In the West Blue, the Kingdom of Flowers was a nation that exuded an ancient Eastern aesthetic.
Badak and his crew disembarked at the port without drawing much attention, even though two of their members were from the Tontatta Tribe.
"This country seems quite prosperous," someone remarked.
In a secluded spot, Robin had already activated her ability and began gathering information, quickly uncovering some details.
"It's said this place used to be even more prosperous. The eight naval forces served as both the kingdom's shield and its sword, venturing out to plunder treasures and bringing back vast wealth. The Celestial Tribute demanded by the World Government was mere pocket change for them."
"But later, the strongest of them all, Chin Jao the Drill, was subdued by the Marine hero Vice Admiral Garp. Chin Jao lost his prized pointed head, becoming flat-headed, and his strength greatly diminished. The Kingdom of Flowers has since kept a much lower profile."
"It's hard to say whether this wasn't the World Government targeting them. After all, the World Government probably doesn't want another Germa 66 emerging in the West Blue!"Badak and the others watched as Robin shared the intelligence. Even though they had witnessed it many times before, it still felt incredible. What kind of mind did Robin have? She could integrate all sorts of scattered information into usable intelligence in such a short time.
"Is there any news about the leaders of the various water armies?" Badak asked.
Robin shook her head. "Nothing particularly useful—just rumors. However, Chin Jao is a hot topic."
Badak looked puzzled. "It's been many years since Chin Jao was defeated by Garp, and he's hardly made any appearances since then. Why is he being mentioned now?"
Robin didn't answer immediately this time. She sorted through the clues again before speaking. "It's likely about succession. The leaders of the other water armies have mostly completed their power transitions in recent years, with new leaders officially taking over. But the Eight Treasures Water Army still has Chin Jao, the 12th leader, in charge. He's clearly stepped back from managing affairs and has been focused on trying to open the Jewel Ice Mountain all these years. Yet, the position of the 13th leader of the Eight Treasures Water Army remains undecided."
"Jewel Ice Mountain? That's perfect! If Chin Jao is there, he probably won't allow other leaders to appear—it's the treasure vault of the Eight Treasures Water Army! Robin, can you find out where the Jewel Ice Mountain is?"
Badak was overjoyed. His biggest fear was Chin Jao being in a bustling city. Even if he had the opportunity, Badak wouldn't act recklessly in such a place—the destruction would be too great.
Robin continued using her Devil Fruit ability for a while longer before her face turned slightly pale. "It's a bit difficult. Gathering intel this way probably won't work. Let's head to the Eight Treasures Water Army's base and see if we can find anyone transporting supplies to Chin Jao. Alternatively, we could study the map of the Flower Country and look for any ice mountains."
Robin was clearly mentally exhausted. Badak quickly urged her to stop. "No rush. Studying the map and searching for clues can be done slowly. Our main goal is adventure and travel, after all. Why don't we explore the Flower Country first? I'm quite interested in this nation."
"Aren't you worried Moria might grow impatient? He did say he'd head to the Grand Line at any time," Robin asked, uncrossing her arms.
"Who knows if our cooperation with Moria will even work out? Last time, I made a mistake—I recommended he seek out Hogback. Hogback is the finest surgeon on the seas. If it's him, he should be able to treat most physical injuries."
Badak spoke with some regret. "In that case, the damage caused by forcibly using shadow training would no longer be a problem for Moria. His need for dandelions would decrease."
"Boss, are you saying Moria will most likely ditch us and go solo?" Daz Bones asked calmly.
"Who can say? What I'm worried about now is Moria gathering many skilled doctors to assist Hogback in helping him. And tell me—do you think medical skills can be shared through shadow abilities?"Badak didn't expect anyone to answer and continued speaking to himself, "A doctor's medical skills have limits, but what if you could concentrate the skills of many doctors into one person? If a group of doctors exchanged shadows to quickly master each other's medical techniques, what kind of scene would that create? If Moria ever has this epiphany, he'll be sought after by all doctors—or rather, all professionals."
"Hiss." Upon hearing Badak's words, everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"What nonsense about Gekko Moria the Great Educator—that's just too absurd."
Perona couldn't even imagine how wrong that scenario would look.
"Let's go. Things are already like this. At worst, it'll be the World Government's headache. We're just free-spirited traveling adventurers after all."
Badak clapped his hands, cutting off everyone's wild thoughts, and took the lead in walking forward.
Time passed quickly as Badak and the others wandered around the Flower Country, eating, drinking, and having fun. Before they knew it, it was already the end of January. Badak had turned ten on the 23rd—officially entering double digits now.
In an extremely frigid region, Badak and his companions, bundled up tightly, trudged forward slowly.
"This is the last possible location for the Jewel Ice Mountain. If this isn't it, then we'll have no choice but to infiltrate the Happo Navy to investigate," Robin said, checking the map in her hand. Many X marks had already been drawn on it.
"I have a feeling we've got it right this time," Badak declared confidently.
"Cut it out," Perona groaned. "You said the exact same thing at the first place—and every place after that. And yet, none of them were right."
She was beyond exasperated. She should've known better than to let Badak lead the way.
"Hmph, Perona, I was doing it on purpose. Didn't you notice you'd gained weight after the New Year? Thanks to this trip, you've slimmed back down."
Truthfully, Badak couldn't believe his own rotten luck either. Each location had been chosen at random, and the odds of getting it right should've increased the more they searched. Yet, somehow, they'd managed to miss every single one until now. If this last spot wasn't it, fine. But if the Jewel Ice Mountain really was here, Badak swore he'd never step foot near a casino again.
"You're the one who got fat!" Perona shot back, refusing to believe him.
"Ohhh, I see!" Leo and Mansherry nodded in unison, actually buying into Badak's nonsense. There was no helping it—despite having spent a fair amount of time outside, the Tontattas were inherently simple-hearted. And since Badak had protected them well, they still retained some of their innocent naivety.
"Wait—someone's coming. They've noticed us. Get behind me!"
In the freezing cold, Badak didn't bother having Robin scout ahead. Instead, he unleashed his Observation Haki to sense their surroundings and quickly detected a figure approaching at incredible speed.
As the person drew closer, Badak immediately recognized him—a towering figure over five meters tall, with a thick beard and an aged face. It was none other than his target: Chin Jao, the "Chin" of the Happo Navy.
To think they'd only found the right place at the very last location.
"Who dares trespass into the Happo Navy's forbidden grounds? No matter. Consider yourselves unlucky. Remember in your next life not to wander where you don't belong."
Chin Jao's eyes narrowed as he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, intending to crush Badak and the others under its pressure. Considering his status, he didn't want to dirty his hands with random intruders. Knocking them unconscious with his Haki and letting them freeze to death in the bitter cold was more than enough.
"Perfect!"
Badak was thrilled. He'd been itching to experience this kind of Conqueror's Haki clash again. Ever since sparring with Hancock, he hadn't encountered anyone else who could use it.
Focusing his will, Badak unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, meeting Chin Jao's head-on.
The two overwhelming auras collided in midair, grinding against each other, neither willing to yield. The clouds above churned violently.