The sky was dusky before nightfall. At the center of an unnamed island, a deep pit was being used to transport mud and sand out.
What was once a rather scenic island now resembled a rabbit warren.
Deep holes from excavation were everywhere.
"Strange, haven't we dug it up yet?"
King looked at Bazel suspiciously, or more precisely, the Eternal Pose in Bazel's hand.
"The Eternal Pose definitely points to this location, no mistake."
Watching the pointer tip facing downward, Bazel crouched, picked up a pinch of soil, and rubbed it gently between his fingers.
"Treasure isn't just left out in the open, especially not by the cunning Captain John."
"I wouldn't be surprised if we had to dig all the way to the seabed to find it."
"It's the treasure of a powerhouse who once ruled an era, Arber."
"Even so…"
King looked at his subordinates still toiling away, digging dirt in the pit, his expression hesitant.
"Is it really appropriate to delay here for so long over treasure whose value in Berry is unknown?"
"We're not here for something like Berry."
Bazel brushed the soil off his hands and grinned, "We are here for the legendary Devil Fruits. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, we have to take the gamble. Isn't that right, Big Bro Kaido?"
Kaido, who had been dozing nearby, opened his eyes, "Right, no one knows exactly what goodies Rocks hid away, not even me."
"That guy didn't trust his crewmates. His dream wasn't something as small as becoming the Pirate King."
"King of the World, huh…"
King's expression was complex.
The Lunarians had once been uncrowned kings as well.
Though the inherited memories from his youth were blurry, King knew.
Nine hundred years ago, their ancestors came to these seas from the moon not for conquest.
But to search for resources that would allow the Lunarian Tribe to survive.
Compared to the moon, which was completely depleted, this planet brimming with vibrant life was far more attractive.
It was just what happened later…
Seeing King fall silent, Bazel thought for a moment and could guess what was on his mind.
"Food should be eaten bite by bite, things should be done step by step. We have plenty of time, there's no need to fight for every single moment."
"Arber, as a…"
"We found it! I found Rocks's treasure!!"
Suddenly, an exclamation came from deep within the pit.
"One, two… heave-ho!"
"One, two… heave-ho!!"
A wooden chest the size of half a ship was hauled up to the surface.
Kaido walked forward and lightly tapped the wooden planks with his finger.
The chest emitted a somewhat dull echo.
This was good.
If it had been a crisp echo, it would have meant the chest was empty.
Walking to the front where the lock was, Kaido wrapped his right hand in Armament Haki, gripped the rusted iron lock, and yanked hard.
"Wooo!!! Rocks's treasure! Could there be treasure inside that's enough to buy the entire world!?"
"Don't dream! How could there possibly be treasure that can buy the world? In my opinion, even just a billion Berry would be amazing!"
"If you're going to dream, dream bigger! This is Rocks we're talking about…"
"Alright, quiet."
The surrounding chatter ceased instantly. King nodded in satisfaction, " Kaido-san, do you want to open it?"
"I'll do it."
Bazel volunteered for the job of opening the treasure chest, also finding an excuse for himself.
"In case there are traps or poison gas inside, my speed and poison resistance should keep me safe."
Kaido moved aside.
Bazel stood before the chest, rubbing his hands together.
Opening chests was one of the few forms of mental gambling in the world.
Bazel believed that even if he wasn't the luckiest, he definitely wasn't cursed with bad luck either.
"What could it be, will it be a golden legend~~~"
He inserted his fingertips into the crack and gently lifted upwards.
The pirates around them now didn't dare to breathe, staring fixedly at the treasure about to be revealed.
Even the sea lizard that Olga raised kept was staring this way.
'Gold, gold, gold!'
Bazel chanted silently for good luck to arrive.
Squeak~
As the rusted metal hinges groaned, the chest was slowly opened.
Just then, the twilight arrived.
The gleam of the gold itself merged with the twilight glow, emitting a dazzling radiance that was hard to look at directly, yet impossible to look away from.
But, it really was just gold…
"We're rich!! We've struck it rich!!"
"Wahahaha, this has to be at least over a billion Berry!!!"
Compared to the subordinates hugging and celebrating, Bazel looked at Kaido, licked his lips, and said, "Let's arrange another meeting with that John guy sometime. I want to see what else he's hidden."
"That bastard took all the truly good stuff and just left this gold behind."
