Mio put away the Den Den Mushi.
He sat down cross-legged, eyes gleaming with thought.
Golden Lion...
To be honest, locating Golden Lion wasn't going to be easy. Strong World—Golden Lion's sky island base—had always been floating in the skies. It wasn't sothing one could stumble upon with luck alone.
"Maybe I need to ask Whitebeard," Mio murmured.
But going to Whitebeard wasn't that simple. As the strongest Emperor, stepping aboard the Moby Dick wasn't sothing just anyone could do. Without sufficient strength, facing Whitebeard directly was unwise.
Mio might even be intimidated by Whitebeard. Or worse, Whitebeard could say sothing like—
"Be my son."
At that mont—
A seagull flew overhead, carrying a package on its body—likely newspapers.
The seagull circled the pirate flag high on the mast, seemingly confirming sothing. Then it descended, landed on the bow, and tilted its head at Mio.
"News? Give one."
Mio shook his head, pushing aside his thoughts, and approached the seagull, handing it a coin.
The seagull pulled out a newspaper from its package, handed it to Mio, and then flapped its wings, flying away.
As Mio opened the newspaper, sothing slipped out. He caught it swiftly, and a surprised expression lit up his face.
"A pointer?"
The object was a permanent pointer.
"When did newspapers start coming with permanent pointers?" Robin walked over, looking curious.
Mio, puzzled at first, glanced through the newspaper content—then realization dawned on him.
"I see. The World Expo..." Mio's lips curled into a smile. Expectation sparkled in his eyes.
"World Expo?" Robin echoed in surprise, taking the newspaper to read for herself.
The article described a grand World Expo to be held in half a month on Erosier Island in the New World. It was a massive island—perfect for hosting such a colossal event.
"It sounds like this World Expo will be truly grand. I bet we can buy all sorts of rare goods there. Captain, are we going?" Robin asked, intrigued.
"Of course we're going." Mio nodded without hesitation. He had never attended a World Expo before. And with how the article described it, this one would be extraordinary. There was no way he'd miss it.
Besides, with so many pirates in attendance, the chance to purchase—or seize—sothing valuable was high.
The World Expo was a gathering exclusively for pirates. Pillaging, robbing, or even killing were tolerated—as long as no one inford the Navy of the event's location. With nurous Devil Fruit users likely to attend, it was a perfect opportunity.
"But if we can buy newspapers, doesn't that an the Navy could as well?" Robin questioned, raising a brow.
Mio shook his head and pointed at the flag above. "Didn't you notice? When the seagull flew down earlier, it took a long ti to confirm the pirate flag. It proves these papers are sold only to pirates."
"The only downside is the short tifra. We've only got half a month, and there's quite a distance between here and Erosier Island. We'll have to move at full speed. Plus, we still have things to take care of along the way."
Fortunately, the island hosting the World Expo was right along their current route. They wouldn't need to detour. Otherwise, Mio wouldn't be able to head to Cake Island—aning he'd lose the chance to claim the two Devil Fruits in Charlotte's possession.
Looking out at the sea, Mio called to Hanba, the sea beast below, urging it to pick up speed. He then handed the permanent pointer to Baifeng, instructing him to keep it safe.
As he fell deep into thought again, Mio couldn't help but recall the island Roger had left behind—an island that had a permanent pointer pointing to Radluf.
That item was a true treasure. If word of it got out, it would surely cause a bloodbath in the New World. Mio was seriously considering whether to go after it.
But the risk was high.
Without sufficient strength, rely possessing that pointer could make him a target for every pirate in the New World. It was practically begging to be hunted.
Still... Mio wasn't soone to let such a valuable opportunity pass.
He pondered how best to benefit from it.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a wicked grin ford on his lips.
"Tsk. I just thought of another way to trick BIG MOM."
Though the idea was ready, now wasn't the ti to act. First, he needed to make the most of the two chances he already had to ss with BIG MOM.
Chuckling, Mio pushed the thought aside and returned to his training.
Five days later.
In those five days, the Black Glory had been slicing through the sea at high speed.
Occasionally, they encountered other pirates. This being the New World, these pirates were no pushovers. Yet each ti they crossed paths with the Black Crow Pirates, they had one thought in mind—
Kill the Black Crow Pirates and make a na for themselves.
Unfortunately for them, all that awaited them was death.
Now, in a certain sea region...
Two pirate ships were approaching each other.
One was the Black Glory.
The other flew the flag of the Cross Pirates, captained by Noah, whose bounty stood at 110 million berries. Noah was a powerful physical fighter, though he possessed no Devil Fruit powers.
Standing on the bow of his ship, fists clenched, Noah stared directly at Mio and shouted.
"Black Crow! I've been waiting for you a long ti!"
"You want to step on to beco famous too?" Mio replied calmly.
"Of course!" Noah grinned, licking his lips with anticipation. "You're well-known. If I take you down, I'll be famous across the New World!"
"You've got ambition," Mio replied with a smirk. But there was nothing but disdain in his smile. "Too bad your strength doesn't give you even the slightest chance of victory."
With that—
Mio raised his right hand and gave a signal.
Erica stepped forward.
She unsheathed her two swords and stared at Noah, her gaze razor-sharp.
"There have been dozens—maybe even hundreds—before you who thought the sa," she said coldly. "They all died. You won't be any different."
Her voice fell.
Swish!
Her blades flashed.
"Dual Sword Style—Great Destruction!"
A blinding sword light erupted.
It carried a terrifying pressure with it, enough to stifle the wind and silence the waves.
The churning sea around them grew eerily calm.
A calm before inevitable annihilation.
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