No one expected that the true reason the World Government valued Bonney so highly was because of her Devil Fruit power — just like their obsession with the Op-Op Fruit.

Upon learning this, Elior couldn't help but feel that bringing Bonney back had been the right move.

Of course, Bonney, who could freely alter her own age, also happened to satisfy some of Elior's rather specific fantasies about certain age ranges of women.

Mature types, cool older sisters…

After all, Bonney could change her age, and with it, her entire aura and appearance would shift accordingly.

The next day, Elior took her to meet World. He had an idea the night before — he wanted Bonney to try and rejuvenate the old man. World was incredibly powerful, but his age —now over seventy—was clearly starting to take a toll.

Elior explained his idea to World, who was surprised but intrigued. The pirate sat down without hesitation. Bonney placed her right hand on his shoulder and asked what age he'd like to return to. Bullet thought for a moment, then said: forty.

To World, forty was his prime—his strongest, most vigorous, most dominant self.

Bonney activated her power. In the blink of an eye, the wrinkled old man before them transformed into the imposing figure of a man in his early forties.

"…This…"

"Incredible! Heh, this is unbelievable!"

World looked at his now-smooth hands, flexing as strength surged through his rejuvenated body. He grabbed a mirror, caught sight of himself, and burst out laughing.

"Elior, this woman of yours has an insane ability!"

The man in the mirror was no longer an aged relic, but a sharply featured powerhouse with jet-black hair.

Bonney blushed at World calling her Elior's woman. Though she still instinctively resisted Elior, she was slowly developing a genuine affection for him.

Feelings were growing… naturally, over time.

"Just like that, I'm over thirty years younger!"

World was in awe. He stared at his reflection like a miser staring at gold, or a lecher at a beauty.

"And your strength—how does it feel? Stronger?"

Elior wasn't just interested in appearances. What mattered was whether World's physical capabilities had truly returned to match his new age.

"My body's definitely back to its peak. Everything feels like it should at this age. Gotta admit, your girl's power is insane!"

"That's a relief. I was worried it might only change appearance."

Bonney snapped back with a pout, "It's not just looks! My ability resets the body and its functions!"

World nodded seriously. "To be honest, Elior, with a power like this, people are definitely going to come after her. You'd better protect her."

"The World Government already tried to claim her."

"The World Government, huh? Heh! Then count me in when it's time to tear them down."

Just the mention of them was enough to ignite World's fury.

Elior replied calmly, "It's not the right time yet. We're nowhere near strong enough to take on the World Government. They're still the biggest power in the world. Right now, they've added three more monsters from the civilian world through their global draft."

"Right, I read about that. The Admiral candidates — they're no joke."

"That's why we can't rush things. We'll deal with the others first."

"So what's your plan, Elior?"

World was curious.

"I plan to conquer the New World. First, we take down the remaining three Yonko. Then we wipe out the Revolutionary Army, crush what's left of Whitebeard's crew, and destroy the Red-Hair Pirates."

"That's no small ambition" World said, impressed.

"I intend to surpass Rocks D. Xebec."

"To become King of the World, huh?"

"We'll need to plan carefully."

Later that day, when Bullet and the others saw the rejuvenated World — now over thirty years younger — they were shocked. After hearing the explanation, they were just as stunned.

Law commented, "Compared to this, even the Op-Op Fruit seems a little underwhelming."

That night, Gion arrived at the island.

To Bonney's surprise and horror, this powerful Vice Admiral was also one of Elior's women.

She was stunned.

She'd just seen today's newspaper and realized that Gion was one of the top candidates to become an Admiral. Unlike the others, who were all Devil Fruit users, Gion relied solely on her swordsmanship to earn her spot, proving just how powerful she truly was.

And now she, too, belonged to Elior.

That evening, Gion entered Elior's room. She had come not only to inform him of recent developments in the Marine and World Government — but also to serve him afterward.

She reported, "The Marine and World Government have moved recently, but they haven't interfered with your operations. Traditionally, the Marine only monitors the Yonko, avoiding direct conflict. The World Government's policy has been to maintain balance — dealing with small-time pirates is already hard enough, let alone the Yonko."

"True" Elior nodded.

He recalled how, even after the Summit War in the original timeline, the World Government didn't make any real moves against Blackbeard. Admirals never engaged any of the Yonko members directly.

