Time passed little by little like this.
And the day after the banquet ended, Sengoku and Garp did not leave immediately. They stayed there for another three days.
Originally, Ian had thought that Sengoku, that old fellow, would take this opportunity to investigate the secrets of the Ohara. He had even secretly given Enel an order to keep an eye on the other party.
Although Sengoku, who had stepped down from the position of Fleet Admiral, seemed less stubborn than he had been while still in that position, no matter what, he was still a marine and still needed to be watched.
However, unexpectedly, during the following three days, Sengoku did nothing at all.
He simply wandered around with Zephyr and Garp, drinking and strolling here and there.
He didn't investigate how the continent of Ohara had formed, nor did he ask any of the civilians about anything related to the continent.
It was as if he had truly come just to see old friends, happily spending three days sightseeing.
After the fourth day, Sengoku and Garp finally prepared to leave.
Next, they still had to make a trip to the East Blue.
However, before leaving, Sengoku suddenly came alone to find Ian.
At that moment, Ian was looking at Sengoku with surprise. Because of the old man's arrival, Robin's expression also became serious, suspecting whether he had come to cause trouble.
"Don't be nervous. I have no ill intentions. Just an old man coming to have a few words with you."
Sengoku said with a smile as he looked at Ian's family in front of him.
"Sorry for the disturbance."
"You really are disturbing us. My wife is pregnant, what if she gets frightened?"
Ian looked at Sengoku with dissatisfaction. "You should have informed us in advance."
"My apologies. I was indeed rude."
A trace of surprise flashed across Sengoku's face. After glancing at Robin, he quickly shifted his gaze away and said to Ian, "And congratulations."
"Forget it. Say it, what did you come to see me for?"
After complaining once, Ian didn't say much more. He even poured Sengoku a cup of tea while revealing a meaningful smile. "You even deliberately avoided your two comrades and came to find me alone. It seems to be something very important."
"It's not anything very important. Just a few words from an old man. Whether you listen or not is up to you."
Hearing Ian's words, Sengoku didn't care much. He casually sat down, picked up the tea, and took a sip. His expression became serious as he looked directly at Ian.
"Although I don't know what you intend to do, the World Government is not as simple as you think."
As he spoke, looking at Ian's furrowed brows, Sengoku didn't give him the chance to speak and continued.
"You should know that back then, even when Rocks had become that powerful, he still didn't dare rashly declare war on the World Government."
"Although you are also very powerful, even unexpectedly strong, don't underestimate the World Government."
"The reason the World Government hasn't made a move now isn't that they can't deal with you. It's because you are not the one they truly need to be wary of."
"And don't think that hiding here will keep you safe. For the sake of the hospitality over these past few days, I'll tell you a secret: Vegapunk is currently researching a type of weapon. I heard that the power of that weapon is extremely terrifying."
After saying this, the tea in his hand was finished.
Sengoku stood up directly and patted his backside.
"Alright, that's all. Although I'm no longer the Fleet Admiral, I'm still a Marine after all. I can't say too much. If Garp finds out, I'll probably get extorted again."
Ignoring Ian's frowning expression, he turned around and prepared to leave.
However, just as he was about to go, it seemed he suddenly remembered something. His calm yet serious voice sounded again.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the most important thing. Ian, the God of Sun, remember this: you are not the real God of Sun!"
After saying that, it seemed he had truly finished speaking. Sengoku returned to his leisurely demeanor, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away.
Only Robin and Ain remained, both wearing serious and puzzled expressions, while Ian looked somewhat helpless.
"God of Sun…"
Ian smiled and shook his head. Looking at Sengoku's departing figure, he said with a smile, "What's wrong with these people? I've never said that I'm the God of the Sun."
…
On that very day, Sengoku and Garp left. It was Zephyr who went to see them off.
The two of them seemed as if they had truly just come to drink with an old comrade. After drinking, they quietly departed without causing any disturbance in the West Blue or on the Ohara.
As for the Umbrella Corporation, it continued operating according to its own rhythm, doing whatever needed to be done.
Of course, during this period, no major events occurred within the Umbrella Corporation or on Grado's side either. The most important event was probably the previously established New Continent Plan.
After Ohara devoured the nearby uninhabited islands, the territory of the Umbrella Corporation's base became extremely vast, just as Sengoku had said before… like a continent.
However, along with this came a major problem discovered by Ohara.
The population was too small.
The territory had expanded, but the number of people on the island, now a continent, remained the same.
As a result, aside from the originally prosperous areas, the other islands that had just been devoured remained unchanged.
Therefore, after all the nearby uninhabited islands had been consumed, the New Continent Plan was adjusted and began targeting islands with inhabitants.
Of course, the Umbrella Corporation did not swallow every island indiscriminately. The islands they primarily targeted were inhabited islands located in remote and chaotic regions.
This idea had been proposed by Zephyr. According to him, these abandoned people would be easier to integrate into Ohara, reducing many troubles and saving time.
Moreover, these non–affiliated countries would not attract the attention of the World Government.
As for prosperous seas and the territories of affiliated countries, although even if they were touched, the World Government probably would not declare war on the Umbrella Corporation over those poor countries, it was still best to delay the World Government's discovery for as long as possible.
It simply meant that Avalo Pizarro had to travel to remote seas each time to transport islands, costing a little more time.
Check my Patreon for more chapters and novels, Patreon.com/SweetestDeath