Bounty! Evolution! Water 7!

"It's foggy everywhere!"

The Snail Fleet rumbled along in a strange sea.

On a platform atop the snail's back, Bege looked around in amazement, but no matter which direction she looked, all she could see was thick fog.

"Is this the legendary Florian Triangle?"

Teach stood beside him, stroking his chin. "I've read about it in books. It's a very peculiar sea area, shrouded in fog year-round, with very turbulent currents. It's said that many ships disappear here every year."

Bege looked at the guy with some surprise.

Surprisingly knowledgeable!

What he didn't know was that Teach, who seemed rough and uncouth, was actually more cultured than 90% of the people on the sea.

He had not only read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, but also had a long-standing interest in archaeology.

"What an awful place!"

Doflamingo had just finished training, said somewhat irritably, "I can't see anything, and it's making me feel worse."

"Disgusting? Hehehe, I actually quite like it here!"

Another person suddenly interrupted; it was Moria was running in circles while holding a huge iron ingot.

"Um?"

Doflamingo turned around, his eyes behind his sunglasses revealing utter astonishment.

Moria is quite unconventional in the company.

Although he was also an intern, he was forced to obey Roa in order to save his partners, so among the already disloyal executives of the Calamity Company, he was the furthest away from everyone else.

Why did this guy suddenly interrupt?

"Hahaha! Is this place really that good?"

Teach had, of course, already been aware of the situation within the Calamity Company, but that didn't stop him from wanting to cultivate good relationships with the company's executives.

Moria's initiative—this is an opportunity!

"This is a place that's perfect for me!"

Moria looked somewhat melancholy.

The year-round fog prevents sunlight from reaching the sea.

This means that those whose shadows he stole can live peacefully in this sea area, since those without shadows will instantly vanish upon contact with sunlight.

If I hadn't been forced by that bastard Roa, this would have been a perfect place for him to make his hideout!

He too could rule this sea and become its king—just like Roa and his crew did in the New World!

It's all because of that guy Roa!!

Moria's face instantly darkened. Gritting his teeth, he stopped wasting words with Teach and the other two and continued training while carrying the huge iron ingot.

Roa is undoubtedly one of the most terrifying monsters in the world!

Defeating him and reclaiming our companions and freedom from him is an almost impossible task!

But should we not do it just because it's difficult?

Moria absolutely could not allow himself to relax even slightly!

In any case, it's never wrong to strive to become stronger!

Just wait, Roa!

What's this guy up to?

Doflamingo watched Moria's hurried departure, his annoyance mixed with a hint of bewilderment.

He came over to strike up a conversation on his own, then ran off again halfway through his sentence.

"Get busy with your training, Moria is quite diligent."

Teach chuckled and turned to look at a corner of the platform. "Let's not just sit around. If we don't try harder, we might really fall behind those guys!"

On the other side of the platform, Dylan was personally instructing the Five Color Squad on Haki.

Although the five androids lack human emotions and are destined not to achieve great mastery of Haki, it's still better than nothing.

So the three of them began their usual rigorous training.

In the Germa Kingdom, where there are almost no entertainment options, the boys spend most of their time training every day.

After all, they all knew one thing very well: they absolutely could not let Roa down.

If they can't become strong enough to satisfy that guy, then they're doomed.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Roa was flipping through a stack of documents with great interest.

There was simply too much material brought back from the Navy's archives.

Roa has already started reading it as an extracurricular book, and it does indeed contain a lot of interesting things.

For example, the life stories of those great pirates who were famous throughout the seas over the past few centuries are just like reading a thrilling novel.

In comparison, the Navy's secrets seem rather boring.

Of course, Roa still gleaned a great deal of crucial information from these materials.

For example, where are the various research bases of the Marine Science Unit located, and what are they researching?

For example, where are the three islands that Zephyr planned to blow up in the original work, which are connected to the magma at the bottom of the New World?

For example, the special mineral Dyna Stone Zephyr planned to use to destroy those three islands was urgently moved to another location.

However, what Roa was more interested in than these things was the Navy's dirty laundry. It should be said that the Navy has indeed done quite a few shady things for the world.

Haha, that's really funny!

Um?

Roa, who was enjoying the show, suddenly looked up.

Is someone saying something?

Why does it suddenly sound like I can hear someone talking?

It was far away and very large, but the specific content was unclear.

