"Plant our flag on the Kingdom of Dressrosa?"
"Did Link finally decide to pull himself together? I thought he'd lost his fighting spirit."
"Fufufu… he hasn't gotten tired of me, has he? Men really don't cherish things once they've had them."
"…"
After wrapping up the morning "training" calisthenics, Karina and the others took a bath and came out for breakfast—only to hear Link's new decision.
Seeing Link, who had been drifting toward the decadence of nobles and foolish kings—lost in beauty and neglecting business—suddenly start handling real work, Nami and the others teased him first.
With her hair somehow changed from straight black to a "wife" style under Link's coaxing, Robin rested a finger under her chin and said, "Dressrosa is, if I remember right, a member nation of the World Government. Its king is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo."
Karina's eyes lit up. "So we're finally moving on a World Government member state? Link, you're not about to start a full war with the Marines and the World Government, are you?"
"I just suddenly took a liking to two promising talents, that's all."
Munching his breakfast, Link smiled carelessly. "Of course, if they dare fight me, that's fine too."
He spoke as if the Marines and the World Government were nothing.
Karina and the others felt the same.
High station itself is a massive boost for anyone who commands Haki. Just as losers whose courage shatters can fail to use Haki at all, becoming the strongest pirate crew in the world had dramatically raised the presence of Karina's group; their Haki training now progressed with half the effort for double the result.
At this point, aside from lacking the highest-level applications, their Haki's volume and quality were no weaker than cadres of other Yonko crews.
Add in top-tier Devil Fruit abilities and their unbeatable synergy—whether an admiral or another emperor—Karina and the rest felt no fear.
Not bloated—confident.
Link felt the same.
Even though the Uchiha Sasuke template was only 36% unlocked, and those thirty-six feedbacks meant little to Link, his strength had still skyrocketed.
As he'd said: before reaching the Sage-of-Six-Paths level, whether the second template was Uchiha Sasuke or Uchiha Madara, their greatest value to Link was the Sage's Eye and the power of Yin.
Just as unlocking 1% of the Hashirama Senju template gave Link a true Sage's Body, unlocking 1% of the Sasuke template granted him the Sage's Eye—opening a one-tomoe Sharingan.
Even now it had only progressed to three tomoe, but for Link it was enough.
That dōjutsu, with Yin power, gave Link the attribute of Yin.
Now Link possessed a fully-aligned physique.
The Yin Release chakra that came with the Sharingan let Link grasp Haki at a wonderfully subtle level.
By studying the notes left by successive Kuja Empresses, Link taught himself future sight and then taught Hancock to see the future as well.
When the two fought with future sight, Link inadvertently used Conqueror's Haki to sever Hancock's foresight—and mastered Observation-kill.
Whether by the power systems of the shinobi world or the seas, Link had reached what could be called the pinnacle of humanity.
He lacked only the final metamorphosis for his life level to fully ascend.
On top of that, both Hancock and the Serpent Girl were already in the super-strong class.
Unless the World Government brought out all its hidden foundations, Link truly didn't care how many super-strong figures Marine Headquarters fielded.
Seeing Link move on Dressrosa, Hancock—the number-one loyalist—rose at once. "If that's the case, let me and Shirahoshi make the trip."
"Mm, I'll leave it to you."
Link nodded with a smile, then added, "Have Nami go too. I want two people brought back."
"People?"
Karina and the others were puzzled; Robin, seeing through it, smiled. "If they're to be brought back, they must be women—very beautiful women, most likely."
"…"
Karina instantly put her acting to work, eyes full of grievance. "Sure enough—out with the old, in with the new."
Link gave her a half-smile. "Want me to show you here and now just how much I spoil you?"
"Do it, do it…"
Karina showed no fear and, without a shred of shame, pounced on Link like a hungry little fiend.
The warm atmosphere flipped in a heartbeat.
Hancock and the others were long used to it.
After half a year, what storms hadn't they seen? Group dog-walking had been tried; a little "breakfast milk" scene was nothing. Even pure-as-paper Shirahoshi was getting led astray. If not for her massive size and untransformed tail, she might have joined in as well.
Before long, Robin and the rest were dragged into it too.
When the "special breakfast" ended, Hancock and Nami took a bath, then rode Shirahoshi and left Amazon Lily.
At the same time, Link quietly "rode" Karina off the island, heading straight for a very special sea area in the New World.
Among the Warlords, Doflamingo had done the best, eating from both sides—white in the World Government, black under Kaido, one of the Five Emperors.
As a transmigrator, Link knew how tightly Doflamingo clung to Kaido's thigh—and how important he was to Kaido.
If Link moved against Doflamingo, then for ambition's sake and because of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido would certainly try to protect him, even with the Cross-Piercer Pirates now the strongest crew in the world.
If two superpowers went to full war, the World Government and Marines might also stick a hand in from the shadows, looking to trip Link up.
Since that was so, why wait for trouble to arrive and answer passively?
Better to sweep away the trouble yourself and keep losses to a minimum.
Now, Link and Hancock split into two routes…
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