As time passed, the explosive force brought by the Knock Up Stream gradually faded, but the island it had blasted from the seabed into the sky did not fall as a result.
The Knock Up Stream at Jaya Island would automatically disperse after erupting, but this one was different. After losing its initial impact, it did not dissipate. Instead, it stabilized into a pillar of water like a fountain.
The island that had once slumbered beneath the sea was now held high in the sky by the current. Countless pirates were charging toward it, and on some of those ships, Buggy could even be seen.
Buggy was here because the Cross Guild was also on Buena Festa's hiring list. While sending Tesoro an invitation to perform, he had also hired security services from the Cross Guild.
With the organization newly established, the Cross Guild was still in a promotional discount phase, willing to take on just about any job without discrimination.
And since the rules of the Pirates Festival were essentially that there were no rules, Buggy, despite being the "security guard," had joined the treasure hunt himself.
"Gyahahaha! Captain Roger's treasure is definitely mine!"
Buggy was feeling a little carried away. After accepting the current situation of the Cross Guild, he had suddenly realized an advantage.
In the past, he could only rely on being a "background character" to pretend he was strong, but now he has a real powerhouse to use as a front.
Hawk Eyes and Crocodile are the real deal when it comes to fighting, and even a "fat otaku" version of Moria could still grind Buggy into the dirt.
At the very least, they were in the same organization for now. Even if Hawk Eyes and the others were displeased with Buggy, they would only beat him up in private.
Of the four members of the Cross Guild, three of them were quite good at fighting. Surely the remaining one couldn't be trash, right?
That was how the sea viewed the Cross Guild, and it gave Buggy new room to maneuver.
But before he could feel happy, a ship came flying toward the bubble island above. In the process, its hull neatly parted Buggy's hair down the middle and knocked him straight down.
When Buggy rose back into the air, clutching his head, all he saw was the stern of a familiar pirate ship.
"That ship is… Straw Hat?!"
Relying on Coup de Burst for propulsion, the Sunny surged forward, overtaking the leading group and flying straight toward the target island.
On the Straw Hat ship, a certain captain who should have been minding his own business was still traveling alongside them.
Since the Punk Hazard incident, Law had not returned to the Polar Tang for quite some time. He had been directing his crew via Den Den Mushi while personally accompanying the Straw Hats in joint operations.
Over time, Law had grown used to Sunny flying around. But right now, the focus on the ship wasn't on any particular person, it was on two beetles.
"When did this beetle get on board?"
"Didn't it just fly over from that stage? It feels like it flies even faster than Hercules."
"And I feel like its lifestyle is completely different from Hercules."
Compared to Hercules, this newly appeared Heracross had a glossier shell. Its rounded carapace didn't even have a single scratch, and it was decorated with accessories and fluorescent paint.
"Ah, I remember now. This is Kabu, isn't it? Miss Uta's beetle."
Brook had recognized the Heracross. Luffy had recognized it even earlier, but he had been listening to the two Heracross chatting and hadn't answered his crewmates.
"You're saying Uta is here too? Really? I don't see her!"
Luffy stretched his head out over the railing. His rubber body elongated under the ship's high-speed momentum, and he nearly flew right off before the others forcibly pulled him back.
"Aren't you coming for the treasure hunt?! You can go find your friend later!"
Nami's iron fist reminded Luffy of their objective. Watching everything happening on the ship, Kabu sympathetically patted Hercules on the shoulder.
Even without making a sound, its gaze made its meaning clear.
[You picked a pretty unreliable partner.]
[Go away. I don't want to talk to you.]
Unable to refute it, Hercules simply turned its back and let out a helpless sigh.
As the ship was about to land, Kabu didn't linger any longer. It traced a bright arc across the sky and flew back toward Uta.
The way these two Heracross had allocated their stats was honestly anything but normal.
Due to environmental factors, Hercules had been forced to max out his Intelligence, while Kabu, shaped by its living conditions, had specialized in flight and flight speed.
Originally, Heracross weren't adept at high-speed flight, but Kabu had broken through that limitation, possessing speed far beyond that of other Heracross.
Before Hercules could complain about how it always had to take care of its captain, Sunny had already landed, and a new round of fighting broke out with other pirates over the treasure.
But on this island, the forces present were far from limited to pirates alone. Some members of the World Government's Cipher Pol were mixed in, gathering intelligence on the island. The Revolutionary Army also had some personnel appearing here.
With so many pirates gathered in one place, no one could predict what aftermath might follow. Even the Revolutionary Army had to keep a close watch on developments here.
Pirates didn't care whether you were the World Government or the Revolutionary Army. If given the chance, they would not hesitate to attack Revolutionary Army territories as well.
In the surrounding spectator areas, Marine figures could even be seen.
"There are so many people here… and they're all pirates."
"What did you expect? This is the Pirates Festival. Isn't it normal for there to be pirates? I'd love to arrest every last one of these b*stards…"
"Vice Admiral Smoker!"
Hearing Smoker's rather irrational remark, Tashigi was startled. With this many pirates present, it wasn't something they could handle. If Smoker made a move here, the swarming pirates would probably tear them apart alive.
