Chapter 371: Chapter 371: All Parties Gather Together!
Chapter 371: All Parties Gather Together!
After hearing Bullet’s words, Ryuunosuke shook his head slowly.
"We just met them a few days ago. A battle broke out shortly after," he said, voice calm. "And those guys didn’t come to negotiate—they came to pressure us. They’re tied closely to Roy of the World Government."
As he spoke, Ryuunosuke observed Bullet’s face closely.
He was still trying to confirm something—Roy’s identity. From what Sevian had revealed, Roy was the true supreme leader of the World Government. If Bullet reacted to that name, it might confirm his importance.
But Bullet simply frowned, unimpressed.
"World Government? Roy?" he repeated. "Never heard of him. We only had brief contact with those types. I doubt even the Captain knew their names."
Bullet shrugged. He sounded genuine—annoyed, but not hiding anything.
At the same time, his curiosity deepened.
What exactly had Ryuunosuke and the Dragon Hunter Pirates gotten tangled up in? What sort of forces had they crossed paths with to reach such strength?
Bullet had already decided. He would board Ryuunosuke’s ship—for a few days, at least. Just to understand.
He didn’t yet realize that this decision would lead to his greatest regret as a pirate.
"Let’s head back," Ryuunosuke said. "No need to delay."
"You’ll stay aboard my ship for a while. We’ll talk more there."
He raised a hand.
Kun emerged from the air with a low rumble and swallowed both men into its inner space. Bullet’s body still hadn’t fully recovered, and his ship—fused from his own ability—was too taxing to maintain.
Ryuunosuke chose to spare him the burden.
—
Soon, the two returned to the Wallos Islands.
After parting ways with Bullet, Ryuunosuke quietly found a hotel and checked in alone. Meanwhile, Najenda and the others had already secured their own lodging.
But word of the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ presence spread like wildfire.
Even though their captain hadn’t been seen, the appearance of the First Division was enough to ignite a storm. Their reputation preceded them.
Before long, pirates began pouring in—some forgot all about the actual purpose of the Pirate Expo, choosing instead to rush straight to the inn where Najenda and her team were staying.
Challenges were issued.
Naturally, the Dragon Hunter Pirates didn’t back down. Especially Leona, who welcomed the warm-up before the real chaos began.
—
At the same time, the Beasts Pirates arrived.
Leading them was King.
The moment he learned that Najenda was present, he brought his men directly to her location. But not for a fight—King was still chasing after her.
Unfortunately for him, the pursuit was rocky. Najenda barely gave him the time of day.
While small skirmishes broke out across the island, Buena Festa, watching from the control room, smiled to himself.
Having the First Division of the Dragon Hunter Pirates here was an unexpected gift.
"With them around," he whispered, "this Expo’s value just went through the roof."
More chaos. More violence. More opportunity.
Then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Beru beru beru... kacha.
"Buena Festa," came the deep, scratchy voice of Morgans, "what exactly are you planning this time?"
"You’ve stirred up a massive storm. If you don’t back it up with something real, these pirates will kill you themselves."
Despite Morgans’ concern, his tone carried more irritation than worry.
As someone tied closely to the underworld, he had no interest in watching a valuable contact throw his life away for no reason.
Buena Festa’s grin only widened.
"Morgans, you just enjoy the show," he said softly. "As for my purpose... well, I can’t share that just yet."
"The World Government’s always proud of how well they’ve buried the truth."
"But they’ve forgotten how many relics of the old era are still alive—still watching."
Hearing those words, Morgans went silent.
He understood the hint—and he knew there was no point pressing further.
Buena Festa wasn’t someone who planned to die. If anything, he was more dangerous now than ever.
And for Morgans?
The more chaos on the sea, the more stories to print.
That... was good for business.
---
As time passed, more heavyweight crews began to arrive.
The Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division, led by Ace, appeared first.
Not long after, the Big Mom Pirates entered the harbor, with Katakuri at the helm.
By now, almost all major players of the New World had gathered—everyone except for the Red-Haired Pirates.
Even the Navy had begun to act.
A Buster Call had been issued.
Three admirals were dispatched, leading a full-scale assault aimed at eliminating Buena Festa and razing the Wallos Islands to the ground.
—
Aboard one of the navy ships...
"Mr. Issho, what’s your take on this Pirate Expo?" Green Bull asked, tearing into a chunk of meat before wandering over.
Issho—known more commonly as Fujitora—rested his chin on one hand.
"I just want to see," he said quietly, "what kind of justice pirates uphold when they gather and fight."
"That’s all."
Then he picked up a bowl of soba and began eating slowly.
"Pirate justice?" Green Bull repeated, before bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! Mr. Issho, you’re an odd one, as always."
But Issho didn’t respond.
He wasn’t joking.
Many believed pirates couldn’t have justice. But Issho didn’t agree.
In his eyes, everyone—pirate, marine, civilian—had their own version of justice. All of it came down to perspective.
And in truth, the more time he spent observing the Dragon Hunter Pirates... the more he realized that the world’s so-called justice might need to be reconsidered.
—
Elsewhere on the same ship, Borsalino stood alone at the bow, arms crossed.
His golden coat fluttered in the sea wind as he stared out toward the islands.
So much had changed.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had flipped the world on its head. Zephyr had formed a new navy—and former admirals and officers were flocking to him.
Some said Zephyr couldn’t afford to pay them.
But that didn’t matter.
Because so long as they didn’t oppose the Dragon Hunters, they wouldn’t be crushed.
For many old marines, that was all they wanted. After all, when they’d gone against the Dragon Hunter Pirates in the past, they didn’t even make it to cannon fodder status.
Borsalino had once dreamed of retirement.
Now?
That dream was on hold.
As one of the last remaining veteran admirals, he’d resumed training—serious, relentless training.
It was the only way to keep up in a world where new monsters were rising by the day.
Watching this, Sakazuki could only shake his head in confusion.
But regardless of his thoughts, he had issued the order:
Lead the Buster Call. Destroy Buena Festa. Level the Wallos Islands.
And so... the stage was set.
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