Some time before Kaidou arrived at Marinfanto and when the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy had just begun, Arceus's Origin had already reached the vicinity of the Triangle Sea Flow.
Aside from the three Gates of Justice at Judicial Island, Impel Down, and Marinfanto, the Navy's Triangle Sea Flow had always been in an undefended state.
They couldn't possibly fence off and cover the entire Sea; even the Heavenly Celestial Dragons wouldn't invest in something like that, and there was absolutely no need.
Ordinary pirates would never approach this current at all. The might of nature is hard to resist. If a normal sail-driven ship or paddle steamer got caught in that vortex current, there would be no chance of escape.
There are usually only two outcomes for being trapped in the currents: drifting endlessly without end, or surrendering directly to the Navy, which conveniently saves them the trouble of escorting you.
There are people who can break through such currents—there will always be a tiny handful capable of withstanding them—but even those people wouldn't take the initiative to go deep into the Navy's heartland.
To this day, no pirate has ever managed to single-handedly stand against the entire Navy. Whether it's the "Lone Red," the Golden Lion, or Rocks back then, none of them ultimately succeeded.
Arceus's Origin could be said to have broken that precedent.
"Lord Arceus! We've entered the Navy's Triangle Sea Flow. Where do we head next?"
Relying on the power of the Triangle Sea Flow, Navy warships can save half their travel time. Its flow speed is such that even the Origin's power has difficulty breaking free. Once caught by the current, they enter a state of drifting with the waves.
"Hard to port, head straight for the center."
"But if we do that, the ship might capsize…"
"Just do as you're told. You don't need to worry about anything else. Lord Arceus, he's new to the Origin, he's not used to some things yet. Please don't mind it."
Common sense doesn't work on this ship. Across the entire Sea, the Origin is a miracle in itself—up to Sky Island, down to the Netherworld, there's basically nowhere this ship hasn't been.
By relying on Arceus's own power, this ship has long since ceased to be an ordinary pirate vessel. As for why Arceus still chooses to travel by ship, on the one hand it's a tradition on the Sea, and on the other, going without a proper means of transport just feels like something's missing.
The Origin might not be the best, but it's the one he handles the most smoothly.
"It's fine. Turn the rudder."
"Yes, sir!"
The Helmsman rolled up his sleeves. Based on his past experience, trying to force a turn in such a vortex required overcoming tremendous resistance; he might not be able to do it alone.
But when he twisted the wheel, he found it surprisingly easy. At this moment, the Origin was already wrapped in a pale blue radiance. Rather than a ship, it was more like the ocean itself.
The raging currents automatically flowed around the Origin when they met it, letting the Origin sail unimpeded toward the center.
...
Around the time Kaidou arrived at Marinfanto, the Origin also gradually approached the central region of the vortex. Beneath the profound, dark sea surface, Arceus sensed the presence of his Plate.
"So it really is in a place like this. That's quite a surprise."
This world is vast; he hasn't even finished exploring his territories outside, so naturally he wouldn't go exploring this Navy heartland. It was only after getting information from the Thousand-Year Dragons' clan that Arceus came here.
Then Arceus's pupils were dyed a shade of azure. The blue light that had originally only wrapped around the Origin spread out toward the entire sea. The rushing currents came to an abrupt halt, and a roaring sound echoed across the surface.
The Triangle Sea Flow had originally been like a speeding train, continually racing along a fixed route under the influence of nature. But today, a pair of hands from beyond the heavens directly slammed down on the front of the train.
When the train's engine is forcibly stopped by an external force, the cars behind won't be spared—they'll trigger a whole chain of reactions. The Triangle Sea Flow here was the same.
The central area was relatively fine, only producing some wind and waves. The closer to the outer rim, the greater the impact of Arceus stopping the Triangle Sea Flow. Seawater surged upward, and waves hundreds of meters high crashed outward in all directions.
Yet all of this had nothing to do with the Origin. For everyone on the ship except Arceus, there was only one sensation—cold.
...
"H-how can it be this cold? Little Pei, lend me one of your jackets!"
"Quit moving around, sis, I think my hands are frozen stiff…"
The two of them were among the stronger ones on the ship other than Arceus. If even they were feeling the chill, let alone everyone else.
This was the result of the increased number of Plates. The return of the Plates didn't boost power with simple addition; it followed a terrifying multiplying trend.
In the past, when a Plate returned, it only caused some changes in his aura. But with the return of the fifteenth Plate, Arceus's own power underwent a qualitative transformation once again.
The aura leaking from the Plates alone was enough to cause severe discomfort among the surrounding pirates.
And the one naturally capable of bringing about such intense cold was the Icicle Plate. After Fairy and Jade Dragon, this Dragon Type triple-counter, Icicle, had also successfully returned.
"L-Lord Arceus, please pull back your power. We really can't take much more…"
"This little fellow has been hibernating in the sea for too long and is a bit overexcited right now."
Under Arceus's control, the chill was gradually drawn back into the Plate, allowing the pirates aboard to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Boom! Boom!
Just then, several plumes of water shot up from the sea, and the sound of explosions reached the pirates' ears on the Origin. Looking up, they saw a warship from Judicial Island.
According to Navy intelligence, Impel Down had suffered the most severe breakout in history. Personnel from Impel Down were currently dealing with the aftermath, and the Navy in Marinfanto was fighting against Whitebeard.
Only the Navy at Judicial Island remained idle, so they entered the Triangle Sea Flow to search for traces of those escaped pirates.
The Origin made them misunderstand a few things, and they immediately opened fire.
"Lord Arceus, let me handle it. I just happen to want to stretch a bit."
The Navy and pirates were enemies to begin with, and opening fire was a direct act of war. Page One immediately volunteered for battle.
"No need. Turn us around. We're heading to Marinfanto to see how that guy Kaidou is doing."
"Huh? Lord Arceus, you're just going to ignore those Navy guys? They fired on us first, you know."
Ulti scratched her head. Doing nothing after the other side had already opened fire didn't really look like a normal reaction.
"It's just that there's no need for you to go. I happen to want to test something completely new. Isn't that right, Regice?"
The Icicle Plate, which had just returned to his body, was released again, yet not a wisp of cold leaked out.
Unlike with Darkrai, the power of the Icicle Plate was not unleashed outward but instead served as a core on its own.
With it as the center, the chill gradually condensed into ice, and a sharp-edged ice giant appeared right on the Origin's deck…