Reunion

Douglas Bullet, a monster among monsters, though imprisoned in Impel Down, still has his legend on the high seas.

There is only one man on the high seas who can single-handedly confront multiple top-tier fighters from the World Government and the Navy.

In comparison, Bondy a's record was far worse.

His entire body was wrapped in Seastone, with his upper arms and body encircled by Seastone chains.

Only the pen and wrist can move, and the range of movement is limited to a radius of five meters by chains.

Knowing that Bullet was still able to move freely and exercise in prison, Impel Down felt unsafe enough and added another layer of security.

As a power user, being Seastone Handcuffs should have prevented him from using his abilities, leaving him feeling powerless.

But this clearly had no effect on a monster like Bullet, showing that Bullet still maintains formidable combat power.

After all, Bullet is a world-class fighter based solely on his physique and martial arts skills. If anything were to happen to him, it would be a very bad thing for the World Government.

Every so often, Magellan would personally come to check on Bullet to see if the restraints on him were intact, and use poison to keep Bullet's body in a weakened state.

Bullet deserves to be treated this way.

This still doesn't change Bullet's obsession with getting stronger; he's the strongest prisoner fitness enthusiast in history.

With his physical activity restricted, Bullet trained himself in a more challenging way, treating it all as a form of training.

A few years later, Bullet looks pretty good, with a few golden whiskers and a thicker, longer head of blond hair.

Lawrence took a few newspapers from his pocket, placed them next to the food, and slowly walked away.

On his way back from the Infinite Hell, Lawrence could feel the gazes directed at him, but he didn't care.

They naturally had other jailers to deliver their meals, but currently only Bullet had the privilege of having the Chief Warden Impel Down personally deliver his food.

The World Government certainly doesn't want the powerful abilities of the Combine-Combine Fruit, or its invincible strength after Awakening, to spill onto the seas.

After Lawrence left, Bullet quietly walked over and took the food and newspaper.

Both are indispensable; food replenishes his energy, although it's not enough to restore even a fraction of his physical strength for a monster like him.

Newspapers, on the other hand, were his spiritual nourishment.

He would need Lawrence's help to leave Impel Down.

He did not have the ability to break free of the Seastone Handcuffs and chains, especially when he was unable to exert his full strength.

Ares's power was simply beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This is high-purity Seastone, much purer and harder than the Seastone Handcuffs of other prisoners in Infinite Hell.

Given some time, he might be able to break free of the Seastone Handcuffs.

Possessing Conqueror's Haki's Haki, one of the world's top attack techniques, combined with his own immense power.

Impel Down wouldn't give him that chance. The process would be too tumultuous, and once he took action, everyone would know what he was going to do. Every so often, they would check the chains to see if they were damaged.

The body is unaffected by the poison from Bullet; it has become accustomed to it, and over time, the body has developed sufficient resistance, causing the effects to gradually weaken.

He didn't know how much longer he would have to wait, but he would keep waiting. Golden Lion was dead, Whitebeard was old.

The world outside has changed quite a bit, especially after seeing the news of the Red-Haired Pirates' defeat of the Demon Pirates and the news about Clown Buggy.

Bullet was quite surprised that the two kids had grown to this point.

When he first joined Roger Pirates, he became an important officer and didn't take those two kids seriously at all.

He felt a stirring within him, but he suppressed it.

Bullet is a ferocious beast that bites people. It's not suitable to release it now. Once released, the final outcome is unpredictable.

He might be caught again, or he might not.

He might cause trouble for Teach and challenge him.

The Wano Country is now a ruin, a devastating blow from the death of Kozuki Oden.

The former shogun of Wano Country, Kozuki Oden's father, the 71-year-old Kozuki Sukiyaki, has been reinstated as the shogun of Wano Country because the future shogun has not yet come of age.

Wano Country needs a general with sufficient prestige to lead Wano Country reconstruction.

However, the situation in Wano Country is still very bad; it is no longer the great nation with four million people it once was.

Currently, Wano Country has only a few hundred thousand people, and even including the tens of thousands settled on Onigashima, the total population is only two hundred thousand.

In addition, there are approximately 100,000 islands in the surrounding seas.

