Chapter 285: Pirate Paradise: Honeycomb Island

Huang Yuan actually understood that not all pirates were as flush with cash as Saint Saint Saiwen, yet he still couldn't help but be shocked by the two billion Berries.

Extravagant beyond humanity, truly extravagant beyond humanity.

Casually pulling out two billion Berries was no different from the wastefulness of those Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land.

The only difference was: the Celestial Dragons were supported by the World Government, while the two billion Berries Saint Saint Saiwen handed over were earned through his own struggles.

"Five years ago on Sky Island, didn't you promise to give your older brother a batch of gold? Yet you never went to collect it."

"So I had to convert it to cash for you."

Huang Yuan felt he couldn't continue the conversation; if he did, he might truly fall, fall into Saint Saint Saiwen's monetary offensive.

"Thank you."

"If there's nothing else, I must go to Punk Hazard to hand over duties to Sakazuki."

Saint Saint Saiwen clasped his hands in a bow.

"See you later."

With Huang Yuan monitoring Vegapunk, at least they could keep track of Vegapunk's movements at all times and know whether he was secretly researching the Mother Flame.

At least they wouldn't be completely in the dark.

Returning to the East Sea Emperor via the spatial gate, Saint Saint Saiwen and his group continued sailing toward Elbaf.

Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital of Wano.

Whitebeard settled his wife and daughter in Saint Saint Saiwen's Shogun's Mansion, right next to the courtyards of Kuma and Jin Ni.

Portgas D. Ace's mother, Whitebeard's wife, held their swaddled daughter.

"Remember to come back and visit often."

As a veteran member of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Ice Witch Portgas D. Ace's mother was certainly no weak woman; now that she had a daughter, she was even stronger as a mother.

Yet living in this great sea ultimately meant having no control over one's own fate.

From the moment she obtained the pure gold ring, especially after she and Whitebeard saw the changes in Wano and learned of Saint Saint Saiwen's dream.

Whitebeard decided to help Saint Saint Saiwen realize his dream.

Then one day, Saint Saint Saiwen would launch a full-scale war against the World Government.

War is not a child's game.

Especially a war against the World Government.

"Rest assured," Whitebeard said soothingly.

"You've known Saint Saint Saiwen since the first day; that kid never does anything without certainty."

The reason Whitebeard wanted to adopt Saint Saint Saiwen as a son was precisely because Saint Saint Saiwen was the type who planned thoroughly before acting, unlike the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders who often acted on impulse.

Commonly known as little silver coins.

It seemed these words worked, as Portgas D. Ace's mother clearly breathed a sigh of relief: "Remember to stay safe."

Whitebeard nodded.

"We'll return first; you and little Istara stay here and rest assured."

The Shogun's Mansion in the Flower Capital was absolutely the safest place in all of Wano, without exception.

Moreover, the architecture of the Shogun's Mansion was extremely peculiar; even the commotion of Whitebeard and Mihawk sparring caused no impact whatsoever on the mansion.

It could be called absolute defense.

Whitebeard had sailed the seas for so many years but had never seen such a strange phenomenon.

That was why he settled his wife and daughter in the Shogun's Mansion instead of the newly purchased residence in the Flower Capital.

Saint Saint Saiwen: If the System made it, it must be a masterpiece.

The Whitebeard Pirates boarded the Moby Dick docked at Wano's southern port and departed, but they did not return to their base; instead, they sailed toward Honeycomb Island.

On the deck of the Moby Dick.

Ma Ma Ma Erke looked at the cape behind the old man.

"Old man, that cape style is quite nice; did you buy it in the Flower Capital?"

"Gulalala~"

Whitebeard smiled with satisfaction: "You could say so."

Although Saint Saint Saiwen's people were not in Wano, they had handed this cape to him through Mihawk.

If not for knowing Saint Saint Saiwen for many years, Whitebeard would have couldn't help but suspect whether Saint Saint Saiwen was truly a god.

A cape that looked utterly ordinary could actually grant him the ability to fly.

It was truly incomprehensible.

There was no way such a thing could be crafted by human hands, yet every officer of the Morning Star Group possessed one such cape, and the styles differed from his own.

After all, everyone's height is different.

With the flying cape, Whitebeard's inability to fly was compensated; next, he only needed to rendezvous with Shiki, Charlotte Lingling, and Kaido.

To cause chaos at the Marine Headquarters and prevent the Marines from harboring any improper thoughts.

The Marines already dominate the four seas; now they even refuse to let the New World go, simply too oppressive.

About three days later, the Whitebeard Pirates arrived at Honeycomb Island.

Completely different from Wano's orderly and flourishing prosperity, Honeycomb Island exuded a wildness of extreme indulgence from its very core.

Even the sea breeze was wrapped in intense hormones, burning wildly in the air.

The entire island was like an ever-burning furnace of revelry, frenzied and unrestrained.

Passion like fire, desire like a tide.

On the pleasure street, Jin Ni's bare white legs; in the casinos, gamblers squandering gold; in the black markets, smugglers licking blood from their blades—

Every inch of Honeycomb Island's air boiled with desire and money.

So many people.

And the place has changed so much.

Ma Ma Ma Erke vaguely remembered that the last time he and the other division commanders came to help the Morning Star Crew guard Hive Island, the island was still under reconstruction.

Back then, he'd only thought the harbor was built enormous.

Now he saw that Saint Saint Saiwen had real foresight.

This is what a pirate paradise should look like.

Whitebeard seemed to have returned to his Rocks Pirate Crew days, when Xia Qi ran a bar on Hive Island.

Xia Qi's Extortion Bar was also the only place on Hive Island without fighting.

Seeing Golden Lion floating over to greet the Whitebeard Crew, Whitebeard looked at his sons, who had already been bursting with impatience.

"Boys, go have fun."

"Papa, hooray!"

In a flash, the Whitebeard Crew's division commanders surged into Joy Street, wild and carefree.

Whitebeard shook his head in disbelief.

The Whitebeard Crew division commanders' reaction to temptation better revealed the true worth of Saint Saint Saiwen.

The difference was truly enormous.

"How's it look?" Golden Lion landed beside Whitebeard: "Isn't it even more prosperous than back then? Buggy's a natural-born businessman."

Hearing this, Whitebeard grew even more gloomy.

Again, some successor of Luo Jie's crew.

First, Saint Saint Saiwen brought Inazuma to peace and prosperity; now, Buggy turned Hive Island into the New World's ultimate spending den—far surpassing even Rocks's era.

That Luo Jie… got off too early.

"A talented man," Whitebeard remarked.

"When do we set sail?"

Golden Lion held a cigar between his teeth: "No rush."

"I heard Charlotte Lingling and Kaido went at it on Onigashima. Let's rest tonight and set out tomorrow."

Whitebeard suddenly realized: Did Saint Saint Saiwen plant a spy on Onigashima? Otherwise, how would Golden Lion know what happened there?

"You've got connections."

"Come on, I'll show you around."

Two men who had known each other for years and never liked each other now chatted and boasted like old friends, all because of the same person.

As the New World's ultimate spending den, Hive Island drew pirates from all over—and naturally, it teemed with spies from the Marines and the World Government.

News of the Moby Dick's arrival at Hive Island quickly reached Marine Headquarters through these spies.

New Marineford, Marshal's Office.

Sakazuki rubbed his increasingly thinning hair and stared at the two secret messages on his desk.

"Charlotte Lingling and Kaido are fighting."

"Whitebeard has entered Golden Lion's territory."

"What the hell are the Four Emperors planning?"