Between Black and White: The So-Called Cooperation

"Charge!"

On the complex track, resembling QQ Speed airport, there are naval captains firing cannons, unscrupulous doctors throwing poisons, modified armored vehicles, and:

"Surpass them, Usopp!"

Among a group of racers with no scruples, the Straw Hat Trio the only ones who 'race properly'.

After all, with Luffy and his crew's strength, if they really wanted to do some kind of unlimited racing, a single Conqueror's Haki's Haki attack would wipe out all the other participants in no time.

"Haha, this is so funny!"

"Charge! Sakura Reindeer!"

"All of you, quiet down! Let me concentrate on the game!!"

Luffy is in charge of shouting slogans, Chopper is in charge of being cute, and the driver, of course, is the Straw Hat crew's all-around artist Usopp. — Aside from fighting, Usopp is proficient in everything, putting all other geniuses to shame.

"These three guys seem to be having a lot of fun."

Watching from the sidelines... no, Zoro, though sharp-tongued, betrayed his true feelings with a smile. After all, they'd fought their way here from the East Blue; their initial dreams had long since faded. What mattered most were the happy times spent with their companions—?!

!!

In an instant, Zoro, Jinbe, and Luffy in the car all Luffy to look in the direction of the central Golden Tower! Even Usopp, who was driving, suddenly lost focus and almost got hit by a cannonball fired by a Marine captain in front of him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what was that just now...?"

"No, it's nothing."

Luffy adjusted his straw Straw Hat, his excited smile returning.

"Charge!! First place is ours—"

"Hmph, what a false alarm."

Zoro also Guotou and watched Luffy's match with his arms Luffy. The Golden Tower, which had just suddenly erupted in a clash of Haki that had caught their attention, had returned to normal. Those who weren't strong didn't even notice the fleeting conflict.

Have you calmed down yet?

"You·····,"

Tesoro, who was forcibly pressed back onto the sofa, wanted to appear tough, but under Roman's five fingers, his tall body became numb and weak, making him clearly realize the difference in strength between the two sides.

I was careless; I should have used 'Divine Punishment Giant' directly!

He has a technique that concentrates a large amount of gold into a giant golden robot. Unlike Pica, which is just a simple rock, it is a giant composed of high-density gold and a large number of machines, capable of going toe-to-toe with Gear Fourth Gear Luffy in terms of both defense and strength.

After all, Tesoro is a Devil Fruit Awakening. He was able to steal the Gold-Gold Fruit from Doflamingo's auction house, and he grew stronger with each battle while being pursued by the Donquixote Family, eventually forcing Doflamingo to cooperate with him.

Tesoro shouldn't have acted so poorly, but his smooth-sailing years had led him to underestimate Roman. Even knowing that Roman was the Straw Hat crew's strategist who had killed Kaido, he subconsciously assumed that a strategist was merely someone who offered advice, and that their fighting strength was at most on par with his own. The result:

He was instantly suppressed by Roman as soon as he made a move, and it looked like he was about to be defeated before he could even unleash his 'ultimate move'!

Incidentally, the hardness ranking in this world is: iron, steel, gold, diamond, and Seastone. Gold is anything but soft. In fact, it's a high-strength metal. Even Zoro needed to cover his Black Blade with Haki to break through Tesoro's golden armor.

"I know your past, Mr. Gilder Tesoro."

Instead of killing him, Roman released Tesoro from his grasp and casually sat down. A large number of white papers quickly formed a chair to support him, leaving Tesoro momentarily confused about Roman's intentions.

"Let me be frank, I... our Straw Hat crew will definitely have a battle with the Celestial Dragons."

?!

In an instant, even the seasoned 'Gild Tesoro' Tesoro, with his slicked-back hair, widened his eyes in shock! His tense body nearly gave way to his feet! But:

"Ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth,"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Tesoro sat back down on the sofa.

There are countless people on the high seas who want the Celestial Dragons, numbering well over a few thousand! They number in the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions! It can be said that the vast majority of people in this world wish those fat pigs would die without a burial place, and some even want to eat their flesh and sleep on their skin!

They drive the masses to their own pleasures, exhausting the resources of heaven and earth to satisfy their endless desires for sound and color.

This old saying from Roman's past life perfectly describes the extravagant and inhumanly brutal lifestyle of the Celestial Dragons.

"I know what you're trying to say, Mr. Tesoro, who always has 'God' on his lips."

?!

Tesoro, who had initially thought his opponent was merely an arrogant fool, shuddered. The word 'god' held a special place in this world. Ordinary people might be oblivious, but the 'god' spoken of by the powerful wasn't some vague idol worship, but a very real being—

Nightmare!

"You're scared,"

Roman leaned back in the white chair he had created, looking at the man before him who was trembling all over and whose eyelids were twitching. The world's richest man was frightened by a single word as if he were a patient with Parkinson's disease.

"You're afraid of the Celestial Dragons, or more accurately, those behind the Celestial Dragons— "

"That god!"

·········

"It seems I really underestimated your Straw Hat Pirates."

Tesoro let out a long sigh of relief and had to admit that he had misjudged the situation.

It's not just about strength, it's also about intelligence!

The true powerhouses scoff at most of those who clamor to become the 'King of the Pirates' on the high seas. They know that reaching Laugh Tale isn't just King of the Pirates; becoming the King of the Pirates requires bearing the weight of that crown.

