After the gloomy, thunderous sky had seen a light rain, the sun came out. Golden sunlight pierced through the remaining clouds, dyeing the sea surface like scattered gold.
The sea ahead was brightly lit and dazzling. The oppressive atmosphere of the past few days seemed to have been largely dispelled by this sunlight.
"It's so beautiful."
Nami stretched as she walked out of the cabin. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, then was immediately drawn to the scene in the distance. "Everyone, look! I think we're here!"
Camie and the others had been traveling with them for a while, and they had finally reached their destination.
At the end of the horizon, there was no longer a vast, endless sea line. Instead, there was a strange landscape that stretched beyond sight, composed of countless huge trees.
Those trees were unimaginably tall, with lush canopies and thick trunks. From a distance, it looked like a forest kingdom floating on the sea.
The Sabaody Archipelago was not a traditional island on the sea.
As everyone knew, sailing relied on magnetic guidance, going from one island to the next.
The Sabaody Archipelago had no fixed magnetic bearing. It was like one of those abrupt islands that might appear during a voyage.
Yet the shipping routes to and from the Sabaody Archipelago were very busy.
Because ships that had sailed this far had generally charged the magnetic charge pointing towards Fish-Man Island at the previous island.
The Sabaody Archipelago was right next to the Red Line, so it was naturally very close to the entrance of Fish-Man Island.
When navigators couldn't find the exact trace of Fish-Man Island in the nearby seas, they would instinctively correct course to the left and then reach the Sabaody Archipelago.
As for why not to the right?
Any navigator with a bit of common sense knew that to the right were Marine Headquarters Marineford, Enies Lobby, and the World Government's core sanctuary, Mary Geoise.
If you entered by mistake, the Navy wouldn't care if you were a pirate or a merchant ship. Entering a military restricted area how could you leave without losing your skin?
Moreover, Luffy and his crew had Hatchan, Camie, and Pappag as guides.
When Hatchan learned that Luffy and the others were looking for a man named Rayleigh, he immediately volunteered to help them.
Because Hatchan vaguely felt that the Rayleigh on the Sabaody Archipelago was probably the one he knew.
He was Rayleigh's savior.
"Leave it to me! Although the Sabaody Archipelago isn't very friendly to fish-men, I occasionally disguise myself and go ashore. I'm pretty familiar with this place!" Hatchan patted his chest, assured.
During the final stretch of the voyage, Hatchan quickly educated the basic situation of the Sabaody Archipelago to the Straw Hat crew.
"To enter the New World, there are only two ways. One is to obtain permission from the World Government and cross the Holy Land Mary Geoise at the top of the Red Line. But that's basically impossible for us.
The other is the path most pirates choose: pass through Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters below the sea! And to allow a ship to withstand the immense water pressure of the deep sea at ten thousand meters, you must apply a special bubble coating to the hull on the Sabaody Archipelago! Rayleigh is one of the best coaters on the island."
Hatchan was dedicated toward the Straw Hat crew. The main reason, of course, was to atone.
"Well, we'll talk about Fish-Man Island later."
Luffy smiled and looked at the Sabaody Archipelago. "We should be able to stay there for a while."
"Of course you can. It's a place where fish and dragons mingle." Hatchan said.
Coating also took time. Hatchan didn't know how long the Straw Hat crew would stay, but if they stayed long on the Sabaody Archipelago, they had to be careful about one very important thing.
"You need to be careful. The Sabaody Archipelago is also the gathering place of all the pirates on the first half of the Grand Line. It's called the pirates' bottleneck.
It's a mixed bag here. Besides pirates, there are also legions of bounty hunters hoping to get rich overnight, lawless criminal gangs, and the most hateful kidnappers and slave traders! It's very chaotic!" Hatchan said.
In particular, the slave trade was rampant. There were many slave auction houses. The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, also occasionally appeared.
When Hatchan was young, he had saved Rayleigh. Shakky had also mentioned that Rayleigh occasionally sold himself into slave auctions to extort some money... That couple was way too synchronized in this regard.
Just then, Bonney, who had been listening silently, finally couldn't help but interrupt.
"Wait a minute. That Rayleigh you keep mentioning... it wouldn't be the one I'm thinking of, would it?" Bonney asked.
"Which one?"
Luffy glanced at Bonney and said frankly, "Kuma told me to come find Rayleigh for help. He said Rayleigh might have a way."
"That name belongs to that legendary big shot."
Bonney said somewhat frantically. "How do you guys not know anything?"
Hatchan scratched his head and said, "Rayleigh and Shakky used to be pirates. They're also famous big shots."
Bonney's face showed an incredulous expression. "So it's true. That Rayleigh is the one I'm thinking of, isn't it? 'Dark King,' Silvers Rayleigh?"
A former pirate, a big shot, and someone her father Bartholomew Kuma had highly recommended it was almost certain!
"That name sounds kind of familiar." Luffy said thoughtfully.
"Of course it sounds familiar! That's the legendary right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—the vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, 'Dark King' Rayleigh!" Bonney said excitedly.
"He's still alive? And he's on this island?"
The Straw Hat crew also hadn't known that Hatchan knew such a big shot.
"The Pirate King's vice-captain? Then I definitely want to meet him." Luffy said.
But he remembered now. The first time he had heard Rayleigh's name wasn't from Kuma. It was from Shanks. When Shanks got drunk, he often mentioned that name.
Just as they were talking, the Thousand Sunny slowly sailed to the edge of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Up close, the sight was even more shocking.
It was not an ordinary island composed of soil and rock. Instead, it was a strange land composed of the trunks and tangled roots of the world's largest mangrove trees, called Yarukiman Mangrove.
The trees were as tall as mountains. The roots were covered in thick moss and ferns, radiating an ancient, moist scent.
The entire island was filled with a dreamy greenery.
"So beautiful."
Nami looked at this wonder and couldn't help but marvel.
Sunlight filtered through the huge canopy, casting variegated light and shadow on the moss-covered ground. In the air floated large and small bubbles, produced by the roots' respiration, refracting colorful light.
"What are those? Bubbles? The trees are constantly bubbling!"
Usopp pointed at the bubbles floating in the wind, his mouth wide open in surprise.
"It's a bit too dreamlike." Even Sanji temporarily snapped out of his mermaid fantasies, drawn in by this strange scenery.
Everyone found it unbelievable.
***
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