Captain John's Armband (Thanks to Dashengzhai for the 5,000 Qidian coin tip!)

Twisted Fate's disappearance for so long was certainly not just to find the giant worm and demand the Celestial Dragons' backsides; he had a much more important mission.

Twenty-one years ago, twenty-seven-year-old Moria challenged Kaido of the Beasts in the Wano Country the New World.

At that time Kozuki Oden was still alive, but he had become a complete idiot, dancing in the streets all day wearing only a loincloth.

Meanwhile, Kurozumi Orochi was busy searching for and capturing rebels who supported the Kozuki Family.

It was against this backdrop that Moria dug up a large number of corpses from Wano Country.

This includes Ryuma of Wano Country, and Shusui, Famous Sword considered National Treasure of Wano Country.

But even Moria himself wasn't entirely aware that he had inadvertently dug up the corpses of three legendary pirates:

Ochoku, Silver Axe, and the famous Captain John. (See picture)

Moria didn't really value the three corpses; instead, he considered the corpse of the Ryuma a crucial asset in his battle.

In fact, these three notorious pirates were no ordinary people.

They originally belonged to the Rocks Pirates along with Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin.

After the God Valley Incident, Rocks was killed in battle, Rocks Pirates disbanded.

These powerful pirates, who had originally gathered together for profit, parted ways and each became a regional overlord.

According to Buggy, Captain John was betrayed and tortured by his men to find out the whereabouts of the great treasure, which is why he left behind the valuable treasure map.

However, for unknown reasons, Captain John, along with Ochoku and Silver Axe, died in Wano Country.

The prime suspect is undoubtedly Kaido, his old friend.

What exactly happened decades ago, and the rights and wrongs involved, are probably difficult for anyone other than Kaido himself to know the answer to.

But one thing is certain: the secret of Captain John's Treasure has not been deciphered by either Kaido, Ochoku, or Silver Axe.

The crucial armlet was buried along with Captain John's body, and was later stolen by Moria.

It's fair to say that if Luffy hadn't impulsively put this ring on his arm, and if Buggy, obsessed with the treasure, hadn't immediately recognized it as the most beautiful and precious armlet, Captain John's treasure would never have seen the light of day again.

Ma Qiao was actually quite interested in this One Piece in the One Piece world after One Piece.

Money doesn't matter; I just want to satisfy my curiosity.

So, long ago, Twisted Fate was sent to investigate Moria's Little Gold.

According to the original story, Captain John's armlet was kept in Moria's vault, along with other gold and jewels.

Those jewels weren't actually worth much.

In the Sabaody Archipelago, Nami tried to buy back the Fish-Man Camie with Moria's treasure, but Saint Charlos made a better offer and won the bid instantly.

Now, Saint Charlos's butt is forever stuck in Moria Pirates, which can be seen as Ma Qiao taking revenge on his brother Moria from afar.

In short, Ma Qiao's original plan was to have Twisted Fate, who was skilled in mechanics and deception, locate the Moria Vault in order to proceed with the next step.

Who knew they would easily find a treasure trove that Nezumi would weep at the sight of it, cockroaches would flee overnight, and only a few small-denomination Beli, some coins, and a small amount of jewelry remained.

Fortunately, Captain John's armband was so inconspicuous that it wasn't sold off by those two spendthrifts Perona and Absalom.

After Moria left satisfied, the Twisted Fate flew to Ma Qiao's side and respectfully handed Ma Qiao the armlet.

Given that this item was taken from a dead body, Ma Qiao called out Tahm Kench again.

Tahm Kench, a cleaning expert, has become quite adept at cleaning not only his own mouth and stomach but also the objects around him.

Wearing a magnifying glass, he used a small brush, cleaning agent, and disinfectant to thoroughly clean and disinfect Captain John's armband.

After ensuring it was clean, Ma Qiao held the closed-loop coin in his hand and examined it. (See picture)

"It's so similar, it really is!"

Ma Qiao put the two small hemispherical glass domes on his armband together, and then took out an Eternal Pose, which is very common on the Grand Line, from his pocket.

In comparison, although the former is much more exquisite in terms of craftsmanship and materials, it still looks like a shell with the magnetic needle removed.

For a working Eternal Pose, the magnetic needle inside is important, but the outer casing is also crucial.

Only when the magnetic needle interacts with the outer casing can it point to the preset direction.

No wonder Buggy was so excited when he saw this armlet in the original story.

Ma Qiao can understand Buggy's feelings now.

This guy got Captain John's treasure map, but because he couldn't locate it effectively, he couldn't correctly interpret the markings on the map.

The forced attempt resulted in Buggy stumbling upon Secret Base while searching for treasure, where he was captured on the spot and thrown into Impel Down.

"Should we give this armband to Buggy?"

After much deliberation, Ma Qiao finally decided that the situation was too complex and he might not be able to handle it.

After all, according to the analysis of many experts in the One Piece forum, the most fundamental reason why Rocks attacked God Valley was because of this mysterious treasure.

This treasure ended up in Captain John's hands after Rocks' death.

Captain John was killed by his "subordinate" Ochoku, who wielded Silver Axe.

The two men carried Captain John's body to Wano Country, intending to plot a great undertaking with Kaido.

As a result, he was beaten to death by Teacher Kaido's cane.

This thing looks like an ominous object no matter how you look at it.

Only Buggy's Conqueror's Haki luck can subdue this evil thing.

Moreover, and most importantly, Professor Ma Qiao is a person of his word.

They had previously lured Buggy to the Florian Triangle by promising to find clues related to Captain John's Treasure.

Since I've promised, I have to do it.

Of course, there is another reason.

That means there's no difference between Buggy finding the treasure and Ma Qiao finding it on his own.

After all, his right-hand men, Shaco and Twisted Fate, were incredibly loyal...

Buggy's dedication to finding his treasure is truly touching.

Considering the various and even greater crises he would encounter in the future due to his treasure hunt, Ma Qiao decided to prioritize upgrading Shaco and Twisted Fate.

At the very least, both of them need to reach the level of the Supernovas of the Sabaody Archipelago, just to barely maintain the prestige of the Five Emperors' crew...

Moria was so poor that for the next three days, the food got worse each day.

The mystery of Perona's inability to develop has finally been solved.

Moria raised this Ghost Princess for twenty-three years, and she remained an ordinary, legally raised child.

Dracule Mihawk raised her for two years, Perona instantly transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman.

Moria, that fat, lazy bum, is truly wicked!

Ma Qiao was really keen to suggest to Moria that since he didn't know how to raise a little girl, he should let Moria take care of her.

But these are things you should just think about and forget.

Now, Ma Qiao's biggest headache is how to explain Yamato's affair with the Long-Legged Maid to Vivi and Nami when he gets home.

If I told them Yamato is a man, would anyone believe me?

Yeah, right!

Ma Qiao shook his head. This isn't some bizarre country like America.

To be fair, the transvestites in the One Piece world are a million times better than those weirdos who were once considered beautiful.

At least Bon Clay and his friends are real men, unlike those transgender athletes who specifically choose to compete against women.

Just as Ma Qiao was racking his brains trying to figure out how to get through this ordeal, Perona floated over holding a parasol.

Long pink twin ponytails and straight legs clad in pretty socks streaked through the air.

Legal lolis do have their merits...

However, Perona wasn't there to see Ma Qiao.

Yamato seems to have an exceptionally high popularity among women in the Florian Triangle.

Perona floated in front of Yamato and stammered, "Sister, can I add you on WeChat?"

"All right!"

Yamato casually pulled a nearly suffocating Den Den Mushi from his four-dimensional pocket on his chest.

Perona watched the surging waves with envy in her eyes.

Take another look down at yourself.

