Since Xie Wen had never heard of any of the next three islands, he naturally left the choice to Klee Meow again.
Just as Xie Wen and his companions set off once more, news that Nico Robin had joined the ranks of the new Shichibukai, "Sapphire Star" Xie Wen, reached several major pirates through Doflamingo's deliberate arrangements.
Naturally, the Cipher Pol agents responsible for monitoring those major pirates learned of it too. Already happy to see this development, they even spread the news further.
As the news spread, the New World, which had begun to settle down, was suddenly thrown into chaos again. And at the center of that chaos were, naturally, Xie Wen and his companions, who remained unaware of it for the time being.
Actually, they could not quite be called unaware. After all, they had already speculated about something similar before, and besides...
"Buru buru buru..."
"Xie Wen! When did you get Nico Robin aboard your ship?!" Morgans's boisterous voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "Do you know that practically every pirate with any strength in the New World has their sights set on you now?!"
"Joker did it, right?" Xie Wen calmly picked his ear. "Besides, I already expected this to happen when I chose Robin as a companion."
"Hahahahaha! I knew you were someone who'd do big things!" After a moment's surprise, Morgans burst out laughing. "Have you finally decided to compete for the Pirate King's throne too?"
"No," Xie Wen firmly denied it. "First, I'm not a pirate. Second, I don't intend to become one. And finally, as I've told you before, I have absolutely no interest in that Pirate King business."
"Gah?!" Morgans's laughter cut off abruptly, and he asked in bewilderment, "Then why did you recruit Robin?"
"Hmm..."
Xie Wen glanced