"So this is our new home?"
"It doesn't seem that different from Amazon Lily!"
"That's not true! Look how tall the trees are here!"
"But… there aren't many animals. How are we supposed to hunt?"
One Kuja warrior suddenly sniffed the air.
"Wait… do you smell that?"
"There's a snake in the forest."
"And it's a very powerful one."
"My snake is trembling!"
The others nodded.
As members of the Kuja tribe, they were natural snake handlers.
Just looking at the snakes they carried proved it.
Suddenly—
Boa Hancock blew a sharp whistle.
"Nolan! Come out!"
The Giant Snake
Deep within the forest, a massive serpent raised its head.
Nola.
It immediately slithered toward Hancock at incredible speed.
The ground shook.
Trees toppled.
Moments later the gigantic snake arrived before the Kuja warriors.
"AHHH! It's so cute!"
"It's huge! I love it!"
"But it belongs to Snake Princess…"
Hancock glanced coldly at the excited warriors.
Then she pointed at Nola.
"I order you to escort my people into the depths of Apayado."
"Understood?"
Nola nodded obediently.
It lowered its head beside the Kuja ship and hissed softly.
Hancock turned to her sisters.
Sandersonia
Marigold
"I'll leave this to you."
They nodded.
"Don't worry, sister."
"We'll build temporary shelters immediately."
Soon the Kuja warriors climbed onto Nola's head and departed.
Nyon's Reaction
Hancock looked down at Gloriosa.
"Well, Elder Nyon?"
"This is our new home."
"What do you think?"
Gloriosa opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Finally she nodded.
"…It'll do."
Karl's Departure
Karl tapped Hancock's shoulder.
"I'll leave things here to you."
"I still need to escort the Shandians back to Jaya."
Hancock smiled softly.
"Come back soon."
Karl scratched his head.
"That might be difficult."
"After sending them to Jaya, I have to go to the East Blue."
"And then the ceremony."
"I'm pretty busy these days."
Hancock's expression immediately fell.
Karl quickly added:
"But once everything is done, I promise I'll come visit."
Her face brightened instantly.
She clung to his arm and whispered sweetly.
"It's a promise."
"And you must come soon."
"I've made some new outfits recently…"
"The ones you like the most."
Karl swallowed.
For a moment he almost changed his mind.
But—
A man couldn't stop moving forward because of romance.
"…I'll definitely come."
Returning the Shandians
After Karl arrived, the Shandians welcomed him enthusiastically.
They had long prepared to return to their homeland.
Karl used the same balloon octopus + jet dial method and escorted them back to:
Jaya.
He couldn't help wondering what their expressions would be when they eventually met the real descendant of Mont Blanc Noland.
But that was no longer his concern.
He had more important matters ahead.
One Day LaterEast Blue — Shimotsuki Village Coast
The weather was bright and clear.
"You came."
"Yes."
The man removed his hood.
Wild black hair.
No eyebrows.
A red tattoo on his face.
Monkey D. Dragon.
"Hello Karl."
"I'm Monkey D. Dragon."
"You may call me Dragon."
Karl smiled and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"I didn't expect you'd actually dare to meet me alone."
Dragon laughed loudly.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Are you here to arrest me?"
Karl laughed as well.
The two men silently agreed not to continue that topic.
Discussing Olt Kingdom
Dragon said:
"The Olt Kingdom incident."
"You handled it well."
Karl nodded.
"Your Revolutionary Army also performed perfectly."
"No trouble on your side?"
Dragon waved dismissively.
"Quite the opposite."
"If the Marines hadn't threatened to destroy the kingdom…"
"King Olt VIII might never have joined us."
Karl nodded.
"Good."
"As promised—"
"The Revolutionary Army gets the distribution rights."
He produced two glowing shells.
"Holy Light Shell."
"And this—Holy Healing Shell."
Dragon examined them curiously.
"These look familiar."
"Are they Sky Island technology?"
Karl clapped lightly.
"Impressive."
"Yes."
"They're derived from the Sky Island Light Dial."
"They store light energy."
"Holy Light Shell and Holy Healing Shell are modified versions."
Karl gestured.
"You should test them yourself."
Dragon Tests the Shell
Dragon pressed the Holy Light Shell.
Golden light radiated.
Warm energy flowed into his body.
He felt his physical strength increase slightly.
The improvement was small—
But still astonishing.
Dragon's eyes widened.
If ordinary Revolutionary soldiers used this…
Their combat power would increase dramatically.
The Revolutionary Army had very few elite fighters.
Most soldiers were barely stronger than civilians.
They relied heavily on firearms.
But if every soldier carried one of these—
Their overall strength would skyrocket.
Dragon immediately said:
"Karl."
"This is incredible."
"How many do you have?"
"The Revolutionary Army will buy all of them."
Karl waved his hand calmly.
"Don't rush."
"You're the distributor."
"Use them yourselves or sell them—it's your choice."
"Just pay."
Dragon coughed awkwardly.
He had gotten too excited.
After calming down, he asked:
"So what's the wholesale price?"
Karl raised five fingers.
Dragon guessed.
"50,000 Berries?"
Karl shook his head.
"No."
"500,000 Berries."
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