My gaze went straight from her flat chest to her pretty pink little leather shoes.

Suddenly, Perona felt as if her own Negative Hollow had passed through her body, immersing her in an atmosphere of despondency.

But she quickly cheered up. "Sister, from now on I'll contact you directly on WeChat, avoiding the commissions of those shady platforms, and buy... buy those things... could you give me a discount?"

Yamato scratched his head, completely bewildered.

Ma Qiao's lips twitched as he listened from the side.

What a heartless little girl! She actually wants to avoid being exploited by capital through offline transactions. How wicked!

Fortunately, Big Bird Express is also one of my businesses, Ma's.

As long as I expand fast enough, the cage of power can't keep up with me!

In the end, Perona and Yamato added each other as friends.

Baby5, who had never used the internet or a mobile phone before, registered her own account after being recommended by Yamato.

It's worth mentioning that Baby5, this long-legged girlfriend who doesn't know how to say no, is currently in debt to over 70 million Beli.

Yamato patted her chest confidently, declaring that she would help her best friend repay the debt.

However, according to Ma Qiao, after the massive shopping spree in Sabaody Archipelago, Yamato had almost no savings left.

Ma Qiao felt it was time to remind Mr. Kaido that he needed to send some money over for his daughter's happiness.

In short Yamato, Baby5, and Perona formed a three-person chat group and became best friends who could talk about anything.

However, Ma Qiao wasn't quite sure Yamato saw him as a male best friend.

In her daily life and interactions, Yamato referred to herself as Kozuki Oden less and less, and her feminine behavior became more and more pronounced.

Aside from still barging in when Ma Qiao is showering, undressing, and demanding to shower together, she is indeed becoming more and more like a woman in other ways.

After handing Captain John's armband to Twisted Fate, so that he could present it to Emperor Clown Buggy at the right time and in the right place, Ma Qiao began to wholeheartedly enjoy the last carefree month on the Going Buggy-senpai with Yamato.

Although the weather on the Grand Line is very changeable, it is generally getting colder and colder.

Even without looking at the calendar delivered by the News Coo, Ma Qiao knew that winter of the year 1518 in the Sea Circle Calendar was approaching, and the New Year was naturally not far away.

Since the Spring Recruitment Drive in Water 7 began, I've unknowingly been wandering around for almost a year.

Just like Minato Namikaze, the true user of the Flying Thunder God Technique, who often took time to go home for dinner during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Ma Qiao also frequently returned home to visit during his nearly year-long trip away from home.

But in the end, I've been away for too long.

"This is my second New Year since I Shurima. Vivi and Nami must be waiting for me. I have to get back no matter what."

Ma Qiao stood on the deck, gazing at the snowflakes falling on the sea in the distance, and murmured to himself.

Where do you want to go back to?

Suddenly, a large Red Nose appeared in front of Ma Qiao.

Buggy's head floated over, and his nose looked even redder because of the cold weather.

"Ah Qiu--"

Buggy sneezed. "You were right, scarves are something you absolutely must wear every day."

Buggy's right hand, which was holding a handkerchief, flew out from somewhere and forcefully blew his nose. Buggy then said:

"Brother Ma Qiao, we're such good friends, if you're going home, of course I'll have to come over!"

"Shurima, right? Ladies and gentlemen, put down your streams, adjust your settings, we're going to Shurima!"

Ma Qiao was taken aback. "But I still have two elderly people recuperating at a sanatorium back home!"

"Old man?"

Buggy said nonchalantly, "I'm very respectful of elders and kind to children, don't worry!"

Ma Qiao thought for a moment. It was almost Chinese New Year, and Garp and Zephyr would definitely be going back to Marineford.

The two groups definitely won't run into each other.

So Ma Qiao stopped interfering.

The Buggy Pirates, with two top-tier livestreamers, are no pushovers; their trip to Shurima could also have a positive impact on the local economy.

As Lord Ma Qiao, he had no reason to refuse their arrival.