Chapter 90: [Thousand Shadows Residual Light]! As Expected... This Is So Whitebeard!

As he said this, Izou’s gaze became exceptionally firm.

He recalled the days when he had first joined the crew.

Back then, he knew almost nothing about life at sea.

It was Jozu who had helped him adapt and integrate into the Whitebeard Pirates as quickly as possible.

Moreover, because Wano Country had remained isolated from the outside world for so many years, there had been enormous differences in both culture and customs.

Without Jozu’s guidance, adjusting to life aboard the ship would have been far more difficult.

Because of that, helping Jozu fulfill his wish meant a great deal to Izou.

"Good."

Ron smiled warmly.

"Then on Jozu’s behalf, thank you."

He continued,

"With the treasure you’ve brought and the gold we’ve accumulated over the past few days, the funds needed for Jozu’s Devil Fruit Enchantment are practically complete."

Then Ron chuckled and added jokingly,

"If Jozu hears this news, he’ll probably drag you into a three-day drinking celebration."

"And after getting completely drunk, he’ll probably wrestle with you for another three days."

Izou laughed as well, but then shook his head.

"I don’t dare see Jozu right now."

"Let him focus on preparing for the Enchantment."

" Ron , tell him after I’ve already left."

"Otherwise, I might not be able to get away."

"Alright."

"Go without worrying."

Izou nodded.

"Then I’ll head off and find Enel. We’ll bring Orochi back as quickly as possible."

"Hopefully by the time I return, Jozu will have already completed his Enchantment."

"He definitely will."

Ron nodded.

"Oh, and keep an eye on Enel."

"The guy’s probably going stir-crazy."

"Once he reaches Wano Country, don’t let him wander around causing trouble."

Izou nodded in understanding.

He knew how important this mission was.

It wasn’t just about benefiting the Whitebeard Pirates.

It was a crucial part of Ron’s larger plan.

Without further delay, he gathered his belongings and departed to find Enel.

The mission to capture Orochi had officially begun.

Three Days Later

The Whitebeard Pirates had been exceptionally busy over the past few days.

Every day, Division Commanders returned from Wano Country carrying hidden caches of treasure.

After careful counting, the amount of gold recovered had surpassed an astonishing 10 billion Berries .

However—

despite the staggering figure, nobody believed that was all of Kaido’s wealth.

Kaido had ruled Wano for years.

He was also one of the veteran Four Emperors.

There was no way a pirate of that caliber possessed only this much treasure.

Everyone agreed there had to be additional treasure vaults they hadn’t discovered yet.

But compared to that revelation—

another piece of news shocked them even more.

Kaido had publicly declared war on Whitebeard.

30 billion Berries .

All for the chance to defeat him.

"Did Pops beat Kaido so hard he damaged his brain?"

Someone stared at the newspaper in disbelief.

"That guy was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, and he’s still talking tough?"

"Thirty billion Berries !"

"Does he really have that much money?"

"Damn it, this hurts!"

"I thought we’d emptied out all of his treasure vaults!"

Another crew member clutched his chest dramatically.

"Empty my ass."

Someone else rolled his eyes.

"If we’d emptied them, where did this 30 billion come from?"

The room fell silent.

Everyone exchanged glances.

A heavy atmosphere filled the air.

Many of the Division Commanders beat their chests in regret.

If only they had searched more thoroughly.

Maybe they would have found the rest of Kaido’s treasure.

"Pops."

Marco frowned.

"I think we shouldn’t go."

"Kaido’s definitely plotting something."

He couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his chest.

After suffering a surprise attack and losing so much gold, Kaido should have been licking his wounds.

Yet somehow—

he had immediately turned around and offered 30 billion Berries as bait.

Something about the situation felt deeply wrong.

And the fact that he had used Morgans to broadcast the challenge to the entire world only made it more suspicious.

Ron felt the same way.

The more he thought about it, the stranger everything seemed.

"Pops."

Ron spoke with a serious expression.

"This really doesn’t add up."

Whitebeard nodded slightly and continued listening.

Ron analyzed calmly,

"With Kaido’s personality, losing a fight is one thing."

"But he’d never throw around money like this for no reason."

"And the fact that he announced it to the whole world makes it obvious."

"He’s afraid we won’t go."

"He took a loss last time."

"Now he’s using 30 billion Berries as bait to lure us in."

"There’s definitely some kind of trap waiting."

As he spoke, Ron suddenly thought back to the Summit War of Marineford.

Back then, the Marines had publicly announced Ace’s execution to the entire world.

The execution itself wasn’t the true objective.

The real goal had been to lure Whitebeard into a trap and eliminate him.

And now—

Kaido was doing something eerily similar.

Using 30 billion Berries as bait.

Luring Whitebeard into a battlefield of his choosing.

The resemblance was almost one-to-one.

The more Ron considered it, the more unsettling it became.

Both plans hid deadly schemes beneath an attractive lure.

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard’s booming laughter interrupted his thoughts.

"Ron, what you’re saying makes sense."

"But if a man backs down from a challenge simply because it’s dangerous..."

"Can he still call himself a man?"

His voice thundered through the room.

Ron immediately covered his forehead with one hand.

A familiar headache began to form.

He knew Whitebeard too well.

The old man might appear calm and wise—

but at his core, he was an adventurer through and through.

Ron sighed inwardly.

There’s obviously a giant pit of fire waiting ahead...

And Pops still wants to jump right into it.

As expected...

That was Whitebeard for you.

◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇

◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!

◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.

◇ Read 70 Chapters ahead on P@treon → /Sagamaster789