The classic human question – Prove that you are you.
Normally, asking this kind of question is just stirring up trouble.
And Ivankov was indeed stirring up trouble. Sanji didn't have a bounty, but Luffy himself is someone who can't keep things to himself. On the way to Marine headquarters, he had mentioned his crewmates to Ivankov.
The okama on the island also brought Ivankov new information: these two people had been sent down from the sky by an air mass that looked like a bear's paw.
As a friend of Kuma, Ivankov was well aware of his abilities. Without a doubt, these two had been deliberately sent here by Kuma.
Ivankov's true goal wasn't to make Sanji prove who he was, it was to test their resolve, and to see if they were truly loyal to their captain.
Although he was only a commander of the Revolutionary Army, the help that Kuma and Ivankov had given the Straw Hats was in no way inferior to that of Dragon. Aside from the farewell in Loguetown, Dragon hadn't done anything to assist Luffy, whereas Kuma and Ivankov had actually saved his life.
After enduring a series of torments, the two finally began to study the secrets of the Newkama Kenpo on the island.
Boin Archipelago, this was the place Usopp had arrived at. The island was filled with various dangerous man-eating plants as well as convenient food plants. It was here that Usopp met a man dressed in something resembling beetle armor - Heracles.
Aside from him, there was also an entire population of Heracross on the island. After they were scattered, a few Heracross had made their way here and multiplied to form a tribe of their own, gradually claiming the top position in the island's food chain.
"So many Hercules... Luffy would probably love this place. No... I have to get back as soon as possible."
Due to the special nature of the food on the Boin Archipelago, Usopp's body size rapidly increased. If he were taken to Wano Country now, he could probably participate in sumo wrestling matches.
Maybe not strong enough in terms of strength, but he definitely qualified in terms of weight class.
Fortunately, the Boin Archipelago was also within News Coo's service area, so Usopp could still read the news about other places. This strengthened his resolve to lose weight and train. Then, he met his new sparring partner, a three-meter-tall Heracross.
"Why the heck is this thing so huge?!"
"It wasn't that big at first. It's probably the food on the island. This Hercules beetle just kept getting bigger and bigger, and eventually ended up like this. Since your goal is to work off all that extra fat, it said it's willing to help with that."
Heracles himself was also a big fan of insects. After the Heracross moved onto the island, he became a glorious Bug Catcher and blended in with the Heracross. As for Hercules beetle, it was the name he gave them based on the traits of the Heracross tribe.
Although Usopp had become familiar with the traits of Heracross thanks to Hercules, each Heracross still had its own unique personality.
Due to differences in living environments, Heracross from different regions developed in different directions.
Uta's Heracross was better at flying, Luffy's Heracross was forced to develop intelligence, but the Heracross here appeared clumsy and simple-minded. With nothing but straightforward and brutal beatdowns, they opened up a new chapter in Usopp's life.
Kuraigana Island.
Hawk Eyes had returned to his cozy nest. Just as he was about to head to the castle kitchen to cook a simple dish and relax, he discovered something unsightly in his home.
"Roronoa? What are you doing here?"
"How should I know? Is this your house? Why did you make this place like a maze? Where's the exit?!"
Unlike the others, Zoro had been lost the entire time. If he hadn't accidentally stumbled into the castle kitchen while searching for a way out, he would've already collapsed from hunger.
Even then, he still couldn't manage to leave the castle on his own; he was only rescued when Hawk Eyes returned.
Even the newspaper was brought by Hawk Eyes. After all, Perona now lived in Wano Country, and without her to guide him, it was basically a metaphysical question whether Zoro could have ever gotten out of there.
With one wrong turn, the place where he would meet Luffy again might have changed from Sabaody Archipelago to Laugh Tale.
While the Straw Hats were each beginning their training, the Beast Pirates' officers were also returning to Onigashima, but this time, it was only the high-ranking officers.
As territorial expansion came to an end and the era of upheaval approached, a large number of officers had been dispatched to other islands to safeguard their territories.
Those returning to Onigashima included not only the senior officers, the main force of Wano Country, but also the pirates who had performed exceptionally well in the war, earning the opportunity to obtain divine blessing.
Just as promised, Kaido returned to Onigashima on time.
According to reports from officers stationed across other territories, during this period, Kaido had flown a full circuit around his territory. Like a flying fortress, he destroyed an unknown number of pirate ships, sending all those who dared provoke him to the bottom of the sea.
With the pirates' return, the once-empty Onigashima was full of life again, and news of Kaido's overwhelming victory also reached Wano Country.
After all, Wano Country was still operating in a closed-loop economy, and News Coo would not deliver newspapers directly into Wano. It would only stop at nearby islands.
Members of the Beasts Pirates would collect the news, reorganize and edit the newspaper's contents, and then publish their own version within Wano Country, giving the citizens some level of awareness about the outside world.
When Kaido and the others went off to battle, this work was temporarily halted. It only resumed once Kaido and Arceus returned.
"Listen up, brats! We won! In this war, we are the victors!"
"Ohhh!!"
On Onigashima, Kaido repeated the battle results that everyone already knew, yet the pirates below were still thrilled to hear it.
"Worororo, I can see you're all still excited, but the war is over for now. Now, it's time for the banquet!"
"There are still seven hours until nightfall. Go and rest up. There's a party waiting for you tonight!"
"OHHHH!!!!"
The battle for the pirates was over, but the battle for the Onigashima chefs was just beginning. In order to feed the pirates who were still riding high on excitement, the kitchen had already kicked into full gear.
Huge pieces of sea beast meat were tossed into ovens, and pots of soup bubbled non-stop. They had to prepare a luxurious banquet within the next seven hours.
Barrel after barrel of strong liquor was delivered to the banquet grounds. Some pirates couldn't wait and had already started drinking even before the banquet began.
Having just finished a major war, no one was stopping them, but once the banquet started, the others wouldn't pass up the chance to pour drink after drink down their throats.
Shayna had gone to the monastery, King headed to the Flower Capital, and Yamato was checking on Emboar and Tyranitar.
Thanks to its armored shell and its ability to create Seastone Sandstorm, Tyranitar hadn't suffered any injuries. However, Emboar now bore two new scars. There were still some capable people out on the seas.
Queen, on the other hand, had returned to his lab, intending to first check on the operational status of his defense systems.
****Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my pa*reon.