The Rat Plague has not ended; instead of being dealt Rat Plague promptly, Rat Plague now showing signs of spreading again.

In the desolate wilderness, there are a large number of Nezumi, and the food available for them is constantly decreasing.

Wano Country still has some food reserves, after all, too many people died in the previous Rat Tide.

Due to the Rat Plague, it was impossible to grow crops on a large scale in the local area, and many samurai did not know how to farm.

The current Wano Country is heavily reliant on external food supplies, especially from the Night Pirates, as the Whitebeard Pirates cannot possibly provide that many resources.

The Night Pirates have stopped supplying so much food a few days ago, even though they have the capacity to do so.

Wano Country has provided a lot of treasure, and the price of food is actually not high. Even in the chaotic New World, wealth worth hundreds of billions of Beli is enough to buy enough food to support a country for a year.

The high price is for those medicines; large quantities of medicine cost many times more than grain.

Moreover, the Night Pirates have raised the prices of food, medicine, and other supplies considerably, to exorbitant levels.

It wasn't calculated precisely, but Wano Country was unaware of it.

For the Night Pirates, delaying the development of Wano Country is essential. Therefore, citing food shortages, the Night Pirates are currently only providing a small amount of food, barely enough to support the survival of a little over 100,000 people.

With a little effort from Wano Country itself, including fishing and trading with other powers, supporting 200,000 people is entirely feasible.

However, Wano Country simply cannot support more people; the Rat Plague remains unresolved, let alone the restoration of agriculture.

Teach was also aware of the mission of the Withered Snake, as it was being secretly supported not only by the World Government but also by the Night Pirates.

The current Wano Country is completely under their control, and the Night Pirates have many ways to deal with it.

If we can just delay for a few years, those more than one million residents of Wano Country will be able to settle down and integrate into the Night Sea Domain. At that time, not many people will be willing to return to the ruined Wano Country.

Meanwhile, the Night Pirates are also encroaching on Wano Country in various ways. At least for now, the Seastone is still being mined, and the Night Pirates have already sent people to occupy it.

Most of the extracted Seastone was transported back to the Night Sea Domain.

Aside from food shortages, the Night Pirates have plenty of other advantages.

Currently, Wano Country lacks the capacity for large-scale Seastone and can only exchange a large share for material support from the Night Pirates.

It's worth mentioning that while Seastone is precious at sea, it's not as expensive in Wano Country, which is normal.

The price of the supplies they exchanged was much lower than the price in Wano Country itself, with the price being driven very low.

In other words, the Night Pirates obtained a large amount of Seastone at minimal cost.

Seastone is extremely hard and cannot be polished by machine, or rather, it could be polished, but the cost would be too high.

A machine often breaks down after only a short period of use.

In this world, only the artisans of Wano Country possess the unique technology to polish Seastone into various shapes and control its Seastone.

The World Government and the Navy not only spent a great deal of money to obtain the Seastone that flowed out of Wano Country, but also had to spend money to forge the Seastone.

Most of the craftsmen have now been transferred to the Night Pirates, which is a huge source of talent. In order to survive, the Night Pirates have gathered them together with high wages.

A factory was specially established to polish Seastone and produce a small number of precision small parts.

Apart from a small number of Wano Country residents who have started farming, the Night Pirates have already arranged jobs for them, and now many Wano Country residents have received their first wages.

It might take some getting used to at first, but people are very adaptable, and I believe it won't be long before you'll enjoy life by the sea.

Some of the geisha and courtesans from Wano Country have begun to return to work, establishing entertainment venues on islands such as Pagila Island.

The World Government's actions were entirely aimed at helping the Night Pirates control Wano Country, without incurring any significant costs.

In all the transactions, the Night Pirates were the ones who profited the most. Those drugs were also produced by the medical companies controlled by the Night Pirates.

Next, there are other aspects, such as economic penetration.

The Night Pirates won't let this Rat Plague end easily.

In conclusion, while the Night Pirates gained a lot, it wasn't to the extent necessary. At least, with over a million people in Wano Country, the Night Pirates had more than enough.

However, the Night Pirates will not return the people to Wano Country; that's their bottom line.

Without a sufficient population, Wano Country has no potential for development and cannot threaten the Night Pirates.

