"Uncle Ares..." Jozu called out.
Marco was a little indignant. Like a prickly little hedgehog, he said, "Hey, you're clearly not that much older than us!"
"Ah—"
The next second, the Flame Cloud beneath him loosened, and his whole body plummeted rapidly from the sky. In his panic, he even forgot that he was a Phoenix user.
"Marco!!" Vista shouted.
The Flame Cloud instantly stretched out and seized Marco, whose face was covered in cold sweat.
"Damn it!!"
Marco reached up to wipe away the sweat. "Who scares people like that?!"
"Hahahaha—"
Ares laughed loudly on his own, purely to tease him.
Kuri Harbor.
Ares led everyone down rapidly from the sky. The people at Kuri Harbor had long since grown accustomed to such scenes.
They merely glanced over a few times before looking away and continuing with their own work.
After landing.
Whitebeard, Marco, Jozu, Vista, and the others all looked around curiously. However, most people in the Kuri region did not wear kimonos.
Most of them had originally been slaves, and there still were not enough clothes for everyone.
Many were still wearing slave garments with a "bull's-eye" on the back. But compared with their time in God Valley, many more people now wore happiness and hope on their faces.
They were working hard to build their own homes.
Whitebeard's expression turned solemn. "Ares, if not for you, perhaps they..."
"It's mutually beneficial. What they want is very simple and easy to satisfy," Ares said.
Having gone through similar experiences, Whitebeard nodded, deeply agreeing with those words.
Everyone followed Ares to Kuri Town.
The town had begun to take shape, gradually showing signs of prosperity.
Ares smiled. "Come on. We're holding a feast to welcome you today. We'll drink until we drop!"
At the mention of drinking, Whitebeard's