With Zyhark's current physical state, missing a night of sleep wasn't a big deal. In fact, with his mind fully active, he felt more energized than ever, without any signs of fatigue.
The sun had fully risen on the horizon, casting brilliant light that filled the terrace, dispelling all shadows.
Not sensing any trace of the Marines or the World Government, Zyhark withdrew the Observation Haki spread across the island and descended from the castle terrace.
By now, many of his companions had awoken and gathered in the spacious hall.
The scene before him was somewhat chaotic:
Darkness was suspended in midair by musical note-formed ropes, and two peculiar slime creatures below were swinging black-and-white piano-key arms, slapping her repeatedly.
Heavy breaths of satisfaction and contentment occasionally escaped from Darkness's lips.
Uta sat beside her, savoring a steaming cup of tea.
Her interest in experimenting with the Song Song Fruit's abilities, paired with summoning skills she learned in the Konosuba world, had grown, prompting her to begin tests early in the morning.
Darkness had happened to pass by, and after a brief conversation, the two quickly agreed:
Darkness, with her durable body, would serve as a test subject to gauge the attack power of Uta's summoned creatures.
The result was satisfactory for both sides.
Darkness delighted in the experience, while Uta confirmed that her Song Song Fruit could project virtual summons into reality!
In the corner, King was relentlessly undergoing high-intensity training.
Sweat dripped down, soaking the large patch of floor beneath him.
Despite breaking his limiter, King didn't let up and continued pushing his physical strength. Training had become an inseparable part of this gamer's daily life.
Beside King stood a lifelike stone sculpture of a skeleton, undoubtedly Hancock's work as she sat calmly sipping tea on the sofa.
Escanor and Moria sat across from her, engaged in a discussion about Devil Fruit abilities.
Escanor expressed keen interest in Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
Moria, on the other hand, hoped that Escanor could help him develop the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's potential, aiming to awaken it to a level that could influence the surrounding environment!
Out on the balcony connected to the hall, Meowth, Kanna, and Perona were playing a game, filling the air with lively banter.
A quick scan revealed no sign of Aqua or Ishtar.
He didn't need to guess—they were likely still snoring in bed, scratching their bellies in a deep sleep.
After greeting his companions, Zyhark made his way over to the sofa, sitting in the empty space beside Hancock.
The previously frosty Hancock instantly turned bashful, transforming into a shy woman.
"Moria, any news on the whereabouts of Rayleigh and Shakky?" Zyhark asked directly, casually sipping the tea before him and ignoring Hancock's lovestruck gaze.
After Hancock's disruption of Marine Headquarters, Rayleigh and Shakky had vanished as if into thin air.
Along with them, the Kuja Pirates and the citizens of Amazon Lily had seemingly disappeared from the seas.
There were numerous pressing matters to attend to, but from the perspective of both allies and strength, these two held the highest priority!
Hancock's lovestruck expression faded as she bit her nail, her flawless face filled with regret.
Although she didn't regret her actions at Marine Headquarters, in hindsight, it was indeed an irresponsible act for the entire kingdom of Amazon Lily.
"They haven't reached out to me in the past three years," Moria replied, shaking his head.
He had been secretly searching for Amazon Lily's whereabouts but had found nothing.
"I see," Zyhark sighed softly, not particularly surprised.
After all, they were both legendary pirates, and Shakky's intelligence network spanned the globe. It made sense that Moria couldn't find them.
After a brief pause, Hancock spoke up, "They will surely find a way to contact us once they hear of your return."
"True." Zyhark nodded.
However, given that Shadow Island was likely under intense scrutiny from the World Government, delivering a message undetected would be no easy task.
As they spoke, the hall doors suddenly burst open.
Aqua, still in her sleepwear, rushed in, scanning the room anxiously.
Not seeing her "flat-chested goddess" rival, she put her hands on her hips and laughed crazily.
"Hahaha! Last night's drinking contest—I win!"
Wait, so the drinking contest was won by whoever woke up first?
Everyone had this silent thought, unable to hold back their laughter upon seeing the words "I'm a Big Idiot" scribbled on Aqua's face.
Completely unaware, Aqua immersed herself in her victory, already contemplating how she would mock Ishtar later.
Just then, Ishtar appeared at the doorway, streaking in like a flash of lightning.
"Oh, you're here? I've been waiting over two hours, Goddess of Low Tolerance."
"Talking big, aren't you? Coming in without even changing your pajamas?"
As the two "clumsy goddesses" locked eyes, they noticed the words on each other's faces, bursting into simultaneous laughter.
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
"Quite self-aware, aren't you, wearing 'I'm a Big Idiot' on your face." (x2)
"Huh?!" (x2)
The two goddesses suddenly sensed something amiss.
"Pfft!"
Watching them, Uta couldn't hold back, laughing aloud.
"Hee-hee-ha-ha! Otherworld goddesses truly live up to their reputation," Moria added with a wicked grin.
Suspended in midair, Darkness looked on with envy in her eyes: how she longed to join them—it seemed thrilling to be humiliated publicly like this!
