Several days later.
On the flagship of the Goa Empire fleet, the Goa Empire.
Nami excitedly directed the sailors and helmsmen.
She never imagined that she, a little cat burglar, would one day be able to command the Empire's Royal Guard; the thought alone was thrilling.
If her old rival, the little fox Carina, knew how formidable she was now, Carina would surely be driven mad with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Nojiko, dressed in gardener's attire, tended to the various fruits and vegetables on the flagship, and seeing Nami's excited expression, she too was very happy.
Their destinies had completely changed the moment they met Jake.
Bellmère, we will live on, strong and splendidly.
At Kaya's repeated requests, Jake permitted Kaya and the court physician to go to sea together, becoming the ship's doctors for this voyage.
Kaya could also continue learning with the court physician.
This filled Kaya with gratitude towards the 'easy-going' His Majesty Jack, and a certain affection appeared in her eyes.
Jake said nothing, only smiling gently.
All gifts of fate have already been marked with a price in secret.
They would have to repay Jake's high regard and favor well in the future.
...
Van Augur, carrying his famous rifle Senriku and golden sniper rifle, sat atop the main mast, his sharp eyes scanning all directions.
He was a sniper, but also a lookout.
Detecting and eliminating potential threats in advance.
"Stay alert! Not a single mistake can be made during His Majesty's four-nation tour this time."
Eric, dressed in the uniform of a Royal Guard captain, shouted to all the Royal Guard.
Only after becoming the captain of the Goa Empire's Royal Guard did Eric realize how good this feeling truly was.
Looking at the pirate slaves like Hypnotist Jango, Siamese Cat Sam, and Spotted Cat Butch, he realized that there was no harm without comparison.
This made Eric feel incredibly fortunate.
Luckily, he had decisively surrendered that day, otherwise the slave collar in Jake's hand would have been on his neck.
Colonel Morgan and Colonel Nezumi, these Marine scum, were all taken back by Marineford to be dealt with personally.
To suppress the corruption issues of the two Marine Branch heads and prevent them from appearing in Morgans' newspaper, Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave Emperor Jake of Goa many compensations and administrative conveniences.
He even gained partial command over all Navy Branches within the Goa Empire.
This was indeed a significant breakthrough.
...
As the Goa Empire's fleet set off, Jake and his group arrived at their first destination in less than a day.
Gecko Kingdom, Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo.
Koushiro of Shimotsuki led all the students of the dojo to welcome the Emperor of the Goa Empire at the port.
Now they were also citizens of the Goa Empire.
No one expected that this renowned Emperor of Goa would visit a small village.
'This moss-head hasn't gone to sea yet, no wonder his name isn't known in the East Blue.'
When Jake saw the green-haired figure behind Koushiro of Shimotsuki, a smile appeared on his lips.
It was only September of the year 1518.
The moss-head Zoro's birthday is November 11th, so he wasn't yet 17 years old.
Therefore, Koushiro hadn't yet let Zoro, who inherited the Great Grade Blades Wado Ichimonji, set sail.
However, Nami, born on July 3rd, was already 16 years old.
Nojiko, two years older than Nami, born on July 25th, was 18 this year.
As for Kaya, she was a year younger than Nami, and even two or three months younger than Luffy.
'Hmm? Saga hasn't gone to sea injured either?'
Jake also saw a silver-haired figure next to Zoro, whose hands were actually intact.
Saga was Zoro's sword-training classmate in his youth, and in the month before Zoro set sail to challenge Hawkeye Mihawk, he lost the use of his right hand permanently while saving the reckless Zoro.
Saga then left Shimotsuki Island, and while Zoro was lost in the East Blue for a year or two, Saga had already drifted to Askar Island in the Grand Line, eventually obtaining the Seven Star Sword.
Zoro's guilt towards Saga even led him to strike his own pirate comrades.
'Since they're all here, they'll all be mine!'
Jake smiled as he looked at Koushiro of Shimotsuki; it was simply too easy to control the master of this Isshin Dojo.
"Welcome, Your Majesty, to Shimotsuki Village!"
Koushiro respectfully greeted the Emperor of the Empire.
"I hear that the students of Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village are very outstanding. I would like to recruit some excellent swordsmen. What do you think, Dojo Master?"
Jake went straight to the point, not beating around the bush with Koushiro.
Hearing Jake's words, the moss-head Zoro looked indifferent. He planned to set sail after he turned 17 to find the World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk.
Carrying his and Kuina's dreams, he would challenge Mihawk and claim the title of World's Greatest Swordsman.
And Silver-haired Saga was somewhat moved. He had originally planned to become a Marine after completing his training.
However, with the Goa Empire's unification of the four nations and the deepening exchanges between the new provinces, the reputation of the Marines from nearby Branches 153 and 16 seemed to be quite poor.
Even the Branch heads, Colonel Morgan and Colonel Nezumi, had been taken down by His Majesty Jack.
If he didn't join the Marine, becoming a Royal Guard swordsman for the Goa Empire seemed like a good option too.
His sword of justice could still protect more weak people, and even become famous throughout the world.
"Your Majesty is too kind. These are just crude sword arts for strengthening the body and resisting pirates, hardly excellent."
Koushiro said humbly. He wouldn't interfere too much with other students.
But he didn't want Zoro, who inherited Wado Ichimonji, to join the Imperial Royal Guard.
"Then I want this green-haired swordsman and this silver-haired swordsman. The aura about them is very good."
Jake directly named them, causing both Koushiro and Zoro to instantly look at Jake, their eyes filled with unwillingness.
Saga, feeling Jake's high regard, immediately firmed up his wavering resolve between the Marine and the Royal Guard.
"Your Majesty, this green-haired swordsman is Roronoa Zoro, whose ambition is to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. He..."
Koushiro hurriedly tried to get Zoro out of it, his tone quite anxious.
"Mr. Koushiro, you wouldn't want the World Government to know that you provided food to the Revolutionary Army, would you?"
At this moment, Jake walked to Koushiro's ear and whispered softly, his voice heard only by the two of them.
Hearing Jake's whisper, Koushiro's heart instantly trembled, his eyes narrowing to pinpricks, and he closed his mouth.
The cold sweat that suddenly broke out on his back made Koushiro feel chilled.
He even had the thought of killing Jake.
After all, the crime of colluding with the Revolutionary Army was enough to destroy Shimotsuki Village.
But was this Jake truly that simple?
This was the EX:ile who had conquered four kingdoms!
Even at such close proximity, Koushiro had no confidence in killing Jake.
He saw the playfulness and confidence in Jake's eyes.
And was Jake the only one who knew this information?
Koushiro couldn't possibly kill the entire high-ranking leadership of the Goa Empire.
He didn't have that strength either.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your dealings with the Revolutionary Army. I just want to cultivate these two students of yours."
Jake didn't continue to pressure Koushiro, laughing in a relaxed tone.
"If you can convince them, that's fine. Zoro's temper is quite stubborn..."
Koushiro reluctantly accepted Jake's threat. He couldn't gamble, simply couldn't.
"Roronoa Zoro, is it? Do you want to go find the World's Greatest Swordsman..."