Chapter 47: Destination, Wano Country! Roa the Calamity!

On the coast of the deserted island.

The pirates of the Beasts Pirates gazed anxiously at the sky.

Why aren't they back yet?

Could something have happened?

On the back of a giant snail by the shore.

"Will they be alright?"

Goj, who had finally emerged from the laboratory, had lost a weight class, his haggard face etched with worry.

After all, their opponent was very likely that legendary Marine hero!

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Barrett's voice was cold and hard. "The Boss won't lose to anyone!"

As a subordinate, he held absolute trust in his commander.

"That's right, that's right!"

Barrett's unwavering conviction seemed to infect Goj. The man, whose self-confidence had been warped and shattered by Roya's power, nodded repeatedly in agreement. "The Boss is destined to change the world. He will never stop here!"

Doflamingo, sitting atop the snail's head, curled his lip.

It would be best if that bastard Roya died!

If he died, he would finally free himself from the terror he held for him.

However, just how could that bastard ever be killed?

Was there really anyone in this world capable of ending him?

The lingering fear of Roya in his heart involuntarily magnified that man's image to infinite proportions.

"They're back."

Dylan, who had remained calm throughout, suddenly smiled.

Everyone raised their heads in unison, looking toward the direction Roya had previously departed from.

They saw a massive dragon winding its way down from the high altitudes of the sky.

"Boss Kaido is back! Lord Roya has succeeded!!"

The pirates on the shore cheered and leapt for joy.

High above, the pitch-black dragon descended slowly.

Kaido noticed the giant snails dotting the ocean below. After all, these massive creatures were exceptionally unique—not only were they colossal, but they also carried entire buildings upon their shells.

"What are those?" he asked.

"The country governed by my newly recruited Head of Research and Development—the Germa Kingdom. Heard of it, Big Brother Kaido?" Roya said casually. "Now serving as the headquarters for our company, not bad, right?"

Abel looked slightly surprised.

The Boss is even more formidable than I imagined.

"Hmph."

Kaido let out a cold snort.

The Germa Kingdom?

He seemed to have some vague recollection of it.

How long had it been since he last saw this brat, and he had already directly subjugated an entire nation?

Although its scale didn't look like much, a nation was still a genuine nation, and the resources it could mobilize were on a completely different level from an ordinary pirate crew.

The black dragon landed slowly on the coastline.

"Boss Kaido! Welcome back!"

The pirates of the Beasts Pirates were beside themselves with excitement.

At the same time, Roya and Abel had already landed on the snail's head.

"Welcome back, Boss."

Dylan walked over, subconsciously glancing at Abel standing beside Roya. "This is... a Lunarian?"

The traits were far too obvious—brown skin, white hair, black wings. He had heard the legends.

"A Lunarian?"

Goj was even more astonished. "There are still surviving descendants?"

"This is Abel," Roya introduced. "Rescued along the way while saving Big Brother Kaido. From now on, he will be the head of our company's security department."

"Abel?"

Dylan nodded slightly. "Welcome to the team, Abel. I am Dylan."

As expected of the Boss!

This is a Lunarian! A race from the legends bearing the name of gods!

"Hello."

Abel forced a meager smile.

Barrett and Doflamingo were also sizing him up.

They had never heard of any Lunarians, but this guy with flames burning behind his head clearly wasn't ordinary.

"Alright, let's leave the introductions for later," Roya stepped forward, looking down from his vantage point on the shore. "Big Brother Kaido, shall we hold a banquet? We can chat about the matter we discussed earlier while we're at it."

Having reverted to his human form, his body still covered in burns, Kaido looked up. "Hold a banquet with a brat like you?"

Shortly after, the magnificent fleet of giant snails crushed the endless waves and vanished into the horizon.

Inside the banquet hall of the Germa Kingdom's royal palace, a celebration was underway.

"That's precisely why I said, why on earth would I hold a banquet with a brat like you!"

Gulping down an entire jar of liquor in one breath and casually wiping the alcohol from the corner of his mouth, Kaido lowered his head to glare sideways at Roya, who was seated next to him. "Such a mood killer."

Everyone else had tables piled high with food and wine, with Roya being the sole exception.

