Black stood at the stern of the sanctuary, looking at the receding Blade Harbor, feeling triumphant.
As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day, but it can be burned in one."
It might not be easy to achieve something, but isn't it easy to cause trouble?
Black was very satisfied with the trouble he had caused this time.
Momonosuke was dead, so Wano Country would have no leader twenty years later.
The Nine Red Scabbards had turned against each other, making it impossible for them to unite again.
By making a rubbing of the Red Road poneglyph, he might be able to find weaknesses of Imu on Raftel.
Aside from not gaining any practical benefits, Black's trip could be considered a complete success.
However, there was nothing he could do. Among the Devil Fruits in Wano Country, except for Yamato's Great God of Mouth form, whose location was unknown, the other Mythical Zoans had been eaten long ago.
As for Wano Country's other specialty—famous swords.
Firstly, Black's pursuit of famous swords was not strong; the swordsmiths in Mary Geoise had already completed his long scroll.
Forging his own sword into a Black Blade was better than anything else.
Secondly, although many famous swords had appeared in Wano Country, those remaining there now, besides Kozuki Oden's two swords, were only the Nidai Kitetsu and Kawamatsu's beloved sword, Soto Muso.
However… Black looked at Lady Toki and Kozuki Hiyori, who stood behind him:
"This trip wasn't without practical gains; at least, I gained two Slaves."
But among these two, Hiyori was still young, which was manageable; perhaps her values could be reoriented.
As for Lady Toki… Black's attitude towards her was completely different from that towards Stella and others.
Lady Toki came from over eight hundred years ago, precisely during the war between the Twenty Kingdoms Alliance and Joy Boy, and Wano Country was clearly on Joy Boy's side.
In other words, there was an inherent hostile relationship between this woman and the World Government.
Furthermore, among all the people with abnormal brain circuits on the sea, the people of Wano Country were among the most abnormal.
They were the worst of the worst, picking the shortest among the short.
Moreover, Lady Toki was much older than Mandy and others, had experienced many things, and her values were already fully formed, making them almost impossible to change.
Plus, Black had killed Momonosuke right in front of her.
All these factors led Black to treat her only as a very beautiful tool for amusement.
So, on the first night aboard—
The candlelight in the cabin was deliberately dimmed, leaving only a few floating halos reflected on the iris-painted screen.
Lady Toki's cuffs were bound with gold-embroidered ties, which the maids had just changed for her.
Her original robe, stained with Momonosuke's blood, had long been thrown into the incinerator.
On a nearby weapon rack, an unsheathed sword lay.
The mother-of-pearl inlaid on the sword guard gleamed coldly, perfectly reflecting Kozuki Toki's image pressed against the low table.
The maids, carrying lacquered trays, retreated outside the door. The trays held Wano Country's unique plum wine, now gently swaying with the waves, just like her taut shoulder line.
"You should learn how to use these hands."
Black's voice came from behind her. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pressing an ink-filled brush into her clenched fist:
"Write a few words, let's see?"
On the paper was the Kozuki family crest, but the ink had already spread, blurring into a murky cloud.
Lady Toki struggled violently, knocking over the inkstone.
Ink spilled onto the cabin floor, like a scattered samurai formation in the dark night… After leaving Wano Country, Black was not in a hurry to return to Mary Geoise.
He had heard news from the Holy Land; Rosward had been very active recently.
Not only did he frequently attend various social gatherings, but he also invited other Celestial Dragons to his parties.
If Black returned at this time, he would certainly receive an invitation.
The last time they met was only for a short while, and Black felt he had suffered a mental attack.
If they met frequently, he suspected his Conqueror's Haki would decline as a result.
Currently, the poneglyph of Fish-Man Island had not yet been moved, and the locations of the four Red Road poneglyphs were clear, so Black planned to visit Fish-Man Island first.
As for Zou and Cake Island?
He would deal with them when the opportunity arose.
Zunesha's size was too enormous, and with Black's current strength, it would be difficult to inflict effective damage on him.
If he had an adverse reaction to Celestial Dragons, he might cause trouble for Black.
He needed to wait for a suitable time, or at least ensure his own safety, before going there.
As for Charlotte Linlin… this woman was not a character with much sense.
If Black wanted to make a rubbing of the poneglyph on her territory, he would probably have to fight a big battle.
The poneglyph of Wano Country was not in Kaido's hands, but the poneglyph of Cake Island was controlled by Charlotte Linlin.
Moreover, this woman was not as cunning as Kaido; she might just go around blabbering about Black's strength.
So, there was no rush. When someone went to war with the Big Mom Pirates, Koala could just find an opportunity to sneak in.
As for Black's subordinate, Aramaki?
This guy had already followed him across half the world and was now also responsible for training Hawkins and others.
Even if he was a beast of burden, he couldn't be treated as if he weren't human.
Fish-Man Island is located ten thousand meters deep underwater. Although there are some dangers, at least this danger is controllable.
Indeed, for Black, who never takes risks, going to Fish-Man Island was already considered a high-risk activity.
The Fish-Man Island route, after more than eight hundred years of exploration, was now as smooth as a paved road.
Aside from some Sea Kings that occasionally appeared, other dangers were usually not encountered.
Black could drive away Sea Kings by intimidating them with his Haoshoku, and since he hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet, his safety factor was still quite high.
With this in mind, Black had Stella inform the Slaves to change course for Fish-Man Island… The lowest deck of the ship had no distinction between day and night.
Kyros's legs mechanically pedaled, the clatter of chains being the only evidence of time passing.
His gladiator armor had long been stripped off, replaced by a coarse hemp garment, the fabric chafing his skin and leaving streaks of blood.
When he first woke up, Kyros had tried to resist.
But his entire body was bound by Sea Stone chains, preventing him from unleashing his full strength.
After enduring several days of whipping, his spirit gradually became numb.
"Group 14, if you're any slower, I'll hang you outside to feed the sea beasts."
The overseer's voice came from above. Kyros didn't look up, only instinctively sped up his pedaling frequency.
"Hey, arena guy."
A hoarse voice came from his right:
"You're pedaling too fast."
Kyros didn't respond.
The Slave on his left bumped him with his shoulder:
"Slow down, you bastard! Do you want to kill us?"
Kyros remained silent, but his pace slowed slightly.
His eyes stared at some empty space ahead, as if there was something only he could see there.
"I heard a princess from Dressrosa Kingdom came to the top level. She's incredibly beautiful."
The Slave behind him suddenly said:
"You two weren't captured together, were you?"
The crack of a whip interrupted the sentence. Everyone immediately lowered their heads, pedaling even harder.
Kyros's breathing paused for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
As the pedals turned, Kyros recalled past memories, but dared not imagine Scarlett's current predicament.
"Group 14, rest!"
The overseer's shout pulled him back to reality. Kyros mechanically stopped pedaling.
Rest time was only five minutes. He leaned against the damp cabin wall, listening to the heavy breathing of the surrounding Slaves.
Someone was also softly sobbing, but was quickly silenced by the whip.
He closed his eyes, but at this moment, only one image remained in his mind—
A canary trapped in a gilded cage, its feathers gradually losing their luster.
The overseer's whistle blew. Kyros opened his eyes and stood back on the pedals.
The chains began to turn again, and his legs moved with them, as if they no longer belonged to him.
The pedals never stopped, and Kyros's thoughts gradually blurred, leaving only muscle memory to maintain this meaningless action…