"So he calls himself a king?"
"That guy actually said that?"
At the Holy Land Mary Geoise, after hearing Kong's report, the five senile old geezers were so furious their beards nearly shot into the stratosphere. They itched to rush to Inazuma right then and there and teach Ren a lesson about royal airs.
But that was nothing more than a fantasy. Although the title of Yonko hadn't yet been coined, the basic framework of the emperor-tier crews had already largely taken shape.
For a pirate crew of Inazuma's scale, unless the Marines launched an all-out war, taking them down would be nearly impossible.
But if they did launch a full-scale war, what about the other seas?
Not to mention, the seas had been growing increasingly turbulent lately. Within many nations, an entirely new power seemed to be on the rise.
The World Government, which had ruled this world for eight hundred years, was teetering on the edge of collapse in truth.
Meanwhile, in the New World, with Kaido, John, and Wang Zhi gone, the seas had been almost entirely carved up between Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Ren.
A three-way power balance was nearly in place.
Of course, none of them could be in two places at once, so the battles were far from over.
After Shutenmaru's retirement, command of the vanguard fleet had been temporarily transferred to Moli. Together with July and Yayoi, who commanded the Hyakki Night Forces, and the Kaigun-oni who possessed overwhelming combat power, Inazuma had been virtually invincible in the New World all these years.
Moli, July, and Yayoi — each one was a powerhouse capable of holding territory as a major pirate captain in their own right.
As the conflicts had grown more intense, Yukiko had also returned to the battlefield. Fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously, she had suffered almost no defeats.
Even when a tactical retreat was necessary, the casualties were minimal.
With Yukiko back on the front lines, the five islands beyond Inazuma's waters — the area now known as Seirai — were left short-handed.
To address this, Ren had brought along Saori and Saya, both of whom had been wanting to see the open sea for quite some time.
Saya was endlessly fascinated by everything beyond the islands. Saori, by contrast, had a quieter disposition. She was the one primarily helping manage affairs.
As for Saya, well — not causing trouble for her older sister was already an accomplishment.
"Wow, so the ocean really is this huge!"
Saya leaned over the ship's railing, her eyes wide with wonder as she stared at the distant horizon.
Two round, plump mounds were pressed against the railing, squishing almost out of shape.
"Hey, Lord Ren! When are we going to Skypiea? I want to see the sky island from the comic!"
Saya leaped to her feet and bolted toward him, jumping onto Ren's body as she asked excitedly.
Ever since Kaido's death, the comic about Ren had continued serialization. This arc depicted Ren's adventures overseas, with details faithfully recorded by Yukiko.
The kids at the Flower Capital kindergarten were so excited they were howling with glee, especially Yamato, who spent every day chasing Lucci around with a club after reading the latest chapters.
Ren caught Saya by her small bottom, and the girl suddenly grew bashful.
"Y-You — what are you — hey..."
"Nothing much. Just wanted to ask if you'd like some chicken soup."
"There's chicken soup?" Saya blinked.
"Right now there's only the chicken. If you want the soup, you'll have to put in the effort yourself."
Ren whispered into her ear.
"I-In that case, let's go inside then..."
Holy Land Mary Geoise. After receiving the reports from their agents, the Five Elders sat in heavy silence.
The sheer scope of Inazuma's overseas expansion had far exceeded their worst projections. What had begun as a regional power play in Wano had metastasized into something far more dangerous.
Inazuma's fleet now controlled significant portions of the New World, and their influence was bleeding into the Paradise seas as well. Ren's subordinates — Yukiko, Moli, July, and Yayoi — were each capable of commanding fleets that rivaled those of the Warlords.
"He's a menace," one of the Elders muttered. "But we can't move against him openly. Not with the other emperors still in play."
The unspoken sentiment hung in the air. The World Government's grip was slipping, and everyone in the room knew it.
...
"Serves you right! Now sink to the bottom of the sea and feed the fish! Gyahahahaha!"
Buggy stood on the bow's cannon, laughing uproariously as he watched a pirate ship he'd just blown up sink into the distance. His laugh was edging dangerously close to the territory of Shiki and Blackbeard.
"Can you tone it down a notch?" Enel had no energy left to comment. Buggy had been acting more and more like a full-blown villain lately.
"You don't understand! This is how you project authority!" Buggy waved him off.
"Hey, Kappa! Go fish that wreck — there's bound to be treasure on board!"
"Leave it to me!" Kappa dove into the water with a clean entry, slicing through the waves like a phantom toward the sinking vessel. He had been studying Fish-Man Karate under a Fish-Man teacher Ren had specially found for him.
This unique martial art was something Ren had also learned himself, though he could only use it when fully channeling the Deep Sea Soul — a state unlocked after absorbing the essence of a certain sea beast.
Technically, it was a standard Zoan-type transformation, but the power of a Sea King was on an entirely different level from ordinary Zoan abilities.
Using ocean currents to haul treasure to the surface was no trouble at all for him. In fact, from the day they set sail, Kappa had become thoroughly familiar with this duty.
He couldn't help but feel that his role on this ship had been reduced to helmsman and odd-jobs man. He had originally hoped to serve as navigator, but Felice turned out to have even more natural talent in that department, which only made the already low-profile Kappa even more expendable.
"Oho! Three full crates of treasure! Time for a feast, boys!" Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight of the gleaming gold.
Enel flicked Buggy's eyeballs back into his head with a look of disgust.
"Even so, we still need to reach the next island before we can resupply. You're getting ahead of yourself."
At that moment, a figure perched atop the mast spoke up.
"Captain Buggy, there's a pirate ship approaching from behind."
Felice's clear voice rang down from above. She sat barefoot on the mast, swinging her slender legs back and forth, a spyglass in her hand.
"It looks like a pursuer from Big Mom's crew."
"A pursuer?" Buggy's upper body shot into the air on reflex. He snatched the spyglass from Felice and squinted through it.
Sure enough, a ship that looked like a floating theme park was bearing down on them. A pink flag fluttered from its mast, emblazoned with a skull sporting oversized red lips — impossible to miss.
"These guys just don't give up. Didn't we just repel them a short while ago?" Enel leaped onto the mast as well. He appeared to be talking to Buggy, but he landed precisely beside Felice.
Smooth operator, that one.
"Who cares who they are? Let's smash them to pieces!"
Buggy waved his hand, and Kappa immediately spun the wheel, bringing the ship around to face their pursuers head-on.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]