Boom!!
A fierce wind surged into the sky.
The violent shockwave made the entire Hive Island tremble as if it were shaking.
"Hehehehe!"
On the wide battlefield, Solem laughed wildly.
He was clad in golden armor, with especially thick plates on his arms.
Swinging a heavy hammer, also covered in gold, he smashed it toward his opponent.
With a loud bang!
Dorry raised his round shield, forcing it up to block the blow.
But even so, he staggered backward from Solem's strike, almost flying off.
"Isn't your power to control gold?"
Beside him, Broggy rushed over, his huge battle axe swinging down at Solem. "Why has your strength increased so much too?"
"Because my ability is to control gold!"
Solem chuckled.
The golden armor on his body instantly flowed out like snakes, wrapping tightly around Broggy's body.
The huge axe froze mid-air, unable to fall.
Then Solem twisted his body and kicked Broggy in the stomach, sending the senior fighter flying like a meteor.
He crashed heavily far away.
Solem's own strength was already terrifying, and the golden armor significantly amplified his power during his attacks.
In the end, he showed strength enough to suppress both Dorry and Brogy.
The previous fight left both Dorry and Brogy feeling dissatisfied.
After all, Solem had caught them off guard by infiltrating their bodies with golden powder, turning them directly into golden statues.
This kind of fighting method didn't at all fit the battle aesthetics of the Giant Tribe.
So naturally, there had to be a rematch.
But even now, it was still clear that Solem held the upper hand.
"Amazing!"
Many pirates and even civilians nearby watched in awe, as if witnessing a legendary battle of giants from myth.
Zoro clenched his fists, his face flushed with excitement.
"Indeed," Sanji stood next to him, eyes fixed on the fight without blinking, "We still have a long way to go."
Even with his exoskeleton, even if he put on a Raid Suit, he simply couldn't withstand a single strike from those giants.
After a moment's thought, he added, "Of course, you, green-haired idiot, are even further behind than me."
"Do you want to get cut?"
Zoro instantly lost his cool.
"You two, stop fighting!"
It wasn't until Kuina sharply snapped at them that the two finally fell silent.
Besides them, the other kids were also here.
Uta, Ace, Ulti, Page One—each of them watched with shining eyes.
Even Uta was paying close attention; battles between such powerful fighters were a rare sight.
Inside the Skull Building,
Tesoro looked at Ian with some surprise.
"Lord Ian, are you serious?"
"What's the matter?"
Ian lay back in his office chair, hands behind his head, grinning, "Isn't my plan interesting enough?"
Tesoro hesitated, then finally spoke after some thought, "Lord Ian, no matter what, we're pirates. Pirates running an entertainment company... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
In this chaotic world, trying to run a cultural business was already a questionable idea.
And now, they even want to do it under the identity of pirates.
"Lord Ian, aren't you just messing around? Where's the market for that?"
"The most stable, the largest, and the most consumer-driven markets of the Allied Nations are completely inaccessible."
"No matter how powerful the influence of the Pirate Emperors is, or how much secret trading happens between the two sides, there's no way the World Government would openly open up the market to pirates, right? Do they have no shame?"
Even Tesoro couldn't help but think that maybe Lord Ian's ideas were a bit too far-fetched.
"Stay calm, Tesoro," Ian said calmly. "Even if we give up the Allied Nations' markets, there are still half of the non-Allied countries waiting for us to develop."
Tesoro's lips twitched.
Lord Ian… How much profit can there really be to squeeze out of the non-Allied countries?
And how many stable non-Allied countries are there in this world?
At least three out of ten non-Allied countries are in the middle of civil wars, and two more are plagued by pirate attacks.
Of the remaining five, about three are in ruins, unable to rebuild after wars and pirate invasions.
In the end, only two countries are somewhat normal, but neither of them can be considered wealthy.
Targeting such countries as markets for entertainment—wouldn't that just be a recipe for losses?
"Don't worry about profits," Ian said. "You should already know Uta's abilities. Now I'll tell you."
"Even if you hear her voice through a Den Den Mushi broadcast, her power will still captivate you."
Tesoro's eyes suddenly widened. His throat felt blocked, and only after a great effort did he manage to force out a voice.
"Really, that powerful??"