He lounged casually with one leg crossed over the other, breathing in the atmosphere leisurely, completely out of place in the bustling banquet hall.

"You're being too rigid, Big Brother Kaido," Roya said lazily. "As long as the host and guests are both having a good time, isn't that enough for a banquet?"

"I can't be bothered to waste my breath on you."

Suffering the heaviest damage from his good brother's magma, Kaido was wrapped in thick bandages as he grabbed another jar of liquor and chugged down a large gulp. "Spit it out. What exactly is your game regarding Wano?"

"Wano is a wonderful place."

Roya perked up slightly, a grin spreading across his face. "Do you know much about that country, Big Brother Kaido?"

Kaido set down his jar of liquor.

"That country enforces a strict isolationist policy. No one knows much about them. All I know is that many years ago, that country produced an incredible swordsman named Ryuma."

"Ah, that was during the era when the country was known as the Land of Gold."

Roya nodded. "The dragon-slaying samurai Ryuma defended that country from invading enemies."

"The Land of Gold?"

Kaido's eyes lit up slightly. "Does that country have a lot of gold?"

"I suppose?"

Roya wasn't entirely certain either.

Since it was called the Land of Gold, gold shouldn't be in short supply.

But was that ever reflected in the manga?

He couldn't quite remember; he only recalled that Wano had quite a rich variety of resources, and Kaido's factories there had been running full steam ahead.

"However, that country possesses minerals far more precious than gold."

Roya said.

"More precious than gold?"

Kaido's interest was piqued. "What is that?"

"Sea Prism Stone," Roya replied. "Wano is the largest producer of Sea Prism Stone in the entire world! But of course, almost no one out on the sea knows about this right now."

"Sea Prism Stone?"

Kaido's voice instantly rose in volume. "Are you serious?"

"Naturally," Roya nodded. "Let's go to that country together, Big Brother Kaido. When the time comes, the territory will be yours, and the minerals will be mine. We both have a bright future ahead of us."

It wasn't that he didn't want to take Wano for himself; it was simply that Kozuki Oden was likewise a true monster, an absolute powerhouse whose strength was undoubtedly a match for Big Brother Kaido.

"Are you trying to play me for a fool?"

Kaido sneered, though his eyes burned brightly. "Still, if it's truly as you say, then that country is indeed worth a visit."

"Right?"

And thus, their next destination: Wano.

Flashes back to a short while earlier, at the island where the battle had taken place.

No, this was no longer an island, but a churning, turbulent sea.

The hero Garp stood atop a massive slab of driftwood, behind him the shaken and shell-shocked residents of the island.

There were too many people and not enough ships. Making a split-second decision, Garp had smashed the ruined buildings of the island into broad planks of wood, barely averting a wider tragedy.

He had already contacted Marine Headquarters, and naval warships from a nearby base would soon arrive. There shouldn't be any major issues.

However, this humiliating, crushing defeat still left the Marine hero's gaze shrouded in gloom.

That brat—was he the one Rocks spoke of, the one who inherited his will?

Garp harbored an intense premonition.

No, it wasn't even a premonition anymore!

He was utterly certain that this brat, who had only just turned thirteen this year, would become the greatest enemy of the Marines, the greatest enemy of justice!

A few days later.

"Boss!"

As Roya leisurely watched Abel and Barrett spar, Dylan hurried over with a piece of paper, looking thoroughly excited.

"Your bounty poster has been updated!"

"Oh?"

Roya grew interested, taking the paper from Dylan's hand.

It was his wanted poster.

Unlike the child he had been six years ago, this time it featured his hybrid zoan form.

"Looking sharp!"

Roya praised with a grin, admiring the high-spirited version of himself smiling boldly on the bounty poster.

However, where on earth had the Marines managed to snap a photo of him?

Which divine photographer had taken this shot?

To be able to capture his appearance in the midst of that battlefield under those conditions—they truly had some skills.

Of course, that wasn't the crucial point.

The crucial point was—

Roya looked down at the text below.

"Dead or alive."

He paused, a flash of delight crossing his eyes. "Scourge Roya, a bounty of 1.5 billion Berries!"

"Vice Admiral Garp really is reliable after all!"