Even if some samurai are still alive, Wano Country have relatives in the Night Sea Domain, how many could be recalled? At most, a few hundred thousand.

The more than one million residents of Wano Country were scattered throughout the Night Sea Domain, causing virtually no disturbance.

Without the suppression of Wano Country, the influence of the Night Pirates can spread further east, where there is a sea area occupied by a large number of powerful forces.

Combat Pyramid, Ninth Floor.

Saga and Garron looked at the bar, which had undergone a complete transformation, with the words "Heart of the Devil" prominently displayed above the entrance, and saw the familiar figure behind the bar. Their lips twitched involuntarily.

They hadn't expected Mijela to arrive like this, and in this way.

But an eight-year-old bar owner seemed rather out of place.

They had heard about the bar's renovation before, so they came to check it out after it was finished, never expecting to see this scene.

By this time, the bar was already filled with customers. Even those driven by curiosity would come to take a look, since it was, after all, a bar opened by the daughter of the Dark Emperor.

Nobody dares to cause trouble here.

At this moment, Mijela, who was sitting at the bar, had already noticed them outside the door.

With a beaming smile, and a message conveyed in her eyes, Saga and Garron had already received it: they wanted them to go in quickly and not keep her waiting.

They exchanged a glance and then Saga and Garron went into the bar.

Meanwhile, Zoro, Kuina, Sanji, and Reiju behind them were all extremely uneasy. How could they not know Mijela's identity?

Seeing Saga and Garron go inside, they gritted their teeth and followed.

Even at eleven years old, when he was already in heat and beginning to reveal his lecherous nature, Sanji suppressed his instincts, feeling only a chill in his heart.

"What would you like to eat?" Mijela asked as she approached the round table where the six people were sitting, holding a mechanical dog on a leash and a notebook in her hand.

"Uh, four coffees and two bottles of iced soda, please." Saga felt a little embarrassed by Mijela's smile, but after thinking for a moment, he simply ordered for the others as well.

"There are many kinds of coffee, and several kinds of iced soda. You can take a look at the menu."

Saga glanced at the menu, which was very extensive. Seeing that the others remained silent, he ordered drinks and some food according to their preferences.

Soft drinks are a new beverage from the sea, and there are many varieties, with a new one appearing every now and then.

Originating from the Night Sea Domain and priced significantly lower than alcohol, it quickly became a popular drink across the ocean, becoming a staple beverage.

It has also become a substitute for many young people who are underage and restricted from drinking, making it a highly profitable industry.

"Okay, your food will be here right away." Mijela nodded with a smile, not trying too hard to get closer to him. She knew there was no need to rush; there was plenty of time, and it would take some time for him to adjust.

Whether it's their own opinion or that of outsiders.

Zoro felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, and when he saw Mijela's back, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

More importantly, the eyes of the many guests around them were all fixed on them.

After all, it was quite rare to see a table full of children, who were about the same age as the Dark Emperor's daughter. This gave them some interesting thoughts and curiosity.

Moreover, these children are also unusual; two are a prince and princess of the Germa Kingdom, and the two young swordsmen are said to have some connection with Genryuusai Shigekuni.

In addition, two brothers who look identical also live in a luxury hotel.

Luxury hotels are not places that ordinary people can afford; they are mostly frequented by well-known athletes, let alone two children.

This child frequently dines at gatherings on the ninth floor, and given his special status, he has attracted considerable attention.

"Is this princess really that scary? I think she's alright." Soon, a waiter brought over coffee and soda. Reiju took a small sip of her coffee, glanced curiously at Mijela had returned to the bar to read a book, and asked with some curiosity.

"It's good that you think that way. Actually, I don't think it's scary either, I'm just a little surprised." Saga gently blew out cool air and smiled slightly.

It was just a bit surprising, because for Saga and Garron, Mijela was not associated with the word "terrible" at all; they knew him very well.

"We should have a chance to get to know each other better now, and then we can talk about other things," Garron nodded in agreement, changing the subject.

This eased the tension a bit. Sanji talked about the new dishes he had learned, his cooking skills, and also chatted with Zoro, Garron, and the others about the opponents they had encountered in battle.

This is a topic that they all have plenty to talk about.

As girls, Kuina and Reiju also have a lot in common.