The morning mist had not yet dissipated at the port of Hachinosu.
The waves gently lapped against the dock, and the bodies of the spies who had been thrown out rose and fell with the tide.
The genetically engineered soldiers on duty at the port stood in their sentry post, holding hot tea, staring expressionlessly at the corpses.
They've gotten used to it after these three days.
The main island palace, Roy's office.
Roy stood by the window, toying with the fist-sized " Pure Gold " in his hand.
Golden light flowed between his fingers, illuminating the entire room.
He stared at the fake for a long time, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Bang bang bang!
"Come in."
Crocodile pushed open the door and entered, a cigar dangling from his mouth and a scroll of nautical chart in his hand.
He walked up to Roy and slammed the chart onto the table.
"The latest maritime situation map."
"Take a look!"
Crocodile exhaled a smoke ring.
" Whitebeard's men are still in the north, Big Mom hasn't moved in the south, and that old guy Golden Lion is floating in the sky."
Roy glanced at the sea chart, which was densely marked with the locations of various forces.
"What about those guys in the Underworld?" Roy asked.
Crocodile sneered, "They've hidden themselves. But they can't fool me. They've gathered in the southeast direction, quite far from the main channel, but with good visibility. Trying to catch the predator in the act."
Roy nodded without saying anything.
Crocodile looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Captain, are we just going to wait like this?"
"Wait," Roy said. "Now is not the time to act."
Crocodile frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded and turned to leave.
The door closed, and Roy looked out the window again.
On the distant sea, the fleets surrounding the islands could be vaguely seen, their flags fluttering in the wind.
For three days, they've just stood there, surrounding the area, and no one has moved.
Everyone is waiting.
What are we waiting for? For that lanternfish? For the appearance of Pure Gold? Or for someone else to be the first to give in?
Roy gripped the fake Pure Gold in his hand, the golden light shining on his face, flickering.
They're all pretty tolerant.
Let's see who can't hold back first.
The Whitebeard Pirates, the Moby Dick.
Marco leaned against the ship's railing, holding an apple in his hand, taking a bite, and glancing at the waters around Hachinosu in the distance.
Take a bite, glance at it. The apple is gone, but the island remains the same, unchanged.
"So boring." He threw the apple core into the sea. "It's been three days, why isn't that kid moving?"
Diamond Jozu stood to the side, arms crossed, like an iron tower. " Pops told us to wait, so we wait."
"Waiting and waiting, when will this end?" Marco stretched. "How's things going with Thatch?"
Jozu gestured towards the cabin with his chin. "Cooking. He's been so bored these past few days that he's been researching new recipes every day. This morning he even made some kind of ' Sea Kings Curry' and asked me to try it, but I didn't dare."
Marco laughed, "You're quite clever."
Vista emerged from the cabin, carefully wiping his twin swords with a cloth in his hand.
He walked onto the deck and looked in the direction of Hachinosu, his eyes calm.
" Marco, what do you think Roy is thinking?"
Marco shook his head. "Who knows? But if I were him, I would have been restless long ago. Being surrounded by so many forces, like being watched like a monkey, who could stand it?"
Vista chuckled. "So he's Roy, and you're not."
Marco rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue.
Queen Mama Chanter.
Katakuri stood motionless at the bow of the ship, like a statue.
Cracker paced back and forth behind him, circling around and sighing. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. " Katakuri- san, are we just going to wait like this? How are we going to explain this to Mom?"
"Mom told us to wait." Katakuri without turning his head.
"But--" Cracker was about to say something when Smoothie grabbed his shoulder.
"Stop arguing," Smoothie said coldly. "Mom's meaning is clear: wait for them to make the first move. Roy is a cunning kid; whoever strikes first will suffer."
Cracker pouted and squatted on the deck, drawing circles.
Katakuri remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the direction of Hachinosu.
He could sense a powerful aura emanating from the island. The aura was calm and restrained, yet it instinctively made him feel danger.
