Several meters high, the bonfire blazed brightly, illuminating the fog-covered island of Zou.
Under the firelight, the Sea Restaurant crew, the Red-Haired Pirates, and the Mink Tribe gathered to drink and feast.
Since the universally accepted Berry currency did not circulate on the isolated island of Zou, Zyhark used the gold and jewels Aqua had picked up from Whole Cake Island as compensation for the meat, fish, and fine wines provided by the Mink Tribe.
Surprisingly, the money-grubbing dumb goddess didn't protest. Instead, she generously declared that they could use as much as they wanted.
To her, treasures that couldn't be used at a banquet were meaningless!
Meowth played music, and the Red-Haired Pirates served as the hype group, while Uta's beautiful singing echoed throughout the feast, filling everyone's hearts with joy.
In the world of pirates, it must be said—having a musician to set the mood was indeed very important!
Aqua stood at the center, waving a folding fan in her hands.
Her unique dancing and performance skills amazed the Minks, who had never seen anything like it before, and they started to join in, channeling their electric powers to add to the atmosphere.
King, Escanor, and others sat drinking with the core members of the Red-Haired Pirates.
The atmosphere between both groups was quite harmonious, and they casually exchanged stories of their adventures at sea.
Kanna, with her cuteness, completely won over these burly men of the Red-Haired Pirates. Some of them even started scolding Zyhark for his terrible behavior—how could he bring such a small child aboard the ship?
Speaking of taking care of children, they had way more experience in the Red-Haired Pirates!
In the end, these shameless guys started egging on Vice-Captain Beckman to try and convince little Kanna to join them.
Kanna, of course, refused with a serious adult-like expression, which elicited a round of groans from the expectant Red-Haired Pirates.
Sitting farther from the main festivities, Zyhark, Shanks, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi sat together with cups of sake in front of them.
"Your goal, after all, is to reach Raftel..."
After learning that Zyhark was collecting the red Poneglyphs, Shanks sighed deeply. "That means we're now on opposing sides!"
Realizing that the new era Roger spoke of had come early, Shanks also intended to join the competition for One Piece, which was why he had taken down one of the Yonko of the New World so quickly.
That was his main purpose in coming to Zou.
From that perspective, the Red-Haired Pirates and the Sea Restaurant were indeed rivals.
However, what Shanks hadn't expected was that Zyhark's aim in searching for Raftel wasn't to become the Pirate King.
It was simply a step on the path to becoming stronger.
Even though he trusted Shanks' character, Zyhark wouldn't reveal such a major secret, so he simply smiled and responded:
"Sorry, but the ones to reach Raftel first will be us!"
Right now, who else in the world had three Poneglyph rubbings?
"That's not certain," Shanks said confidently.
If Zyhark's growth rate and talent meant he'd surpass him soon, then all Shanks needed to do was get even stronger!
That was his unique charisma and mindset as a king of the seas.
Listening to their conversation, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi exchanged glances, unsure of how to join in.
The powerful clash of Conqueror's Haki earlier had already fully demonstrated the strength of these two young men.
Perhaps, their achievements in the future would surpass even Roger and Whitebeard!
"In that case, you'd better move quickly," Zyhark said, raising his cup to toast with the three of them and then downing his drink in one go.
"If I'm not mistaken, your next target should be Kaido, right?"
Mentioning Kaido, Shanks' casual expression turned a bit serious.
The New World was only so large, and they had naturally clashed with the Beasts Pirates a few times, gaining a good understanding of each other's combat strength.
"That's right. It is said that there is a red Poneglyph hidden in Wano."
After some thought, Zyhark continued, "Even without that reason, I have a promise with Kaido for an all-out battle!"
Upon hearing this, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi's expressions grew serious.
To them, "Wano" was always of utmost importance.
"The Beasts Pirates won't be easy to deal with, and they also have a very close partnership with the Shichibukai, Doflamingo," Shanks said in a serious tone.
If it were before, Shanks would have advised Zyhark not to provoke Kaido.
But after feeling the immeasurable power in Zyhark's Haki, he changed his mind and instead issued a reminder.
