It wasn't only them paying attention to the news.
Across the first half of the Grand Line,
Countless pirates were also closely following every report.
…
West Blue, somewhere at sea.
"Damn it…"
"How did that bastard end up in the North Blue?!"
Golden Lion floated in midair while reading the latest newspaper, his expression dark.
The West Blue and North Blue were separated by an enormous distance.
At this point,
He could only hope Byrnndi World hadn't already been captured by the Marines.
"Pluton…"
"It can only belong to me!"
Golden Lion roared.
Then he tore the newspaper apart, a confident grin appearing on his face.
Without lingering,
He immediately headed toward the North Blue.
…
Grand Line, somewhere at sea.
Kaido had transformed into his dragon form and was rapidly swimming through the ocean toward the North Blue.
He had already learned that Byrnndi World was there.
Suddenly—
A gigantic Sea King blocked his path.
"Damn it!"
"Why do Sea Kings always come looking for trouble with me?!"
Kaido couldn't help complaining.
Over the past few days,
He'd encountered countless Sea Kings obstructing his route.
Logically speaking—
His appearance hardly looked human.
Couldn't they at least mistake him for one of their own?
He quickly dealt with the Sea King before continuing through the sea toward the North Blue.
It wasn't that he didn't want to fly—
The problem was,
He hadn't possessed the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit long enough.
He simply couldn't fly yet!
…
Grand Line, East Blue, a certain sea region.
A fairly large ship sailed there.
Aboard it—
Was the future strongest Emperor, Whitebeard.
Previously,
He had guessed Byrnndi World was somewhere within the Grand Line.
But he didn't know exactly where.
So he had brought his crew to the East Blue.
"Byrnndi World was discovered by the Marines this quickly?"
Whitebeard drank deeply from a jug of alcohol while carefully reading the newspaper.
"Fortunately…"
"He wasn't captured."
"Pluton's blueprint should still be with him."
One crew member spoke.
"The Marines and World Government are already powerful enough."
"If they obtain Pluton too…"
"We won't be able to survive on these seas."
Another crew member said gravely.
"This era produced an unusual Celestial Dragon."
"As pirates, our position on the seas is already unfavorable."
"We absolutely can't allow the Marines to acquire Pluton's blueprint."
Another chimed in.
"Aurelius D. Virel Is…"
"He truly is an anomaly."
Whitebeard said heavily.
"I really don't understand."
"As a Celestial Dragon…"
"Why doesn't he just enjoy his status peacefully instead of stepping into everything?"
One crew member complained helplessly.
Aurelius D. Virel Is's strength—
Nearly everyone in the world knew of it.
After all,
He was the man who ended Rocks.
"Sigh…"
"The Marines alone are already troublesome enough."
"Then a Celestial Dragon like Aurelius D. Virel Is appeared…"
"It's like the world doesn't want pirates to survive."
Whitebeard drank heavily again before adding:
"And it's not only Is who's strong."
"The subordinates around him are terrifying too."
Whitebeard had fought Hashirama before.
The man wasn't weak.
A short battle between them wouldn't produce a winner.
"Pops."
"Let's hurry to the North Blue."
"We absolutely can't let the Marines obtain Pluton's blueprint."
One crew member urged.
Hearing this,
Whitebeard nodded.
He stood up,
Tossed the newspaper into the sea,
And shouted:
"Set sail!"
…
Other pirates—
Including Charlotte Linlin, Silver Axe, John, Wang Zhi, and other remnants of the Rocks Pirates—
All saw the news.
Without exception,
They began heading toward the North Blue.
…
North Blue, a certain sea region.
Several days had passed.
The ship carrying Is was finally nearing the Kingdom of Gadobriel.
Throughout the journey,
Is had done very little.
He simply moved a rocking chair to the bow of the ship and relaxed—
Watching scenery,
Feeling the sea breeze,
Enjoying pastries, newspapers, and drinks.
Nor was Is alone.
Acnologia,
Yoriichi,
Madara Uchiha,
Hashirama Senju—
All spent time similarly, chatting occasionally.
Meanwhile,
Tatsumaki and Unohana had been learning cooking from Rem and Ram in the kitchen.
Even the Old Heavenly Master remained busy after arriving in this world—
Cultivating his techniques.
Before the ship even reached the harbor,
The enormous preparations within Gadobriel Kingdom were already visible.
At the center of the port,
A long red carpet stretched forward.
At the end stood the kingdom's king and queen,
Who had been waiting for a long time.
Surrounding the carpet—
Crowds filled every corner.
Some were local nobles and citizens.
Many others were nobles from foreign kingdoms.
There were even kings from other nations.
They had all come for one reason:
To witness Aurelius D. Virel Is—
The anomaly among Celestial Dragons.
In their minds,
Is was not an ordinary Celestial Dragon.
He was—
A Celestial Dragon crowned with the title of God.
For that reason,
Even kings from other countries had traveled here,
Hoping to see him with their own eyes.
The moment the World Government's ship approached—
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Standing at the bow,
Is opened his virtual map interface and confirmed once more.
This was indeed the correct kingdom.
"T-That…"
"The man standing in the center…"
"Is he really the world's highest-ranking noble…"
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is?"
A noble spectator asked excitedly.
"It's him!"
"It's definitely him!"
"I've seen Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is in newspapers countless times!"
"There's no mistake!"
Another noble shouted excitedly.
Normally,
These people were refined aristocrats.
Yet upon seeing Aurelius D. Virel Is—
They struggled to restrain their emotions.
"I never thought…"
"That within my lifetime…"
"I'd actually see Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is…"
"My life is worth it!"
One noblewoman sighed dreamily.
"So handsome…"
"If I became his wife…"
"How happy would I be?"
A richly adorned woman around twenty years old spoke softly.
"You?"
"Look at yourself before dreaming of standing beside Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is."
"Only I deserve to stand by his side!"
Another noblewoman replied coldly, hands on hips.
"You?"
"You should measure your own worth before boasting."
"You're not even prettier than the maid who cleans my house."
"What did you say?!"
The two noblewomen immediately started fighting.
Not a trace of elegance remained.
Yet—
Their quarrel attracted no attention.
Because at that moment,
Even louder cheers erupted from the crowd.
Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is had already stepped off the ship.
And onto the kingdom's soil.
His feet landed upon the red carpet.
Behind him—
Were Hashirama and the others.
Their status was also that of nobles.
Moreover,
As Is's retainers,
They possessed the qualifications to walk the red carpet alongside him.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/c/GojoSP