On Hachinosu, the Pirate Island—
Perhaps calling it Hachinosu was no longer accurate. From a distance, all that could be seen were two massive stone pillars rising from the sea!
Maybe it should be called Twin Pillar Island now?
Ryuuto and his group were currently on top of one of these gigantic pillars. With a diameter of two kilometers, its surface area was as large as a small island.
"Morgans, did you get all of that down? Everything Buggy just described about the battle?" Ryuuto asked, standing before a stone table and addressing Morgans, who was in his albatross form.
Just a moment ago, Buggy had, with much gesticulation and flair, given a vivid and dramatic account of the battle between Ryuuto and Wang Zhi.
"This is a BIG NEWS!" Morgans exclaimed, his expression one of pure ecstasy. "Ryuuto, it seems my gamble paid off! Partnering with you was the best decision I've ever made!"
Beside him, one reporter was scribbling furiously in a notepad while another snapped photos relentlessly with a camera.
On the large News Coo ship in the distance, several more reporters were documenting the current state of Hachinosu.
"Isn't this what a partnership is all about? Mutual profit!" Ryuuto clapped Morgans on the shoulder, his voice deep.
"Guheheheheh, I can't wait to tell the world about this! My papers are going to be in high demand again!" Morgans mimicked Ryuuto's gesture, slinging an arm around his shoulder and laughing heartily.
"I have a question. Why are your News Coos so obsessed with money?" Nami suddenly leaned in and asked Morgans.
"News is power, and power is money!" Morgans answered with grandiloquent passion. "And I believe no one would turn their back on money!"
For a moment, Nami's eyes sparkled as if she had just met a kindred spirit.
"Exactly! No one would turn their back on money!" Nami nodded furiously, in complete agreement.
Soon after, Morgans bid farewell to the group. He had to hurry back and get the newspapers printed.
"Buggy, I'm leaving this place to you. With your skills, I'm sure you can manage it well! Also, the Justice Guild will remain here. You should already be familiar with the business model!" Ryuuto continued, "On top of that, this huge pile of gold is all yours! Make a name for yourself, quickly! I want to see more and more people coming here to exchange for rewards!"
Ryuuto rattled off a series of instructions for Buggy. The core message was for Buggy to establish this place as their main base of operations and develop it.
"I will, Captain Ryuuto!"
Buggy's eyes reddened uncontrollably as he gazed at the vast expanse of gold. It was, of course, all from Skypiea.
'To think that I, the great Captain Buggy, have spent my entire life searching for Captain John's treasure, only for the greatest fortune I've ever received to be a gift from Captain Ryuuto!' Buggy thought to himself, wiping away tears as he made a silent vow. 'I will follow Captain Ryuuto for the rest of my life!'
At that moment, Buggy's loyalty reached an unprecedented peak.
"Van Augur, Jesus Burgess, do you want to stay here or sail with me?" Ryuuto then turned his gaze to the two men, seeking their opinions.
Originally, Ryuuto had planned to leave them here with Buggy. But after witnessing their performance in the battle against Wang Zhi, he decided to give them the freedom to choose for themselves.
Ryuuto had clearly overthought it.
Without a second of hesitation, Van Augur replied, "I wish to sail with Captain Ryuuto!"
"Me too!"
This put Burgess in an awkward position; staying behind was clearly not the better option. After a mere 0.999 seconds of consideration, he quickly echoed the sentiment.
"In that case, we'll all set out together when the time comes," Ryuuto said with a nod of approval.
Meanwhile, out on the open sea, a submarine-shaped pirate vessel had extended its periscope and was observing Twin Pillar Island from below the surface.
"This can't be right. Did we take a wrong turn? Isn't this supposed to be Hachinosu?" Bepo blinked hard, beginning to doubt himself.
"What's wrong, Bepo? We should be arriving at Hachinosu any minute now, right?" Law, hearing the commotion, walked over to the periscope and asked.
"Captain, this… doesn't look like Hachinosu!" Bepo said, handing the periscope to Law.
"How is that possible? We were only gone for less than two days! There's no way we forgot the way to Hachinosu. What is this—where did Hachinosu go?" Law exclaimed in disbelief, feeling as if he were dreaming. Where had these two giant stone pillars come from?
"Let's get over there and take a look!"
Despite his confusion, Law issued the captain's order. They were certain they hadn't lost their way. Regardless, they had to go up and see for themselves.
On one of the pillars, Buggy was directing his subordinates to move the gold. The most eye-catching piece was a massive golden pillar that required more than a dozen men to carry.
It was worth a fortune!
"We're rich! We're really rich!" Buggy's heart pounded with excitement.
After rescuing the pirates who had fallen into the sea, Buggy's crew had grown once more. As for those who refused to submit, Buggy had them all imprisoned.
"Captain, should we go up?" Shachi's eyes peeked out from under his knit cap as he sized up the colossal, four-to-five-thousand-meter-tall stone pillar, his tone casual as he addressed Law.
"We're going up!" Law ordered with a sharp cry, leading the way as he dashed toward the top of the pillar.
It wasn't long before Law came face to face with Ryuuto and the others.
"Captain Ryuuto, it's been a while! And Captain Buggy, don't tell me this is Hachinosu?" Law greeted Ryuuto before turning his attention to Buggy.
"It was, a few hours ago," Buggy replied, nodding slowly with his hands clasped behind his back, affecting a profound demeanor.
"Don't tell me Captain Ryuuto caused this?"
As if a thought suddenly struck him, Law looked over at Ryuuto, who was chatting with the women nearby. After all, for a man with a 3 billion Beri bounty, such a feat wouldn't be impossible.
"Law, what brings you here?" Ryuuto asked, noticing Law's gaze upon him.
"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I came here with a specific purpose…" Law then laid out his entire plan. He had spread rumors about the Op-Op Fruit's appearance to attract pirates from all over, hoping to stir up chaos on Hachinosu. His goal was to fish in troubled waters and collect one hundred pirate hearts.
He intended to use them as a bargaining chip to acquire the title of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea from the World Government.
"One hundred pirate hearts?"
"I'll give them to you. Consider it an early investment in your future," Ryuuto said after a few seconds of thought, deciding to give Law the hearts of the pirates they had taken captive.
"Ah… This… Captain Ryuuto, I couldn't possibly accept," Law was instantly flooded with immense joy.
He had thought all hope was lost. With Hachinosu now unified under Ryuuto, there was nowhere for him to gather the one hundred hearts. Besides, his friendship with Ryuuto was only forged back on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a hundred hearts," Ryuuto said dismissively. "Cabaji, take him to them."
With that, Ryuuto gave the order to Cabaji, who was standing nearby.
"Captain Law, follow me," Cabaji said, giving Law a deep look before leading the way.
"ROOM!"
With a quiet command from Law, an invisible wave of energy surged outward. Cabaji felt as if a rapidly expanding bubble had passed straight through him. In moments, a semi-transparent blue sphere formed. Law stood at its center, a large, clockwise-spinning ring insignia at his feet.
Within this space, Law was the absolute master.
"What is this energy? It's incredible!" Cabaji marveled silently, sensing the strange power.
Then, with a flick of his finger, Law produced a series of sickening cracks as one hundred hearts were ripped directly from the chests of the chained pirates before them. The hearts floated in the air, each encased in a small, spherical bubble.
"What's happening?"
"My… my heart!"
The pirates cried out in alarm, feeling a phantom ache in their chests. It was merely an illusion; under the power of Law's fruit, they felt no actual pain.
"So this is the power of the Op-Op Fruit?" Cabaji couldn't help but exclaim as he witnessed the miraculous sight.
"Just a little trick. Thank you so much, Captain Ryuuto and Captain Buggy," Law said, expressing his gratitude once more. As he collected the hearts one by one, Bepo and Shachi, who had followed him, brought out wooden crates to store them in.
Cabaji simply nodded. He couldn't help but think that Captain Ryuuto had always been like this—incredibly generous to his allies, yet utterly merciless toward his enemies. Captain Buggy's luck was truly off the charts!
