In the original plot, the legend of the Rainbow Mist involved a divine kingdom. A group of children once accidentally entered the mist; while fifty years passed in the outside world, only a single year had elapsed within the Rainbow Mist.
This meant the flow of time inside the Rainbow Mist was fifty times slower than that of the outside world. This was the best opportunity Luo Chen had found so far to achieve time acceleration—he simply needed to reverse the time deceleration within the Rainbow Mist into time acceleration.
...
That evening, Luo Chen opened a spatial portal once again.
He, Nami, Hancock, Baccara, and the accompanying female soldiers returned to the Zhenhai Star Hub. Beside them, Issho followed, his pale eyes scanning the surrounding spatial tunnel.
He praised, "Truly an inconceivable power. Even space itself has been obstructed."
The power that erupted when Luo Chen forced open the spatial channel left Issho shaken. He had never sensed such terrifying fluctuations before—space itself was shattered, unable to heal in a short span of time. It was hard to imagine that anyone could cultivate their strength to such a formidable degree.
Luo Chen smiled without a word, leading the group out of the tunnel and slowly descending onto the high platform outside the Tianyun Pavilion. Robin and Kalifa were already there waiting, their eyes sweeping over Baccara and the blind older man.
As the contact person for the Golden Emperor, Tesoro, Baccara had already been in communication with them. As for the blind man, the two women were not quite sure of his identity.
Luo Chen introduced them to Issho's background and purpose, adding at the end, "Issho is extremely powerful, more than capable of holding the position of an Admiral in the Jinghai Army. Of course, take him on a tour of the islands in Totto Land first to see if the Jinghai Army meets his expectations."
Robin and Kalifa were slightly surprised. An Admiral position meant this blind man's strength was at the level of the Emperors and Admirals. Robin agreed and sent a message for Marco to come over and serve as a guide.
For the time being, Issho was settled on the island to wait for Marco. Hancock, Nami, and the others returned to their respective residences, while Luo Chen walked toward the Tianyun Pavilion's office area with Robin, Kalifa, and Baccara.
On the way, he caught up on the latest situation of the Jinghai Army. Within the sea territory of Totto Land, the number of soldiers had reached nearly 200,000. Since he had set out for Gran Tesoro, an additional 100,000 men had been added, most of whom came from Marine branches in the Grand Line.
As for the Marines from the Four Seas, many also wished to join the Jinghai Army. However, reaching the New World from the Four Seas required passing through the first half of the Grand Line; for those weaker Marine branches, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.
The solution, however, was not difficult. In seven days, the Jinghai Army was scheduled to dispatch troops to the Four Seas. At that time, Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Ryokugyu would lead four Jinghai expeditionary forces to clear out pirates in the East, South, West, and North Blues respectively.
Sengoku would remain in Totto Land to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Four Seas cleanup operation, with Vice Admiral Tsuru acting as the staff officer. Garp, meanwhile, had established a mobile support unit. If any of the four armies encountered trouble, he would be there to provide backup.
Robin had assigned two subordinates to Garp: "Momousagi" Gion and "Chaton" Tokikake, both of whom had recently defected from the Marines to join them. These two were former Admiral candidates of the Marines, and their strength was at the very top of the First Mate tier.
Robin smiled and said, "The Marines are quite familiar with clearing the Four Seas. Letting Mr. Sengoku and the others return to their old roles should yield no issues."
Luo Chen nodded slightly; this arrangement was sound. He then informed Robin that he wished to hold an internal martial arts tournament. Anyone ranked at Admiral candidate or above could participate. The Admirals and candidates needed to distinguish their strength and establish a clear ranking.
Kalifa turned to look at him and reminded, "The Jinghai Army still has personnel who haven't been integrated yet. Although Monkey D. Dragon's Revolutionary Army has agreed to join Totto Land, their transfer isn't complete."
Luo Chen nodded. "Since we're holding a tournament, we might as well settle it all at once. We'll do it collectively once the Revolutionary Army arrives and Issho officially joins the Jinghai Army."
In his mind, Dragon and Issho definitely possessed Admiral-level strength. Once everyone was gathered, they would compete together.
Upon entering the office, Robin mentioned that Hawkeye was still in Totto Land. He had been staying on Island No. 3, where Shimotsuki Ryuma was stationed, waiting for Luo Chen's return in hopes of a duel.
Red-Hair, on the other hand, was on Roger's Island No. 1. Every day was spent either drinking at banquets or fishing. This member of the Four Emperors seemed to have started enjoying a life of leisure. He neither set sail nor fought; he spent the entire month reminiscing with Roger and passing the days in peace.
Hearing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but chuckle. Had Red-Haired Shanks decided to "lie flat"? He remembered that this man once harbored ambitions to compete for the title of Pirate King. Now that Roger was resurrected, Red-Hair seemed to have abandoned that plan entirely.
Robin blinked. "My point is, you should go see Red-Hair and Hawkeye. There's a chance these two might join the Jinghai Army. Furthermore, besides them, several of Roger's original crew members have arrived."
"First Mate Rayleigh, the 'Left Arm of the Pirate King' Gaban, the ship's doctor Crocus..." Robin listed six or seven names.
Luo Chen only really had impressions of Rayleigh, Gaban, and Crocus. Rayleigh went without saying, famous for his superb teaching skills. Gaban was the powerhouse who could hold his own against giants. Crocus was the old man who stayed at Twin Cape at the entrance of the Grand Line, caring for the whale Laboon.
Luo Chen stroked his chin, lost in thought. Most of Roger's crew had become old men. Only Rayleigh and Gaban had strength that was still respectable, barely maintaining Admiral-level power. Of course, due to their age, they couldn't sustain that level of combat for long. Regardless, he indeed needed to meet this group.
"There is also the commander of the newly joined NEO Marines, 'Black Arm' Zephyr," Robin added. Zephyr currently served as the Chief Instructor of the Jinghai Army. His students and soldiers had been split up to assist in training the Jinghai Army's rank and file.
Luo Chen rubbed his temples. The Jinghai Army was truly growing more crowded by the day, encompassing personnel from all sorts of factions.
Robin sighed. "Zephyr is quite hostile toward Whitebeard. He believes Whitebeard's son, Whitebeard Jr. Edward Weevil, murdered many of his students. But Whitebeard denies it, claiming Edward Weevil is not his son."
She said helplessly, "The current Jinghai Army is an intricate web of factions with no shortage of conflicts between personnel. This is something you need to resolve."
The grudges between Whitebeard and Zephyr, Akainu and the pirate factions, and Garp and Red-Hair were all quite deep. When personal conflicts arose, it made it difficult to advance the work of the Jinghai Army. The Admirals tripping each other up was a source of great distress for Robin. Her own strength was lower, and her prestige wasn't enough to command their absolute submission. Luo Chen had to step in personally to mediate.
Luo Chen laughed, not taking it to heart. When the time came, he would just let them have a grand brawl under the guise of the tournament. With his Yin-Yang Release, he could help them recover from any injury; it wouldn't even matter if they fought to the death.
"I'll handle it."
Luo Chen instructed Robin to spread the word about the internal tournament as soon as possible. Once the matters in Totto Land were settled, he would head to the first half of the Grand Line to search for the Rainbow Mist. During this period, he could spend time with Nami and the others while Robin helped look for intelligence on the mist's location.
As for the exact coordinates where the Rainbow Mist appeared, Luo Chen's memory was a bit hazy.
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