After speaking with Roger for a while.
Roger was also eagerly anticipating the start of his journey to find the Laugh Tale.
After bidding each other farewell, the members of both sides boarded their respective pirate ships.
Roy stood at the bow of the ship, quietly watching Roger and his crew sail away.
"Boss, where do we go next?" Tesoro asked, leaning closer. "Should we continue tracking the Roger Pirates?"
Roy shook his head.
"No, we've already gained enough during this period. Now we should consolidate our strength, and also..."
Roy turned to face his crew, his gaze sweeping over each face before finally settling on Dr. Gracia.
"We should get on with my plan now. First, we need to find a location and help the PhD student set up his lab. This could be a crucial part of our future global domination."
Roy's words lifted everyone's spirits.
Having fought against legendary pirates one after another, they definitely need time to digest what they've learned, and establishing a stable base is something everyone has been looking forward to for a long time.
" Roy is right!"
Bullet crossed his arms. "We really need a proper base; we can't keep drifting at sea forever."
But where should we go?
"Most of the islands in the New World are currently in the hands of a few major pirate groups. With our current military strength, it would be very difficult to take them over."
"Yes!" Roy nodded.
" Tesoro's concerns are not unfounded, but we can go to Wano Country. It's a good place, easy to defend and difficult to attack."
"Perfect for our development!"
Stella unfolded the sea chart she had obtained in exchange for Whitebeard and examined the description of Wano Country.
" Wano Country is indeed an ideal choice, with its natural barrier of being surrounded by the sea on all sides, plus the entrance of a precipitous waterfall,"
"Moreover, the area is rich in Seastone..."
"Hey, Roy!" Hawk Eyes interrupted Stella's introduction.
" Wano Country should be Oden's country, right? Wouldn't it be bad if we just occupied it directly?"
Hawk Eyes's words silenced everyone.
Bullet scoffed, "So what if it Kozuki Oden...?"
"Yes, even he can't stop us," Savi immediately chimed in.
"But... given our relationship with Roger, and Whitebeard..."
" Tesoro, what are you afraid of?" Savi looked at Tesoro with a mocking expression.
"That's right, that's right, coward, Tesoro,"
Enel and Pea echoed in agreement.
This made Tesoro's forehead crease with annoyance. "You bunch of brats, who are you calling a coward? You want a beating, don't you!"
Come on, come on, come on.
Seeing the topic had somehow veered off-topic, Roy sighed helplessly and quickly raised his hand to stop the argument.
"I already have a plan; I'm heading straight to Wano Country now!"
Seeing that Roy had made his decision, no one objected.
For a long time, every decision Roy made led them to a path of greater strength, and this trust had been firmly established through countless adventures.
"Since we're going to Wano Country,"
Stella studied the nautical chart carefully.
"We need to pass through Whitebeard's territory first, but given our relationship with Whitebeard, we shouldn't be stopped."
Tesoro had already taken out paper and pen and started calculating.
"We need to prepare supplies for at least three months. As for food, we have Pea, so we don't need to worry."
Wano Country is closed off from the outside world, making it difficult for supplies to enter. We'll need to procure other supplies along the way.
"Alright, everyone."
Let's begin preparations.
With the order given, the Ark Maxim immediately sprang into action, everyone preparing for the upcoming new adventure.
Roy stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant horizon, silently planning his next move.
The ship moved slowly forward, following the route customized by Stella, heading towards Wano Country.
Pea is busy preparing food supplies in the ship's growing room, while everyone on board continues their high-intensity exercise routine.
After witnessing Roy and the others' battle, Moria, who had initially planned to escape, became completely docile.
Under Bullet's tutelage, Moria's potential was rapidly unleashed, and his strength increased significantly in a short period of time.
His transformation amazed Dr. Gracia, who had nothing else to do, and he was eager to get the laboratory set up immediately.
This would allow him to begin studying Moria's bloodline.
Vera, on the other hand, obediently followed Stella's training regimen.
Three days later,
A bustling trading island came into view.
"This is ' Market Island ' Qiya."
Stella introduced,
"This is a neutral trading island under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates, and it has a full range of supplies."
Ark Maxim slowly docked, it immediately attracted countless gazes. Such a magnificent ship was a rare sight even in the New World.
The group disembarked one after another, except for Bullet and Hawk Eyes, who showed no interest in the purchase and stayed on the ship to cultivate.
The island's market was bustling with activity, as vendors from all over the world hawked a variety of goods.
Food, weapons, medicine, daily necessities, and even information about some rare Devil Fruit are circulating in the shadows.
As soon as they entered the market, everyone was captivated by the lively scene before them.
Savi, Charon, Enel asked Pea for a few gold coins and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Roy looked at the eager Pea, smiled, and patted his head.
"Go ahead and tell them not to wander off and to get back on the ship early."
"Uh-huh!"
Pea, who couldn't wait any longer, immediately took off the storage bag from her waist, threw it into Roy's hand, and quickly chased after the direction where Savi and the others had disappeared.
" Roy, Vera and I are going to buy some girls' things. We'll meet on the ship then."
Seeing Roy nod, the two left hand in hand.
Upon witnessing this, Tesoro also wanted to make a run for it.
"Boss, I..."
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Roy slammed the storage bag and shopping list into Tesoro's arms.
"I still need to gather some intelligence, so you take Moria and the Doctor to do the shopping."
After handing the purchasing task over to Tesoro, Roy used his Observation Haki to find himself in a secluded bookstore.
The shop owner was an elderly man wearing thick glasses, and the bookshelves inside were filled with various nautical logs, historical books, and geographical atlases.
The old man was sitting behind the counter, half asleep. Roy went up to him and tapped on the countertop.
The old man jolted awake, jerked his head up, and adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose.
Upon seeing the young man's face clearly, a hint of shock flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"Oh, guest! What books would you like?"
"I don't want books, I'm here to buy some information."
Roy casually flipped open a book on the counter; the shock that had flashed in the old man's eyes earlier hadn't escaped Roy's notice.
This old man was the island's intelligence broker, and he directly revealed Roy's purpose.
The cloudiness in the old man's eyes vanished, and he adjusted his glasses.
"Guest, what kind of information do you need?"