Originally, Renee had planned to take her time after returning, slowly preparing her plans. However, the sudden appearance of Ganfor, the so-called god of Sky Island, forced her to change course immediately. Since she had encountered this "god," she decided to use him directly to start her plan without delay.
Slavery was something that could be developed over time. There was still room for that, so she wasn't in a rush.
What she had decided instead was that Sky Island, due to its unique location, would become a closed-off kingdom. A kingdom with Mr. as its one and only ruler. In time, the people of Sky Island would exist only to serve Mr., and that would be enough.
Ganfor struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice.
"Can I leave now?"
"Of course. I'll be waiting here for you in an hour," Renee replied indifferently.
Ganfor didn't say another word. He turned around, mounted his sky bird, and quickly left.
Watching Ganfor's retreating figure, Renee retracted her gaze and looked to a member of the Black Shadow Corps.
"Go scout the area. I recall there's an island from the Blue Sea nearby. Follow any clues and find those Hidden Cloud Village members. Kill them all. They're too troublesome to keep around."
"Also, find the Golden City on that island and bring all the gold to Penny."
She was already aware of the Golden City's existence on Sky Island.
And the people from Hidden Cloud Village knew about it too.
Keeping the Sky Islanders was a possibility. But in Renee's eyes, there was no reason to keep the people from Hidden Cloud Village alive.
The Shandians were far too stubborn. Although they could be tamed eventually, it would take a very long time—time Renee wasn't interested in wasting. It would be far easier to eliminate them altogether.
Upon hearing her orders, the Black Shadow Corps member knelt on one knee, nodded respectfully, and left to carry them out.
At that moment, another member of the Black Shadow Corps approached Renee and bowed silently. He didn't need to speak—Renee immediately understood the report from his expression and presence.
"A new Sky Island nearby that we haven't visited yet? And there's a small nation on it?" Renee chuckled, then said slowly, "Then let's go. That must be… Bikka!"
"There are too few people on the surrounding islands. If we're going to supply shellfish to the entire Blue Sea in the future, we'll need more labor. We have to subjugate more people."
She murmured to herself.
Renee instructed a member of the Black Shadow Corps to stay behind and keep watch, then turned into a black shadow and vanished underground.
…
Mio knew nothing about what was happening on Sky Island.
He rarely asked about Renee's activities through the Linglong Newspaper, but he trusted Renee and Penny. He believed they would not disappoint him.
Time passed quietly.
Night deepened.
At this time—
On the Black Glory, under the moonlight on the deck, Araki and others appeared before Mio.
Holding a Devil Fruit in his hand, Araki respectfully handed it to Mio.
"Lord Black Crow, this is what you requested."
Both Araki and Katsumata Takeru were covered in blood—none of it theirs. The smell of blood was so strong, it could be sensed even from afar.
"Not bad," Mio said as he took the Devil Fruit and examined it in his hand. After a moment, he casually tossed it to Warwick.
Warwick caught the fruit and carried it into Mio's cabin.
"Lord Black Crow, what's our next move? Shall we begin seizing territory?" Araki asked.
"No rush," Mio replied calmly. "Our next destination is Crow Island. That will be the headquarters of the Black Crow Pirates in the future."
"Crow Island? I've been there before," Katsumata said, nodding. "It's perfect. Very suitable for the Black Crow Pirates."
Mio smiled. "If you have nothing else to do, go search for more Devil Fruits. I'm very interested in them. As for claiming the throne… while I'm interested, the timing isn't right yet."
"It'll take time," Mio added, his eyes gleaming.
Araki and Katsumata exchanged glances and nodded.
Although Mio hadn't spoken plainly, they could guess he had a larger plan in mind.
They didn't mind. As long as the man they followed had ambition, that was enough.
"But Lord Black Crow, shouldn't we start recruiting more people?" Araki asked. "There aren't many pirate groups under the Black Crow banner—only five so far, even if they are strong."
They were unaware of Talos's existence.
But truthfully, five was still too few. Even Whitebeard had dozens of pirate crews under his command.
The captains of the other three groups hadn't arrived yet—they were likely still searching for Devil Fruits.
Mio responded flatly, "Of course we'll recruit more. But they must be strong. I don't care for the weak."
"Do you have specific requirements?" Araki pressed. "If you do, I might be able to locate suitable candidates and invite them."
"Requirements?" Mio chuckled and shook his head. "You're already qualified."
"I understand," Katsumata Takeru said with a grin.
"Alright, no more talk of this tonight. We'll deal with recruitment after we've secured Crow Island. Today marks the official founding of the Black Crow Fleet. Let's drink!" Mio shouted, raising a bottle of whiskey with a wide grin.
The rest of the pirates joined in with a roar of celebration.
Bonfires illuminated the deck.
Pirates drank and laughed heartily.
In this region, aside from a few members of the Black Crow Pirates, no other pirates dared to approach.
In the joy and revelry…
A night passed unnoticed.
The next day arrived.
As the morning sun rose, the remaining three pirate captains arrived. However, they hadn't returned with Devil Fruits. After all, Devil Fruits were rare and difficult to find.
Moreover, thanks to Mio's actions the previous day, many people planning to sell their Devil Fruits had escaped early out of fear.
Mio didn't mind this at all.
Instead, he gave the order to prepare for departure. The Black Glory would set sail for Crow Island.
Araki and the others would travel with him.
But the most eye-catching event that day wasn't the voyage—it was the news.
As the sun broke the horizon, countless seagulls spread newspapers across the world.
"Lord Black Crow," Araki said as he handed a newspaper to Mio.
Mio took it, opened it, and gave a satisfied grin.
The headline detailed the events of the previous day on the island.
There were even a few photos showing the Black Crow Pirates in battle against Boken and his forces.
The article included a description of the Black Crow Pirates' strength.
"Maybe the New World will be shaken today," Mio said with a smirk.
He tossed the newspaper aside, then looked calmly into the distance.
"Bullett, want to go to Crow Island with me?" Mio asked.
Far ahead, Bullett sat on a hill, his eyes already fixed on Mio.