Skypiea, Gate of Heaven.
Above the seemingly endless White Sea, Seven was seeing off his only crewmate: Vice Captain Dracule Mihawk.
"Mihawk, take this gold for travel expenses."
Gold was the one resource Skypiea—or rather, Shandora—had in abundance. Otherwise, Seven wouldn't have used gold to pave the way to a partnership with Kizaru.
Mihawk accepted the bundle. "Captain, when are you planning to set sail?"
Having seen the legendary Skypiea and Shandora, it was time to continue his training. Especially after losing to Kizaru, Mihawk was more determined than ever to train.
Yet for some reason, he felt a vague sadness.
After only two short months together, Mihawk had belatedly realized that he truly respected Seven.
Seven thought for a moment. "In two years."
"I'm fifteen now. When I'm seventeen, I'll return to the sea and find you. Then we'll ride the winds and waves together and look for more crewmates."
Though Seven alone was enough to form a crew,
it would be far too difficult for just him and Mihawk to establish themselves on these seas.
They needed to find more crewmates who shared their ideals.
People like Kuma, Jinbe, and the future Admiral Fujitora Issho—all of them would be brought into the fold.
"Mihawk, while you're training, if you run into anyone you take a liking to, don't forget to invite them on behalf of your captain. I'll take care of the ship."
Mihawk nodded. "See you in two years."
Mihawk had joined the Morning Star Pirates because he liked keeping things simple. With a captain like Seven, who was practically good at everything, he wouldn't have to deal with any trouble.
With that, Mihawk turned and jumped straight down from the ten-thousand-meter sky without looking back.
Seven waited for the right moment, pulled out an Image Shell, and snapped picture after picture of Mihawk's dashing figure.
"Too bad Mihawk always wears that hat. It covers the Flying Bamboo Dragonfly..."
From meeting Mihawk at Twin Capes, to traveling together to Loguetown to see Captain Roger off on his final journey, then buying Dream One Heart and rushing to Skypiea to avoid being hunted down—
Seven had been in such a hurry the whole way.
He hadn't had a chance to properly enjoy the scenery.
Now, at last, he could slow down.
With his hands in his pockets, Seven strolled across Skypiea, occasionally greeting the people he passed.
"Lord Thunder God."
If Skypieans and Shandia people didn't both have little wings on their backs that looked so out of place, Seven would have loved to rename Skypiea Inazuma.
Why was he so set on it?
Because it was fun.
Of all the countries in the Pirate World, Wano Country was undoubtedly the one best suited to the name Inazuma.
Unfortunately, Cute More had his eye on Wano Country.
With Seven's current strength, even with Mihawk's help, he still couldn't defeat Kaido's crew. The gap wasn't just in individual strength, but in the number of crewmates, too.
The Rocks Pirates had disbanded after the battle at God Valley, fourteen years ago. Thirty-five-year-old Kaido was in his prime.
Seven, on the other hand, was only fifteen and still growing. It really wasn't the time to pick a fight with Kaido.
That was how Seven did things: he took one step, considered two, and planned for three. He had only just taken over Skypiea, and already he was thinking about bringing Wano Country under his wing.
The reason was its geography—
Skypiea sat ten thousand meters in the air, and only people with abilities like Seven's or Kizaru's could travel back and forth without trouble.
It was suitable as an early base, but not as the headquarters of the entire Pirate Crew.
Unless Seven had more points than he could spend and could equip every crewmate with a Flying Bamboo Dragonfly and a Flying Cape.
And what about Wano Country?
It was in the New World, and the only way in or out was through a treacherous waterfall. It was easy to defend and hard to attack, making it effective at keeping outside forces at bay.
It was also the only place where Sea Prism Stone could be mined and processed, giving it control over a strategic resource and the technology to work it.
It would make a much better headquarters for the Morning Star Pirates.
The only problem was how to defeat Kaido.
"Better wait a few more years."
Seven had just returned to Thunder God Palace and sat down when the former Skypiea faction, led by Gan Fall, and the former Shandia faction, led by Calpa, came in a great crowd to pay their respects.
"Lord Thunder God..."
Seven gestured for everyone to sit down first.
"I already know why you're here."
The deepest source of conflict between the Skypieans and Shandia people was the lack of land.
Of course, they also lacked mutual respect.
The Skypieans saw the Shandia people as savage invaders, while the Shandia people saw the Skypieans as shameless plunderers.
"The Skypiea Council, made up of elders from both sides, will allocate residential and farming land according to population."
"The two peoples will live and farm side by side."
"The Skypieans will provide Dials and cloud-sea technology, while the Shandia people will contribute their agricultural knowledge. Together, you'll establish a cooperative and develop efficient agriculture."
"The land in the former war zone is fertile, but it was isolated by the fighting and couldn't be put to good use. Now we need to use it properly and grow enough food to feed everyone."
"Also, the former God's Team and the Shandia Warriors will be reorganized into the Thunder Cloud Guards, responsible for security throughout the region, law enforcement, and putting down rebellions."
"Peace Day will be made a legal holiday."
"I have only one demand: fairness, fairness, and damn it, fairness."
Seven was halfway through his speech when a series of notification chimes rang out, making his head buzz.
Ding! Your listed item, Impact Dial, was purchased by the Warhammer User. You gained 9,000 points. Current balance: 11,916. Ding! Your listed item, Wind Spray Shell, was purchased by the Warhammer User. You gained 900 points. Current balance: 12,816. ... Ding! Your listed item, Octopus Hot Air Balloon, was purchased by the Warhammer User. You gained 900 points. Current balance: 15,966.
Seven looked stunned. As expected of a godlike figure who'd crossed over into Warhammer World—the buyer had cleared out every item he'd listed on the Trading Platform.
A true number-one big spender.
Warhammer Bro, I'd go through fire and water for you!
Seven took a deep breath to settle himself, then said solemnly, "Old Gan, Old Cal, I'll be counting on you."
"Yes, Lord Thunder God."
After everyone left, Seven started thinking about how to use this fortune of 15,966 points to improve his strength as much as possible.
The safest option was to buy Armament Haki and Observation Haki, which would cost ten thousand points altogether.
With the Rumble-Rumble Fruit amplifying his abilities, Awakening Observation Haki would give him even more confidence in battle.
Armament Haki would not only make up for Seven's biggest weakness—defense—but also lay the foundation for the next level of Armament Haki: Ryou.
There was another option, too.
The Iron Balloon—the same physique as Yonko Charlotte Linlin—cost 20,000 points.
Seven rubbed his temples, already clear on what to do. Armament Haki and Observation Haki could be acquired through training, but the Iron Balloon couldn't.
The Iron Balloon was an innate physique, independent of Armament Haki, and their defenses could be combined.
It was an extraordinarily powerful natural defensive ability, something one was born with. Ordinary swords, knives, and bullets couldn't harm its owner in the slightest.
It was the foundation of Big Mom's Natural Destroyer physique, and a perfect match for Seven's Innate Divine Strength.
It was obvious which one he should buy.
He didn't have enough points yet, but the listings would refresh in just three days.
This time, the Warhammer Bro had bought six different items. Four of them were Dials, and the Apocalypse User and Naruto User had bought them earlier.
Considering how well-off the Warhammer Bro was, he was likely to buy the other four Dials, too: the Water Shell, Flame Shell, Laser Dial, and Flash Shell.
Each one cost 1,000 points. Along with the other six items, that would be enough to buy the Iron Balloon.
"Better wait a little longer."
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