This woman suddenly betrayed Whitebeard, there must be something fishy, and we need to investigate face-to-face.
It's not too late to worry about the money the merchants were cheated out of after the truth comes out.
"Yes, everything will be according to your wishes."
Fat Henry quickly nodded.
"Ah Yin, stop sleeping. You and Glutinous Rice Cake will stay here and guard the ship."
"Awoo!"
Ah Yin lazily raised his right paw to indicate he understood.
Only then did Shano stride toward the ship's railing, and alongside him, Robin smiled slightly, naturally holding open a black umbrella for him, and followed him gently down the gangway.
The raindrops dripped along the edge of the umbrella, creating tiny splashes on the rough stone road of the dock.
"Lord Shano, look over there."
Kuina caught up quickly with an umbrella and reminded, "At the far right of the dock, there's a small speedboat flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag."
"Hmm, I see it. What do you mean?"
"It seems the Whitebeard side also heard the rumors here and sent someone specifically to investigate."
Kuina said in a low voice, "Perhaps we should find him first, and then talk to the Ice Witch Widibai..."
"No need to bother, I've been waiting here for a long time!"
Amidst a hearty laugh, a tall figure holding an umbrella strode out of the rain curtain.
"Members of the Endgame, and Lord Shano, I've heard so much about you!"
Everyone looked toward the sound.
They saw the newcomer wearing a top hat, draped in a black cloak, wearing white gloves, with dark skin and a slightly curly big beard...
"Flower Sword Vista?"
Fat Henry's eyes widened, both surprised and delighted, he stepped forward for a hug:
"Hahaha, my brother! Was it you, such a big shot, the one Whitebeard sent to investigate! Where's Widibai, where is she, and how did she explain herself to you?"
"You know Vista?" Shano asked with interest.
"Yes, we've crossed paths a few times in the past."
Fat Henry released Vista and laughed heartily, "Since he's here, I'm relieved. Brother Vista's strength ranks among the top under Whitebeard, it's more than enough to handle Widibai!"
"Is that so?"
Shano looked at Vista, raising an eyebrow slightly.
His vision is exceptionally sharp, even though Vista was wearing a coat and a cloak draped over it, wrapped up tight.
He could still see that the other side seemed to have suffered serious injuries recently and had not fully recovered.
Especially the joints of the limbs showed signs of being pierced through.
"You noticed, huh."
Vista lowered his head and rubbed his wrist, giving a bitter smile, "I've mostly dealt with the situation on Widibai's side. It's a bit complicated to explain, but I can tell everyone on the way to the castle."
He stepped aside, gesturing toward the main road leading to the castle.
Everyone's gaze focused on Shano's face, and only after he nodded slightly did they follow Vista toward the castle.
...
In front of the castle gate.
"You're saying Widibai hooked up with the World Government? Planning to defect from the Whitebeard Pirates, so she dares to wave Whitebeard's flag and accumulate wealth recklessly?"
Fat Henry was stunned, "This... how did the World Government persuade her..."
"It seems her family was threatened."
Vista shook his head, sighing:
"Anyway, she's now locked in the underground prison, and we haven't finished questioning her. Lord Shano, would you like to come with me and take a look? As for the others, there's a banquet prepared for you on the second floor of the castle, so please wait there for a moment."
"Oh, oh! A banquet!" Bonney's eyes lit up immediately, "Is there meat, is there meat, Mr. Moustache!"
"Of course, little girl, there's all kinds of meat."
Vista laughed heartily.
"What do you say, big brother?" Nami also rubbed her belly, looking up at Shano expectantly, "I'm hungry too."
"Let's go with Vista's arrangement, you all go eat first, and I'll be there with him in a bit."
Shano didn't have any objections to this plan.
Right away.
The others followed Vista's men to the restaurant on the second floor, while Shano followed Vista, making their way through the dark corridors toward the dungeon.