"I know. I'm not crazy yet. Our mission target is Buena Festa, the organizer of this Pirates Festival.
Another old geezer from Roger's era. Didn't earlier reports say he died in a Sea King shipwreck? And now he's still alive…"
"And this man, Douglas Bullet. Our investigation shows he may have a significant connection to the Pirates Festival, but headquarters' official information says he's already dead…"
"Hmph. Just orders from the World Government. Before, they also claimed that all the prisoners of Level Six were dead and that none escaped. And what was the result?
Be careful yourself. I'm going to investigate what exactly is hidden here."
With those words, Smoker stood up and left, heading toward an unnoticed area.
At the same time, aboard Olga's Shadow Fox, Mandrell mercilessly rejected the row of pleading gazes directed at him.
"No. I said no, and that means no. This event is too strange. Until we figure out what's really going on, you'll stay here and watch the concert."
After thinking it over repeatedly, Mandrell suppressed the urging of several people who wanted to join the treasure hunt, especially since the gunfire from the bubble island further strengthened his resolve.
"Alright. Fighting and killing is boring anyway. If you feel that regretful, then deal with the ones sneaking over here first."
Just because they weren't looking for trouble didn't mean others wouldn't come knocking. The harmony here was only superficial. In places where no one paid attention, pirates had already begun slaughtering each other.
The Shadow Fox was no exception. If it were the usual Shadow Fox, this trouble could naturally have been avoided. The Beasts Pirates' flag carried inherent intimidation. Aside from someone like Shanks, others wouldn't approach so easily.
But when entering this place, the Shadow Fox had been sailing under a disguise.
Thanks to Olga's random "skin change," the Shadow Fox now appeared to be a luxurious merchant vessel, surrounded by a special illusion field.
Right now, outside the Shadow Fox, a group of stubborn pirates were spinning in circles on the spot. In their perception, they were breaking through the merchant ship's heavy firepower. But to outside observers, they looked like zombies, ramming their heads against a wall.
"This so-called treasure hunt is basically just a massive brawl. Fighting on the island or fighting here, there's no real difference."
"Boss Olga, isn't this kind of opponent a bit too early for them?"
Although the pirates below were being toyed with by Olga like playthings, setting aside the fact that they were trapped in illusions, they were still pirates with bounties over a hundred million. Mandrell felt it was a little early to use people like that as practice.
"Not too early. Did you forget how Governor-General Kaido used to torment us? If it was young miss, he would've thrown her straight into the crowd long ago."
When Olga brought that up, Mandrell remembered that she had also been one of Kaido's training victims back then. Even so, he still wasn't completely at ease.
"Boss, if something unexpected happens, it won't be easy to explain when we get back. We don't have the Governor-General or Lord Arceus's skills."
"Relax. Nothing unexpected will happen against opponents like these. You're underestimating these kids too much. These are four Minks who can use Sulong."
Although Sulong wasn't their normal state, the boost in power it provided was unquestionable. Meowna, Wolff, and Carrot were still in their teenage years, but once they activated Sulong, they were fully capable of matching senior officers in battle.
Minks who could break the full-moon restriction were already an extremely "broken" existence. Judging by events in the original timeline, Bepo had even used drugs to activate Sulong during the daytime and carried Law out of Blackbeard's encirclement.
Now, although Bepo had experienced fewer battles, as a fully grown adult, his combat power after activating Sulong was likewise not to be underestimated.
"You've been overprotecting your daughter. It's fine for now, but once she grows up, you can't follow her around forever, can you? Letting her train a bit is a good thing. After all, seas aren't safe.
And if you're really that worried, there's still someone here freeloading."
Mandrell followed the direction of Olga's finger. At this moment, Shanks had a cheering cap on his head and was holding food from the ship, looking very relaxed. Bepo was even more excessively dressed, having turned into a bear-shaped, walking billboard.
Uta had plenty of fans; both pirates and Marines counted among them. Bepo was one of those fans.
"Come here, Maylo. See that redhead over there? He's Uta's adoptive father. You can call him teacher's teacher."
"Hello, teacher's teacher."
"Hello… Wait, how did I suddenly become her teacher's teacher?"
Shanks had only just processed what was happening when he realized he'd been saddled with a strange new title. He didn't react much to being called a freeloader, but he was far more concerned about that other term.
"Maylo studied vocal music with Uta for a while, so she calls Uta 'Teacher.' That makes you her teacher's teacher, doesn't it?"
"…"
"They get along pretty well. Sometimes they even chat at night. If she ends up complaining that you're slacking off, Uta might scold you~"
"You really know how to order people around. You guys should be more than capable of handling something this small yourselves, right?"
At this point, Shanks naturally understood the implication behind Olga's words. She wanted him to deal with any unexpected variables.
That had been Olga's plan all along. There was no Kaido here, and no Arceus either, but there was a Shanks who could work for free.
"You're a mighty Emperor of the Sea, after all. How could nobodies like us compare to you?"
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