Chapter 224: The Fat Boy Who Successfully Lost Weight

After successfully securing assistance, the Donghai Dihuang crossed the Red Line Continent and returned once more to the New World Seas.

The method by which the Donghai Dihuang hovered and flew at high speed left Lei Li marveling.

If not for triple-checking that Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was still Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen, Lei Li would have suspected he'd been swapped out: how could one person consume two Devil Fruits?

And both fruits had fully awakened.

Especially that previously obscure Paramecia, the Suishui Fruit, had been pushed to its limits by Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen.

During the Marineford War, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen mimicked the Magma Magma Fruit's abilities while fighting Akainu; now he could mimic the Gura Gura Fruit's powers as well…

Is one Suishui Fruit worth more than countless others?

Overall, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen gave Lei Li the feeling: familiar on the surface, yet utterly shrouded in mist from head to toe.

Inside the captain's cabin of the Donghai Dihuang.

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was leisurely brewing tea, the leaves sourced from the Teyvat world, named: Yunlai Baihao.

"Xia Yi, please."

Xia Qi lifted the white porcelain cup and immediately felt a fragrant aroma fill her nose.

"Little Barzab, you really know how to enjoy life."

"Now you can tell me, right?"

Perhaps due to years spent in intelligence trading, Xia Qi was intensely curious about Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen's mysterious plan.

After confirming no one was eavesdropping, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen whispered.

"It's like this: Inazuma is in the early stages of reform. I'd like to invite Uncle Lei Li to train the soldiers. As for payment—pure gold, how about that?"

Just as Lei Li was about to refuse, Xia Qi swiftly set down her teacup and stepped forward quickly.

"That thing really exists?"

"Of course."

Hearing this, Xia Qi instinctively touched her face, and without waiting for Lei Li to speak, she agreed outright.

"No problem. I've accepted on his behalf."

Compared to eternal youth and unchanging beauty, what's one extra job for Lei Li?

Isn't that what a man of the house should do?

Who did she preserve her beauty for? Wasn't it for Lei Li?

Lei Li had initially thought it was high-purity gold, but seeing Xia Qi's excitement, he realized: it was the legendary gold that extended lifespan.

Clever kid. No wonder he brought Xia Qi along.

He's struck right at her weakest point!

Lei Li suddenly felt sold out: he hadn't even spoken, and Xia Qi had already struck a deal with Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen.

"Hey, at least ask me first?"

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen stoked the fire: "Xia Yi, I think we really should respect Uncle's opinion."

Xia Qi glanced at Lei Li.

"What? You have an objection?"

"I… I don't." Lei Li surrendered.

Since Xia Qi turned forty, she had developed severe appearance anxiety, hypersensitive to any mention of age or looks, unable to tolerate even the slightest hint.

Now Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen had thrown out pure gold that extended life and preserved youth—it was an absolute knockout.

Because no woman on the sea could refuse eternal youth.

Xia Qi couldn't refuse.

Even Charlotte Lingling, with her severely distorted body and appearance, would almost certainly be unable to refuse.

"Barzab… you bastard."

Fine, fine. Train the soldiers then.

Compared to the pure gold he'd soon obtain, training soldiers in Inazuma wasn't even a bother. Having a wife who'd forever be forty didn't sound so bad either.

"Is that thing at the bottom of the sea?"

"More precisely, inside a Sea King's body," Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen explained. "That's why I specifically brought you along."

"You know most of the Morning Star Crew are Devil Fruit users—they can't enter the sea."

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen pulled out a radar map.

"At our current speed, we'll need about three more days. When we arrive, we and Jinpemon will dive deep first—ideally, we drive it to the surface."

"If we can't drive it up, we'll have to kill it."

Lei Li had a nagging sense something was off, but couldn't quite place why.

"No problem. I'll cooperate."

The Donghai Dihuang continued forward, chasing the ever-moving small lantern fish across the sea.

Along the way, after receiving a message from Vergo, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

The Morning Star Crew had sent Vergo undercover into the Beasts Pirates; now the Beasts Pirates were sending Black Maria, under the pretense of caring for Yamato, to infiltrate Inazuma.

Truly, the age of deep undercover agents.

I wonder if Black Maria has eaten: the Spider Fruit, Ancient Species, Ancient Wolf Spider Form.

If she hasn't, that's best—turning such a beautiful girl into a spider… what a waste.

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen vaguely remembered: after coming of age, Black Maria stood about eight meters two tall, with a body and face of the highest caliber, and was exceptionally talented.

Kaido really went all out—he even sent his future lover undercover.

Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen decided to accept it for now. Once Black Maria comes of age, he'll try the Love All technique taught by the strongest man, Jaba.

Also, according to Vergo's report.

The Beasts Pirates' Drought Harner, the Hanafuda, is about to leave the Beasts Pirates and seek to join the Saint Saint Saiwen Warlords of the Sea; it is time for Moria to become a Warlord as well.

"I hope Fatty has succeeded in losing weight."

To prevent Moria from being treated as an experience farm and wiped out, Saint Saint Saiwen has gone to great lengths.

Before leaving Wano to attend the World Conference, he specifically entrusted Moria to Mihawk for hellish training.

……

Wano, Zou.

Inside the Zou Daimyo's mansion.

Ignoring Perona, who floated about causing trouble, Mihawk relentlessly attacked Moria, who wielded two swords and was drenched in sweat.

Moria had once used swords.

Two and a half hours later.

Mihawk sheathed his black blade, Yoru, while Moria lay sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving violently.

Clearly seeing his own toes in his peripheral vision, Moria burst into an odd, continuous laugh.

"Keh he he he he~"

After two and a half hours of hellish training, Moria's round, fat belly had vanished entirely,

Though still far from the physique he had when he first set sail, at least it proved he had truly lost weight—even the Captain would have to praise him for it.

Moria was not a man who craved praise,

but feared: if he failed the Captain's orders, he would very likely be beaten senseless—and he had none of Baret's masochistic tendencies.

The suffering of training and the suffering of being beaten by the Captain were not even in the same dimension.

You should know that

The Captain's iron fists were coated with: Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, liquid Lei Ting, and flame…

Only those who had been punched knew just how excruciating it felt.

It was a pain that reached the soul.

"Remember never to neglect your training," Mihawk specifically warned.

Because of little Perona, Mihawk and Moria got along fairly well, as if two old fathers striving for their beloved daughter.

"Naturally," Moria sat on the ground.

His earlier self-abandonment had been crushed by Kaido; now, with the Captain present, Moria had not only regained his lost spirit but rediscovered his dream.

"When will the Captain return?"

Mihawk, feeding Perona, said: "By the timeline, he should be returning soon."

"When the Captain returns, it will be your time to leave Wano and become a Warlord of the Sea."

Moria stood up and patted his backside.

"I plan to head to Paradise first and carve out a territory—ideally with the Captain sending me more men. I can't be a commander with no troops, can I?"