Chapter 328: The Thunder Dragon’s Arrival and Family Ties on Cake Island

Cake Island!

A massive Thunder Dragon soared across the distant sky.

“What is that thing?”

“Is that some kind of monster?”

“Quick, sound the alarm! There’s a monster flying in from the horizon!”

As the Thunder Dragon descended, its overwhelming presence and gigantic size drove the lookouts to shout down in panic.

Forcing himself past trembling legs, one of them scrambled down from the high platform.

The noise outside pulled Perospero and the others out of Cake Castle in a hurry.

Only the children showed up—Davis and the others had set sail searching for something, and Long Yi, Long Er and White Tiger stayed stationed at the Giant Kingdom.

Ledfield was still busy handling machines on the Moon, making dozens of trips each day.

The Lunarian Tribe had taken charge of overseeing the skies above the entire Sweets Sea.

But today was the wedding of King and Mackie, so the Lunarians weren’t patrolling the skies.

“Hmph!”

The gigantic Thunder Dragon landed in the open space before Cake Castle, thick white mist snorting from its nostrils.

“Sashi buridana!”

“I’m home.”

Perospero, Katakuri and the others, still on guard, lit up with joy when they heard the familiar voice coming from the dragon’s head.

Karl slowly stood atop the Thunder Dragon’s head before leaping down in a single bound.

“Alright, big guy, take a break.”

He gently patted the dragon’s head, soothing it in a low voice.

The Thunder Dragon’s immense eyes glared once at Perospero and the rest—no threat at all—then closed, folded its wings, and flopped down right there to snore away.

Karl turned around, arms wide, beaming at Perospero and the others. “Your old man is back. Don’t I get a hug?”

The fourteen-year-old Ye Linwei darted through the crowd and dashed toward Karl.

“Father, you haven’t been home in ages!”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Hugging Ye Linwei, Karl led Katakuri, Perospero and the others toward Cake Castle.

“What? There was something like that going on?”

Karl had only just sat down when he heard some news that left him a little frustrated.

He’d hoped to spend more time with his kids this trip, but most of them had already set out to sea.

Opera had gone off on a lunar expedition at sixteen, which inspired more of his children to set sail.

By seventeen, nearly all of them had left already, roaming the vast New World.

They used den den mushi to keep in touch, so there was little risk of anyone vanishing or falling into danger.

And in the New World, everyone knew who they were—none of the other two dominant pirate crews would take action lightly.

As for the weaker crews, they didn’t even stand a chance—nothing to worry about there.

“By the way, Father, here’s a file from the Revolutionary Army. Want to take a look?”

Karl, enjoying some downtime hand in hand with Charlotte Linlin, accepted the file with a glance.

Ever since Linlin was cured of her cravings, a professional team helped her keep fit.

She hardly looked any different—still as stunning and flamboyant as ever.

Word on the sea even ranked her among the top ten beauties.

“Alright, just put the file over there.”

Perospero, feeling a little embarrassed at seeing his parents gaze so lovingly at each other, quickly set the file on the table and slipped out.

Soon, the sound of playing cards drifted out from the room.

No one knows how much time passed, but Karl, shirtless, lounged on the sofa as he picked up the file Perospero had left.

“Hmm. The Revolutionary Army sure moves fast.”

“They’re building their strength in the name of the Resistance. Not a bad plan.”

“Guess I’ll toss some more fuel on the fire for them.”

Karl quickly signed his name on the file, then scribbled out a command on a slip of paper.

That order, after a few rounds, finally landed in Krell’s hands.

“This job comes at just the right time. Arlong, it’s yours.”

Arlong was the newest Fishman up-and-comer—not particularly vicious, but always keen to explore the outside world.

Now he’d finally get his chance to go out and experience things.

“Brother Krell, really? I can go?”

“Of course. Grab your buddies and head wherever you want.”

“Haha! Alright, Brother Krell, I’m heading out then!”

Seeing Krell nod, Arlong bounced away, practically skipping.

Countless ships began setting off from Cake Island, their destinations a mystery. No one knew who sent them, only that Krell let them go.

One thing was clear—with these Fishmen heading out, the routes in the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line gradually changed hands.

Meanwhile, on the sea in the New World, our era’s main character, Roger, was searching with Kozuki Oden for the whereabouts of the Red Poneglyph.

They already possessed one Red Poneglyph themselves.

They’d visited both Fishman Island and Wano, leaving only Zou’s Red Poneglyph yet to be found.

“Just one left. According to what I’ve learned, it should be on Zou. Anyone here ever heard of that island?”

Roger had already collected three Poneglyphs and now only one remained, which posed his biggest headache.

After a lot of searching, it seemed Zou was built on the back of a giant elephant that roamed the deep sea all year round.

No one really knew where its final destination was.

Only the Mink Tribe had the special means to find that island.

“Ah, yes!”

“We can’t just wander aimlessly on the sea forever, right?”

Nekomamushi, horsing around with Jozu and the others, froze when he heard the name Zou.

“Hey, Nekomamushi, what’s wrong?”

“I think I just heard someone mention Zou Island.”

“What? Zou?”

“Are you sure you heard that right?”

Inuarashi stopped his roughhousing too.

Zou was home for both of them, but outsiders never really knew about it. Why was someone bringing it up now?

“I’m positive. My ears are extra sharp.”

“That’s true—you really do have better ears than I have a nose.”

“Who’s comparing anything to your dog nose?”

While the cat and dog whispered in a corner, two huge shadows loomed over their heads.

“Nekomamushi, does it feel a little chilly to you?”

“Inuarashi, you feel it too?”

The pair slowly looked up, only to see Roger and Kozuki Oden’s massive faces staring down at them.

“Heh… Gulp!”

They both swallowed and broke into a run in opposite directions.

But it was hopeless—Oden and Roger each grabbed one by the collar.

“Lord Oden, we didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Yeah! We didn’t do anything!”

“Alalala!”

“Of course you didn’t. Wasn’t it just now you said Zou was your home?”

“So, can you find Zou for us now?”

“Of course, sure.”

“Here’s a Vivre Card for Zou. It’ll show the way.”

Nekomamushi wasted no time, pulling the Vivre Card from his coat and handing it straight to Oden.