While Lloyd's power continued to grow at an astonishing pace, Joy Boy's preparations on the other side never ceased.
A slightly weathered, pitch black warship sailed silently across the sea. Standing on its deck were Joy Boy, Pedro, and a large group of Mink Tribe warriors, all staring toward the towering Red Line on the horizon.
Not long ago, Joy Boy had infiltrated Wano Country alone. Using his abilities, he had secretly removed this ancient vessel from its resting place.
Its identity was unmistakable.
It was Pluton, one of the Three Ancient Weapons, the original Pluton itself.
Pedro gazed at the enormous battleship with blazing eyes.
"This Pluton has remained dormant for far too long. We should have tested its power on Wano Country back then. I wanted to see whether the legends about it were true."
Joy Boy frowned.
"Pedro, why are you still thinking like that? Do you have any idea how many innocent people live in Wano Country? Were you really prepared to wipe them all out?"
Pedro clenched his fists tightly.
"That couldn't be avoided. Wano's ruler is Doflamingo now, and he's completely loyal to the Celestial Dragons. A country ruled by someone like him is no longer the Wano we once knew. It's better to erase them now than allow them to become enemies in the future."
Joy Boy slowly shook his head.
"You've become too extreme. Doflamingo alone cannot change the course of the world. We can deal with him after the World Government falls. As for the ordinary citizens, their lives are far less concerned with who wears the crown than you believe."
As he spoke, Joy Boy turned his gaze toward the distant Red Line.
"Besides, Pluton's power doesn't need testing. I witnessed it eight hundred years ago. This time, I want the Celestial Dragons and their World Government to experience that power themselves."
His eyes hardened.
"When the time comes, we won't need to hold back. There are no innocent people living atop Mary Geoise."
Pedro's expression immediately twisted with hatred.
"That's right! Every single Celestial Dragon deserves to die! Over the years they've kidnapped countless members of our tribe, forcing them into slavery and tormenting them beyond imagination. This debt must finally be repaid!"
Joy Boy gave a slight nod.
Instinctively, he reached toward the top of his head, intending to touch the Straw Hat he had worn for centuries.
Instead, his hand met empty air.
He paused before remembering that he had left the hat with the giant elephant, Zunesha, not long ago to better conceal its whereabouts.
His fingers brushed through his flowing white hair instead, the unfamiliar sensation still feeling strange.
"Tomorrow night is the full moon."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The time for the final offensive has arrived."
Pedro's entire body trembled with excitement.
"Finally! We'll overthrow that cursed World Government! I'll avenge Master Nekomamushi and everyone else! Joy Boy, when the battle reaches its end, please let me personally kill Lloyd!"
The moment those words left Pedro's mouth, Joy Boy's expression subtly stiffened.
Even he couldn't help feeling that something was wrong with Pedro's thinking.
Putting aside the fact that Joy Boy himself wasn't completely certain he could defeat Lloyd, even if he somehow managed it, the victory would almost certainly come at an unbearable cost.
By then, the war would already be nearing its conclusion.
Whether Pedro would even survive long enough to witness that moment remained completely uncertain.
Yet Pedro was already dreaming about personally delivering the final blow to Lloyd.
Joy Boy silently kept those thoughts to himself.
Looking at Pedro's burning determination, he had no desire to extinguish the man's fighting spirit before the assault on Mary Geoise.
Instead, he smiled.
"Very well, Pedro. I'll give you that opportunity. When the time comes, make sure you seize it."
Pedro's face lit up with overwhelming joy.
After all, he had never truly witnessed the strength of the world's greatest monsters.
Whether it was Joy Boy or Lloyd, the mere shockwaves from a clash between them would be enough to reduce someone of Pedro's level to nothing.
Nor did he understand that even a legendary warrior on the brink of death remained an existence that ordinary fighters couldn't approach.
To someone like Lloyd or Joy Boy, a gravely wounded opponent could still effortlessly crush weaker enemies, just as an elephant could casually roll over and flatten countless ants beneath its body.
Still, after receiving Joy Boy's promise, Pedro's enthusiasm reached new heights.
He suddenly turned toward the assembled Mink Tribe warriors and roared,
"Attack Mary Geoise! Liberate the entire world!"
The Mink Tribe warriors, whose beliefs had long been shaped by relentless indoctrination, immediately responded with deafening voices.
"Attack Mary Geoise! Liberate the entire world!"
Every Mink wore an expression of exhilaration.
Their faces flushed with excitement as silver lightning crackled around their bodies.
The electricity danced across the deck while their fighting spirit surged higher and higher.
Watching the scene before him, Joy Boy's smile gradually widened.
What he failed to notice was that the smile he now wore was no longer as pure as it had once been.
There was an unmistakable darkness hidden within it.
Long ago, his actions had already strayed from the ideals he once cherished.
Eight hundred years ago, Joy Boy would never have treated his companions as expendable tools.
Yet now, that was exactly what these Mink warriors had become in his eyes.
No one understood the brutality of the coming war better than Joy Boy himself.
Even empowered by the full moon and their Sulong transformations, the Mink Tribe would struggle to survive the battle ahead.
Even so, he continued encouraging them to charge into the conflict.
In doing so, he was effectively sending them to die upon the battlefield of Mary Geoise.
Many of them would likely perish without even leaving behind complete bodies.
The Joy Boy of eight hundred years ago would never have made such a decision.
He would never have lowered himself to such methods.
Everything changed the moment he deceived Monkey D. Luffy and seized Luffy's body.
From that day onward, the convictions he had protected for eight centuries began to crumble.
After suffering setback after setback at Lloyd's hands, only a single obsession remained within his heart.
Destroy the World Government.
Bring what he believed to be freedom to the world.
As for the means required to accomplish that goal, or whether those methods were righteous, he no longer cared.
He had waited eight hundred years.
The guilt still existed.
But every trace of guilt eventually transformed into burning hatred.
In Joy Boy's eyes, if Lloyd had not taken advantage of his incomplete resurrection, manipulated the world through countless schemes, destroyed the forces that symbolized freedom, and relied upon overwhelming military strength to crush humanity's desire for liberation, then Joy Boy would never have been driven to betray his own ideals again and again.
He was the Sun God.
He was the one destined to bring light and freedom to the world.
That belief remained absolutely unshakable within his heart.
As the sun slowly disappeared beneath the distant horizon, Joy Boy narrowed his eyes.
"This time... I will not become the setting sun."