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High above the clouds, the ship sailed onward. Before attending Big Mom's Tea Party, Jin was first making a stop at Skypiea.
Inside the ship, the upper levels housed the Germa 66-led research center, as well as Jin's personal office.
In the office, Maya kept her eyes squeezed shut, her lips pressed tight.
'Pretend you're asleep,' she told herself, holding her breath, not daring to move.
But she couldn't help but peek through a tiny slit. She saw Reiju, leaning against the King.
Reiju, for her part, was a study in conflicted grace. She bit her lip, taking a deep, steadying breath, trying to remain calm. But a soft, involuntary sigh escaped her throat. It was strangely endearing.
For this trip to the New World, Jin had chosen to bring Reiju, Maya, Robin, Law, and Wilson, among others. It was a chance for them to be tested, to experience the New World for themselves.
He had also brought along Wyper and Raki of the Shandia tribe, and Conis of the Skypieans. He planned to have the three of them take over Mock Town in Van Augur's place—a command from their "God."
And after learning of the connection between Jaya and Skypiea, and the potential danger of the golden bell, they were not in a position to refuse.
As for Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance—they had finally, miraculously, reached Skypiea a few months prior. Cricket and Wyper had met, fulfilling the 400-year-old promise, and had rung the Bell of Shandora together.
Afterward, Cricket and his crew had left, intending to search for another mysterious land mentioned in his ancestor's records—the fabled Dreamland.
To each their own. Jin wished them well. They were more explorers than pirates.
For this journey to the New World, Jin wasn't taking the sea route. He was traveling through the sky, crossing over the Holy Land from the White Sea.
The sea was barred by the Calm Belt and the Red Line. But the sky... the sky was free. It was also incredibly dangerous.
First, just reaching the White Sea was a feat in itself, requiring the ability to fly.
Second, the lack of oxygen made long-term travel impossible for most, even for elite Marines.
And finally, the White Sea was home to all sorts of mutated sky-creatures, some of them as powerful as the super-large Sea Kings.
Only Jin and the demonic carrier could ignore these dangers.
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A few months ago, a pirate alliance led by Decalvan and the A.O. Pirates had invaded and plundered the Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
Ace and his Spade Pirates, seeing an opportunity, had laid in wait at one of Whitebeard's supply depots, hoping to take the old man's head.
But their plan had been thwarted by Jinbe.
After a period of... adjustment, Ace and his crew had been successfully absorbed into the Whitebeard Pirates.
Then, under Ace's leadership, the pirate alliance was crushed.
Ace and his flames were becoming a rising star in the New World, the talk of the town.
On an island near the G-5 base, the people in a small town were discussing just that.
"The pirates of the New World are on a completely different level," one man said.
"First of all, the scale is different. Take the Whitebeard Pirates, for example. You've got the old man himself, Edward Newgate, plus his sixteen division commanders and their crews. That's a fighting force of over a thousand right there. And under them, they've got dozens of allied pirate crews, with a total force of tens of thousands, controlling a vast territory. They fund their operations with the tribute they collect from the businesses in their territory. From legitimate work like trade, dock labor, and restaurants, to shadier stuff like casinos and entertainment, to smuggling weapons and providing mercenaries... every economic activity in their territory is tied to them. Just the protection money for flying a Yonko's flag is probably worth hundreds of millions. When a rookie pirate enters the New World, the first thing they have to do is go pay their respects to one of the Four Emperors and join their crew to seek protection. That's the usual way of things."
"Who's the strongest of the Four Emperors?" another asked.
"Well, if you're talking about Red-Haired Shanks... he's a living legend. His duels with the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk, are still talked about. Even though he lost an arm, he's now on par with Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, firmly seated on the throne of the Four Emperors. I heard the government guys say that if you piss off Shanks, things get... scary. Whitebeard is scary if you break his code of honor. Big Mom is scary when she's in a bad mood. And Kaido... he's just plain scary all the time."
"And there's another rumor," the first man said, lowering his voice. "They say Shanks was once a member of the Pirate King's crew. If you call Whitebeard and Big Mom, who were already powerful back then, the old generation, then Shanks and Kaido are the new generation."
WHOOSH!
BOOM!
Suddenly, the sound of a cannonball screaming through the air, followed by an explosion, shook the island.
Everyone jumped.
"Is it pirates?"
"Hey, that flag..."
"Is that... the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Are they attacking the Marine base?"
"No... they're chasing another pirate ship. Maybe the pirates thought the Marines would protect them?"
The base commander, Vice Admiral Vergo, hearing the commotion, immediately gave an order.
"Raise the sea gates! Don't let those pirates get any closer!"
He wanted no part of a Yonko's hunt.
"Captain! The port is blocked!"
"Dammit!" Decalvan cursed. "Cowardly Marines!"
He had hoped to use the Marines to either block Whitebeard's pursuit or create a diversion so he could escape.
He looked back. A three-masted ship, flying a pirate flag, was bearing down on them, its cannons aimed.
And standing on the mast, a young man wreathed in flames.
At the prow, a tall man, over three meters, stood with his arms crossed.
"It's Ace! And Vista!"
"Captain, we have to jump!"
Having witnessed Whitebeard's power firsthand, the crew had lost all will to fight.
The cannonballs exploded, sending up massive plumes of water.
"Hey! Get closer!" Vista shouted, a smile on his face.
"Ace! This one is mine! You can't take him from me!"
Vista was a powerfully built man with broad shoulders, and a long, curled black mustache. He wore a large blue top hat and earrings. His open blue shirt revealed a hairy chest. He had a black cape, white gloves, light blue trousers, and buckled deerskin boots. At his waist were two scabbards, and in his hands, two sabers.
"Anyone who dares to touch the old man's territory will not be forgiven."
Any town that flew Whitebeard's flag was under the protection of his commanders. In return, they had to pay tribute in the form of money, food, fuel, and labor.
If the World Government and the Marines were to lose the people's trust, everyone would turn to the Four Emperors for protection.
The young men who came to the Grand Line were all looking for adventure.
But... after barely surviving the journey through the Fish-Man Island route, which claimed seventy percent of all ships, they would find that the New World was already firmly under the control of the Four Emperors.
A fool who didn't understand the rules of this world would be the first to die.
Ace glanced at the Marine base. "Shouldn't the Marines be handling this?"
"The Marines?" Vista scoffed. "The Marines are just the world's largest pirate crew... They can throw their weight around in other places. But in the New World, they're nothing. The G-5 branch is just a strategic outpost. The Marine Headquarters is just the military arm of the World Government. The 'absolute justice' they preach is not about protecting the people from pirates. It's about protecting the interests of the nobles and the Celestial Dragons."
"I see," Ace said with a smile. "Sorry, Commander Vista."
He leaped from the mast, a ball of fire that streaked across the sky and crashed onto the deck of the other ship.
The mainmast groaned and splintered.
With a single punch, Ace had destroyed the Decalvan Pirates' mast.
'That bastard Ace,' Decalvan thought, his anger rising. Always stealing the spotlight.
"Hey, Ace!" he shouted. "You've got a bounty in the hundreds of millions! Are you really content to be just another one of Whitebeard's men?"
Ace scratched his head. "It's... a long story. But you've put up a good fight. I respect that. How about you join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Suddenly, Vista shouted, "Ace! Look out!"
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