Firedrop Island.
This was a massive, festive island surrounded by a jagged perimeter of three dormant volcanoes. A bustling, neon-lit town was built directly at the foot of the mountains, while the steep slopes featured beautifully terraced natural hot springs.
At the geographic center of the entire island was a massive, crystal-clear lake. A wide, artificial waterway connected the southern part of the lake directly to the sea, and an extravagant, fairy-tale-style water park town was built over the lake itself.
York and his elite group docked and landed on the southern part of Firedrop Island, right where the waterway met the open sea, which was also the primary location of the Hot Spring Town.
Due to the Pirate Expo currently being held here, the entire Hot Spring Town was brightly decorated with banners, lanterns, and confetti, filled with an overwhelming, chaotic festive atmosphere.
Male and female pirates, dressed in various flashy or casual outfits, strolled along the bustling streets. The sounds of raucous laughter, clinking beer mugs, and joyous music drifted from the nearby water park.
"So this is the Pirate Expo? It's so lively!"
Olga and Ginny, the two young girls of the crew, looked at the bustling, colorful scene before them, their big eyes filled with unadulterated joy and curiosity.
York, wearing a sharp, casual dark suit with his coat draped over his shoulders, and Gunko—who had also shed her formal gown for a casual short-sleeved shirt and fitted jeans—landed on the island right behind them.
Seeing Ginny and Olga's eager, vibrating expressions, York knew it would be almost impossible to get them to do anything covert or serious in this chaotic situation. So, he generously declared his orders.
"Our primary purpose for coming here this time is to have fun and relax!" York announced. "But even when having fun, you must pay attention to your safety! We don't know when Buena Festa's trap will spring, so you must absolutely operate in groups!"
After a brief pause, York assigned the tactical groups.
"Ivankov, Ginny, Kuma, Olga. You four are Group A. Bullet, you and King are Group B. I'll be with Gunko."
York held up a finger. "I have only one absolute rule for you!"
"Every night at 8:00 PM, when we call roll at the hotel suite, no group can be missing anyone! Otherwise, there will be a severe physical punishment waiting for you when we return to the Empire! Other than that, there are no other requirements!"
With that, York took out a few glossy Pirate Expo event flyers he had secured beforehand from Stussy.
"There are a few major competitions listed on here that you can participate in if you wish. The grand prizes are supposedly quite good, including a massive batch of Devil Fruits."
Ivankov and Bullet each took a flyer and read it carefully.
Among those who came to the Pirate Expo this time, those two—along with Olga—were the only ones who didn't possess Devil Fruit abilities. With most of the core members of the entire Pirate Crew already being powerful ability users, they were quite eager to obtain a Devil Fruit of their own to solidify their standing.
"Hee-haw!!" Ivankov smiled, adjusting his mascara. "The Pirate Triathlon! That sounds very interesting! And I see a Devil Fruit I want on the prize list!!"
Bullet's intense gaze, on the other hand, was focused on another specific competition on the flyer.
"A Fighting Tournament? The winner takes all? The prize is also a Devil Fruit?" Bullet grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Heh. That's exactly what I wanted!!"
After speaking, he turned to the tall Lunarian beside him. "King, how about you come with me to the gladiatorial arena?"
King nodded casually, his hands in his pockets. "No problem."
He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the bright lights and confetti anyway. To be precise, having spent his entire life in a sterile lab, he wasn't accustomed to such loud, lively occasions. Going with Bullet to a blood-soaked arena to find people to brutally beat up was far more acceptable to him than playing those seemingly childish games.
Compared to their stoic group, Ivankov's group had a much livelier atmosphere.
Ginny and Olga cheered loudly. "Yosh! It's completely decided! We're going to try absolutely all the entertainment on the entire island! And then help Big Brother Ivankov forcefully grab a Devil Fruit along the way!!"
"Hee-haw—!!"
Ivankov, completely abandoning his usual seriousness, dramatically raised his left hand forty-five degrees to the sky and bent his right arm across his chest, shouting loudly to his companions, "Ikuzo!! Let's go!!"
Then he, Ginny, and Olga ran off in a flash of dust toward the water park.
