Fish-Man Scaling the Sheer Cliff

Under the orders of the Celestial Dragons, a massive search operation unfolded around Mary Geoise, including the Sabaody Archipelago.

Yet the escaped slave seemed to have vanished into thin air. There was not a trace of him on the Sabaody Archipelago, nor were there any clues nearby.

"Damn it, did that guy just vanish into thin air?"

"That slave's features are too distinctive for him to simply disappear. He must be hiding somewhere. Search faster! If the Celestial Dragons blame us, we'll be in deep trouble!"

No one noticed that beneath the search ship, a red tigerfish fish-man with a headscarf and thick curly hair swam quietly toward the Fish-Man Kingdom ten thousand meters below Mary Geoise, his eyes brimming with fury.

Before long, the disturbance caused by the slave's escape gradually subsided, but an even greater storm was brewing in secret.

The sky was a flawless blue as a lone island cloud drifted toward the heart of the New World.

"Ha... ha... ha... I'm so tired, big brother. When can we finally rest...?"

Yamato lay weakly atop the cloud. The Seastone collar and Gravity Ring around his body overlapped, nearly squeezing out the last of his strength.

"Once you master the advanced application of Armament Haki, Ryuo, you can try destroying the Seastone collar yourself. Keep working hard."

After tossing out that perfunctory reply, Hanazuki turned his head and glanced toward Hiyori.

"Ugly, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake, Tiger—Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

White mist swirled around them, and in the next moment, three Hiyoris stared at one another with six eyes, their faces lighting up with delight.

"Wonderful! I did it, Yamato! I did it!"

"Waaah, that's amazing! A ninja clone! I'm so jealous! Big brother, I want to learn that too! I want to learn it too!"