"Boss, what are we training today?"
Crocodile took a deep breath, standing beside Kaos and looking at the snow-capped mountains.
"You'll remove your Sea Stone and go catch a Sea King.
After you've eaten it, it's time to leave."
Kaos's black spiky hair moved without wind, and the steam emanating from his body began to dissipate, returning to normal.
"We're leaving?"
Crocodile's reaction was a beat slow.
"Three months is long enough. Next, we need to go out and test our skills in real combat."
"And stir up some trouble while we're at it!"
Kaos always trained for a period, then went out to enjoy himself for a period.
After all, combat experience was more practical.
Furthermore, not causing trouble for three months made him feel a little uncomfortable.
His very bones wouldn't allow him to be low-key.
Now that his capital was growing stronger, if he didn't become more arrogant and high-profile, he wouldn't be doing justice to all those days and nights of desperate training.
He was going to be the most arrogant man in the world!
"No problem."
Crocodile unlocked the handcuffs on his wrists, immediately feeling his body lighten by more than half. They were finally leaving.
However, he still felt a little reluctant.
Because the feeling of increasing strength was simply too exhilarating.
The current him could take on fifty versions of himself from four months ago.
As Crocodile disappeared, Kaos also removed his Sea Stone handcuffs.
Both his body and mind relaxed by more than half, and at the same time, the feeling of the Gold-Gold Fruit returned.
Not far away, the Goddess of the Sky, who had been closed, suddenly opened her eyes and stood up.
Due to the battle with Garp in the Sabaody Archipelago, she had lost a lot of gold, so the Goddess of the Sky couldn't maintain her 50-meter height, appearing much smaller and thinner.
During these three months, Kaos not only trained his physical techniques and Haki with the Sea Stone but also took time in the evenings to develop the Gold-Gold Fruit.
Kaos was no longer satisfied with a 50-meter-tall Goddess of the Sky.
Without awakening, the more gold Kaos controlled, the stronger his combat power became.
Now that he had grown stronger, he could naturally bear and control more gold.
A strong wind spread out with Kaos as its center, and his Observation Haki quickly covered the entire island.
Kaos could sense gold in some mountains or underground, wherever it existed.
This island had gold, but the quantity was very small.
Kaos didn't even bother to dig for it.
Sky Island still had a lot of gold, but Kaos didn't plan to go back.
It seemed he would have to set his sights on other forces.
It would also be a good opportunity to announce his return to the world, killing two birds with one stone.
Who should he target first?
Kaos stroked his chin, and a thought suddenly flashed in his mind.
The World Government, with over 170 affiliated nations, is the largest international organization in the Pirate World.
Logically, these affiliated nations should all be equal.
But the reality was a bit cruel.
Because all affiliated nations must pay 'celestial tribute' to the Celestial Dragons.
Celestial tribute most directly refers to various treasures, or important resources from some countries.
Such as spices, gold and silver treasures, various rare minerals, and so on!
All are precious resources.
However, the most valuable is gold.
And the gold here is pure gold, the kind without any impurities.
This is also why the common people in those affiliated nations in the Pirate World live in such poverty; it's all because the country has to pay celestial tribute to the World Government (Celestial Dragons) every year.
Ultimately, this celestial tribute falls upon them.
If they encounter incompetent kings, their lives become even poorer.
The Gilgamesh Kingdom, located in the first half of the Grand Line, is one of the World Government's affiliated nations.
Its king is considered a wise ruler, so the people of this kingdom live relatively happily.
The kingdom is also quite prosperous.
For this reason, the celestial tribute paid this year consisted almost entirely of gold and silver treasures.
At this moment, at the port of the Gilgamesh Kingdom, a merchant ship was loading supplies, with a warship alongside it!
What these people were currently transporting was celestial tribute, which included gold, various gold and silver treasures, spices, and so on.
And the escorts were not Marines, but a person dressed in strange clothes and wearing a peculiar mask.
CPO, the World Government's direct secret intelligence agency.
Since a CPO personally escorted it, it meant that this ship's celestial tribute was extremely precious; otherwise, a Marine Colonel or Rear Admiral would have escorted it.
If it was some special celestial tribute, even a Marine Vice Admiral would escort it.
Or it would be escorted by the affiliated nation's own army.
The ultimate reason still depends on the value of the celestial tribute.
Currently, not only the Gilgamesh Kingdom but also the other 170 affiliated nations are preparing their celestial tribute.
All half a year in advance.
Most other kingdoms still have their own armies escorting, or Marine generals assigned to escort.
Any ship accompanied by a CPO indicates that the celestial tribute inside is very valuable.
And all these merchant ships transporting celestial tribute need to pass through the Sabaody Archipelago.
It can be observed that in the past month, a large number of Marines have begun to land and station themselves at the Marine bases and government entry/exit points in Sabaody Archipelago's numbers 60 to 69.
Among them, Rear Admirals were everywhere, such as Borsalino and Momonga, and there were several Vice Admirals as well.
Even Tsuru temporarily returned.
Sengoku from the New World also returned to Marineford.
On the other side, on the calm sea.
The Gilgamesh Kingdom merchant ship and a warship sailed side by side, steadily approaching the Sabaody Archipelago.
This warship was led by a Rear Admiral, but he only followed the orders of the CPO on the merchant ship.
The originally clear sky suddenly turned dark.
Both the merchant ship and the warship, the guards and Marines on board, looked up, and when they clearly saw what was blocking the sun, they all had their mouths slightly agape, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Golden Emperor!"
"It's the Golden Emperor."
Everyone on the deck had lost control of their expressions, looking at the Goddess of the Sky, who was blocking out the sun, and feeling their own insignificance.
This visually extravagant way of appearing was unique in the entire world.
"Damn it, how can the Golden Emperor, who disappeared for three months, appear here?"
The CPO and the Rear Admiral from the cabin walked out, looking at the Goddess of the Sky with her peerless beauty and sacred, inviolable presence.
Especially the Golden Throne held in her delicate hands, and the man sitting cross-legged, propping his chin with one hand, bare-chested, and looking at them with a playful expression—who else could it be but the Golden Emperor!
As for Crocodile standing next to him, he was completely ignored.
Because Crocodile hadn't yet unleashed that arrogant, world-conquering aura.
"My luck isn't bad."
Kaos's eyes looked down at the merchant ship.
Especially when the CPO and the Rear Admiral in his 'Justice' coat came out, Kaos roughly understood what this ship and warship were for.
To be escorted by a CPO and a warship, there was an eighty percent chance it was what he was looking for.
Celestial tribute.
That's right, ever since Kaos left the Calm Belt, he had set his sights on celestial tribute.
He had originally planned to wait for it in the Sabaody Archipelago, but he didn't expect to encounter it on the way.
With a gentle press of his left index finger, the golden ribbon gracefully winding around the Goddess of the Sky's elbow shot out like the 'Huntian Ling' of that famous figure, surging forth like a golden stream.
The heavy, whistling sound in the air made everyone's scalp tingle.
"Whoosh!"
An extremely fast speed erupted. The masked CPO suddenly appeared in mid-air, his entire right arm swelling and wrapped in Armament Haki, striking the front end of the golden ribbon with powerful force.
With a huge roar, a shockwave spread out, causing both the merchant ship and the giant sword to shake violently.
"Sir."
The CPO landed on the deck, where cracks tore open.
He looked up at the golden ribbon fluttering in the air, his expression beneath the mask unclear.
The Rear Admiral next to him was startled.
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"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo