Chapter 87: Pops, Next Time You Rob an Emperor, You Have to Bring Me Along!

Thanks to Starry Light ~ Anya for the "Grandmaster Certification"!

Thanks to Thousand Shadows Residual Light for the "Luxury Spa" gift!

Sky IslandWhitebeard Pirates’ Base, Angel Island

Compared to the gloom hanging over Onigashima and the turmoil sweeping the world, things here were far more lively.

The raid on Kaido had been a tremendous success.

The entire base was overflowing with excitement and celebration.

"Zehahahaha! I never thought Pops would bring back so much of Kaido’s blood!"

"You weren’t there to see it! Pops was incredible! One swing of his blade sent Kaido flying!"

"That’s right! If Kaido hadn’t dodged at the last second, Pops would’ve split him in half with that strike!"

"We didn’t bring back nearly enough gold! I’m grabbing a bigger sack and heading back later!"

"Same here! We’re going to get rich this time! I want Kaido’s Azure Dragon Devil Fruit!"

"Exactly! That’s what I’m thinking too!"

"The Azure Dragon Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi)! I want both!"

"Want my ass! Do you even have the money for one?!"

"..."

The atmosphere was boisterous.

Every Division Commander and every Devil Fruit User who had participated in the looting operation had returned loaded with spoils.

Their grins stretched from ear to ear.

This surprise attack had not only yielded a massive amount of wealth and resources—

they had also obtained something even more valuable:

Kaido’s blood.

Whitebeard sat at the head seat, resting.

After taking several deep breaths, he slowly pulled a large sake gourd from his coat.

Beside it was a small bottle filled with precious blood.

"That’s Kaido’s sake gourd?" Ron asked in surprise.

Pops was unbelievable.

He had actually stolen Kaido’s personal sake gourd.

Then a thought occurred to him.

"Pops... don’t tell me that’s Kaido’s blood inside?"

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard laughed loudly.

"That’s exactly what it is, Ron!"

He handed both items to Ron.

Ron carefully accepted them before passing them to Whitey Bay and Conis.

Both women understood how important these items were and handled them with extreme caution.

Ron couldn’t help giving Whitebeard a thumbs-up.

"Using Kaido’s own sake gourd to store his blood..."

"That’s genius."

"I don’t think anyone besides you would dare do something like that."

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard threw back his head and laughed.

"Kaido really suffered a massive loss this time!"

"Not only was he seriously injured, but all the gold he’d spent years hoarding is gone too!"

Just mentioning it put him in an exceptionally good mood.

Then he turned toward Ron.

"Ron."

"This time, no matter what, you need to make a few dragons."

"Traveling up and down Sky Island is just too inconvenient."

Ron nodded.

Whitebeard was absolutely right.

Even with Enel’s Ark Maxim serving as transportation, moving between Sky Island and the Blue Sea was still troublesome and time-consuming.

Not to mention that the Ark was enormous and made an easy target.

But if they had dragons capable of freely soaring through the skies—

everything would change.

They would be incredibly fast, highly mobile, and extraordinarily safe.

Most threats could be ignored outright.

And if anyone dared harbor hostile intentions...

Ron would simply answer them with a Blast Breath.

If one Blast Breath wasn’t enough—

then nine would be.

A barrage of dragon fire powerful enough to blot out the sky.

That’s right.

Nine Dragons Roaring Together.

Ron had already made plans.

His first goal was to create nine mighty dragons as the Whitebeard Pirates’ aerial force.

If money weren’t an issue, he’d make a hundred of them.

One hundred dragons unleashing Blast Breath simultaneously—

enough firepower to erase an island from the map.

"Pops, don’t worry."

"Our funds will be prioritized toward producing replicated Devil Fruits."

Ace had been glancing back and forth between Ron and Whitebeard the entire time.

The moment Ron stopped talking, he immediately jumped in.

"Pops! Pops!"

"Next time you go after Kaido, can you take me with you?"

Ace looked at Whitebeard expectantly.

His eyes were filled with eagerness.

After finishing his solo training in the forest that day, he had returned to the base only to learn where all the Logia users had gone.

They had gone to attack one of the Four Emperors—

Kaido.

He had been completely dumbfounded.

Robbing an Emperor?

An actual Emperor?

How could they possibly leave him behind?!

The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt.

His regret was so intense that he had practically trained himself unconscious just to stop thinking about it.

And now, right after waking up, he saw Whitebeard return triumphantly.

Seeing the longing in Ace’s eyes, Whitebeard fell silent.

He knew Ace possessed the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi).

However, speed was not Ace’s specialty.

Meanwhile, nearly every elite member of the Beasts Pirates was proficient in Haki.

If a real battle broke out, Ace’s lack of speed and comparatively weaker Haki would place him at a severe disadvantage.

It could even cost him his life.

In the world of pirates, every battle carried uncertainty and danger.

That was especially true when facing a monster like Kaido.

Because of that, Whitebeard carefully considered every decision involving Ace.

As a father figure, he wanted to protect the young man as much as possible.

At the same time, he hoped to guide Ace into becoming a mature warrior capable of standing on his own.

Yet Whitebeard also understood something else.

True growth required storms and hardship.

A person only became strong by facing danger head-on.

Deep down, he was looking forward to the day Ace would truly come into his own.

"How’s your Haki training going?"

Whitebeard asked casually.

His gaze shifted between Jozu and Ace.

"Don’t worry, Pops."

Jozu patted his chest confidently while casually draping an arm around Ace’s neck.

"I spent the afternoon teaching him Armament Haki."

"He’s already grasped the fundamentals."

"He just needs more practice."

Jozu had great confidence in Ace.

The young man’s talent was obvious.

With proper guidance, his potential was extraordinary.

"That’s right, Pops!"

Ace’s eyes lit up.

"Armament Haki comes pretty naturally to me."

"I think I’m already close to learning Haki emission."

His talent truly was remarkable.

In the past, he had relied too heavily on the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.

As a Logia user, he had believed himself nearly invincible against ordinary attacks.

But after arriving in the New World, he discovered the truth.

The monsters here used Haki to completely counter Logia abilities.

That realization had forced him to train harder than ever.

And there was another reason.

Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard).

The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit (Yami Yami no Mi) could suppress Devil Fruit abilities.

For that reason alone, Ace was determined to master Haki.

Silently, he renewed his resolve.

He would become stronger.

He would never again allow himself to be restrained by anyone or anything.

Only through relentless training and determination could he truly master Haki—

and become a genuine powerhouse.