Onboard the Shimotsuki clan's warship.
Shimotsuki Kōzaburō had just been startled by the Den Den Mushi in his arms.
Joy flickered across his face, yet it was steeped in deep worry.
He longed to reunite with the Amatsuki clan or Fūgetsu Kisaburō, but dreaded encountering Kisaburō's Rocks Pirates even more.
They were the world's worst pirate crew!
The number-one pirate band that dared defy the World Government, Sovereign of the Outside Seas!
If the Rocks Pirates set their sights on them, Miss Furiko would be in grave danger.
"All hands—full speed ahead!!"
Shimotsuki Kōzaburō cast aside brotherly sentiment toward Fūgetsu Kisaburō without hesitation.
He could search for Kisaburō alone, but he would never drag Miss Furiko and their clansmen into peril.
Miss Furiko's safety came first!
"Kōzaburō, what's happened?"
Seeing Kōzaburō's grim expression, Shimotsuki Furiko's delicate brows knit as she asked softly.
"Miss, the Den Den Mushi just chirped—Kisaburō must be close, which means the Rocks Pirates are nearby."
Kōzaburō's face was grave; he hadn't seen the Amatsuki clan in the papers, but knew the Rocks Pirates had spent months in the Grand Line retaliating against the World Government, leaving chaos in their wake.
Kisaburō had risen to fame amid those very events.
Though the Rocks Pirates had lain low for half a year, odds were they still prowled the Grand Line.
"What?!"
"Could it be someone from the Amatsuki Family?"
Shimotsuki Furiko bit her lip, a trace of anxiety surfacing in her eyes.
In Wano, Fūgetsu Kisaburō had been a top-tier powerhouse.
Yet after joining the Rocks Pirates, he seemed only mid-tier.
Judging by bounties—setting aside Rocks, the world's worst pirate Captain—there were the Four King Executives, including first mate Gu Yue Fang Huo.
Every one of them carried a higher bounty than Kisaburō.
News reports claimed these men possessed the conqueror's aura of kings.
Wano hadn't seen such sovereign-level fighters in many years.
It was said General's Son Kōzuki Oden might possess that century-lost regal aura.
Beyond Rocks and the Four King Executives, even the Smuggler Ganzi and the Deep Sea Titan Babel currently out-bountied Kisaburō.
That alone showed how terrifying the world's number-one pirate crew truly was.
"Reluctant as I am to assume the worst, the Amatsuki clan has likely…"
Shimotsuki Kōzaburō sighed; he'd long sensed the Amatsuki squad had been wiped out.
Otherwise, two years without a single scrap of news was impossible.
By now his wado ichimonji and Furiko's Autumn Rain had earned minor reputations on the outside sea.
There was no reason the Amatsuki warriors should remain unheard-of.
"Kisaburō wants to find us too, but he never considered that bringing the Rocks Pirates could endanger Miss Furiko!"
Kōzaburō knew Kisaburō meant no harm, yet who could predict the whims of pirates from the outside seas?
All they wanted was to reach the peaceful East Blue and found Shimotsuki Village to live and prosper.
"Then press on at full speed!"
After reflection, Shimotsuki Furiko likewise felt this was no time to reunite with Fūgetsu Kisaburō.
She wanted nothing to do with the worst pirate crew alive.
She still hoped to negotiate with World Government officials for safe passage along the Calm Belt's Official Channel.
Yet the harder they tried to leave, the more fate seemed intent to toy with them.
—Meanwhile, aboard the Gībekk's Sword.
Fang Huo unleashed his electromagnetic Observation Haki, sweeping the surrounding seas.
Even Rocks released his own Observation Haki to help Fūgetsu Kisaburō, their new Executive, settle an old wish.
"Found them!!"
Fang Huo's staggering range soon located a warship on the waves and even "heard" Miss Furiko and Kōzaburō's voices.
"Your Observation range is that vast?"
Rocks was stunned—he hadn't even located them, yet Fang Huo already had.
Could the Rumble-Rumble Fruit really amplify Observation Haki that much?
The self-proclaimed strongest Logia seemed more versatile than anyone had imagined.
Possessing world-shattering power and blinding speed wasn't enough—it even boosted Observation Haki!
Users of the Smoke-Smoke and Snow-Snow Fruits might just cry themselves silly in the restroom.
The gap between top and bottom Logia types was as vast as that between Mythical Zoans and regular ones.
"Fang Huo's Observation Haki has already overtaken Rocks'!"
Newgate and Linlin were equally shocked; even surpassing Rocks only in Haki was enough to shake the entire crew.
"Only in range!"
Fang Huo promptly steered the Gībekk's Sword in pursuit of the Shimotsuki warship.
His Haki merely borrowed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to extend its reach; he was still far from the Future-Sight Level.
"A wide range is still formidable!"
"Truly worthy of the first mate I had my eye on!"
Charlotte Linlin wanted more than ever to snatch Fang Huo away to help build Totto Land—and to bear her children.
"first mate, thank you so much!"
Fūgetsu Kisaburō kept dialing Kōzaburō's Den Den Mushi while casting grateful glances at Fang Huo.
"No need for thanks."
Fang Huo smiled faintly; he, too, wished to meet Shimotsuki Furiko—grandmother of future Straw-Hat Roronoa Zoro and direct descendant of the dragon-slaying swordmaster Shimotsuki Ryuma.
"Kisaburō, how strong is this Shimotsuki Kōzaburō?"
Fang Huo was rather curious about the Swordsmith who had forged both wado ichimonji and Enma.
The man's swordplay couldn't be weak; after all, he had elevated the new blade wado ichimonji to the rank of great grade blade—its history must be steeped in battle.
More importantly, he had kept it in his possession until passing it to his son Kōzaburō, who later gave it to Kuina.
He had even crafted Enma, a Cursed Blade said to cleave open the very gates of hell.
As Enma's creator, Shimotsuki Kōzaburō must have handled it often.
Yet he hadn't been drained of Haki by the sword—proof the smith had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
"Heh, whether in swordplay or smithing, that Kōzaburō's just a notch below me."
"If I weren't busy running my gokudō gang and hadn't found the right Demon-Stone Ore, I'd have forged a second Cursed Blade rivaling gokudō kaisen."
When it came to skill, Fūgetsu Kisaburō was supremely confident in both swordsmanship and smithing.
In short, he was definitely stronger than Kōzaburō.
This voyage was about adventure and seeing the world, yes—but also about finding the finest ores for sword-making.
In Wano, land of warriors, countless blades had been forged; quality iron ore was now scarce within the country.
The vast outside sea surely held the ultimate ore from which to forge the greatest named blade!
—