Kuma followed silently behind them, carrying their bags and smiling cheerfully as he watched the three lively characters. Although he was the youngest of the quartet, he appeared the most mature at that moment.
Bullet and King also set off immediately after they left. Their violent destination was the venue for the Fighting Tournament, which was a massive, open-air gladiatorial arena located on the westernmost side of the entire island, furthest from the Hot Spring Town, on the complete other side of the caldera.
York and Gunko, the last remaining pair, were not in any rush.
Hand in hand, they first strolled casually through the Hot Spring Town. They enjoyed the colorful scenery, bought skewers of meat at the street stalls, and chatted as they walked.
Although Gunko maintained a cold, stoic demeanor, it was actually her absolute first time participating in a mortal event like a festival. Her beautiful, heterochromatic eyes suppressed a strong sense of wonder and curiosity; she just didn't show it outwardly.
York noticed this but didn't tease her, simply taking her by the hand to experience each mundane activity one by one.
The passing pirate onlookers watched York and Gunko stroll around like an ordinary couple, turning their heads in sheer, paralyzed shock.
There was no other way around it; York's face and name were simply too well-known in the New World now. Perhaps he himself didn't even fully realize just how infamous the 'Flame Emperor' had become since the destruction of Pirate Island.
Of course, requests for autographs or challenges rarely occurred. The pirates' absolute reverence and sheer terror for the supreme strong was far more serious than fans' respect for celebrities. Approaching an Emperor of the Sea while he was on a date was a good way to get incinerated.
So, although there were occasional, terrified exclamations when someone recognized York, overall, his sightseeing trip went smoothly. After all, it was the Pirate Expo, and it was only natural for York, currently reigning as the most famous pirate in the New World, to appear here.
At the exact same time.
In the eastern town, separated from the southern Hot Spring Town by the entire large lake and the water park, undercover agents from the Marines had already taken their infiltration positions.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was dressed in casual, civilian attire. She wore a stylish swimsuit paired with a short-sleeved, sheer top combination, and a diagonally draped sarong over her swimsuit bottom, with large sunglasses hiding her sharp eyes.
Her cool, vacation outfit revealed large areas of fair skin. Although she was a 45-year-old veteran tactician, she still maintained a firm, athletic figure, no less attractive than young female pirates in their early twenties. In fact, her mature, sophisticated charm made her even more eye-catching to the passing rogues.
Sitting across from her at the cafe table were two young men who had just joined the Marines this year. Or, more precisely, they had just joined Former Admiral Zephyr's elite class at the Marine Academy.
One had a deeply serious and cold expression, wearing a red short-sleeved shirt and a low-pulled baseball cap, giving off an intense, unapproachable aura.
The other had an incredibly lazy, bored expression, wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt and a knitted beanie, holding an ice cream cone and licking it slowly.
Due to the sudden, massive holding of Buena Festa's Pirate Expo, Zephyr had specifically entrusted Tsuru to bring his top two prodigies out to the field to broaden their horizons regarding the Underworld. Therefore, Zephyr, as their Chief Instructor, had also come to the island's perimeter.
However, Zephyr, for some highly classified, strategic reasons, did not physically come ashore. He chose to remain hidden on a stealth warship out at sea, ready to provide Admiral-level support at a moment's notice.
"A Pirate Expo... Hmph!!" The young man in the red shirt and baseball cap let out a deeply annoyed grunt, glaring at a passing pirate crew. "They're all just using wealth and resources violently plundered from innocent civilians to throw a party!!"
Tsuru, sitting calmly across from him, immediately advised softly, "Calm down, Sakazuki. We are strictly on an infiltration and intelligence mission. Expressing such blatant hostility casually at a cafe is not conducive to gathering intel."
Sakazuki pouted unhappily, pulling his cap lower. He understood the tactical logic perfectly, of course, but his sense of Absolute Justice just couldn't control his simmering temper when surrounded by so much filth.
At this moment, the young man in the knitted beanie, who was lazily licking his ice cream and looking at a colorful flyer, suddenly spoke up.
"Sakazuki. If you feel like you have absolutely nowhere to vent all that burning anger of yours... how about actively participating in this Fighting Tournament?" Borsalino suggested, pointing at the paper. "It says there are actual Devil Fruits as prizes, you know!"
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter