"Roger Pirates…"
Is's attention first settled on Roger's portrait. Only afterward did he look at the name and bounty beneath it.
"Captain of the Roger Pirates, Gol D. Roger — 2.5 billion Beli."
"Roger Pirates — Silvers Rayleigh, 1.95 billion Beli."
"Roger Pirates — Scopper Gaban, 1.7 billion Beli."
Aside from Roger's sharp increase, the rest of the crew hadn't risen by much.
…
He turned the page.
What came into view next were the bounty posters of the Rocks Pirates.
"Captain of the Rocks Pirates, Rocks D. Xebec — 4.3 billion Beli."
"Rocks Pirates executive, Edward Newgate — 2.2 billion Beli."
"Rocks Pirates executive, Shiki — 2.15 billion Beli."
"Rocks Pirates executive, Charlotte Linlin — …"
…
If one had to compare which crew saw the greatest increase, it was undoubtedly the Rocks Pirates.
During this period, they had attacked Marine Headquarters, struck Mary Geoise, and repeatedly plundered World Government-affiliated nations.
It was only natural their bounties would surge like this.
…
"Well? Pretty explosive news, right?" Tatsumaki said softly while eating her bread.
"It really is."
Is smiled faintly, sat down, and placed the newspaper on the table. With a casual wave of his hand, a maid brought over milk and bread.
He took a bite—
then paused slightly.
Something felt… off.
"Who made breakfast today?"
"What? Does it taste weird?"
Before the maid could answer, Tatsumaki spoke first and sat down beside him.
"It's a little different from usual."
Is smiled. "I'm guessing you made it."
"Hmph! Is it not good? I followed Minian's method exactly," Tatsumaki puffed her cheeks, clearly unconvinced.
Is continued tearing into the bread, speaking between bites, "It's not bad. You've improved a lot, Tatsumaki. At least it's not like the first time, when you burned everything."
That wasn't a lie.
After spending time learning from Minian, Tatsumaki had made huge progress. What used to be dark cuisine was now, at the very least, passable.
"Really? You're not lying to me, Is?"
"There's no reason for me to lie. You can cook more in the future."
Tatsumaki froze for a moment, as if realizing he had no reason to deceive her.
"…Alright."
She smiled slightly—rarely without her usual pride—and then ran off excitedly into the castle.
…
After finishing breakfast, Is didn't continue his usual training.
Instead, he returned inside to change clothes.
Recently, he had adopted a new training method—
sparring.
Training alone had its limits, but fighting another person not only improved combat experience, it also boosted overall strength far more effectively.
…
When he returned to the hall, he asked, "Who won the draw?"
"Madara," Yoriichi replied.
"I seriously suspect that guy cheated," Acnologia muttered. "I just don't have any proof."
"Oh please, you're just jealous," Tatsumaki shot back.
"Hahaha…"
Laughter filled the hall.
They often bickered, but none of it ever turned serious. Everyone could take a joke, and their bond only grew stronger because of it.
This was exactly the kind of atmosphere Is wanted.
…
"Where's Madara?"
"He went to change," Unohana said with a gentle smile. "He mentioned something about putting on his battle armor."
"Battle armor?"
Is raised an eyebrow. "Did he have one made?"
"No, Master," the maid replied.
Just as Is was wondering, Madara walked out.
He wore a black bodysuit, layered with red segmented armor.
It was the same outfit he had worn when he first arrived in this world.
"Let's go, Is!"
Madara's face was filled with excitement.
Ever since he had seen Is fight Acnologia with pure taijutsu, the urge to battle him again had been growing.
And today—
he finally had the chance.
…
Holy Land Mary Geoise — Pangaea Castle
On this day, the Five Elders once again reported important information to Imu.
"You wouldn't exaggerate just to make your actions seem justified… would you?" Imu sat upon the Empty Throne, his voice cold.
"Imu-sama, we would never dare."
"What we saw that night was absolutely real."
"The people around Is… are extremely powerful."
"Each one of them… can rival a Marine Admiral."
"Although there are only five of them, if measured in Marine combat strength, they represent a significant portion of our forces," another elder added.
"After that night, we conducted further investigations, but… we found nothing."
"No records. No origins."
"It's as if… every time Is goes out, he simply brings one back—as though it had all been arranged in advance."
Faced with their words, Imu fell silent for a moment before speaking again:
"…Aside from this recent period…"
"He never traveled far before, did he?"
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