The Battle for Wano Country Begins!

Austin and Borsalino clinked their glasses.

The ice cubes struck the sides of the glasses with a crisp chime.

Kuzan, beside them, had a dark look on his face, and the glass in his hand had frozen solid.

Quite the tsundere~

He clearly wanted to make ice for them, didn't he~

Over the following days,

the warship drifted across the sea.

Austin gazed at the outline of Wano Country gradually emerging in the distance. A curious smile touched his lips, and his crimson vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

"Come to think of it, Wano Country is rich in resources too. It seems to hold considerable strategic value~"

And honestly, aside from saving his underling Moria and fighting Kaido,

Austin had another, more important thought in mind.

He wanted to find a place to serve as a testing ground for his goals and ambitions.

Creating a world where he alone sat upon the throne and forcibly turned the entire sea into a harmonious society was not something that could be achieved overnight.

There could be many unforeseen variables along the way.

So he had to begin by testing it in a single country. Only after succeeding could he expand the model to more countries, and eventually the entire world.

Ever since this idea had occurred to him, Austin had struggled to find a suitable country.

For one thing, many nations were affiliated with the World Government. Even the slightest disturbance could easily draw attention and retaliation.

For another, even non-affiliated nations could easily leak word if he caused too great a stir.

So the question was, was there a country Austin did not particularly like, where he could do whatever he wanted without the outside world finding out?

That was right.

Wano Country.

After taking control of this country, Austin would, to