Wait a minute, the original work clearly states that monsters lurk in the waters of the Florian Triangle, right?

Those unknown monsters are the culprits behind the frequent disappearances of ships in these waters.

Could it be those guys talking?

Roa stepped out of the palace, his Observation Haki expanding to its maximum.

Today, the range of his Observation Haki has long since exceeded that of a small island. Although it is not as wide as that of Shanks Fujitora, it is by no means narrow either.

But still, nothing was gained.

Aside from discovering many large Sea Beast beneath the surface, nothing else was found.

Do we need to go even further away?

Unfortunately, the Florian Triangle is simply too vast.

If we can't find it, then we'll just forget about it.

The world is full of mysteries; we'll talk about them another time.

However, those voices--

Roa recalled that when he left Fish-Man Island, he seemed to have heard some kind of sound as well.

Could it be that, like Roger and Luffy, I also possess the talent to Voice of All Things?

That's interesting.

A few days later, the Snail Fleet successfully sailed out of the Magic Triangle Sea.

Roa was a little disappointed that he didn't meet Brook, otherwise his good friend Red would have been quite happy.

As they disappeared into the distance, several enormous black shadows slowly emerged from the thick fog.

Pairs of eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, silently watched as the Snail Fleet gradually disappeared into the horizon.

The fleet had barely left this area when the News Coo brought the latest newspapers.

"Oh! They haven't given up on this tactic after all?"

Roa flipped through the newspaper, his smile barely concealed.

The World Government has won again!

The newspapers reported that the enraged navy intercepted the pirates returning from Paradise in a certain area of New World.

After another fierce battle, they finally repelled the pirates once again.

Both reports were accompanied by photographic evidence and were extensively covered by the most authoritative newspapers on the high seas.

"At this point, would anyone still believe this kind of news?"

Abel said with a hint of amusement.

"Boss, should we publish an article in the newspaper to expose this lie?"

Dylan said seriously.

"No."

Roa smiled and waved his hand, "The World Government controls mainstream public opinion. No matter what they say, people will still believe them more."

"But it doesn't matter."

He said casually, "Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines can't."

"Everyone should have already started taking action by now. I'm quite curious how the World Government will cover up its lies next."

As Roa advanced toward the Water 7, Roa allies had indeed begun to take action.

The Golden Lion's mobility was far superior to Roa's Snail Fleet, and the monsters had already returned to their lair.

Then.

An island in the latter part of the New World.

"What, what is that?!"

The people on the island looked up at the sky, shivering.

Because at that moment, an island was slowly descending from the sky.

"Hahahaha! Let us rule the seas from the sky, starting now!"

Beehive Island.

"My little ones!"

Ochoku stood atop the Skull Tower, looking down at the pirates gathering below. Among them were his subordinates and pirates who simply lived on the island.

"Go ahead and plunder! Go and take everything from this sea for me!"

"Oh!!"

The Wano Country.

Qiangang is the only port in this closed-off country that connects it to the outside world.

Squads of samurai and pirates lined up to board the ship.

Everyone's face was filled with an indescribable excitement.

For the pirates, their mission is to help their boss Kaido conquer this sea!

For the samurai, this was also the first time they had ever stepped out of this country!

A sea area in the middle of the New World.

"Charge! My men!"

A fleet of pirate ships rampaged across the sea. Silver Axe stood at the bow, brandishing his massive axe, his laughter echoing like thunder.

"Come with me and conquer this ocean!"

In Totto Land.

"Mother, Mother! All troops, attack!!"

One after another, pirate ships, filled with laughter, set sail simultaneously.

On the decks of these pirate ships, the Charlotte Family's executives were equally spirited.

Dressrosa.

"Who are you?!"

King Riku stared palely at the man who had suddenly appeared in his palace window.

The man sat on the windowsill with his back to him, chugging a bottle of liquor.

"Hiccup~"

Hiccuping from the alcohol, the man turned around and said, "You should understand what's going on after seeing what I'm saying, right?"

Just as the man had said, King Riku's body trembled violently the moment he saw his face clearly.

His upper and lower teeth were chattering violently, and his voice trembled involuntarily.

"Captain John!!"

It's here!

The pirate alliance has arrived!

As expected, the World Government was lying; they didn't achieve victory at all!

Pirates are brazenly coming to steal Dressrosa!

"Very good, it seems you understand."

Captain John nodded slightly. "Then from this day forward, this country belongs to me."

"..."

King Riku was pale-faced and didn't know what to say.

What can be said now?

The World Government and navy have now abandoned this country, and the entire New World.

There will be no reinforcements, no help.

How can we fight against such a monster?

You should feel fortunate.

John took another sip of his drink, his voice tinged with a hint of drunkenness, "It was I who chose this sea area, not Roa."

"Don't worry, unlike Roa who simply enjoys suffering, I prefer order."

A section of the sea within the Paradise.

Today, the Snail Fleet continues its relentless surge forward.

Roa was reading the newspaper again. There had been no reports about the New World in the newspapers these past few days, even though the monsters of the New World were already expanding their territory.

However, Roa was not surprised at all, as Morgans had already informed him.

The World Government is directly preparing to block information about the New World.

At least a temporary lockdown.

Surprisingly, in a world where communication is extremely difficult and all news relies on newspapers, this tactic is quite effective.

The isolation of the New World goes without saying; very few people in the world could travel to and from that sea area smoothly.

This story, which has been passed down by word of mouth, is completely untrue.

If the World Government simply supervises the major newspapers on the high seas, 90% of the people on the high seas will remain unaware of what is happening in the New World.

Even if there are many media outlets with rebellious tendencies, the government can use its power of public opinion to portray them as attention-seeking clowns.

If it weren't for the fact that Roa's destruction of Marineford area and covered by numerous media outlets, the incident might have been suppressed.

However, how long can this lockdown last?

If there are only battle reports without any actual results, it's only a matter of time before the public becomes suspicious.

Let's wait and see.

Furthermore, although the newspapers contained no news about the New World, they were not without valuable information.

Roa picked up a stack of arrest warrants tucked inside the newspaper.

After such a huge disturbance, the bounties of everyone in the pirate alliance skyrocketed.

"Four billion already."

Roa picked up the wanted poster that belonged to him.

This image is likely a screenshot taken directly from his live stream; the unbridled joy in the boy's eyes is vividly portrayed.

He's very handsome.

Being handsome is of course the most important thing, but equally crucial is the significant change in the bounty amount.

The bounty increased by another billion, reaching four billion, directly surpassing Roger's.

Roa is now the man with the highest bounty on the planet, and no living person can surpass him.

And what's interesting is --

"The Golden Lion's bounty is 3.9 billion?"

Bullet was also flipping through the wanted posters, frowned. He looked up at Roa, "Boss? This number..."

"Are you deliberately trying to sow discord between me and Uncle Shiki?"

Roa chuckled. "Really, was it necessary to be so obvious?"

However, it might actually be useful.

After all, the Golden Lion had long considered himself a rival.

After he realized he couldn't win him over.

"It doesn't matter, isn't it fine—hmm?"

Roa suddenly looked up, somewhat surprised.

"Boss?"

Bullet was somewhat surprised.

Has the Boss seen something he can't see this time?

Roa tilted his head back, his eyes showing some surprise.

He saw faint black smoke drifting in the sky.

It's so faint that you might not even notice it if you don't look closely.

This is definitely not the black mist from the Germa Kingdom.

After all, the black aura emitted by the citizens working in the country's sweatshops and the clone soldiers with only ten years to live, filled with bitterness, is of far, far higher quality than this!

Roa gazed into the distance, where the faint black mist stretched all the way to the horizon.

In other words, the entire sky was filled with black mist.

Is the world changing?

Is black energy proliferating worldwide?

At that moment, a strange feeling suddenly arose in Roa's heart.

He could clearly sense that if the world continued to change, his abilities would be upgraded when the concentration of black energy worldwide reached a certain level!

There's a saying that goes something like this, isn't there?

Shallow waters cannot support dragons.

When shallow waters become vast oceans, it is also the moment when dragons emerge from the abyss!

If the previous process of absorbing dark energy to become stronger was similar to a Pokémon leveling up, then this leveling up is probably equivalent to a Pokémon evolving!

Evolution from immaturity towards a more complete state!

"This is interesting!"

Roa couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.

Am I, Luo, still in my childhood?

No wonder I was so thirsty!

In that case, world, well, I'm really sorry.

We can't just stand by and watch a child malnourished and stunted, can we?

However, two days later, a pointed island appeared in front of the Snail Fleet.

We've arrived in the Water 7.