The two of them walked forward while chatting.
Teach thoughtfully introduced Kuzan to the different areas within Onigashima.
The commercial street, the dormitories, the restaurants, Queen's workshop, and the forge of Kozuki Sukiyaki.
Kuzan wasn't very interested in any of these. What caught his attention were the beasts on the island, flaunting themselves openly.
"Are they all artificial Devil Fruit users?"
He couldn't help asking.
It was no longer news that the Beasts Pirates had created artificial Devil Fruits.
The beast giants under Ian's command had already shocked the world.
But Kuzan hadn't expected there to be so many.
On Onigashima, almost every few steps revealed another artificial Devil Fruit user.
Teach's tone carried a hint of awe. "Every month, new artificial Devil Fruits mature. To this day, the number of artificial Devil Fruit users under Lord Ian is in the thousands, including a large number of giants."
Kuzan couldn't help but gape.
Even if they were artificial, they were still Devil Fruit users.
An army of thousands of users—what an overwhelmingly powerful force that must be.
"And that's not all," Teach continued, "Queen has also developed a special drug that can make both controlled beasts and artificial Devil Fruit users go berserk, further enhancing their power."
"On top of that, it's said that the strength of artificial Devil Fruit users has already surpassed that of true Zoan users."
"…"
Kuzan had no words.
The Beasts Pirates were far stronger than he had imagined.
After witnessing the shock brought by artificial Devil Fruit users, and then encountering the giants and tyrants on Onigashima, Kuzan was hardly surprised by anything anymore.
The two of them moved from inside the island all the way to the outskirts.
"The underwater areas of Wano are the territory of Fish-Men and Merfolk," Teach warned, "so be careful not to use your powers recklessly. Who knows which part of the sea might hide a Fish-Man or Merfolk village."
"Nowadays, Wano has tens of thousands of Fish-Men and Merfolk settled here—it's practically a second Fish-Man Island."
The Beast Pirates and Fish-Man Island were indeed completely intertwined by now.
Kuzan couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration in his heart.
But that feeling quickly faded as his gaze landed on the sea, where countless beautiful mermaids danced gracefully on the waves.
If these stunning mermaids were to appear in government-controlled waters, they would undoubtedly attract a massive number of human traffickers immediately.
Everyone knew these mermaids were the Celestial Dragons' favorite slaves.
Yet here, they could live freely, peacefully, and leisurely.
It was truly a sight to behold.
After roughly touring Onigashima, Teach led Kuzan back to the Shogun's castle, ready to report to Ian and see if the lord had any other orders.
As soon as they arrived at the Shogun's castle, a roar suddenly echoed from outside Onigashima.
A massive Azure Dragon burst through the skull's eye on Onigashima, soaring straight toward the top of the Shogun's castle.
"Oh! Boss Kaido has returned!"
Teach exclaimed.
Kuzan, of course, recognized Kaido—but beside him, he also saw someone else.
The Azure Dragon landed on the terrace atop the Shogun's castle.
As Kaido returned to his original form, the two people he had brought along lightly touched down beside him.
Kuzan's eyes fell on the black-haired girl.
In an instant, his heart was seized by a wave of extremely complex emotions.
The black-haired girl, glancing around in surprise, suddenly noticed him as well.
Visibly, terror flashed across her face as she instinctively took a step back.
"Is something wrong, Miss Robin?"
Dragon noticed Robin's fear and instinctively asked.
"Maybe she's just startled."
Ian stepped onto the terrace.
He smiled at Kaido, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Kaido-sensei."
"Hmph! Next time, don't send me on such a boring errand!"
Kaido snorted and walked inside.
He was very displeased with this trip.
There wasn't a proper fight at all; the entire journey had been wasted on traveling.
"Long time no see, Dragon. How have you been lately?"
Kuzan watched Ian walk up to Dragon and greet him warmly.
If he were still in the Navy, he would never have imagined that the Beasts Pirates and the Revolutionary Army could share such a friendship.
This really wasn't a joke.
"Let's go. We should have a proper chat."
Kuzan saw Ian leading Dragon inside.
Just as they were about to enter, Ian turned back to Kuzan and said, "Kuzan, make sure to treat your old acquaintance well."
Old acquaintance?
He never thought he could describe this young woman in such terms.
Kuzan sighed and took heavy steps toward the girl.
"Y-you… what are you doing here?"
Robin's expression was wary, her body trembling slightly.
She would never forget the despair this man had brought her in Ohara, eleven years ago.
"Ah, just finding a new job after being laid off," Kuzan said softly. "It's not easy for someone unemployed in midlife to find a good position."
"So, the former admiral who once claimed justice has now become a pirate?"
Robin's words were filled with sarcasm.
"Really harsh," Kuzan sighed, then spoke seriously. "Young lady, since Ian says we are old acquaintances, then for the sake of our reunion, I'll give you some good news."
Robin said nothing, only watching him cautiously.
Yet even such a cautious girl broke under just one of Kuzan's words.
"Jaguar D. Saul is still alive."
Kuzan said.
"..."
Robin stared at him in stunned silence.
Since she was a child, the girl had always been called a genius, yet at this moment, she felt her mind could no longer keep up.
A single sentence had plunged her into complete bewilderment.
It took her over ten seconds to react, and when she did, her eyes welled up, and her voice trembled. "You said… what?"
"Jaguar D. Saul is still alive," Kuzan said seriously, "Right there in the Nation of Giants, Elbaf! He took all the research collected by the scholars of Ohara and brought it there."
"Not just you, Nico Robin—the legacy of Ohara still exists in this world."
"If you doubt this, you can ask Ian later. He knows about it too and even received materials on ancient technology from Jaguar D. Saul."
The girl couldn't hold back her tears.
"Jaguar D. Saul… is alive?"
"Well, no matter what, that guy is my good friend. There's no way I would have just killed him," Kuzan sighed.
"I'm truly sorry about what happened back then. The orders I received were only to erase the scholars. I had no idea it would escalate to that extent."
"Looking back now, erasing the scholars was the worst possible choice, but at the time, I didn't realize it."
"If you want revenge, then support Ian properly. Whether it's revenge against me or the World Government, there's no one more suitable than him."
The girl's gaze at him instantly became incredibly complex.
**********
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