Even the Roger Pirates, if Roger hadn't immediately disbanded his crew after returning from Laugh Tale and later surrendered to the Navy, a world-shaking war might have wiped everything out, and the Great Pirate Era might never have even occurred.

"Our captain's goal is to become the King of the Pirates!"

Roman bluntly stated that even if he didn't say it, Luffy's habit of starting with "I'm going to be the King of the Pirates" is probably known to everyone in the entire sea by now.

Of course, no one laughs at Luffy anymore; at most, they can only marvel at how this youngest of the Four Emperors is indeed an ambitious prodigy.

"Since he's the King of the Pirates, he's bound to fight the Celestial Dragons. So—"

Roman looked intently at this tragic figure under the rule of the Celestial Dragons.

"Would you like to join us, Mr. Tesoro?"

Or rather, just how deep is the hatred in your heart?

"Prisoner Brand" Fish-Man Island Apparel Specialty Store

This is a clothing store opened by Hachi from Fish-Man Island, the starfish who was with Keimi. Regardless of whether a starfish as a designer is worth criticizing, or whether the "Prisoner Brand" label will affect business, the fact that this store exists here is a great success.

How about this one?

In a clothing store decorated with a large number of underwater ornaments, Nami, who was enthusiastically holding up clothes to herself, turned her head to look to the side, but what she saw was Robin and Brulee with drastically changed expressions!

?

Snap,

Before Nami could react, two arms wrapped around her from behind, and the surging weapon pressed down on Nami's head, extinguishing her subconscious counterattack.

"Xiao An, you went shopping for clothes all by yourself without calling me?"

!?

"Gion- nee... cough cough, you've mistaken me for someone else, I'm not..."

"Stop talking nonsense, who do you think I am?"

The tall, beautiful swordswoman with the strength of a Navy Admiral rolled her eyes at Nami, whose eyes were wandering under the 'brain pad wave'. As a female Navy officer from the same lineage as Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Tsuru, how could the rising star Nami... or 'Major General An' possibly mistake her?

"Don't worry, this is a 'neutral zone,' there's no distinction between the Navy and pirates, and there's no work... Well, okay, I did come here for work this time. But those troublesome things have already been taken care of."

Tall and slender, wearing a naval officer's coat and a pink jacket, with two long, white, and proud legs, the candidate Admiral 'Momousagi' Gion greeted Robin and Brulee in a friendly manner.

"Are these two your friends? Hello—"

"As you can see, I am Gion, a friend of Anzai Navy. Just call me by my name."

"... Ms Gion,"

"Gion- neechan~~"

Although Robin and Brulee are both skilled performers, facing candidate Admiral... if they were to have a disagreement, the three of them could be doomed right here!

"Come here, Xiao An. Let your older sister 'check your body'~~"

However, Gion, who was also 'Admiral's height', had already dragged Nami toward the dressing room next door, leaving Robin and Brulee in a cold sweat.

Wow, your navy has such a wild side!

Roman was furious!

Certainly,

That's impossible.

"Xiao An, you have to be more careful when you go out in the future. Otherwise, if we girls fall into the hands of bad people, we'll be much more unlucky than those stinky men."

As Gion manipulated her, a small clump of golden powder was precisely extracted from Nami's body by her outwardly Haki, transforming into a tiny golden ball that spun in her palm.

"Could this be the moment of entry?"

Seeing Nami's suspicions, the tall and beautiful Navy Admiral candidate Admiral Gion nodded.

"That's right, this is the ability of Gild Tesoro, the owner of this place. He scatters gold dust at the entrance as a 'welcome' gift to those who enter his territory. Careless people will fall for it without realizing it, and once the battle begins..."

These gold powders suddenly condensed at the joints and vital points, enough to easily defeat an ordinary master!

"How insidious!"

Nami's expression changed, and her hand instinctively reached for the book hanging at her waist.

"Aren't you going to remind Roman?"

Gion chuckled again, giving the nervous Nami a playful glare before bending down to pinch her delicate cheek.

"Fool, do you really think Roman, that cautious guy who's covered in magical artifacts, would fall for such a simple trap?"

"Roman..."

When Nami came to her senses, she remembered Roman's hesitant expression when they faced the gold dust. It turned out that while everyone was looking forward to the next adventure, Roman was speechless at the Straw Hat crew who had fallen for the trap without realizing it.

Honestly, they just silently watch us get infected without saying a word.

"Oh, right, Gion- nee."

Nami frowned. Although she wasn't in the Navy, she had been keeping up with their information.

"The Reverie just ended. Shouldn't the navy be escorting dignitaries back home right now? Why are you..."

Do you have time to visit entertainment venues like this?

"Hmph, Xiao An, if you and Roman can come, why can't I?"

If a monk can touch it, why can't I?

Where is justice?

"Ahem, that's not what I meant, it's just..."

"Didn't I just say that I was 'acting in accordance with the law'?"

After teasing Nami to her heart's content, the tall and Gion finally revealed the real reason:

"The idea of the Navy and pirates teaming up is not something that can be openly discussed. — I suppose our 'leader' has made contact with the Straw Hat crew's captain, right?"

!?

"Hehehe, I won~~"

"That's right, don't you even look who's driving!"

On the other side, just as Luffy and Usopp were cheering with their tenfold reward, a boy wearing a navy uniform and with his short pink hair tied up with a handkerchief decorated with flowers walked over.

"Long time no see, Luffy."