At Marine Headquarters, inside Fleet Admiral Kong's office.
Kong slammed the desk with his iron fist, his face dark with fury. Across from him stood a Navy intelligence officer.
"Lost track? What do you mean, lost track?"
The officer, shaken by Kong's roar, answered with visible tension.
"I-I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral Kong. Our people spotted the Sky Pirates' ship leaving the Sabaody Archipelago from Dock 44 this morning. We sent a team to follow them, but… but we lost them."
"Are you messing with me?" Kong snapped. "What do you mean, 'but you lost them'?"
"I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral Kong. Their pirate ship was simply too fast. Our warships couldn't keep up."
"What?!" Kong exploded. "Bastard! Are you telling me that our most advanced warships couldn't match the speed of a pirate ship?"
"I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral Kong. We couldn't believe it either, but that's the truth. In less than half an hour, we completely lost sight of them at sea."
Kong's brow knit even tighter. A crushing sense of powerlessness surged through him. He clutched his head and sank back into his chair, his expression pained.
The sight shocked everyone present.
"Damn it… why? Just who are these Sky Pirates?" Kong growled. "The secrets surrounding them never seem to end. Is this connected to Fishman Tom from Water 7? Or do they already possess some kind of unbelievable technology? And those steel monsters…!"
Clearly, no one could answer his questions.
Seeing this, Momonga spoke up quietly from the side.
"Then, Fleet Admiral Kong… what about Zephyr-sensei?"
The Sky Pirates' disappearance from the Sabaody Archipelago meant that the Navy's encirclement plan might have to be put on hold.
Although the Sky Pirates would still have to return here if they wanted to enter the New World, there was no way to know when they would reappear or when they would come back to Sabaody.
The battles between Marines and pirates in the New World were already raging at full intensity. The combat power of an Admiral was extremely valuable there and couldn't be wasted lightly. Zephyr had only managed to make time for this operation with great difficulty.
Hearing Momonga's words, Kong felt even more troubled. Still, he clung to a sliver of hope and turned his gaze toward Aokiji and Kizaru.
"Kuzan. Borsalino. You two depart immediately," Kong ordered. "Follow the direction where the Sky Pirates vanished and search island by island for any trace of them. The moment you find anything, report it to me and to Zephyr. The plan remains unchanged. Once Zephyr returns, if Kuzan and Borsalino have located them, initiate a Buster Call immediately. We absolutely cannot let this continue any longer!"
...
Across the boundless sea, the Twin Goddesses was cutting through the waves at an unbelievable speed.
On the bow deck, Yemu and Rayleigh stood side by side, letting the sea breeze wash over them.
The sound of rolling waves filled the air. Rayleigh took a sip of his liquor, glanced around, and sighed in admiration.
"What an incredible pirate ship. Yemu, to think you've actually mastered this kind of technology."
Rayleigh had believed that, with Shakky's intelligence network, he already had a good grasp of Yemu's Sky Pirates. But after truly interacting with them, he realized he had underestimated Yemu after all.
This pirate crew gave him the same feeling as when he first met Yemu five years ago. Impossible to see through, filled with secrets that couldn't be put into words.
He hadn't planned to pry, but the ship had simply surprised him too much today.
Yesterday, learning that Yemu's crew could sail through the Calm Belt had already been shocking enough. But this morning, the speed they showed when they shook off the warships still left him wide-eyed.
Yemu ran a hand over the golden twin-goddess statue at the bow, nodded, and said with a hint of pride.
"This is the power of science, Rayleigh-san. The Twin Goddesses still has far more potential than this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the nerve to provoke the Marines and the World Government without a care."
Rayleigh froze for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"True enough. But with this, the Marines are going to be completely at a loss. I heard they even pulled Zephyr over from the New World specifically to deal with you."
"Admiral Zephyr? I thought it would be Sengoku or Garp. Either way, they're all monsters."
"Mm. Even though Zephyr has stepped back from the front lines, he's still an Admiral. In terms of strength, he's not someone you can handle right now. Even in the New World, he'd be among the very top. And on top of that, the Marines' new generation just keeps producing more and more talents. Still, if you and Enel can master the highest-level techniques of Armament Haki, you'll have the strength to fight back."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm aiming for. I like messing around, but I prefer fights I can actually win. We're not in such a rush to enter the New World anymore, and on our ship, aside from me, Enel, and Tiger, everyone else is still a bit short on the strength they'll need to survive there. They trained in Water 7 for a while, but they haven't gone through any real hardship. They've always been under my protection, so they need a little more time and a few more trials."
"Besides, with a teacher as good as Rayleigh-san, we can't afford to waste the chance."
Rayleigh's hearty laughter rang out across the deck.
Just then, Tiger led a group out from the cabin and onto the deck.
"Captain, Rayleigh-san, we're about to enter the Calm Belt. To avoid drawing the attention of Sea Kings, we'll need to reduce our speed. Also, we'll have to trouble Rayleigh-san to point us in the right direction."
Rayleigh nodded and pointed off into the distance.
"Keep sailing straight in that direction. The island we're heading to is called Rusukaina Island. I was lucky enough to find it while swimming. It's an island filled with all kinds of fierce beasts. Because it's in the Calm Belt, the beasts there are just as terrifying as Sea Kings. They're not only incredibly strong, their defenses are astonishing too. They make excellent training opponents."
"On top of that, Rusukaina Island's living conditions are extremely harsh. The seasons change once a week, so surviving there won't be easy."
Seeing everyone come up onto the deck, Rayleigh simply started his little lesson.
"Of course, with the strength of Yemu and Enel, those beasts might not be much to you. But for everyone else, they'll be a real challenge. You should understand that in the latter half of the Grand Line, the New World, the strong are on a completely different level from anything in the first half. If you want to stay alive there, you need a certain amount of power."
"Luckily, this place is in the Calm Belt. Even the Marines will have a hard time finding it, so you can train there safely for a while. I'll do my best to help all of you."