Ishtar pulled a mirror out of nowhere, glaring angrily at Aqua. "Did you do this?"
Aqua, seeing her own face reflected in the water nearby, caught sight of the embarrassing words.
"As a goddess, I would never stoop to such petty tricks!"
"True, you were too drunk, lying on the floor calling me 'Lady Ishtar.'"
"Let's not forget who made it here first, Number Two!"
"Who are you calling Number Two? Even if I'm a fool, I should be Number One!"
"It can't be helped; I'm the senior here, so just accept it."
Arguing, the two clumsy goddesses leaned toward each other, neither willing to back down.
Seeing the words up close on each other's faces, they couldn't hold back and turned away, snickering.
"Wait, before we settle who's Number One or Two, who wrote on our faces?"
Ishtar's brain seemed to be slightly sharper in this instance.
"Is there even a need to ask? The only one here who'd pull such a lowly trick… is that jerk Zyhark!"
Aqua spat out without hesitation.
With that, the two of them, who had been at each other's throats moments ago, directed murderous glares at Zyhark.
"Good morning, Ishtar, Aqua. It seems you're both pleased with each other's new look," Zyhark said, standing up with a grin.
"Good morning, my foot!" (x2)
Both goddesses unleashed a torrent of insults.
Their drinking contest was instantly forgotten as golden radiance and a blue magic circle lit up, both goddesses prepared to unleash their wrath on Zyhark.
One minute later.
"Master Zyhark, we are truly sorry!"
Bound securely by golden chains, both goddesses knelt with lumps on their heads, apologizing sincerely.
The Chains of Heaven, one of Zyhark's weapons from Gate of Babylon, was merely a sturdy chain to those without divinity.
Conversely, the higher the divinity of the target, the stronger and more binding the chains.
For Aqua and Ishtar, both authentic goddesses, this weapon was the ultimate countermeasure!
The Chains of Heaven against goddesses were another reason Zyhark chose Gate of Babylon.
"Lord Zyhark! Master Moria! Something terrible has happened!!"
A pirate crewmate rushed into the hall, interrupting the "civil war."
Seeing the suspended Darkness, the bound clumsy goddesses, and the petrified skeleton man, the crewmate froze in shock.
According to Absalom, the officers at the Sea Restaurant were an eccentric bunch.
He hadn't expected them to be so… elaborate in broad daylight!
"Er, please carry on, everyone. I didn't see anything."
With a nervous grin, the pirate attempted to quietly close the door.
"No worries. This is just part of their unique training," Zyhark called out, halting his retreat. "So, what's the situation?"
Permitted to proceed, the pirate, trembling, stepped into the hall.
"The World Government has just issued new bounties for all of you… the amounts are staggering!"
With that, he handed over a newspaper and a stack of bounty posters.
Zyhark took the papers, and before looking at the details, he noticed an unfamiliar layout.
In the upper left corner of the newspaper was printed "Published by the World Government Press."
It seemed that old Morgans had indeed been cast out by the World Government…
After the God Valley War, Morgans had exposed the Celestial Dragons' horrific massacre of non-affiliated nations.
Although it created global shockwaves, achieving the feat of "super-explosive news," it came at the cost of unprecedented suppression of the World Economy News Agency.
According to Moria, nearly half the news agency's staff was assassinated by the CP organization, while the other half sided with the World Government.
A small remaining portion went on the run with Morgans, vanishing within a year.
Decades of underground influence over global information collapsed overnight.
Morgans may have had his own agenda, but he certainly had courage.
After reflecting on the fearless albatross, Zyhark finally shifted his focus to the newspaper's headline.
It was no surprise—the World Government had announced the return of the Sea Restaurant, listing countless fabricated crimes.
Declaring them the "Demon King Organization of World Destruction," the government painted them as a threat exceeding the Sea Emperors, advising all citizens to remain vigilant.
Ignoring the absurd claims, Zyhark turned his attention to the attached bounty notices.
This was the part he was truly interested in.
At the same time, his companions gathered around, especially Meowth, King, and the early members.
After so long since becoming a Warlord, they were curious to see the bounty amounts they'd receive.
As Zyhark flipped through the posters, the bounties became clear:
Demon King Organization - Captain - Demon King of Extreme Evil, Zyhark: 6 billion
Sin of Folly - Goddess of Water, Aqua: 3 billion 233 million
Sin of Wrath - King of Explosions, King: 3 billion 960 million
Sin of Creation - Mad Scientist, Meowth (alive only): 2 billion 316 million
Sin of Gluttony - Dragon Loli, Kanna: 2 billion 780 million
Sin of Pride - Explosive Sun, Escanor: 3 billion 570 million
Sin of Lust - Immortal Skeleton, Brook: 1 billion 850 million
Sin of Hypnosis - Red-Haired Diva, Uta (alive only): 2 billion 210 million
Additionally, Moria and Hancock, as pirate allies, both received bounties exceeding 2 billion, ranking just below Mihawk among the former Warlords.
Newcomers Darkness and Ishtar, however, had yet to appear on the bounty list.
(End of Chapter)
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