Seeing the two of them cease fighting, Issho's smile remained unchanged as he turned his head and asked King:
"May I ask what brings you to Dressrosa?"
Previously, Sanders had already notified him to prepare to receive part of Whitebeard's territory.
So Issho could already guess what Marco had come for.
But the arrival of King the Wildfire had truly caught him off guard.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come personally.
Upon hearing Issho's words,
Cyrus and the others from the Kingdom of Dressrosa pricked up their ears.
Marco turned his head slightly to look at King, his eyes full of curiosity.
On the outskirts of the port, a few people dressed like ordinary residents had flickering eyes, staring at the scene without blinking.
On the surface, they looked like they were just ordinary onlookers caught up in the commotion.
King stood on the deck and didn't answer directly. Instead, he said:
"Letting guests talk in the port—this is how the Raijin Pirates treat their guests?"
A political alliance through marriage obviously couldn't be publicly discussed in front of everyone.
Issho opened his eyes slightly, revealing his white pupils, and said with a smile:
"It's indeed my oversight. Then please follow me to the Raijin Pirates' base in Dressrosa."
"Heh, all this secrecy—don't tell me you're up to some shady scheme,"
Marco mocked when he saw King not answering.
"This is a matter between the Beasts Pirates and the Raijin Pirates. It's not for the Whitebeard Pirates to meddle in."
"If you're not happy about it, we can go have another round in the sky later."
King glanced coldly at Marco and said flatly.
"Fine by me. Who's afraid?"
Marco agreed without hesitation.
Both of them could fly—an aerial battle was certainly on the table.
Issho, still smiling, stood on the shore and didn't seem to care at all about the two wanting another fight.
As long as it didn't happen in Dressrosa, it was none of his concern.
"What are the Whitebeard Pirates doing here anyway? Don't tell me you're really planning to join the Raijin Pirates?"
Suddenly, King questioned Marco.
"Nothing in particular. I'm not like your Beasts Pirates, always sneaky about things. Nothing to hide."
"To congratulate Sanders on ascending to the throne of Yonko, the Whitebeard Pirates are planning to gift one-fifth of our territory to the Raijin Pirates."
Marco said boldly and casually.
He didn't mention that this was actually the result of a deal with Sanders.
After all, that would somewhat hurt the old man's (Whitebeard's) pride.
In fact, this phrasing subtly elevated the Raijin Pirates and Sanders.
A territory gift from the Whitebeard Pirates as congratulations—
Even Red-Hair, Kaido, and Big Mom had never received such treatment.
Issho's lips curved slightly, but he didn't expose Marco.
This version of the story had no downsides for the Raijin Pirates.
As one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard had enough face to spare.
Upon hearing Marco's words, King's pupils shrank.
Under his mask, his expression revealed clear surprise.
"Giving away one-fifth of your territory as a celebration gift?!!"
"When did Whitebeard become so generous?"
"You guys from the Whitebeard Pirates aren't planning to form an alliance with the Raijin Pirates, are you?"
King knew clearly—
There was definitely something going on here that he didn't know about.
Whitebeard had no personal relationship with Sanders.
And no matter how generous he was, there was no way he'd just give away one-fifth of his territory.
Standing behind Issho, Cyrus and the others from Dressrosa all wore shocked expressions.
One-fifth of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory—
That amount of land was several times larger than Dressrosa itself.
No wonder the Whitebeard Pirates' number two, the Phoenix Marco, had come in person.
In the crowd observing from a distance, someone was visibly shaken and quickly jotted something down, intending to report it later.
Whitebeard Pirates and Raijin Pirates suspected of forming an alliance!
This was world-shaking news!
Up on the mast, Yamato rested her kanabō (spiked club) on her shoulder.
Behind the Hannya mask, her face was full of admiration.
"As expected of the former captain of Kozuki Oden."
So bold and generous in his actions—
Even after being defeated, he still gave up territory to celebrate Sanders becoming an Emperor of the Sea.
It felt like she was witnessing that legendary pirate with her own eyes.
Having never left Wano, Yamato couldn't imagine the intricate politics behind all this.
"That's our business. None of your concern."
"The Whitebeard Pirates don't need to form alliances with anyone!"
Marco waved his hand dismissively, showing he had no interest in explaining further.
Behind him, Diamond Jozu had a look of pleasant surprise.
He hadn't expected Marco to come up with such a reason for the territory transfer.
Even if it sounded a bit far-fetched—
At least it didn't hurt Pops' pride.
A very good excuse.
Why hadn't he thought of it himself?
King seemed like he still wanted to press further, but Issho calmly interrupted:
"Let's head to the base first. The port needs to keep running."
A group of major pirates blocking the port—
No one else dared to even approach.
Marco was the first to leap ashore, followed closely by Diamond Jozu and several pirate underlings.
"Yamato, come down."
King called coldly to Yamato, still perched on the mast.
Yamato didn't answer, and instead jumped straight down to land in front of Issho.
"Uncle Issho, hello! I'm... uh, Yamato. Are you a samurai?"
"A samurai? No, I am not. But I once had several samurai friends. The sword in my hand was a gift from one of them."
Issho raised the cane sword in his hand horizontally, a nostalgic smile on his face.
Marco glanced curiously at the spiked club in Yamato's hand.
When his gaze reached the red horns on Yamato's head, his eyes narrowed.
He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Red horns, and a weapon strikingly similar to Kaido's...
He might've just uncovered a major secret of the Beasts Pirates.
Though disappointed to learn Issho wasn't a samurai, Yamato perked up again at the mention of his samurai friends and asked excitedly:
"Samurai friends? Then do you know—"
Before she could finish her sentence, King cut in sharply:
"Yamato!"
King knew exactly who she was about to mention.
He was constantly troubled by Yamato's obsession with Kozuki Oden.
Especially with Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates standing right there.
If word got out that Kaido's "son" idolized Kozuki Oden and aspired to become him...
The Beasts Pirates would be mocked by the Whitebeard Pirates for years.
It'd be too humiliating!
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T/N:
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