"Ares... Uncle!" Jozu called out.
Marco looked unconvinced and, like a prickly little troublemaker, protested, "Hey, you're not even that much older than us!"
"Ahhh!"
The next second, the flame cloud around him loosened, and he plummeted through the sky. In his panic, he completely forgot that he had the Phoenix fruit.
"Marco!" Vista shouted.
The flame cloud instantly shot downward, stretched out, and caught the cold-sweating Marco.
"Damn it!"
Marco wiped the sweat off his face. "Who scares people like that?!"
"Hahaha!"
Tengetsu Ares burst out laughing. He had only been teasing him.
At the port of Kuri, Tengetsu Ares brought everyone down from the sky at high speed. By now, the people at the port were already used to such scenes.
They only glanced over briefly before withdrawing their gazes and continuing with their work.
After landing, Whitebeard, Marco, Jozu, and Vista curiously looked around. Most of the people in Kuri were not wearing kimono.
Most of them had originally been slaves, and there still were not enough clothes to go around.
Quite a few still wore the slave uniforms with target marks on the back. But compared to how they had looked back at God Valley, many of them now had hope and happiness written across their faces.
They were working hard to build their own home.
Whitebeard's expression grew solemn. "Ares, if it weren't for you, then maybe they..."
"It is mutual benefit," Tengetsu Ares said. "What they want is simple, and easy to satisfy."
Having gone through similar things himself, Whitebeard nodded and deeply agreed.
The group followed Tengetsu Ares into Kuri town.
The town had already begun to take shape, and signs of prosperity were gradually emerging.
Tengetsu Ares smiled. "Come on. Tonight we're holding a banquet to welcome you. We have to drink to our hearts' content!"
The moment Whitebeard heard the word drink, his eyes lit up.
"Gurararara! Ares, I may not be able to compare with your monster physique, but when it comes to drinking..."
"I, Whitebeard, can leave you ten streets behind!"
Tengetsu Ares laughed. "Anyone can brag. Who gets drunk first is still up in the air!"
"Hey, brat, did you forget what happened the first time you drank with Golden Lion? You got so drunk you somehow trained your Armament Haki into Blood Armament and even beat up that bastard Shiki!"
Whitebeard teased him, his grin full of malicious amusement.
Tengetsu Ares' expression stiffened. "That was years ago. Back then was back then. Now is now!"
"Gurararara!"
Inside the estate at the center of town, Kaido wore a smug look and grinned. "Worororo! Whitebeard, what do you think of our territory?"
"Right now, we already have several thousand regular soldiers under our command!"
In just two or three months, they had accomplished this much construction. Naturally, Kaido had every right to show off.
The War God Pirates were flourishing!
And more than that, if they won the wager smoothly, Tengetsu Ares would become Wano's shogun.
When that happened, the overall strength of the War God Pirates would more than double!
Whitebeard smiled. "Gurararara! The growth speed of the War God Pirates really is astonishing!"
"I never thought even Chinjao, the leader of the Happo Navy, would join your crew."
"Worororo!"
Kaido laughed loudly, now thoroughly in the mood for drinking. He emptied a huge bowl of sake in one gulp and said, "Newgate, why not join the War God Pirates too? If you do..."
"I'll hand over my Vice Captain position to you on the spot!"
The little Marco beside Whitebeard immediately shouted, "Hey! Our old man would never join you! We're going to build our own pirate crew!"
"Tch. Where did this noisy little brat come from?" Kaido glared at Marco with his fierce tiger-like eyes.
Marco was not scared at all. He craned his neck like a fighting rooster and glared right back.
Whitebeard laughed. "Gurararara! Kaido, you really are doing everything you can to make the War God Pirates stronger. But I have my own dream now. I'm not joining the War God Pirates!"
Just then, Ginny curiously stared at Marco and suddenly said, "Eh, isn't that pineapple head the kid we tried to bring along with us back at God Valley, only for him to refuse?"
Ivankov suddenly came to a realization. "I remember now. That hairstyle is way too distinctive! And..."
"That kid was seriously wounded back then. He was almost dead. How is he running around so lively now?"
Marco's face darkened. He suddenly stood up. "I'm not pineapple head. My name is Marco, and in the future I'm going to be Whitebeard Pops' strongest right-hand man!"
Whoosh!
Blue flames of resurrection ignited all over his body, and his hands transformed into wings, instantly shocking everyone present.
Marco looked like a proud peacock, showing off his power to all of them.
Kaido's pupils shrank. "Phoenix form? So Newgate actually gave the Devil Fruit he stole at God Valley to a little brat like you?!"
Chinjao was equally shocked. "Another Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user. What is going on lately?!"
"Mythical Zoans used to be so rare you might not see one in ten years, but now..."
"They look like they're everywhere!"
Slardar laughed. "Newgate is really generous, giving something so unimaginably precious to a child."
Ivankov suddenly exclaimed, "So that's it! It must have been the power of this fruit that saved the kid!!"
He still remembered clearly that this pineapple-headed brat had nearly died back then.
A trace of envy flashed through Alber's eyes, though he said haughtily, "So what if you have a Devil Fruit? You're still weak enough to be pitiful!"
"Hey, and who are you supposed to be?" Marco shifted his gaze to Alber. "What's with those black wings? Don't tell me you're a Devil Fruit user too?"
At the same time, he noticed the bruises all over Alber's dark skin and smirked. "You're acting all cold, but you're covered in wounds. Did someone beat the hell out of you, and now you're calling me weak?"
Alber immediately bristled. "These injuries weren't from getting beaten up! They're from training!"
"Training?" Marco froze. "What kind of training leaves you covered in injuries like that?"
Jozu and Vista were both extremely curious.
Alber crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. "Boss Ares used to train like this too. In the future, all of us are going to become true powerhouses!"
"We're going to forge powerful bodies and powerful wills!"
Only then did Marco notice that one of the big brutes beside Alber was also covered in similar bruises.
He could not help asking, "You guys... just what kind of training are you doing?"
Even though they were still very young, Marco, Jozu, and Vista were all orphans who had already experienced hellish lives and the cruelty of the world.
They were far more mature than children their age.
They wanted to become strong too, so that they could follow their old man and adventure across the seas.
Kaido grinned. "Worororo! Tomorrow, just come and watch for yourselves. Then you'll know."
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