————
New World, Ghost Island.
Thick fog envelops the Horned Skull Castle.
"Woo lo lo lo lo lo lo!!!"
A colossal creature, just waking up, pulled out a wine gourd and laughed heartily, "That kid did a really great job this time, the World Government hasn't lost face like this in a long time!"
King leaned against the window, silently reading the newspaper in his hand.
2.86 billion Belly, huh?
That's already nearing the level of the Four Emperors.
Seeing that bounty number, far surpassing his own and incredibly glaring, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
Bad news, his own bounty and strength have been completely overshadowed; if the other party joins the Hundred Beasts, he'd probably instantly become the number two, stepping right over him.
Good news, a man who has reached this level could never possibly subordinate himself to another...
But, can this be considered good news?
King put down the newspaper and casually placed it on the windowsill, his eyes thoughtful... Perhaps it's time to increase their monitoring of the nearby seas.
The aura of that kid is clearly aiming for the position of Four Emperors.
And he has enmity with Boss Kaido, so maybe the first target could be their Hundred Beasts.
Hmm?
King sensed something, suddenly raising his head.
He saw Kaido put down the wine gourd and also came to the window, first stretching lazily, then twisting his neck, making a series of cracking sounds.
Wait...
King's pupils shrank.
This reaction, could it be that he wants to go out alone again to challenge that Shano?
"Brother Kaido!"
He hastily extended his arm to block the window, but Kaido had already yawned and leisurely returned to his throne.
King's movements halted.
"What's up?"
Kaido looked at him inexplicably, "I slept wrong last night, my waist got stiff; you won't even let me just stretch a bit?"
Pretending to mess with people, huh?
Black lines appeared on King's forehead; he didn't want to deal with this guy anymore.
Neither of them noticed, as a sea breeze blew in, the newspaper on the windowsill was swept up and spiraled far away.
Who knows how far or how long it flew...
Snap.
A pair of fair, slender hands suddenly reached out to catch the newspaper, curiously unfolding it.
Whirring~
The motion was quite large, causing chains to clink crisply, echoing across the silent grassland...
————
Dressrosa.
It's been a week since that world-shocking event ended, yet the Endgame is still anchored at this fiery island.
Originally, Shano didn't plan to stay long.
However, it happened to coincide with the Chronology of One Piece New Year...
Plus, Dressrosa, also known as the "Fairy Country of Love and Passion," with its humans and dwarves radiating an innate boldness and enthusiasm.
They almost got dragged daily to various banquets, with no way to refuse.
So he simply gave up resisting, deciding to stay and enjoy the new year.
Once the festive atmosphere fades and everyone is well-rested and refreshed, it's not too late to set off again.
"Boss, boss!"
Jack, hugging a large barrel of wine, shouted drunkenly from outside the window:
"Another invitation has arrived; this time, it's from those little fellows, the Tontatta Race, inviting us to Greenbit, shall we go?"
"You guys go ahead, I was invited once last time, and I've got some things to handle, so I won't join in the fun."
Shano, lounging with crossed legs on the sofa, casually replied.
"Oh, alright."
Outside, Jack's footsteps gradually faded away.
Shano then turned his gaze back to the coffee table in front of him.
There were three differently colored suits, a set of kimono robes, and a flat hat, all lined up.
These were sent today by CP0, fulfilling the promise of the Five Elders.
Without much hesitation, Shano decided to sacrifice them one by one.
[You sacrificed the flat hat of the Scientific Defense Martial God Saturn, gaining 2000 points]
[You sacrificed the suit of the Environmental War God Marcus Mars, gaining 2000 points]
[You sacrificed...]
All five old men were identical, no difference, providing two thousand points each.
All added up to exactly ten thousand, which can be considered a nice bonus income.
Though...
His proposal was to earn points, but it wasn't just for the points.
There was important combat intelligence...
"Only two thousand?"
Shano's gaze flickered.
Those five old men, although it's unclear how many years they've lived, nor the mysterious power they've gained from Imu.
But if their stuff is only worth this much, even less valuable than the cowboy hat taken from Chaton...
Then, the upper limit of their power doesn't seem to be that high.
At best, they're at the Vice Emperor level.
Just relying on their undying bodies, makes them a bit tricky to deal with.
The so-called Supreme combat power of the World Government still ought to be the Navy Grand Admiral, and the Divine Knight Order over there.
Shano glanced again at his remaining points.
Aside from this ten thousand, Enel also provided 1500 points.
As for King Liku, Violet, Kyros, Rebecca, and others, all added up, amounted to 2500 points.
Totaling 14000, Shano's remaining points reached 57600.
This is considered plentiful again.
Besides...
Shano glanced towards the Tachi behind him.
During these days, he has noticed that when he organizes the Devil Fruits, the Tachi "Masamune" would always tremble slightly, like a child seeing candy.
And the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is undoubtedly the most favored candy, the trembling is most intense.
No way.
Shano never intended this.
After all, he's not really a Sword Master, the sword techniques he mastered now are merely Roger's Kamusari, and he hardly uses the sword otherwise.
Moreover.
The Logia-type that can make the body elementally transform at any time, especially the rare Rumble...
Letting the sword consume it would be too wasteful.
If he gets a certain Paramecia-type in the future that the Tachi is very interested in, it might be worth a try.
As for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he already decided to keep it for a crew member with potential.
If the right person is chosen, and the fruit's ability is developed properly, it could completely cultivate a cadre close to the "Three Calamities" level.
"Three Calamities..."
Shano shook his head.
The intelligence capability of the Navy Headquarters is relatively reliable, as Kuma has indeed officially joined his ranks, and he's indeed one of the top powers on the ship besides him.
But the naming ability of those staff members cannot be well-evaluated.
Three Calamities, three major misfortunes?
In his view, it seems overly adolescent-angled, more akin to the style of the Hundred Beasts, but, admittedly, it is quite intimidating. Surely the concept of three major disasters might have originated from the Navy Headquarters...
Overall, it can be accepted.
Besides Kuma.
The Tontatta Pirates, led by Commander Leo, have similarly joined under the flag of Endgame.
Although they call themselves a Pirate Gang, they're actually just those little guys who have never left their hometown, following trends to hype their name.
A total of over 200 people, essentially a guard unit formed by the Tontatta Kingdom.
They have currently returned from Greenbit to the main island, acting actively as guardians of this country like the Liku Army, under the identity of an Endgame member.
That's right.
In Dressrosa, whether it's the port or the highest point of King's Land, the flag of Endgame has been planted, just like in the Agatha Islands.
The identity as a member state of World Government was scornfully discarded by King Liku, formally joining under Shano's flag.
The Tontatta Kingdom similarly did so, compared to the Liku Royal Family, these little fellows have even deeper and more complex grievances with the Donquixote Family, tracing back even 800 years.
Shano and Kuma killed Doflamingo, chased out the Donquixote Family, saving not only Tokushima Island but them as well.
Shano gazed towards the backpack tab, opening the parchment.
On the map, within a haze, the second island significantly larger than the Agatha Islands, along with a third island further north, have already been illuminated simultaneously.
[Territory: Dressrosa]
[Land Area: 26,000 square kilometers]
[Population: About 1.3 million]
[Regional Leader: King Liku]
[Happiness: Low→Medium]
...
[Territory: Greenbit]
[Land Area: 2800 square kilometers]
[Population: About 8000, all from the Tontatta Dwarves Race]
[Regional Leader: Ganjo]
[Happiness: Medium→High]