Aboard the rapidly sailing imperial fleet.
"Your Majesty, according to the latest reports, Buggy the Clown has escaped our Goa Empire's territorial waters. He was spotted yesterday in the waters of the Glass Bead Kingdom."
"That guy sure can run!"
Wang Shi was completely unfazed by Buggy the Clown's escape.
That guy was slippery as ever.
No wonder he was a trainee pirate with the Roger Pirates, and a man blessed with Conqueror's Haki-level luck. He had roamed the seas with the Roger Pirates, escaped Golden Lion Shiki's encirclement, and evaded Fist Garp's pursuit...
Now he had escaped the Goa Empire's fleet as well.
If this clown Buggy had eaten the Paramecia Lucky-Lucky Fruit instead of the Chop-Chop Fruit,
then with his luck, probably not many people in the whole world would be able to kill him.
"Forget it! Full speed ahead. We're going to wipe out the El Drago Pirates."
Wang Shi waved a hand indifferently. One Buggy the Clown wouldn't make much difference.
Besides, this voyage through the four new provinces was meant to consolidate the Goa Empire's rule.
They would spread the empire's authority and the idea of Great Unification throughout the four provinces, intimidating the remnants of the old courts in the four kingdoms.
"Yes!"
···
After recovering from the injuries he had sustained in his fierce battle with the Cat Brothers a few days earlier,
Zoro threw himself into training with even greater intensity.
He looked like a madman who would train himself to death if training didn't kill him first.
He had actually been beaten to a pulp by the Cat Brothers, whose bounty was only 7 million Belly. What right did he have to challenge the World's Greatest Swordsman?
As Wang Shi had said,
if Hawkeye Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, had his bounty reinstated now, it would be at least 3 billion Belly.
That absurd bounty made Zoro feel the enormous, unbridgeable gulf between them.
The Cat Brothers, with a bounty of just 7 million Belly, had already been so difficult. How could he possibly fight Hawkeye Mihawk, whose bounty was over 3 billion Belly?
But Zoro never lost his determination to grow stronger.
Instead, he felt that Hawkeye Mihawk truly deserved to be the World's Greatest Swordsman.
The World's Greatest Swordsman ought to be worth a bounty at that level.
If the World's Greatest Swordsman were worth only a few hundred million, wouldn't that cheapen the title?
He would feel ashamed even to try to take the title from him.
The stronger the World's Greatest Swordsman was and the higher his bounty, the more the title was worth. That was exactly the ambition and dream Zoro pursued.
He would make his name ring throughout the world, all the way to heaven, so Kuina would hear of him.
···
When the others heard that Hawkeye Mihawk's bounty exceeded 3 billion Belly, they were all badly shaken.
After all, Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Belly, was already the strongest in East Blue. He had turned the villages where Nami and Nojiko lived into hell.
Seeing how hard Zoro was training, Saka threw himself into training too. He didn't want to fall too far behind Zoro.
He had his own pride and dreams.
Eric watched Wang Shi, Zoro, and Saka training like madmen on the deck, the corners of his mouth twitching.
Did these monsters have to work so hard?!
He couldn't possibly keep up with such a terrifying training regimen.
Even Van Augur was unnerved watching them.
He was genuinely afraid Wang Shi would drag him into training at the same intensity.
Jango, Sam, Buchi, and the other pirate slaves also trained, hoping to earn Wang Shi's forgiveness.
But they could only keep it up for a while before they fell hopelessly behind the three monsters.
"Isn't this a bit much?"
Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya whispered among themselves. But when Wang Shi trained, his muscles glistening with sweat, their eyes really did light up.
···
With Zoro, a self-disciplined training fanatic, around, even Wang Shi became more motivated.
"What a thoroughly satisfying workout."
Wang Shi took the towel and water Kaya and Nojiko handed him. Kaya and the ship's doctor immediately checked him over, while Nojiko prepared a nutritious meal for him.
"It's admirable that Your Majesty works so hard, even as the ruler of a kingdom."
Saka finally understood why Wang Shi had conquered four kingdoms and become the King of Exile, feared throughout East Blue.
His strange Exile Ability aside, such diligence and perseverance were essential qualities too.
"Because there are too many monsters in this world."
"If I don't grow stronger, I'll end up as someone else's meal."
Wang Shi's expression turned serious. The power of the Toki Toki no Mi alone wasn't enough to let him live freely.
He needed to grow stronger. He had to train in powerful martial arts and master Three-Color Haki.
Besides, using the Toki Toki no Mi also required a strong body and plenty of strength.
"Your Majesty will surely become one of the Shichibukai someday, perhaps even as powerful as one of the Four Emperors."
Van Augur spoke with utmost seriousness, as if he had glimpsed the hand of fate.
"Haha, as you wish, Van Augur!"
"I hope you'll become a great figure like one of the Three Disasters or Four Sweet Commanders too."
Wang Shi laughed. His goals went beyond the Shichibukai and the Four Emperors. His ultimate aim was to replace Imu, take the Empty Throne, and become the new King of the World!
"I'll do my best."
Van Augur smiled. Mosshead Zoro dreamed of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman. Was his own dream not to become the world's greatest sniper?
Yasopp the Chaser, who also hailed from East Blue, was the senior officer of a Four Emperors crew known as the world's greatest sniper. He was Van Augur's target.
Fortunately, Van Augur didn't yet know that Yasopp's son was the slingshot brat they'd met that day in Syrup Village.
Otherwise, who knew if he would be disappointed in Usopp, the useless son of a great father, and shoot the incontinent waste dead?
Eric felt that Wang Shi thought very highly of Mosshead Zoro and that bastard Van Augur.
One wanted to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, and the other wanted to become the world's greatest sniper...
Did you need the ambition to be the best to earn Wang Shi's respect?
Should he come up with a dream of becoming the world's best at something too?
Never mind whether he could actually do it.
He just had to show off a little in front of Wang Shi.
Besides, Eric didn't believe that brat Zoro could become the World's Greatest Swordsman, and he believed even less that Van Augur could become the world's greatest sniper.
It seemed His Majesty Wang Shi liked people who loudly proclaimed their dreams.
"Your Majesty, I also aspire to become the world's greatest at slashing!"
Eric's eyes darted about. He didn't care whether it was feasible. He might as well proclaim his dream first.
"The world's greatest at slashing?"
Wang Shi looked at Eric strangely. What in the world was the world's greatest at slashing?
That was usually part of the package for the World's Greatest Swordsman.
"That's right! I'm going to train my Scythe Wind Blade Ability until it becomes the world's strongest Flying Slash!"
Eric wore an utterly determined expression. He had a little of Zoro and Van Augur's spirit, though his performance was a bit too obvious.
"Good. I'll look forward to seeing what you can do."
Wang Shi smiled without exposing Eric. A flatterer who wanted to prove himself might genuinely produce unexpected results.
The treacherous ministers of history had never lacked the abilities or means of the famous ones.
Perhaps, spurred on and encouraged by Zoro and the others, an eager-to-impress Eric could reach heights he would otherwise never have attained.
In any case, it couldn't hurt Wang Shi.