One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Next, the training entered its final sprint stage.

Tesoro continued to comprehend in the Thunder Pool, but he focused more on "internal forging" in the Thunder Pool to hone his Armament Haki and enhance his physique.

The others also worked hard to achieve their goals before leaving.

Two more months have passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, Roy suddenly received a call from Kaido.

"Brubrubru—Brubrubru—"

The sound of the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) pulled Roy out of his meditation.

"Kaido, what is it?"

Kaido's deep, serious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Roy, there's something you need to know. Kozuki Oden is back."

The news of Kozuki Oden startled Roy.

"It seems Roger has found the 'final island,' and now is the time to disband the Roger Pirates."

Roy thought for a moment; it had been almost two years since he last saw Roger.

"Hello!"

"Roy! Are you listening?!"

Kaido's words interrupted Roy's thoughts.

"Okay! Go on!"

"All right!"

Kaido took a swig of sake and continued speaking.

"According to reports from spies inland within Wano Country,"

"He returned to Wano Country late last night and is currently secretly contacting his former subordinates in Kuri."

Kaido's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"What's even more troublesome is that he also went to the Flower Capital and met with Kurozumi Orochi."

"Orochi did not report to me what they discussed in detail."

Roy didn't care much about Kozuki Oden's appearance, but the safety of the research base could not be compromised.

"What do you want to do!"

"Hehehe, I don't know yet. We haven't known each other long enough to know why Kozuki Oden has come back."

"However, the research base cannot be lost! It concerns our future plans, doesn't it, ally?!"

"It seems we're on the same page, but..." Roy's tone shifted abruptly.

"Kaido, the Roy Pirates will not interfere in dealing with Kozuki Oden."

"Oden had a good relationship with Roger and Whitebeard, and we also had a good relationship with the Roger Pirates. We even met Whitebeard once, and he gave us some pointers."

"Therefore, our position is delicate; we will not directly attack Oden."

Roy's voice was calm.

"But we can't just stand by and watch him destroy the research base. Kaido, you're better suited to handle this."

Kaido's deep laughter came from the other end of the phone.

"Hehehe... ally, are you trying to push all the problems onto me?"

"However, let's do it your way. I'll handle Oden."

"Yes! That would be best." Roy nodded.

"But I won't stand idly by. I'll take immediate action now and leave the security of the research base to our Roy Pirates."

"As for Kozuki Oden... I'll leave him to your Beasts Pirates, Kaido. I trust you can handle him 'properly'."

"Handle it 'properly'?"

Hearing Roy emphasize those two words, Kaido laughed even more wildly.

"Rest assured, my ally, I will make Oden understand who the master of Wano Country is now."

After hanging up the phone, Roy immediately gathered everyone together and explained the situation.

"Boss, are we really not going to get involved in dealing with Oden?"

Savi was somewhat puzzled.

"That guy is very strong. Can Kaido handle him alone?"

"The situation is still unclear," Roy shook his head.

"Our alliance with Kaido is no secret, and the World Government and the Navy must have known about it long ago."

"We still don't know what Kozuki Oden and Kurozumi Orochi talked about, why they didn't fight, or if the World Government might be involved."

Roy looked at everyone,

"We don't know all of this, but we can't abandon our base in Wano Country."

Roy hardened his heart.

"If they really attack our research base, even if Oden has a special relationship with Whitebeard and Roger, I will never allow it."

Barrett crossed his arms, a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

"Right! Who cares what their relationship is with Roger Whitebeard? Anyone who gets in our way, we'll take them down!"

"Yeah, boss!"

"You're just overthinking things!" Tezzolo chuckled.

Roy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Am I overthinking things?"

I was just being cautious. If I hadn't been so cautious, we would have been caught by the navy long ago.

"That's right! If it weren't for the boss, Tesoro would have been caught long ago!"

Savi raised his hands in agreement and made a face at Tezzolo.

"Is that what I meant?"

"You brat! You want to get a beating, don't you!"

Tezzolo glared angrily at the provocative Savi.

"I'm not afraid of you at all!"

Savi flexed his muscles.

The serious atmosphere at the scene was instantly shattered by the two of them.

Roy looked at the two who were now locked in a fierce struggle, and helplessly rubbed his forehead.

With a single press of his finger, he instantly pinned the two who were still locked in a stalemate to the ground.

"Boss, you went too far..." Savi rubbed his aching forehead.

"To deal with someone like you, you have to be thorough."

Roy said irritably, then said seriously,

"Listen carefully—Kozuki Oden's return is no small matter, and we must prepare for the worst."

Roy looked around at everyone.

"Now, let's split up and proceed separately."

"Stella, contact Kaido's side. We need to know everything that's happening in Wano Country right now."

"Tezoro, you're in charge of checking on the condition of the Ark Maxim. We need to be ready to set sail at any time."

"Barrett, you take the rest of the men and gather the supplies."

"Let's return to Wano Country immediately!!"

"clear."

Upon receiving Roy's order, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Roy glanced at Hawkeye, who wanted to leave with him, and gestured for him to stay.

"Mihawk, how much do you know about Kozuki Oden's strength?"

Hawkeye pondered for a moment,

"When we fought two years ago, his swordsmanship and physique...were very strong."

While not quite at the level of Roger or Whitebeard, he is still among the top swordsmen.

Having sailed with Roger for the past two years, his skills must have improved considerably.

"If you were to fight him, how confident would you be?" Roy continued to ask.

Hawkeye paused for a moment,

"It should be about right, but to determine the winner, we'll have to have a real duel."

"As expected, this is tricky..."

Roy frowned.

"What's more troublesome is his identity."

Killing him would mean offending both Whitebeard's and Roger's Yonko-level pirate crews at the same time;

"If we don't kill him, the research base will always be under threat."

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

Hawkeye looked at Roy,

"I could tell from the tone of your voice when you were talking to Kaido just now."

Roy gave a wry smile.

"I can't hide it from you. That's right, I've made up my mind—if Oden really dares to attack the research base,

Even if it offends Whitebeard and Roger, I will kill him.

"Well, hopefully he won't do anything irrational." Hawkeye shrugged.