"Doflamingo, huh..."
Recalling how Doflamingo had traveled far and wide to provoke him, Zyhark's expression became colorful. "I think that cunning guy is unlikely to intervene."
"And if he really dares to interfere in our fight with Kaido, Moria and Hancock will beat him from 'Mingo' to 'Mangle.'"
Shanks' pupils shrank. "You mean?"
"That's right, both of them are with me," Zyhark said frankly.
Since they all traveled the Grand Line and often ran into each other, it was better to give Shanks a heads-up, not just for mutual assistance, but also to avoid potential future conflicts.
Especially Moria, the reckless one.
"You..." Shanks was genuinely taken aback.
If Zyhark was telling the truth, didn't that mean the Sea Restaurant occupied three Shichibukai slots?
How did he manage to make those two unruly individuals follow him willingly in such a short time since setting out to sea?
Among them was even the haughty Pirate Empress!
Shanks was baffled, finding Zyhark all the more enigmatic.
Knowing Zyhark's character, Shanks didn't think he was lying, nor did he have any reason to lie to him.
"In that case, there's no need to worry about Doflamingo."
Being an experienced pirate who had seen all sorts of situations, Shanks soon calmed his emotions and spoke in a serious tone. "But what if the Big Mom Pirates also join in?"
"Even without mentioning Kaido and Big Mom's past relationship, just the fact that you caused chaos in Totto Land and left her humiliated—that vengeful old hag won't let it slide easily."
This indeed was the biggest obstacle Zyhark would face in attacking Wano.
In his original plan, he intended to eliminate Big Mom during the Totto Land operation, at least rendering her unable to recover in a short period.
But Kaido's sudden appearance disrupted those plans.
Still, Zyhark wasn't overly worried. Given the connections he had accumulated at this point, dealing with two Yonko crews was more than manageable.
Silvers Rayleigh, half a mentor to him, Bartholomew Kuma of the Revolutionary Army, and even Uta's father sitting in front of him...
All of these could be used if the situation got out of hand.
Moreover, his own crew wasn't weak.
As long as the dumb goddess didn't mess things up, every one of them could manage a full heal from a sit-up. How would Kaido deal with that?
Ultimately, the biggest variable in attacking Wano wasn't the complex pirate forces, but rather...
The Navy and World Government hiding in the shadows, ready to reap the benefits!
If the Gorosei were determined to maintain a balance of power among the three forces, achieving the highest level of control, then there was no way they'd sit back and watch him take down two Yonkos!
That was the real issue requiring careful consideration, and it was also why Zyhark wasn't in a hurry to fight Kaido.
"Shanks, are you worried about my safety?" Zyhark asked teasingly.
That question broke Shanks' composure, and his voice rose a bit. "Who! Who's worried about you? We're enemies now!"
Hm, who would've thought that the man with the strongest Conqueror's Haki was secretly a tsundere?
"Hahaha, don't worry. I won't make a move until I'm fully prepared."
Zyhark put away his playful expression and spoke seriously.
Seeing how confident Zyhark was, Shanks didn't say any more.
After nearly half a year apart, he realized he couldn't quite figure this man out anymore.
"Besides, there's one more uncertain piece of information I've heard—I'm not sure if you all know."
Shanks changed the subject, his gaze serious. "It's about the Divine Kingdom of East Blue."
"The Divine Kingdom of East Blue?" Zyhark frowned, not understanding why Shanks suddenly mentioned this name.
He knew about that country formed by the Axis Cult, as it had occasionally been mentioned in small sections of the recent newspapers.
From the contents and the accompanying images, it was easy to discern that the country had developed from the town destroyed by Captain Kuro.
Under Goddess Aqua's influence, the entire island seemed to have become a place that struck fear into the hearts of those in East Blue.
But why would Shanks, who was far away in the New World, suddenly mention this nation?
Seeing Shanks' grave expression, Zyhark had an ominous feeling.
"It seems you don't know."
From Zyhark's reaction, Shanks easily drew that conclusion.
