The boy looked to be about the same age as Robin.
He wore an oversized white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his slender arms.
His shirt was tucked into denim overalls, and the pant legs were rolled up, exposing his thin calves.
His black leather shoes were splattered with mud, and a cross necklace hung around his neck.
His fluffy blond hair was styled like someone who was really good at basketball.
Thinking about Tina and Hawkins' hairstyles, and then looking at Koala's original outfit,
Black felt that Oda and Brother Chicken definitely had something in common.
He had a straight nose bridge and slightly thin lips.
The most striking feature was his eyebrows, which formed three vertical lines.
He was none other than one of the future Worst Generation Supernovas "Magician" Basil Hawkins.
"I knew there was something unique about this island..."
Black mused inwardly, but he didn't dwell on it for too long.
Recruiting Hawkins personally would be giving him too much credit.
Black planned to inform Aramaki about him so that Aramaki could send someone to bring him in for training.
Since Hawkins could join Kaido in the original story, he could naturally work under Aramaki as well. Recruiting him shouldn't be too difficult.
Leaving the central plaza, Black continued sightseeing with the women.
The Tarot Kingdom's palace was a spiral sanctuary composed of twenty-two towers connected by skywalks, appearing mysteriously beautiful from afar.
The library resembled an enlarged Wheel of Fortune, with unique rainwater collection facilities forming the pattern of a Holy Grail.
Everyone marveled at the sight.
Robin even read some books on divination in the library, expanding her knowledge.
Stella, on the other hand, bought many things, big and small.
All kinds of Tarot reeds, leaves that could be arranged into a star map at night, and custom Tarot cards...
The most outrageous purchase was made by Perona.
She actually bought a volcanic lizard that changed color according to the temperature, and she firmly insisted that Tim was also a specialty of Aetheria.
That's right she had already named the volcanic lizard.
Everyone spent the entire day playing on the island.
Only when dusk arrived did they reluctantly return to the sanctuary at Stella's urging.
Black smiled and comforted the reluctant girls.
"Don't worry. Next time we have the chance to visit other islands, we can still get off the ship and look around."
"Oh yeah! Saint Black is the best!"
Hearing Black's promise, Perona happily jumped onto him.
...
The sanctuary continued its journey, and the sea returned to calm.
Perhaps because the Marines had been overly active recently, pirates had begun lying low.
Even the great pirates of the New World hadn't caused any major disturbances lately.
For a time, everyone seemed to have entered a strange period of calm.
Nothing happened at sea.
But something did happen in Mary Geoise.
A banquet was being held in the Room of Authority.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the platters carried by slaves, making them look like flowing gold.
No one cared about the theme of the banquet; the lives of the Celestial Dragons were simply that whimsical.
"These disgusting guys just make me sick to my stomach!"
Garin suddenly unsheathed Divine Judgment and thrust it forward, directly piercing the heart of a Fish-Man slave.
Saint Donquixote Christopher, who was sitting not far away, frowned.
"Your taste is getting worse, Garin."
Garin turned when he heard the words, and a splash of blood landed on the ice swan sculpture between them.
"Just a mere toy. Are you feeling sympathy?"
Garin picked up a diamond-studded whip nearby, flicked it casually, and wrapped it around another Fish-Man slave's neck, gradually tightening it.
Christopher threw the dining knife in his hand, cutting Garin's whip in half.
The liberated Fish-Man slave collapsed to the ground, gasping for air and coughing violently.
Garin silently looked at Christopher.
Christopher also silently looked back at him.
Suddenly, two astonishing auras erupted.
The immensely powerful Conqueror's Haki instantly shattered the champagne tower, and wine spilled across the pristine tablecloth.
Almost all the other Celestial Dragons in the banquet hall fainted on the spot, and the slaves also collapsed.
"Your pity is a blasphemy against the name of God!"
"Your arrogance is the true form of lowliness!"
The two opposing figures attacked almost simultaneously.
Garin thrust the half-whip in his hand like a longsword.
Christopher raised the dining fork in his hand in response.
Their weapons did not collide directly, yet black and red lightning surged violently between them.
A large hole was instantly torn open in the ceiling, and the shockwave blasted upward.
Shattered glass fragments were suspended in the air by the overwhelming aura.
Garin retracted the half-whip and slashed downward fiercely.
Christopher slightly dodged the attack, but the slash cut cleanly through the pillar behind him.
He counterattacked by thrusting the dining fork, which Garin blocked with the whip.
Garin twisted his wrist, and the broken whip straightened like a silver snake flicking its tongue, launching a precise thrust.
The silver fork in Christopher's hand moved like a fingertip, accurately targeting Garin's wrist.
Their Armament Haki collided with a crisp metallic clang, producing a rhythm that seemed almost artistic.
The two moved and fought leisurely, as if they were performing a dance in the middle of a banquet.
However, the audience had already been knocked unconscious by their Conqueror's Haki.
Naturally, no one could appreciate this magnificent performance.
Garin's broken whip sometimes slashed like a longsword, drawing perfect arcs.
At other times, it lunged like a rapier with deadly precision.
Christopher maintained the elegance of a refined diner throughout the battle.
His silver fork sometimes tapped lightly like a conductor guiding an orchestra.
At other times, it traced graceful lines like a painter holding a brush.
Garin suddenly pulled the whip handle to his waist, the straightened whip poised like a samurai blade.
Christopher tightened his grip on the silver fork, and the air around him twisted like a forming vortex.
Just as the two were about to clash again, a sheathed longsword appeared between them.
Shodai Kitetsu.
Nusjuro.
"The farce should end. Are you two planning to tear down the Room of Authority?"
Garin frowned, clearly displeased.
"He's showing sympathy for slaves!"
"Alright, you two. That's enough."
Behind Nusjuro, Saturn's voice sounded calmly.
"The repair costs will be deducted from both of your annual quotas."
Saturn's words served as the final verdict.
Garin had no room to argue further.
He threw the broken whip to the ground, snorted coldly, and turned away.
The shattered chandelier finally fell, breaking into countless diamond-like fragments behind Christopher.
With the instigators gone, the two Gorosei helplessly signaled the CP agents following them to send the Celestial Dragons who had fainted from Conqueror's Haki back to their residences.
In reality, Christopher's behavior was no different from Mjosgard's during the Reverie.
The problem was that Christopher's strength far surpassed Mjosgard's.
If they attempted to deal with Christopher, he would undoubtedly resist fiercely.
The situation could easily spiral out of control and even alarm Imu.
Therefore, neither the Gorosei nor Garin mentioned the aftermath of this incident.
They tacitly agreed to let the matter end there.
But the big brother who once smashed a beer bottle on the ground had said something long ago:
"People's dreams will never end."
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