"That's right. There really are some incredibly strong samurai there," Ares replied.
Vista's eyes instantly sparkled, and his interest in Wano surged.
Whitebeard reached out and rubbed Vista's head with a grin.
"Gurararara! If we're talking about a true samurai, the one standing in front of you is the real deal!"
"Huh?" Vista looked up curiously.
Whitebeard explained, "Ares is from Wano too. With his strength, he should be Wano's undisputed strongest samurai!"
"I've mentioned his swordsmanship to you before. It's completely unique!"
"Amazing!!"
Vista cried out in shock, staring at Ares with even more admiration.
Ares laughed. "Big Bro Whitebeard, you're praising me so much I'm getting embarrassed. So, what do you think? Interested in going to Wano for a little visit?"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Of course I'm going! How could I not? I'm very curious about that mysterious land of Wano myself!"
"Yay!"
Marco immediately cheered.
"Then let's all head to Wano together!"
"We'll get to witness the legendary elegance of the samurai!!"
Seeing how happy his sons were, Whitebeard's face took on a warm, fatherly smile.
That made Ares think to himself, Whitebeard's dad aura is getting stronger and stronger.
He said, "Big Bro Whitebeard, if you're ready, I'll take all of you to Wano right now."
"Let's go," Whitebeard said.
Ares' body suddenly transformed, turning into a majestic azure dragon that coiled through the sky.
Marco, Jozu, and the others immediately stared with wide eyes.
"A dragon... a real dragon! This is way too awesome!!"
"So this is the power of a Mythical Zoan?! It's way bigger than Marco's Phoenix!!"
"This is the kind of creature that only exists in myths. Just looking at it makes you feel fear and awe!"
At that moment, Ares created strand after strand of flame clouds from his dragon claws and wrapped them around everyone's bodies.
They were strung together like candied hawthorn skewers.
"Let's move!"
The azure dragon shot through the sky at high speed, vanishing into the clouds.
"Ahhh!"
"I'm not going to fall, right?!"
"If we fall from this height, we'll be smashed into paste, won't we?!"
"Pops!!"
For these kids, it was their first time flying at such terrifying altitude and speed. They could not help screaming in panic.
Whitebeard burst out laughing.
"Gurararara! Don't be scared. Ares isn't going to let us fall out of the sky!"
For his adopted sons, Marco, Jozu, and Vista, Whitebeard's voice and laughter seemed to carry some kind of strange magic.
Very quickly, the three calmed down.
Marco curiously reached out and tried to grab the clouds drifting through the air. "Once I master my Phoenix form, I'll be able to soar freely through the sky too. I'll fly this high..."
"And enjoy what freedom really feels like!!"
Jozu said excitedly, "Looking down from up here, the sea has turned completely blue-green. It's beautiful!"
Vista smiled. "This really is a magical experience. By following Pops, we'll get to see the beauty of the sea and build a home of our own!"
"And begin an incredible adventure!"
They raced on from day into night.
At night, the scenery turned into something entirely different. Stars glittered across the heavens, blinking endlessly.
A silver moon hung over the black curtain of the sky, spilling out a soft white glow.
The breathtaking night view left the three boys completely mesmerized. They kept pointing at constellations, claiming one looked like an animal, another like a person, shouting in wonder again and again.
Eventually, the night began to fade.
Dawn's first light split the sky. Crimson light painted both heaven and sea, merging sun and ocean into what looked like a folded, mirrored sun.
By then, though, the three little boys had already dozed off. Tiny bubbles rose from their noses, and soft snores escaped them.
Gradually, the outline of islands appeared ahead.
Ares reminded him, "Big Bro Whitebeard, Wano is almost here."
Whitebeard looked as lively as ever. A bright gleam flashed in his eyes as he said in surprise, "This is Wano?! Then why are there two small islands beside it?!"
And more than that, he could sense countless beastly auras coming from those islands, and many of them were not weak.
"I moved them here from elsewhere on the sea," Ares said.
Whitebeard froze for a moment, then gave a grin full of anticipation. "Gurararara! Ares, your ideas really are something else. In your hands, who knows what Wano will become in the future?"
At the same time, he could not help feeling emotional.
Two or three years ago, when he had first met Ares, the guy had still been a reckless brute, an ignorant calf unafraid of tigers.
But now...
Ares had truly grown into someone capable of standing on his own, even of contending for supremacy over the seas.
A king.
Ares said, "This is only the beginning. If I really want to turn Wano into a superpower capable of standing against the World Government..."
"There's still a very, very long road ahead."
The World Government and Imu had once defeated the advanced civilization led by Joy Boy over eight hundred years ago.
And Joy Boy, the Sun God of that age, seemed to have been deeply connected to many powers.
Fish-Man Island, Zou, Wano, the Giants, even Zunesha.
Just thinking about it told him how overwhelming that faction must have been.
And even so, they had still fallen to the alliance of twenty kingdoms. After centuries of World Government rule, that force had only become even stronger.
Ares understood this clearly.
The road to overthrowing the World Government was long and arduous.
Hearing the ambition in Ares' words, Whitebeard looked shaken, then smiled.
"Gurararara! No wonder your presence keeps growing stronger and stronger. At this rate, you'll surpass even Rocks before long."
Ares' expression suddenly turned serious. "Big Bro Whitebeard, if one day I go to war with the World Government, will you stand with me?"
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
"If that day really comes, how could I possibly stay out of it?!"
"A feat like that, a war like that, would be remembered by history itself. It would change the world. For a true strong man, that's the finest ending possible!"
Ares smiled knowingly. "Hahaha! Then even if we die, we'll die in a way that shakes the heavens!"
With Whitebeard's promise, Ares felt even more at ease.
Then he grinned and said, "Don't worry, Big Bro Whitebeard. You won't die. But if you do, your sons will become my sons. I'll take care of them for you!"
???
The three little kids, who had just woken up, instantly looked up at Ares with blank, dumbfounded expressions.
Whitebeard immediately flew into a rage. "Ares, you bastard! They're my sons! At most, you can only be their uncle!"
"Uncle works too."
Ares' lips curled upward.
"Well, little brats, did you hear that? Hurry up and call me Uncle!"
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