He figured it was all about preserving balance.

Still, the New World was home to more than just the Yonko. The Marine had to deal with countless evil forces, many of them extremely dangerous.

The fact they'd just recruited three monstrous new Admirals from civilian life was telling—there were some serious threats out there. Among all the evil powers, the Yonko reigned supreme in terms of dominance. Though Elior suspected there were individuals capable of matching a Yonko's strength, none could yet rival his.

"By the way" Gion added, "that Kokuja guy—his power is seriously creepy. He has the Wither-Wither Fruit. Wherever he walks, grass, flowers—everything dies instantly. He drains the life from all plant life. And I'm pretty sure he's only using a fraction of what that ability can really do. If you run into him, be careful!"

There was clear worry in her voice. She knew Elior had a knack for provoking trouble and figured it was only a matter of time before he clashed with the new Admirals. As strong as Elior was, she couldn't help but worry.

"If he comes at me, he'd better be ready to never go back."

Whether it's Kokuja, Ryokugyu, or any other beast that stood in Elior's way — they would all be cut down.

After the report came another sleepless night. Gion only managed to get a bit of rest near dawn.

The following days passed quietly for Elior.

Meanwhile, Crocodile wasn't idle.

The old Baroque Works organization began to stir again. Crocodile had plans to bring his former members back under his command—and by extension, under Elior's.

Elior, for his part, had been considering setting up an intelligence division.

For instance, there were three particular inmates in Impel Down who had caught his eye. But fate hadn't aligned for Crocodile to meet them yet. If Baroque Works was making a comeback, Elior was open to the idea—so long as the members were loyal and obedient. No traitors. He had no use for backstabbers.

This new unit would focus solely on information gathering. Someone like Doflamingo — scheming and calculating—couldn't be trusted for that.

Bullet was exploring the path to awakening his Devil Fruit powers. Shiryu was pushing to break through to the level of the greatest swordsmen.

But Elior's crew was still small — just nine people, including Bullet. If you counted Reiju and Bonney, that made eleven. Gion didn't count — she was still undercover in the Marine and couldn't be used as a front-line asset.

Having a Vice Admiral as a double agent was already crazy enough. Then again, Doflamingo had Vergo as a Marine Vice Admiral too.

"So… who else can I recruit?"

Elior began to ponder. He needed more manpower — his next target was Whole Cake Island.

Big Mom had more than eighty children, many of whom had unique Devil Fruit abilities. Fighting them would be a nightmare. His current crew simply wasn't enough.

The Big Mom Pirates were a unit of pure elite fighters. In Elior's view, their collective strength was far greater than that of the Beasts Pirates.

Aside from Katakuri and her other children, Big Mom had absorbed numerous allied forces through arranged marriages—adding even more power to her empire.

Elior's forces were strong, but the numbers weren't on his side. The enemy was too many.

Even ants could drag down an elephant. And Big Mom's crew weren't ants—they were a nest of vipers.

That's why, even though he wanted to go after Big Mom, Elior had held off. Right now, taking on the Big Mom Pirates would be like charging into a fortress alone.

He wasn't ready—yet.

Then Crocodile said, "Captain, why not recruit Doflamingo and his entire family?"

"Doflamingo?"

The name made Elior pause. There was no denying it—that guy was useful. But the question was, could he really be trusted?

After all, this was a man who once dreamed of becoming a king. Would he ever bow to someone else?

"There's another one — Gild Tesoro, the casino tycoon. They call him the Golden Emperor in the New World. He's ridiculously rich and possesses a terrifying Paramecia ability."

"The Vinsmoke family should be solidly on our side, right?"

"And then there's the Happo Navy. They're strong too. The real question is whether they're willing to join us."

Shiryu chuckled. "A man who conquers the entire New World can be called the Pirate King. But a man who conquers the entire world? That's the true King of the World."

"King of the World…"

Those words made Elior's blood run hot.

The Pirate King title was Roger's legacy — but a King of the World? That had never existed before!

Three days later, Elior set out for Dressrosa, bringing Reiju and Crocodile with him.

He suspected Dressrosa might be another place he could "sign in". After all, even though he was already incredibly powerful, the more check-ins he accumulated, the stronger he would become.