"The plan went off without a hitch!"
"All thanks to John. And that troublesome woman Linlin isn't in her territory either."
The Roger Pirates were in the midst of a raucous celebration. They were throwing a banquet, every crew member gleefully dancing and singing with looted treasure in hand.
But they had never been particularly obsessed with wealth, so in truth, Big Mom's losses from their last raid were not all that significant.
It was the Devil Fruits that Oden had snatched that were truly worth a fortune.
Paramecia-type — the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, and the Vapor-Vapor Fruit.
"Oden-san, why do you keep collecting these weird fruits?" A young red-haired boy wearing a straw hat leaned across the table, watching Oden stow the fruits away.
"Yo, Akataro! These? It's because of a promise."
Seeing the red-haired boy, Oden broke into a wide grin. In truth, ever since the navigators who had accompanied him departed, Oden hadn't sent any Devil Fruits back to Inazuma.
But the fruits he'd gathered over the years were carefully stored away.
That said, his haul wasn't actually all that impressive. After all, the Roger Pirates didn't care for plundering, and they rarely frequented illegal auctions.
Coming across a wild Devil Fruit out on the open sea really did come down to luck.
"Lord Oden, come over here and drink!" Kin'emon had clearly had a bit too much.
Face flushed, legs splayed wide, he started bouncing around the deck. The now grown-up Okiku and Izō produced shamisen to accompany the others.
After so many years at sea, they had more or less grown accustomed to this life. Say what you will — they had practically become part of the Roger Pirates.
At this point, even if Oden decided to head back, his retainers might actually be the reluctant ones.
"Hey, Oden, come take a look at what's written on this Poneglyph." Roger was practically vibrating with excitement as he dragged Oden over to the massive stone.
Oden hunched over and began to puzzle through the text.
"The final island..."
Oden read the inscription word by word. The further Roger listened, the more elated his expression became.
"My guess was right! The final island really does exist!" Roger exclaimed joyfully.
"I'm going to find that last island and accomplish something no one's ever done before!"
While they were busy eating and singing, the balance of power in the New World had shifted once more.
After Redfield departed, Yukiko had spent considerable time making John reveal the location of his hidden treasure.
It was safe to assume that the World Government was absolutely furious. The entire reason they had cooperated with John was to get their hands on his treasure — and now John had vanished without a trace.
The most critical issue was that they had no leads whatsoever.
The only person who had seen Redfield at the end was Ren — no one else had even noticed him.
And now, Ren had led Shuten-doji and the others to the former territories of Wang Zhi and Silver Axe, launching a new round of conquest. After observing the situation for some time, it was essentially certain that Wang Zhi and Silver Axe had most likely perished at sea.
They may not have been Devil Fruit users, but after taking the full force of an explosion, being buried under collapsing caverns, and then enduring crushing water pressure — survival seemed nearly impossible.
Ironically, someone like Shiki, a Devil Fruit user who should have been helpless in the ocean, had escaped unscathed thanks to his varied abilities.
Big Mom had been rescued by Kaido, though in truth, even without him, her Homies could have carried her to safety. The process just would have been a bit more complicated.
Now the various powers on the seas, seeking to recoup their losses from the previous conflict, had their eyes fixed on the rich territories left behind by Wang Zhi and Silver Axe. Charlotte Linlin had parted ways with Kaido the moment he showed no intention of sticking around.
She had no obligation to help Kaido build his forces. Besides, there was plenty of territory up for grabs — with Kaido's strength, he could at least get a piece of the pie.
This time, however, they had a new competitor.
"So the reports say the Whitebeard Pirates have returned to the New World?" Ren glanced at the newspaper without much surprise. Paradise was too small for the Whitebeard Pirates — there simply wasn't enough room to maneuver.
The Whitebeard Pirates were always going to return to the New World. The only question was when.
...
Whitebeard listened as his children recounted the recent major events, feeling a surge of emotion.
After the Rocks Pirates fell, the former officers who had served aboard that ship had each gone their separate ways. There was no camaraderie between them anymore.
Now Wang Zhi and Silver Axe were dead, and as far as Whitebeard could tell, John had likely retired.
Whatever the case, it gave him the strange sensation of eras overlapping.
The once-green Kaido had grown considerably. And the newly emerged Inazuma had risen to become a formidable power in the New World at an almost unimaginable speed.
Whitebeard didn't know what his own end would be, but he genuinely wanted to start paving a path for his children.
As things stood now, his crew's influence was still quite small. He needed a territory of his own, like Shiki or Big Mom. Only then could he better guarantee the safety of his sons.
That was the real reason he had decided to join this new round of territorial division in the New World.
"Pops, are we really gonna fight those guys for territory?" Marco clenched his fists, looking both terrified and exhilarated.
Since joining Whitebeard's crew, he hadn't experienced any truly harrowing battles. His only rival had been the Roger Pirates.
Even then, he'd only encountered them once. Sure, they fought the moment they met — but before long they'd be drinking together. It never gave him much of a sense of urgency.
But the New World was clearly a far more brutal place. Several of the pirates who had once been on the same level as his captain were already dead. It shook Marco's confidence.
"What's wrong, Marco? Didn't you always want to go to the New World and tangle with those pirates? Scared now?"
Whitey Bay couldn't resist needling him when she saw his expression.
"I'm not scared! I'm just really excited!" Marco refused to show weakness and shot back immediately.
Watching them bicker, Whitebeard felt a warm fondness instead. A smile spread beneath his crescent-shaped mustache.
But he also knew that the battles ahead would be genuinely dangerous. His old comrades were not the accommodating sort.
"Gurararara! Having spirit is a fine thing. But don't get careless, my sons!"
Whitebeard roared with laughter, delivering his warning in his trademark boisterous fashion.
[
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