"Roar!"
The giant beast let out a thunderous roar.
It was a massive, striped tiger, towering even higher than the treetops. With just a single sweep of its thick tail, it could snap ancient trees—hundreds of years old—clean in half.
Yet, this formidable creature was now emitting panicked cries, like a frightened kitten.
The soil and rocks on the ground writhed upward like serpents, binding the ferocious beast in a turtle-shell-like grip. No matter how hard it struggled, it was futile—it couldn't break free from the earthen restraints.
"Gya-hahahaha! Good, good!"
A man floated in front of the massive beast, laughing heartily with delight. "This is way stronger than the wild beasts I found back in the day!"
The man was clad in a golden striped kimono, and his flowing golden hair cascaded down his back like a radiant waterfall.
However, the most striking feature about him was the half-ship's wheel embedded in his head.
This odd addition turned his otherwise regal and lion-like appearance into something almost comical, resembling the comb of a rooster.
Apart from his head, another noticeable feature of the man was his legs—or rather, what replaced them.
From the knees downward, his legs were gone, replaced by two sharp, single-edged swords.
This man was no obscure figure—far from it. Though he had been silent for a long time, if he were to resurface on the seas, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.
For he was Shiki, the Golden Lion, Captain of the Flying Pirate!
Once, he had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard—the man renowned as one of the most infamous figures on the seas!
But now, this Golden Lion was hopping around in front of the massive striped tiger like a child. "Gya-hahaha! Excellent! This will make the plan even more perfect! If I add IQ to these creatures, who knows what kind of unimaginable power will emerge!"
"It was worth all the trouble I went through to find this place!"
Speaking of the effort it took to locate this place, Shiki couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.
After accidentally watching Ian's livestream of his battle against Ochoku, he fell in love at first sight with the beasts under the Beasts Pirates.
They were practically his dream beats!
So, he immediately started investigating, trying to figure out where the Beasts Pirates had gotten these animals.
However, having been away from the sea for so long, the once-famous Flying Pirates had long since disappeared, and Golden Lion no longer had any reliable intelligence networks on the seas.
Thus, he came up with a clumsy plan.
He flew to the waters near Wano and hovered in the sky, secretly observing the ships passing below.
After more than a month of effort, he finally spotted a ship transporting beasts.
What came next was simple. Golden Lion attacked the ship, intimidating and bribing Umit's men until they revealed that the beasts were being transported from Amazon Lily.
Once he confirmed the information, Golden Lion manipulated the waves to sink the entire ship, perfectly staging the scene as a maritime disaster.
Then, Golden Lion set off straight for Amazon Lily.
However, he didn't attack the country directly.
Thinking it through, if the Beasts Pirates were trading with Amazon Lily, then the source of these beasts must be somewhere near the Kuja's territory.
And that's how Golden Lion ended up here.
It wasn't easy.
Thinking about the month he spent lurking near Wano, Golden Lion felt wronged.
When had he ever endured such hardship—
Oh, right, he did spend two years in prison. Never mind.
After a moment of joy, the man suddenly froze, then clutched his face with both hands in horror. "What have I been doing all these years?! Was it all a waste of time?!"
"Damn it! I hate people who waste time the most! Who's been wasting time? Was it me? It was me?!"
The man lamented bitterly, sounding like he was having a mental breakdown.
"Anyway—"
Soon, a bright smile returned to his face. Slowly, he crouched down and said, "Does anyone have a problem with that? If not, I'll be taking this island for myself!"
Of course, in the dense forest, no one could answer him. The only responses were the whistling wind through the trees and the roars of various beasts echoing around him.
Finally, his right hand gently touched the ground.
The entire island trembled slightly.
"Jiehahaha! My little darlings! Are you ready to start this journey?"
Boom!
The island immediately began to shake violently.
Then, a thunderous explosion erupted from beneath the island. Following that, this massive island actually rose into the sky!
"Jiehahaha! Come home with me!"
Accompanied by Golden Lion's wild laughter, the island ascended while flying in a specific direction.
The sea surface was now empty, with only turbulent waves surging relentlessly.
And amidst the giant waves, two enormous sea serpents were carrying a large ship, rising and falling on the water.
"Eh!!"
Tritoma, the current empress of the Kuja Kingdom, stood dumbfounded, staring up at the sky. "It... it flew away??"
Am I dreaming?
It must be a dream, right?
Even in a dream, this is way too absurd!
Rusukaina Island... flew away!!
The New World.
Bolsh Island.
Ian sat idly on the deck of the Golden Winged Dragon. In front of him, a man dressed in lavish clothing, wearing a crown, and looking every bit like a typical king, knelt respectfully.
"Lord Ian! We are delighted to gain the protection of the Beasts Pirates. In return, we will regularly pay a military fee to the Beasts Pirates every year and respond to all of their calls."
Quite the proper posture.
Clearly, this was an old colony.
As soon as the Golden Dragon approached, they immediately came running over to kneel without hesitation.
This wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred. Wherever the Golden Dragon had been, there was never anyone who claimed they wanted to avenge Ochoku.
"Does it really matter who you follow?"
That was what people generally thought.
"Mm."
Ian merely nodded lightly.
The king before him instantly revealed a joyous expression.
With that, the Beast Pirates' occupation of this island was considered complete.
Ian mentally calculated—adding this island, Ochoku's former territories had almost all been absorbed under his control.
What a hassle it had been, running back and forth for more than a month.
It had been over two months since Ochoku had been eliminated.
Without lingering further, the Golden Dragon departed straight away after securing the occupation.
Ian did not leave any pirates behind to garrison the island. After all, there were no significant resources here, and it was far from the headquarters in Wano Country. Manpower was insufficient as well.
A symbolic occupation was sufficient; as long as the tribute was paid on time, there would be no issues.
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