"There are no enemies, it's just Xiong Zai. Honestly, he just ran away. I haven't eaten anything for six whole hours while waiting for him to come back."
To give the bear some excitement, Ginny waited in the room for a long time.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten to replenish the snacks in her room, and she had left her snack book in her work room, so Ginny ultimately chose to put up with it.
Unexpectedly, Kuma even used his Devil Fruit ability to evade quickly this time.
"."
"Kate, Perona, come and watch for a bit, I'm going to find Bear Cub."
The bear only temporarily avoided being photographed in a corner of the island, and did not run directly to the open sea. Ginny could still find his location with the help of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
After Perona's custody was transferred, Ginny chased after the bear through the gap it had created, and the end result was that the bear ended up repairing the wall with the materials.
Perhaps for those with sufficient skills, learning some civil engineering skills is not a bad thing; they will be able to use them sooner or later.
Garp is a prime example. Among the high-ranking officers in the Navy, Garp's ability to repair houses is unparalleled. Of course, Garp's ability to repair doors is even more outstanding.
Meanwhile, Oran received a communication from Zefa.
"Oran, the Golden Lion has escaped from prison. You should have received the news, right?"
"I received it. It's all over the newspapers."
"Headquarters believes there's a high chance Golden Lion will head to your location, so be careful. The news of Golden Lion's escape has stirred up the pirates on the high seas again, and our forces might be a bit stretched during this period."
However, the naval training camp is currently conducting graduation exercises in waters near you. Please remember to contact them promptly if you require support.
"Don't worry, it can still be handled."
The new recruits in the naval training camp were naturally of little help; they were the best in the navy, but being fresh out of school, they were not yet ready to face the real monsters.
The only one who can help is Zefa himself; he even takes his wife and children with him during training sessions.
Zephyr still felt safer with his side. This was the confidence of a naval admiral in his prime, without asthma or despair.
"I am Sengoku, Garp. Sorry to disturb your vacation. I'm here to talk to you about Shiki. That guy finally escaped."
While Zephyr was contacting Oran, Sengoku was also contacting Garp.
"I've heard about it. It's best to be careful. That guy isn't the type to hide quietly. Who knows what he's plotting somewhere?"
"Our headquarters has analyzed that, apart from Firefly Island, he is very likely to appear in the East China Sea. After all, Roger was born in the East China Sea and died in the East China Sea."
"Since Roger stormed Marine Headquarters, who knows what he might do in the East China Sea."
"Hey, where are you going? Stop right there!"
"Running around? What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing. Don't worry about Donghai, leave it to me. I'll handle it."
After promising to address the security issues in the East China Sea, Garp hung up the phone, took a big step forward, and grabbed Ace, who had climbed out, and pulled him back.
If Roger knew that Garp had adopted his son as his grandson, I wonder if he would have a few complaints about it.
This year's East Blue is destined to be turbulent. Garp, on vacation, has plowed up the area once again, causing pirates who set sail to encounter late-game bosses right in their beginner village.
Some lucky ones managed to avoid Garp, but after entering the Grand Line, they ran into Firefly Island when choosing a route, encountering a hellish dungeon for the second time.
In the village of Syrob, Shanks rowed alone to find the sniper he had his eye on.
Zephyr and Sengoku's predictions were wrong; the Golden Lion did not appear in the East Blue or Firefly Island immediately, but instead came to the New World.
On the Moby Dick, in Whitebeard's territory, Golden Lion sat casually on the deck.
Behind him were his sons, Whitebeard, Diamond Jozu, and Marco the Phoenix, these captains whose reputations were gradually rising, all watching Shiki warily.
Whitebeard's attitude was quite casual, but whenever Shiki showed any improper intentions towards his sons, Whitebeard would immediately reveal his terrifying nature.
The Golden Lion seems to have come here simply to chat.
"How does the sea feel without Roger? The obstacles that were blocking our way are gone. It seems like your time has come, Whitebeard."
"If you're here to spout this kind of boring nonsense, then I'll sink you into the sea right now, Golden Lion."
"Hehehehe, you're still as annoying as ever, which puts my mind at ease. There are fewer and fewer familiar faces on this sea, and the sea without Roger has lost a lot of its flavor."
The person that Shiki could never let go of was Roger, the rival he had completely identified with.
"I plan to disappear for a while, and then I'll let this half-baked era see what real terror is."
"Starting to calculate again, Shiki."
"Hahaha, I've discovered a genius! If he can become my right-hand man, then success will only be a matter of time."
I just came to confirm your situation. Back in our day, that was the real pirate era.
As he spoke, the golden lion flew into the sky, but Whitebeard was very unhappy.
"That troublesome guy even stole one of my bottles of wine. Marco, bring me a bottle of your wine!"
"Hey Dad, you were the one who invited him for drinks, so why are you putting the blame on me!"
"Gulalalalala, what can I do? I'm your dad."
Whitebeard was "very stingy," and he was extremely frugal on the ship. Outsiders thought that this man, who was closest to becoming the Pirate King, had countless treasures in his hands, but in fact, all the money that belonged to Whitebeard was given to his hometown.
Whitebeard's treasure was never external possessions, but rather his most cherished family.
Different perspectives lead to different conclusions. To outsiders, Whitebeard might be an absolute villain, but to his hometown and those who were protected by him, Whitebeard was their guardian angel.
"Little Bear, what flavor do you like when you take medicine?"
In Piltover, the captured bear is building a wall, and Ginny is preparing to try a different approach. It seems that dealing with the bear still requires some external force.
"If you don't tell me, I'll just have to decide based on my mood. Orange or pineapple flavor? Trouble is on its way."
Ginny looked up at the distant sky. She didn't have a habit of reading other people's minds. Except for necessary negotiations, Ginny would not use Observation Haki to perceive the other person's inner thoughts.
Even when facing the bear, she maintains this self-restraint. If she breaks certain restrictions, things will become much more complicated. However, there is her sensory network nearby.
Unlike Enel, who could listen to everyone's inner thoughts, Ginny could still sense the appearance of someone too powerful.
"Hehehehe, what a lively scene! Long time no see, Doctor. Or rather, both of you doctors?"
On the rooftop of the royal city, Oran was playing chess with Leliana as usual. Crocus wasn't sunbathing on the shore this time, but was chatting with Oran when they happened to run into the Golden Lion.
Golden Lion recognized Crocus at a glance; to be precise, he was extremely familiar with every member of Roger's pirate crew.
"Golden Lion, you actually came here after escaping from prison."
Oran looked at Shiki's legs. Kuki and Sakura had become Shiki's new prosthetics, yet he still made the same choice.
"Yes, your name is known throughout Impel Down. You have quite a few enemies on Level Six."
Barrett, San Juan Wolf—these were all sent in by Oran. On the sixth level of Impelton, they would occasionally hurl insults at each other, and the Golden Lion gleaned a considerable amount of intelligence from their conversations.
"Want a drink? I got this from that Whitebeard guy; most people don't get the chance to drink his sake."
A bottle of wine was thrown by the Golden Lion toward Oran, but Kate caught it in mid-air.
"Thank you, but I don't drink."
"That's a real pity. The people around you all seem to be quite skilled. But I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to have any connection with Roger."
The Golden Lion sized up everyone around him, including Crocus.
From Crocus's battle-ready stance, it's clear that his relationship with Oran is quite special.
When Project Shiki appeared before him, Shiki's face broke into a playful smile.
"Is this the counterfeit Lao Tzu you were talking about, the one Barrett was making? It really does look like him, like looking in a mirror."
How did this guy figure out? Is he just incredibly oblivious?
Crocus suspected that there was something wrong with the Golden Lion's visual system, but the Golden Lion just sat casually by the wall and showed no intention of fighting.
"Alright, no need to be so wary. I'm not here to cause trouble. Although I don't know why you became one of the so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea, I believe that someone like you definitely has enormous ambitions. My intuition tells me that you and I are the same kind of people."
"Sidil, become my right arm! With your skills and my abilities, we will surely dominate the world! Given time, I can rebuild my fleet, and then this world will be ours!"
That's the real purpose of the Golden Lion's visit. He just created a robot based on himself, so it doesn't matter.
If this thing can fight, I'd make a few more.
"It was a very ambitious idea, but I refused."
I refuse.
The three words sounded strangely familiar, just like Roger back then. The other party had rejected his proposal without hesitation.
Joining forces with the Golden Lion is not in Oran's current interest.
His current base of support consists of powerful feudal lords who have good ties with the imperial army, and he is preparing to dismantle the army and overthrow everything from within.
At this moment, a pirate suddenly comes and asks him to join his crew, even as the second-in-command. He would never agree to it under any circumstances.
Even at the height of his power, Oran wouldn't have accepted this offer, let alone now that the Golden Lion is bankrupt and planning to start a new business.
"Refuse? That's a really unpleasant answer. Aren't you going to think about it?"
If it were a few years ago, the Golden Lion would probably have taken action the moment he heard such a refusal.
But back then, the Golden Lion was facing Roger, and the two were originally enemies. Now the situation is different; the Golden Lion is eyeing the other's skills.
Now that he was penniless, it would be very difficult to forcibly abduct the other party. In addition, the enlightenment in Longchang had calmed down the Golden Lion, so he started asking questions instead.
"Do you really think the power of a pirate can shake the World Government?"
"Why not? Siddi Lil, perhaps you haven't seen true power. Those pirates who play house on the high seas are not real pirates."
"If you think pirates can succeed, why did Rocks fail? Rocks D. Xebec, you haven't already forgotten about him, have you?"
How do you know that name?
Golden Lion hadn't expected Oran to suddenly bring up that name. Golden Lion never questioned Rocks's strength; back then, Rocks had single-handedly subdued a group of monsters under his command.
However, this violent subjugation also meant that Rocks did not recognize his companions, and when things went wrong, no one was willing to fight to the end for him, the nominal captain.
But Rocks' monstrous strength is absolutely real.
After God Valley, the name Rocks was something the Navy and the World Government wanted to erase. Thanks to their efforts, apart from the remnants of Rocks' original crew and the older generation of Navy high-ranking officers, almost no one knew about Rocks' past.
Now, Oran, a young man who looks to be no more than 20 years old, is able to recount that past experience.
"Does it matter? The Rocks Pirates failed, so why do you think you can do it? Or do you think you've surpassed the captain of that time, Lord Golden Lion?"
"Hahaha, you really know a lot, but there are some things you don't know. If Roger hadn't chosen to join forces with the Navy back then, who knows what would have happened."
"But I understand what you mean now. You think I'm too weak right now and not worth joining forces with, right?"
Throughout the entire process, Oran never denied his ambitions, nor did he say that he did not intend to be an enemy of the World Government and the Navy. He even said a few more things to Shiki.
This doesn't affect Oran much, since Shiki is a pirate, and he's not qualified to be a witness even if he wanted to.
The Navy and the World Government would not choose to trust a notorious pirate like Shiki, thereby jeopardizing a good business partner.
"That's true. I wouldn't just randomly team up with someone. That kid Barrett said that what you built is similar to mine. Why don't I test its strength and prove my own abilities as well?"
As a leader, if you want to recruit subordinates, you have to show your magnanimity and ability. This is an unspoken tradition in the pirate world, and Shiki also agrees with this.
Those who are truly capable always engage in a two-way selection process.
"You can all come at me together. Even I, in my current state, am capable of handling all of this."
Aside from Whitebeard and Roger, and the deceased Rocks, Shiki had no enemies in his eyes, so he said something that was a bit presumptuous, something he later regretted.
From wielding the sword with his hands to wielding it with his feet, Shiki's tactics underwent some changes. Although Project Shiki could still handle it, it wasn't as smooth as expected.
But at that moment, Lyliana wielded a greatsword and unleashed a strike that the Golden Lion could never forget.
"Divine evasion?!"
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