After a moment of silence, he hesitated, sighed, but eventually shared the information he had received.
"One day from now, the World Government plans to carry out a once-in-three-years extermination operation on that non-affiliated nation."
Shanks knew that the goddess the people of the Divine Kingdom worshiped was Aqua.
At first, he hadn't wanted to share this extremely dangerous information with Zyhark.
But when he heard that both Moria and Hancock had joined Zyhark, he realized that the news would inevitably get out.
Leaving aside Zyhark, if Aqua found out what the Celestial Dragons were up to, she would definitely storm Mariejois.
Instead of letting things escalate that far, it was better to prepare in advance.
"What did you say?!"
Zyhark was stunned by this unexpected information.
He knew about the Celestial Dragons' tri-annual extermination operation, but he hadn't expected the World Government to target the Divine Kingdom so soon!
No wonder Saturn had said, "I hope you make the right choice" when he went to negotiate at Mariejois.
So, the Gorosei had already been planning this from then!
What a bunch of heartless bastards!
"Calm down, Zyhark. If the information is correct, the impact of this incident is far greater than it seems on the surface," Shanks said, sensing the turbulent Conqueror's Haki building up within Zyhark.
"Since I received this news, other major powers in the New World must have heard it too."
"The prize that was leaked is quite enticing, so when the time comes, the major pirates will likely go all out to seize it."
"In other words, this Celestial Dragon extermination operation is very likely to turn into a large-scale war, like what happened at God Valley over twenty years ago."
Just thinking about the chaos to come made Shanks' scalp tingle.
Let alone the Sea Restaurant, which was intimately connected to the Divine Kingdom!
"Sorry, Shanks. It looks like this reunion feast will have to be postponed for now."
Zyhark put down his cup, his expression darkening as he stood up.
After bidding farewell to Shanks, he walked towards the dumb goddess, who was performing skillfully.
Although the Divine Kingdom hadn't been established under his direct leadership, its existence had already shaken the core of their entire team.
If they stood by while those who worshipped Aqua were slaughtered, it would be a devastating blow to the Axis Cult that they had painstakingly established in the pirate world!
More seriously, Aqua would likely lose a significant number of devout followers, reverting to her useless goddess state from the beginning of their journey.
Then, they'd lose their biggest trump card—resurrection!
Even setting aside this profound and far-reaching interest, just the fact that the Divine Kingdom worshipped the Sea Restaurant meant that Zyhark couldn't sit idly by.
It wasn't about risk or equivalent exchange—it was a matter of principle!
At the same time, on the Red Line, in the Holy Land of Mariejois.
Below the luxurious naval ship escorted by Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr, Celestial Dragons, their heads covered in bubble helmets, were lining up to board.
Although navy ships had the capability to cross the Calm Belt, for safety's sake, they needed to set sail a day early.
Under the moonlight, the grotesque faces of the Celestial Dragons were filled with unconcealable excitement.
The once-in-three-years extermination operation was a common method for the World Government to plunder resources and establish prestige.
But for the twisted minds of the lower-tier Celestial Dragons, it was merely a long-awaited form of entertainment.
Thinking of the fearful and despairing faces of those peasants, the Celestial Dragons who had participated before showed maniacal grins.
They were eager to see what kinds of rankings they'd achieve in this event!
The last to board were a group of Celestial Dragon warriors clad in specialized gear, their gazes cold and sharp.
Their arrival sparked cheers from the Celestial Dragon women on the ship's deck.
Yes, they were none other than the Knights of God, led by Figarland Garling and the younger generation of influential figures!
Among them was the son of Charma Saint, who had been reduced to ashes by Zyhark's lightning bolt during the auction.
This bandaged young Celestial Dragon had a venomous look in his eyes as he stared ahead, smirking coldly.
'Damn it, you filthy commoner. By now, you should've received the information I deliberately leaked, right?'
'Heh, for daring to humiliate me in Mariejois, I will ensure that your nation is wiped out!'
'I really hope you show up the day after tomorrow. Let's see how those five old geezers protect you then!!'
(End of Chapter)
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