Roy.
What exactly is that man plotting?
Floating Sky Island.
Golden Lion Shiki lay on a beach chair, legs crossed, holding a coconut in his hand, taking a sip, and squinting at the sky.
Indigo danced beside him, gesturing wildly and shouting "Ah ah ah!"
Annoyed by his noise, Golden Lion raised his hand, and the two swords, Oto and Kogarashi, flew out and stuck near Indigo's feet, startling him so much that he jumped up.
"Quiet down," the Golden Lion said. "Give me some peace and quiet."
Indigo repeatedly, shrinking to one side and not daring to move.
The Golden Lion took another sip of coconut juice, gazing at the small golden dot floating on the sea in the distance—that was the Ark Maxim, now quietly resting at the port of Hachinosu.
" Roy, kid," he muttered, "What exactly do you want?"
It's been three days, and that kid hasn't made a sound. He just stays on the island every day, occasionally coming out for a walk, looking at the sea, and sunbathing, acting like nothing's wrong.
But the more this was the case, the more Golden Lion felt something was wrong.
That kid is definitely up to something.
G-1 Branch, Marine Base.
The Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood in the command room, in front of a huge electronic screen that displayed the real-time positions of various forces. Red dots, blue dots, yellow dots, and green dots were densely packed, making one's eyes dizzy.
Garp sat in the corner, legs crossed, crunching away on a rice cracker. Every bite sent crumbs flying everywhere.
" Garp!" Sengoku finally couldn't hold back anymore, "Can't you be serious for once?"
Garp looked up at him, still chewing on a senbei (rice cracker): "What's up?"
Sengoku pointed at the screen. "Look! So many pirates, surrounding one island! They could start fighting at any moment! And you still have the mind to eat!"
Garp swallowed the senbei and patted the crumbs off his hands. "They won't fight."
Sengoku was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Garp stood up, walked to the screen, and pointed to the dot on Hachinosu: "I've dealt with that kid before. If he wanted to fight, he would have done it already. The fact that he hasn't means he has other plans."
Sengoku frowned. "What are your plans?"
Garp shrugged. "I don't know. But I do know one thing—just wait and see."
Sengoku took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch someone.
Forget it, there's no point in arguing with this old man.
Hachinosu, training ground.
Bullet punched a huge rock.
boom--!
Rocks shattered, debris flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.
He stood in the dust, panting heavily, his eyes fierce.
Nearby, a group of new recruits who were training were huddled in a corner, too scared to even breathe.
" Bullet!" Tesoro's voice came from behind, "What's wrong with you now?"
Bullet turned around and saw Tesoro standing at the entrance of the training ground, followed by Crocodile and Red Count.
"I'm feeling down," Bullet said. "I'll hit some rocks to cheer myself up."
Tesoro walked over and looked at the rubble on the ground. "It's fine to keep you entertained, but don't scare the recruits. Look at them, they're all cowering like quails."
Bullet glanced at the group of recruits, snorted, and said nothing.
Crocodile walked over, a cigar dangling from his lips. "There's no use getting annoyed. In this situation, whoever moves first is at a disadvantage."
"How long will that take?" Bullet gritted his teeth. " Fisher Tiger others are fighting desperately out there, and we're just sitting here doing nothing?"
Red Count slowly spoke, " Bullet, there's no use in rushing me."
Before Pure Gold appeared, Hachinosu was actually the safest place.
Bullet looked at him.
Red Count continued, "Look at all those people outside— Whitebeard, Big Mom, Golden Lion, the Navy, the World Government, the Underworld ... What are they after as they surround us?"
They won't make a move until Pure Gold Pure Gold is available. They're afraid that if they do, someone else will get the bargain.
"So we just wait?" Bullet asked.
"Wait." Red Count nodded.
Bullet remained silent.
Tesoro patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, stop bothering me. Let's go get some drinks."
Bullet glanced at him, and finally nodded.