak asked.
Robin thought for a moment. "We'll stay too. But how long are we talking?"
"Within three months. We can explore other parts of the Flower Country in between. Staying in this frozen wasteland the whole time would be too boring."
Badak set a deadline—three months should be enough to achieve his goal. The dandelions could instantly heal any physical damage from training, and Life Return could quickly restore his stamina. The only limitation was mental fatigue, but as a Mythical Zoan, his spirit recovered swiftly—a short nap was all it took to recharge.
"Three months? That works." Everyone agreed.
"Let me contact Moria first. If he's willing to come, that'd be great."
Badak took out the Den Den Mushi and dialed the number Moria had left him.
"Gehihihihi! Badak, you finally called." The moment the line connected, Moria's signature laughter rang out.
"Moria, Chin Jao isn't an easy opponent. Enough small talk—when are you coming to the Flower Country to collect his shadow? Capturing him took a lot of effort! You're not expecting me to deliver him to your doorstep, are you?"Hearing this, Moria's Den Den Mushi expression turned serious. "You actually did it? Truly remarkable, Badak. To capture even such a senior figure alive... Why would a shark of your caliber remain in a small pond like the West Blue?"
"Hahaha," Badak laughed heartily before continuing, "Moria, you overestimate me. If I'm a shark, then the rulers of the New World are Sea Kings. It's still too early to face them. This victory over Chin Jao was only possible because he's aged and no longer at his peak. Even you could have taken him down."
"What do you mean 'even me'? Of course I could have done it!" The Den Den Mushi showed an angry expression before calming down. "Since you've fulfilled your end of the bargain, I won't break mine either. I'll arrive near the Flower Country within a week. We'll discuss the exact location then."
"A week is fine. It's settled then."
After finalizing the agreement, Badak hung up the Den Den Mushi. A week wasn't long for sea travel—it seemed Moria really was still waiting in the West Blue.
Next, Badak found the residence of Chin Jao and his two companions, located between the previous battlefield and the Jewel Ice Mountain. After tidying up, they settled in.
When Chin Jao woke up, he saw a familiar ceiling and froze. He tried to sit up but found his limbs wracked with excruciating pain, rendering him immobile.
"Grandpa, you're awake! Are you okay?"
"That's right, Grandpa. You've been unconscious for quite a while."
The two boys stitched to Chin Jao's legs greeted him.
"Sai, Boo... were you captured too?"
Chin Jao felt a headache coming on. This was the place where he had secluded himself while teaching his grandsons the Eight Impact Fist. Aside from the three of them, there was no one else here.
This meant news of the incident at Jewel Ice Mountain wouldn't get out. The Happo Navy wouldn't deliver supplies for quite some time—the last batch had arrived just a few days ago, and the next wouldn't come for at least half a month.
As footsteps drew nearer, Badak entered the room. Seeing all three of them awake, he smiled. "Leader Chin Jao, I apologize for the haste earlier—I didn't even introduce myself properly. I'm Badak, a traveling adventurer."
"You bastard! Are you saying I lost too quickly?"
Veins bulged on Chin Jao's forehead—it sounded like he'd been defeated before Badak even had time to announce himself.
"You! Untie us right now!"
"Yeah! If you've got the skills, fight me fair and square! What kind of coward ambushes people?"
The two boys had been startled when hands suddenly grew from their bodies. Before they could react, they'd blacked out.
"Enough, Sai, Boo. You're no match for him." Chin Jao's temper flared quickly but faded just as fast.
Calming down, he now emphasized the legitimacy of his actions.
"Badak, was it? Why did you trespass into the Happo Navy's forbidden territory? We have every right to attack those who intrude into this area.""Leader Chin Jao, it's reasonable for you to attack us since we trespassed into your forbidden land. We're even."
Seeing Chin Jao's expression soften, Badak raised one finger and said, "But—but we saved your life when you were nearly dead. So you owe us one..."
"Bastards! Wasn't it you who put me in that state?"
Old Sai—no, at this moment it should be Sai—lived up to his hot-tempered reputation. Even in such circumstances, he didn't back down at all.
"Sai! Let him finish!"
Chin Jao stopped the furious Sai.
"We helped restore your pointed head—that makes two you owe us." Badak raised a second finger.
"What? Pointed head?" Chin Jao couldn't believe it. "My pointed head, really?"
He immediately tried to reach up and touch it, but unfortunately his hands were stitched up.
Even if they weren't, his fractured arms probably couldn't lift that high. He had to tilt his head back instead—and there it was.
His pointed head. His pointed head had truly been restored.
Chin Jao was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
He had longed to restore his pointed head, dreaming about it constantly, but he knew it was impossible.
This only deepened his hatred for Garp. Now, his pointed head had actually been restored—how could he not be overwhelmed with emotion?
"Great, Grandpa! Your pointed head is back! Now you can open—"
"Boo, stop talking."
Sai cut off Boo before he could finish, and Boo quickly shut his mouth, nearly revealing a big secret.
"Your limbs still need treatment, so that means you'll owe us three favors in total. Three times." Badak looked at the three of them, unfazed, holding up a third finger.
One injury, split into two treatments, resulting in two debts—Sai was about to lose his temper again.
"Fine. I owe you three favors."
Chin Jao made the final decision. When under someone else's roof, one must bow their head.
Since he had lost, he had to accept their terms. "What do you want from me?"