The corridor of the dungeon was deeper than expected, the damp stone steps covered in moss, and the air permeated with a faint smell of blood.
Vista held the torch, walking at the forefront.
Shano trailed a few steps behind, squinting slightly, staring at his silhouette.
Since their meeting, he always felt something was amiss.
The other's aura, it seemed, didn't match his expectations, lacking that unique sharpness of a Great Sword Master.
But perhaps it was normal; after all, he had never met Flower Sword before, and the other had just fought a fierce battle, his injuries not yet healed.
"Once this is over, shall we spar after lunch?"
Shano suddenly spoke, as if on a whim, casually posing the question.
"You must be joking, sir."
Vista glanced back at him, scratching his head in frustration, "You are a Sea Emperor level being. If you want to spar, you should challenge the old man. I don't have that qualification."
"That's true."
Shano smiled slightly, not pursuing the topic further.
As one of the world's renowned veteran Great Sword Masters.
Would he willingly miss the chance to face a rival with even greater swordsmanship fame?
With a thought.
The powerful Observation surged out at that moment, like a torrent, sweeping through the entire dungeon.
Seconds later.
Shano retracted his Observation, his expression unchanged, and continued following Vista deeper into the dungeon.
"It's just ahead."
As they reached a spacious bend, Vista quickened his pace, disappearing around the corner, leaving only his voice behind, "Widibai is locked up here, sir, follow me further..."
Thunk!
It was like something heavy hit the ground.
Immediately...
Shano suddenly felt his vision blur, the surroundings turning misty, as if covered by a translucent barrier.
It was as if a large frosted glass box with an open bottom had invertedly enclosed him inside.
"An intriguing ability."
His brow raised slightly, reaching out to touch the barrier, his fingertips causing ripples, and his right hand was bounced back.
"Haha! Hit it, I've hit it!"
A gleeful laughter echoed, as a tall, thin man appeared from behind the corner, clapping in joy:
"Haha! What a lousy Sea Emperor, I knew that under the ultra-restrained abilities of my grandmaster Nemo's Box Fruit, you would still be obediently trapped!"
He excitedly turned to the other side, "Hey! Big brother, it's your turn now!"
"Well done, second brother!"
A bald fat man sneered as he stepped out of the shadows, grounded his stance, took a deep breath, then suddenly opened his mouth wide towards Shano in the distance!
Buzz!
A bizarre yellow light emanated from his throat, a thick light wave instantly surging out, straight towards Shano trapped in the transparent barrier!
The next moment, Shano felt as if he had plunged into a quagmire.
Every movement, even just lifting his toe or moving a finger, became extremely slow and difficult...
"How about that! My ability is impressive too!"
The bald fat man proudly pointed his thumb towards himself,
"I'm Kieran, the Slow Man who consumed the Paramecia-type Slow-Slow Fruit! Anything hit by my Slow Light Wave will become considerably slower for the next thirty seconds! Even you, a Sea Emperor, will be affected for at least ten seconds!"
"And this time window is more than enough!"
The fat and thin men raised their right arms simultaneously, shouting in unison: "Next, third sister, it's your turn to shine!"
Tap.
Footsteps echoed as Vista, who had just disappeared around the corner, reappeared before Shano.
"I am the third sister, Thea."
Vista held a ladies' cigarette between his lips, walking step by step, one hand on his hip, his posture alluring, his face displaying a flirtatious smile that did not match his appearance:
"As you see, I'm a Paramecia-type Parasite Fruit Ability User capable of seizing another's body. Truly, thank you, Lord Shano, for generously offering such a powerful body."
"To think, a dignified Sea Emperor would be this naive, to follow us alone to such a secluded place... Hey! I haven't finished introducing myself, what are you doing!"
He snarled toward Shano, who was bent over retching.
"My apologies."
Shano then straightened up, sighed softly, "There's no choice; using Vista's body to do such movements is really disgusting, very irritating..."