Her power could even be carried through a Den Den Mushi broadcast??
Such a terrifying Devil Fruit ability exists in this world!!
Tesoro could hardly believe it.
"I understand now!"
He quickly composed himself and nodded with respect.
"In that case, it really is necessary to make Miss Uta a superstar known worldwide!"
Profit or loss doesn't matter.
As long as many people watch Uta's concert live broadcasts on time, that will be enough!
"But if we only focus on Uta, wouldn't that be too obvious?"
Ian said with interest, "Let's find some other promising talents. In fact," he looked at Tesoro, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Tesoro also had a dream of becoming a singer.
If Ian remembered correctly, it was because his mother disliked his singing that he ran away from home.
Tesoro paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Since you say so, I'll give it a shot!"
Who doesn't have a dream of music?
Though the plan was to help Uta become a world superstar, who said there could only be one star?
"Good, then this matter is in your hands."
Ian was growing more and more pleased with Tesoro.
Recruiting him was a genius move.
It saved Ian so much effort.
Brzzzz.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Ian casually pulled it out and answered.
"Mama! Mama! Ian! Ready to welcome our glorious arrival?"
That was fast.
Ian glanced at Tesoro.
Tesoro nodded lightly, signaling he was ready.
Not long after, a huge ship gradually approached Hive Island.
On the bow of the ship was a massive smiling face, humming cheerfully as it sailed.
"Mama, Mama! The pirate island Hive! It's been so many years since I last came back!"
Charlotte Linlin stood at the ship's bow, gazing at the island growing closer in the distance. Especially when she saw those towering, skull-like buildings, a visible hint of nostalgia flickered in her eyes.
"My youth was spent right on this island! Mama, Mama!"
She turned around and called out, "Hey, Katakuri, do you still remember this place?"
Katakuri nodded slightly. From beneath the scarf covering the lower half of his face came his deep, muffled voice, "I lived here until I was ten."
How could he forget? It was on this very island that Brûlée's face was slashed by a group of pirates back then.
When he was ten, the Rocks Pirates crew collapsed.
After that, the top officers went their separate ways, and this island was taken over by Ochoku. They never returned after that.
"But now is not the time to dwell on the past!"
Linlin looked warmly toward someone on the deck. "Lola, you won't disappoint me, right?"
Lola's body trembled faintly. She hurriedly nodded, "Y-Yes, Mom!"
"Excellent! Mama, Mama!"
Her proud, triumphant laughter echoed across the deck. "Soon, I will have the power of Elbaf!"
"Then, Whitebeard, Kaido, Ian—everyone can go to hell for all I care!!"
Katakuri wanted to remind his crazy mother that Ian was also very close with the giants...
A whole giant army was one thing, but now they had even moved the matchmaking event to Hive Island.
Of course, Katakuri didn't dare to say a word.
On Hive Island.
The square outside the Skull Mansion was the main venue for today's matchmaking.
The preparations had already been completed.
White curtains surrounded the entire venue, blocking off the ordinary residents of the island from sneaking a peek.
Inside, the venue was decorated in a festive style, with flowers adorning every corner.
Although the original intention was to sabotage this matchmaking event, logically, the venue should have been made as awful as possible.
But Prince Loki called Ian his brother.
Ian felt that no matter what, he shouldn't let a good brother lose face.
The seats prepared to entertain the Charlotte family who had traveled a long way were already arranged.
Opposite them, a row of even larger seats was occupied by the members of the Giant Pirate Crew and Prince Loki.
"Not here yet?"
Loki, sitting in the main seat, looked quite anxious, constantly glancing outside the venue.
"Can't we go to the harbor to greet them?"
"I've already taken care of that for you."
"Don't be impatient."
Ian sat at a table nearby, close enough to both sides to hear clearly. He said calmly, "You have to remember one thing, Loki."
"It was Aunt Linlin who begged to marry you. We're the ones being courted here."
"But won't that be too rude?"
Loki, the twenty-meter tall brute, scratched the back of his head and said embarrassedly, "I just wanted to leave a good impression on Lola."
Ian couldn't help but sigh.
No need to worry at all.
With your pathetic appearance, how could Lola, who longs for freedom, ever be interested in you?
**********
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