In the boundless blue sky.
Colorful one-hundred-Belly bills fell from above like countless scattered petals, entering everyone's sight.
Once the people around them confirmed they were not dreaming, their eyes went red as they threw themselves into the scramble for Belly.
At that moment, fighting no longer mattered. Picking up money was the only thing that mattered. In an instant, all of Water 7 was swept into the frenzy of a rain of money.
Of course, not everyone was moved by this sudden fortune from the sky. Some people frowned and looked upward, trying to find the one responsible for all of this.
By the time the frenzy came to an end, everyone had at least several Belly bills in their hands. Even so, they still stared at the sky with unsatisfied longing, hoping the miracle would continue.
But once the rain of money disappeared, the miracle did not return. In its place was the figure of a red-haired man floating in the sky.
"Huh? Who's that?"
Before anyone could react, a clear little girl's voice rang out.
"Yemu-nii-san!"
Then they saw a little girl with flames spraying from her feet shoot into the sky in a flash and crash straight into the man's arms.
Only then did the people of Water 7 finally realize what was happening. Cold sweat poured down their backs, and their faces turned deathly pale.
"Yemu... Fire Dragon Yemu..."
"What? It's Fire Dragon Yemu, the captain of the Sky Pirates..."
"Why? This has to be a joke!"
"Shouldn't a monster like that be in the New World?"
"So this money belongs to Fire Dragon Yemu...?"
Just then, as if answering the thoughts in their hearts, a voice sounded from the sky.
"My money isn't that easy to take."
The joy of receiving an unexpected windfall instantly turned into endless fear.
Even though Yemu had done nothing, his name alone was enough to frighten countless people.
Fortunately, the terrible future they imagined did not happen. After saying that one line, Yemu's figure vanished from the sky.
"Before the sun sets tonight, I want to see the people from the Seven Great Shipyards."
After Yemu left, inside a building somewhere in Water 7, the young Spandam watched the scene with wide eyes, his gaze filled with terror.
"N-No... this is bad... Fire Dragon Yemu... Hurry... notify the Marines and the World Government. Fire Dragon Yemu has descended on Water 7..."
...
Ever since the battle the newly formed Sky Pirates once experienced on Scrap Island, the island had been completely destroyed and sunk into the sea, leaving only a calm stretch of water behind.
But today, on that calm sea, an air door appeared, and the Twin Goddesses slowly flew out from within, landing steadily on the surface of the ocean.
The appearance of the Twin Goddesses was not hidden from anyone. So the moment the ship appeared, the CP members who had been monitoring the area all along noticed it. Unfortunately, they did not have the courage to approach.
With the arrival of the Twin Goddesses, the members of the Sky Pirates who had been scattered in different places began arriving one after another.
The Sky Pirates' dining hall was more crowded than it had ever been, but there was only one true center of attention: Yemu, their captain.
"Looks like everyone did pretty well during this past month apart."
Reunited after a long separation, Enel and Tiger were both somewhat excited.
Enel immediately pulled over a blond-haired boy standing beside him and introduced him. "Not bad. Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is the first crew member of my Thunder God pirate crew: Griffin Cock."
Griffin Cock looked very thin and frail, with long bangs covering his eyes and a timid expression on his face. Under Enel's introduction, he nervously introduced himself to Yemu.
"Captain Yemu, hello. I'm Griffin Cock!"
Yemu had not expected Enel's first partner to be such a shy boy, but he still welcomed him warmly.
"You can just call me Boss. From now on, your captain is Enel."
"Yes, Boss Yemu..."
After the introductions were done, Tiger asked with concern, "Captain, is everything all right in the New World?"
"Don't worry. Things there are already on the right track. From today onward, our country will officially be called the Rainbow Nation. It means accepting all races, just like every color that makes up a rainbow, living together equally, with not a single one missing."
"The Rainbow Nation, huh? That's a great name."
"Mm."
Yemu briefly explained what had happened on the island after he returned, especially matters concerning the government system and the military.
"So, for the stable development of our country going forward, we can't afford to relax at all when it comes to military strength. That will be our main objective next."
At that point, Yemu turned to Enel.
"Have you mastered the power of the Kumo Kumo no Mi?"
Enel shook his head.
"Kuromi's ability cooldown hasn't ended yet, but it should be soon, within the next few days. Oh, right, there's good news. With Dr. Furumi's help, Tom-san is about to complete the third-generation Baku Baku Metal. If everything goes smoothly, Kuromi's ability will improve a lot, and the cooldown time will be shortened by quite a bit."
"Is that so? That really is great. You've worked hard, Tom-san, Dr. Furumi."
Tom shook his head honestly and looked at Yemu.
"No... We were able to produce results this quickly mostly because of Dr. Furumi's contributions. When it comes to scientific ability, I'm far behind Dr. Furumi."
"You're too kind, Tom. I've simply lived longer than you."
"There's no need for either of you to be modest. Both of you are among the top scientific geniuses of this era. By the way, Tom-san, how is your research on the Sea Train going?"
"Well..." Tom said, a faint look of regret on his face. "Unfortunately, there are still many problems that haven't been solved yet."
"I see."
Yemu understood at once.
Seeing that, Tom said with deep apology, "Thank you for valuing me, Captain Yemu. But I have already made a promise. Whether for Water 7 or for the sake of a man's word, I must build the Sea Train and save this island."
"I understand. Don't worry, Tom-san, I understand you very well. To be honest, I'm also looking forward to the Sea Train."
"Thank you, Captain Yemu. Once the day comes when I fulfill my promise, I will definitely follow Captain Yemu and Tiger and do what little I can to help build that ideal nation."
"Mm. I'll be looking forward to it."
After Yemu finished speaking, he looked at everyone.
"Now then, this brings us to the most important reason I came here. From this point on, we may need to speed up the execution of our plan a little, because a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has appeared before us."