After resting on Twin Pillar Island for two more days, Law departed ahead of the others. He was now eagerly contacting Vice Admiral Momonga with the hearts in his possession. They planned to meet on an unnamed island in the New World.
What Law didn't know was that this was all a Marine plot.
After Imu issued the order to complete the bridge at Tequila Wolf by any means necessary, the Marines had begun implementing a hardline strategy, relentlessly suppressing pirates with overwhelming force. This led to Marines frantically capturing pirates and sending them to build the "Bridge of Despair."
Furthermore, with the hardliners gaining the upper hand in the Marine leadership, Akainu's support completely overshadowed Aokiji's. As a result, Sakazuki became the new Fleet Admiral by a huge margin.
Akainu's first act upon taking command was to unconditionally obey Imu's orders.
A tense and grim atmosphere fell over the entire sea.
Under such an aggressive policy, the Seven Warlords system seemed to have lost its purpose. Law's maneuver was already a step behind the times. Moreover, as the user of the rare Op-Op Fruit, he had caught Vice Admiral Momonga's attention for other reasons.
"We must get Law under our control!" Akainu slammed his fist on the table after hearing Momonga's report.
"Once we have their hearts in our hands, do you think they'll dare to disobey?" In Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki exhaled a thick cloud of cigar smoke, his expression dark and sinister.
As for the loser, Aokiji, he had left the Marines entirely.
Having lost the political battle, he had no reason to stay. Besides, the current atmosphere within the Marines made him deeply uncomfortable.
The world was vast; there were plenty of places to go.
From that day on, the Marines were short one Admiral, and the seas gained one free man.
Perhaps it was the pull of destiny, but it wouldn't be long before Aokiji would encounter Sengoku, who had already left the Marines before him. The two would once again form an alliance.
This would prove to be a major threat to Ryuuto, as Sengoku had set out to sea for the sole purpose of hunting him down.
For now, Ryuuto was unaware of all this. Law, too, was oblivious to the thorough conspiracy that awaited him. The appearance of Ryuuto, this single butterfly, was beginning to cause a series of cascading effects throughout the world.
"Buggy, we'll be taking our leave now!"
Ryuuto and his group stood on the deck of the Ark Maxim, waving goodbye to Buggy and the others.
Over the past two days, news of Ryuuto's conquest of Hachinosu had spread like wildfire. The name "Black Dragon" now resounded throughout the New World. No pirate dared to question Ryuuto's status as one of the Four Emperors.
Naturally, the news also reached the ears of Big Mom and Kaido.
"Ryuuto? So you're the one who defeated Wang Zhi?" Big Mom's eyes showed a deep curiosity. She knew how strong Wang Zhi was. Then, as if remembering something, a look of fury crossed her face. "You're also the one who stole the cake I love so much!" she roared.
"Wang Zhi… It's been so long. The next time I hear your name, it's because you were beaten by some young brat."
Kaido sat on his throne in Onigashima, downing a cup of strong liquor as he spoke in a low voice. He had returned to Onigashima because of a report from Queen.
The sea level around Wano was continuously falling.
"It seems this is the same kid who killed Doflamingo! An interesting brat. I'd love to meet you!" Though Kaido spoke casually, the murderous intent in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Ryuuto had, after all, interfered with his business.
"In the end, Doflamingo was just too weak!"
As he spoke, Kaido's fists clenched, veins bulging on his knuckles, betraying his rage.
In an unknown sea in the New World, Red-Haired Shanks held the latest newspaper, his expression unreadable as he remained silent in thought.
"Beckman, the world is changing much faster than I expected," Shanks said quietly, walking over to Benn Beckman.
What he meant was that everything seemed to be spinning out of his control.
"Perhaps that's what makes this world so interesting. Nothing is guaranteed to follow a predetermined path," Beckman replied, exhaling a puff of smoke, his words filled with philosophy.
"Perhaps it's time you went back to take a look?" Beckman continued. "Something incredible seems to have happened a while ago."
The timeline he was referring to was when Ryuuto had wreaked havoc in Mary Geoise.