Kaido walked forward, grabbed a handful of gold coins with his right hand, and then flung them forcefully towards his subordinates.
"Woo~~!!! Long live Kaido-sama!!"
"Hahaha, it's all mine~~!"
Watching his subordinates scramble wildly, Kaido's expression remained utterly calm.
"From the moment I got this Eternal Pose, I knew John was probably playing some boring word game."
"This is indeed Rocks's treasure, no mistake about it."
Ding~~~
Bazel raised his hand and caught the gold coin Kaido tossed over. His gaze froze when he saw the profile on it.
"Is this silhouette... Rocks himself?"
"I'd recognize that bastard even if he were turned to ashes."
Kaido turned and got onto the skull-prowed carriage.
"Babanuki, have them take all this treasure back to the ship. I only want sixty percent, you all can split the remaining forty."
"Yes, Kaido-sama!!"
Kaido didn't look back at the pile of gold coins.
"Bazel, we're heading back. We set sail tonight for Drum Island and Little Garden."
…
That night, the Babanuki's ship was ablaze with lights.
Treasure was piled mountain-high on the deck. Pirates danced and sang around the mountain of gold, bottles of liquor in their hands.
Yo-hoho-ho, Yo-hoho-ho~ ♪
Yo-hoho-ho, Yo-hoho-ho~ ♪
Bring forth the Binks's Brew! ♪
Set it right by you! ♪
Like the sea breeze, free and easy, riding the waves~ ♪
"Binks's Sake, huh."
Lifting his bottle for a deep drink, Bazel patted the still expressionless Kaido beside him.
"Lighten up, Kaido-san. At least we didn't come back empty-handed. Consider these Berry as a development fund for the future."
"As for John~"
"Well, if we run into him in the future, we'll settle the score properly then."
Kaido sighed and pulled several Eternal Poses from his pocket.
"Arber, I'm counting on you for the navigation. These are Eternal Poses I stored during my past voyages."
"The names of the corresponding islands are written on the back."
King looked through them one by one, "Where to next, Little Garden or Drum Island first?"
Kaido didn't answer directly, instead looking at Bazel.
"Wait a minute, let me ask Hanafuda where he is first."
Bazel took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed the number from memory.
Buru Buru Buru~~
Kacha.
"Who?"
"It's me, Hanafuda. Big Bro Kaido and I are in Paradise now. Where are you?"
"You guys are coming to Paradise?" The Den Den Mushi asked in surprise, "That's really strange. I thought you guys would go straight to Wano Country."
"My current location..."
"Do you know the Pirate Island in Paradise?"
Bazel looked utterly confused, 'Wasn't Pirate Island Hachinosu in the New World? Had I remembered wrong?'
"He's referring to Jaya Island." Kaido said, looking up at the night sky, "That's an island the World Government can't be bothered to manage. Because of some legend from the past, it's become a paradise for pirates."
'A paradise for pirates?'
Bazel's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hanafuda, wait for us there."
"No problem. I'm actually tracking an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit right now."
The Den Den Mushi suddenly grinned, "It's the Ancient Zoan: Brachiosaurus Fruit! I ran into a World Government's agent in Water 7 and finally managed to get this good news out of him!"
"If my analysis is correct, that fruit should be near Jaya Island!"
"Then it's settled. We'll meet up on Pirate Island."
Kacha.
The Den Den Mushi hung up and Bazel looked at King.
"We'll head to Little Garden first. Big Bro Kaido and I will stay on that primeval island as planned. King, you take Olga, Babanuki, and the others to Drum Island first."
"Olga's illness can't be delayed any longer. As for the plan after that, we'll discuss it after we regroup at Jaya."
King frowned slightly, "Giants, right? Do you need my help?"
Bazel and Kaido exchanged a glance, smiles spreading across their faces.
"No, Big Bro Kaido and I are enough. Our goal isn't to kill the giants, but to defeat them."
Gulp~ Gulp~ Gulp~
Liquor streamed down the corners of Kaido's mouth as he drank deeply, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"That's right, Arber! If we can get the Giant Tribe to join us, no…"
"Even if just a few giants join the Beasts Pirates, our forces will get a massive boost!"
"And if we can find any extra Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits, Wororororo~~~"
Bang!
His gourd of sake slammed heavily onto the deck.
"I can't wait to get to that island now!!"
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