A crescent moon hung high in the pitch-black sky.
Under the scattered moonlight, clusters of islands emerged amid the clouds and mist.
Roar!
The roars of massive beasts echoed sporadically among the islands.
In a clearing within the dark forest, unlike the unknown terrors in the distance, clusters of bonfires danced lightly here, bringing stretches of cheer and light to the silent night.
Beside the largest bonfire, Roy held an iron rod over the flames, roasting a huge slab of sea cow meat.
"Come on, kid, have a drink with me. Say, do you want to become my subordinate? That old bastard Golden Lion is already getting old. Follow me, and I guarantee it'll be better than following Golden Lion."
Whether it was drunken rambling or an intentional recruitment attempt, Kaido burped toward the moon and dragged a wine jar over to sit beside Roy.
Looking at the man beside him, who seemed rough but was actually meticulous, two flashes of sword light swept through the air, instantly splitting the roasted beef on the iron rod into two portions.
The moment the meat was cut open and its juices flowed out, Roy picked up the iron skewers beside him and threaded the two pieces of beef onto them in the blink of an eye.
Roy knew that the more contact he had with a shrewd old fox like Kaido, the more likely he was to expose something. That was why he had Golden Lion pretend to be ill, becoming an ambitious man who did not want to die in bed of old age and still wished to stir up the seas.
At the very least, Kaido's men who had been struck by lightning were now obediently drinking and roasting meat around the bonfires instead of causing trouble.
To be honest,