Roy followed the dragon into the cabin.
Upon closer inspection, Roy noticed a nautical chart of the East Blue Sea pinned to the wall, with the locations of seven or eight Revolutionary Army branches marked in red.
But the dragon was completely unprepared for this.
Two jugs of wine and several earthenware cups were on the table; no snacks were even prepared.
Ivankov ushered everyone out, and the moment he closed the door, his exaggerated smile vanished. He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms, and his expression turned serious.
The Karasu stood in the corner, still silent, but its gaze had shifted from the pages of the book to between Roy and the dragon.
Dragon sat down at the table and gestured with his chin toward Roy:
" Morgans handled the matter of the Heavenly Tribute' brilliantly; the World Government was outmaneuvered by the media he himself had promoted."
The old folks smashed so many cups in Mary Geoise; their Revolutionary Army informants alone sent back over a dozen messages.
"Just doing it casually," Roy said casually.
"You're not one to do things just because they're convenient." Long looked directly at him. "Everything you do has a purpose."
Roy took a sip of his drink and shook his head helplessly.
"It really was just an accident, a coincidence."
"But..."
Long raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for Roy to continue.
"I've already had Tesoro exchange the Heavenly Tribute for food, medicine, and weapons in batches through Hachinosu's trade network."
This batch of supplies was also distributed, through the Revolutionary Army's secret transport channels across the Four Blues, to the Affiliated Nation forces in dozens of Affiliated Nation in the East Blue, South Blue, North Blue, and West Blue, who were struggling to breathe under the weight of the Heavenly Tribute."
Upon hearing this, Ivankov finally couldn't help but speak:
"Hip hop! Roy boy!"
"So the Revolutionary Army's rapid development over the past few years was all thanks to your strategic planning."
Ivankov's exaggeratedly large face immediately moved closer to Roy.
"I've been saying that in recent years, every kingdom the Revolutionary Army has been paying attention to seems to have a resistance force."
" Roy! You're so cunning!"
Roy swirled his wine glass but didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Xianlong.
" Dragon, what is the purpose of your trip this time?"
Upon hearing this, Long put down his wine cup, stood up, walked to the sea chart, and pointed to the East Blue.
"During my trip to the East Blue, the supporters of the Revolutionary Army have raised a batch of grain, which I need to receive personally. I also want to take this opportunity to check on the development of the Revolutionary Army branches throughout the East Blue."
" East Blue?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm." The dragon turned to look at him. "Are you going back to Hachinosu? Or are you going to come with me on this roundabout route?"
Roy lowered his eyelids and tapped his fingertips lightly on the rim of his wine glass.
The word " East Blue " is like a pebble thrown into still water—as far as Roy knows, Shimotsuki Koshiro is one of the supporters of the Revolutionary Army.
Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo, Koshiro, Kuina, Zoro...
Roy had many images flashing through his mind, but the one that finally settled on was the girl who dreamed of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman.
And then there's that staircase scene in the original novel that has left countless people resentful.
"To the East Blue."
Roy set down his glass, the bottom of which tapped crisply on the table.
Dragon was taken aback for a moment. He thought Roy would refuse.
After all, given his status as the " Heavenly Dao Emperor," he had a ton of things to deal with in the New World. Following the Revolutionary Army to the East Blue sounded like a leisurely pursuit, not something Roy would do.
But the dragon saw the glint in Roy's eyes. It was so fleeting that only someone who had known him for years could catch it.
But the dragon knew what that meant—
Whenever Roy showed that expression, it meant that something that interested him was about to happen.
"Alright." Long didn't ask any further questions.
Roy turned to look at Tesoro.
Tesoro had already straightened up before Roy could speak.
He knows his boss too well; every time he speaks in this tone, it means he's about to give him a lot of responsibility.
"Take Savi, Charon, Kazami, Van Augur, and the scientists on the ship and go back to Hachinosu first."
"Explain the situation at Amazon Lily to Bullet and Crocodile, and tell them I'm going to take a detour to the East Blue and will be back soon."
Tesoro paused for a second, then nodded. "Understood. So, boss, you're going to the East Blue alone? What if something happens—"
"There's a dragon." Roy said casually.
Tesoro almost rolled his eyes.
He clearly wanted to go too, but his boss wouldn't agree. However, since his boss had made up his mind, he didn't say anything more, except for one more thing.
"I always carry Den Den Mushi with me; call me anytime if you need anything."
"Got it." Roy waved his hand.
When the Ark Maxim took off again, Roy stood on the deck of the Revolutionary Army's sailing ship, watching the golden spaceship pierce through the clouds and fly towards the New World.
Savi waved to Roy from the stern, Kazami his sword in hand, and Van Augur had already set up his sniper rifle on the ship's side.
Charon didn't turn around, but simply waved one hand as a farewell.
"Your men." Dragon walked up to Roy and handed him a freshly poured jug of wine.
Roy took the flask, looking at the trailing trace of the Ark Maxim, his tone surprisingly gentle:
"They're all good guys."
The Revolutionary Army's sailboats turned around and headed towards Reverse Mountain.
The sea surface in the Calm Belt remained smooth as a mirror, with the occasional back of Sea Kings rising and sinking from the surface not far away, the splashes creating white ripples in the sunlight.
"Dragon," Roy suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
"On this trip to the East Blue, I need to go to one place first."
Roy turned around and leaned against the ship's railing. Sunlight streamed in from behind him, casting his expression in a soft, shadowy glow.
Do you know Shimotsuki Village?
Dragon paused for a moment. He turned to look at Roy, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
" Shimotsuki Village? That place, how come you..."
There is a Isshin Dojo.
Roy finished the sentence for him.
"The dojo master's surname is Shimotsuki, and his name is Koshiro."
The dragon's expression became quite interesting at that moment.
It wasn't shock, but rather the complex feeling one gets when a seemingly unrelated secret is suddenly revealed.
He was silent for a few seconds, then leaned against the gunwale, standing side by side with Roy.
How do you know Koshiro?
"I have my own way."
Roy's tone was very flat.
"And I also know that a large part of the food you raised this time was arranged with his help, right?"
Shimotsuki Village may be called a small village, but it is actually an important stronghold of your East Blue Revolutionary Army.
"That guy Koshiro has some kind of connection with your Revolutionary Army, doesn't he?"
Long observed Roy's expression, as if he were reassessing the man's intelligence network, and then nodded calmly.
"He was very important to the Revolutionary Army and helped a lot."
This person has always kept a low profile and has never wanted to publicly associate himself with us, but what he did is something no one else in the East Blue Revolutionary Army could do.
"Rest assured."
Roy picked up the flask and took a sip.
"I'm just going to check out the dojo and see a few kids."
Dragon didn't know why Roy wanted to see the "little kid."
But look at the expression on this emperor of the sea's face—lazy with a hint of amusement, it doesn't seem like he's going to do something, but rather to have some fun.
Dragon didn't ask any more questions. Although the two didn't meet often, they kept in touch through Den Den Mushi a type of Den Den Mushi).
The dragon could also understand Roy's personality.
There's no point in asking a man if he doesn't want to talk about something. But when he does want to talk about it, he will naturally tell you.
The ship continued heading towards Reverse Mountain.
The sea breeze blows from the East Blue Sea, carrying a faint, salty smell.
Roy leaned against the ship's railing, gazing towards the East Blue, the smile on his lips never fading.
Shimotsuki Village. Isshin Dojo. Koshiro. Kuina. Zoro. He's here.