The terrifying Rocket Team pirates have struck again, and yet another peaceful and prosperous kingdom has been plundered by the Rocket Team pirates! The king was frightened out of his wits, and the queen was taken away.
More than a thousand innocent citizens died in this catastrophe.
The Marines and the World Government loudly publicized this tragedy.
At the same time, the World Government and the Marines also noticed that the great pirate Gecko Moria had actually joined the ranks of the Rocket Team.
This caused the overall quality of the Rocket Team's members to rise in a straight line.
Nation-Slayer Vane's bounty climbed to 400 million Belly. This year's top spot on the Supernova list has already been locked onto Vane, and even among historical rookie rankings, this bounty is basically first place.
Moria's bounty increased by 30 million Belly, reaching 350 million Belly. His bounty hadn't changed for many years, and this increase was also a kind of signal.
However, he is an old pirate, so he can't be counted among the rookies.
The others' bounties did not change. The World Government hasn't paid special attention to them yet.
But Vane, the captain, finally has the highest bounty in the crew. Before, it had always been lower than Moria's, which was actually quite awkward.
...
On a nameless reef not far from the Sabaody Archipelago, the Thunder Fortress lay anchored here.
"Found it! Gehehehe~"
Moria returned to the ship holding several items—some personal belongings he had hidden here.
Hiding things is a required course for pirates. In this world, Devil Fruit users like Meowth who can hide things are rare. When there are items that aren't suitable to carry around, they'll find some uninhabited island or reef and stash them away.
To keep from forgetting the location, they'll also make maps.
That's how pirate treasure comes to be. If a pirate hides something and then dies, the items tucked away in some forgotten corner become pirate treasure.
And the maps they drew become treasure maps.
"Gehehehe~ These are some things I brought back from Wano Country."
When Moria left Wano Country, he dug up the grave of the famous swordsman Ryuma and made Ryuma's corpse into a zombie.
He also brought back Ryuma's former sword, the national treasure of Wano Country, the famed blade Shusui.
"Shusui?"
Vane picked up the blade that had followed Zoro for quite a long time before being returned to Wano Country in exchange for another sword called Enma.
"Gehehehe~ A swordsman like you, Captain, should definitely be interested in this Shusui, right?"
Vane swung Shusui a couple of times.
This blade is a very standard Japanese katana type—what you'd call a wakizashi-style blade.
"It's a good sword, but I'm used to using a Cursed Sword."
Vane still preferred to use a double-edged sword.
"Kaku, catch!"
Vane threw Shusui to Kaku, who was waiting off to the side. This kid has some talent for swordsmanship. When he first appeared, he held two swords and paired them with his own legs, calling it a Four-Sword Style!
Now, with Kaku holding a sword, he himself isn't much taller than the blade.
But there's great potential in that small body. Just swinging it around a bit is no problem at all.
"Thank you, Captain, and Mr. Moria."
"Gehehehe~ I can't use it anyway, so you can have it, kid. As for Ryuma's corpse, I still have some use for it."
Although Moria has already given up on the idea of dominating the seas by refining powerful zombies, he doesn't plan to let this craft go. Right now he still has quite a lot of shadows, and reviving the ready-made Ryuma corpse to help out here and there will do.
"Heh hahahaha~ Little Kaku, want to come over and let me check how your body's developing?"
Kaku, who was swinging Shusui, suddenly went blank-eyed.
"Selibe, how many times have I told you not to casually use your ability on your own crewmates?"
Selibe—formerly the queen of the Holy Church Nation—is a user of the Hypnosis-Hypnosis Fruit.
Because her ability has very good practical value, Vane brought her onto the ship.
This woman didn't resist joining the crew much, but she's still a bit unhinged and often uses her hypnosis ability to mess with the crew.
Most of the time it's harmless teasing—like this time, pretending to be a lewd woman who wants to check over Kaku's body.
For the sake of Kaku's mental and physical health, Vane naturally had to stop it in time, so as not to leave the kid with psychological trauma.
"Tch! What a boring captain. Aren't pirates supposed to do things like this? We rob other people's money, burn other people's houses, sleep with other people's wives… or husbands!"
Selibe's way of thinking can be said to be more pirate-like than most of the people on the ship.
Vane held his forehead: "When we get to the Sabaody Archipelago, we absolutely can't let her off the ship."
Their next destination was the Sabaody Archipelago.
This archipelago is extremely unique, whether in terms of its geographical location or the composition of its islands.
First is the location: it's very close to Marine Headquarters. If anything major happens, the Marines' strongest combat power—the Admirals—can arrive quickly.
Another point is that the Sabaody Archipelago lies directly beneath the Red Line. And atop that Red Line is the holy land, Mary Geoise, the residence of the Celestial Dragons.
So the Celestial Dragons treat the Sabaody Archipelago as their own backyard that they can stroll through from time to time.
And precisely because the Celestial Dragons are here, the Marines rarely purge the Sabaody Archipelago, allowing it to remain in a state that swings between chaos and calm.
If you cleaned out all the pirates, gangs, and human traffickers, then who would provide entertainment for the Celestial Dragons? Who would become their slaves? The Marines?
The composition of the Sabaody Archipelago's islands is also very strange. They're formed by massive mangrove trees, and the roots of these trees constantly produce transparent, floating bubbles.
When these bubbles rise to a certain height, they disappear, but in the seawater they're extremely tough and can withstand tremendous pressure.
This is also how pirate ships make their way to the New World.
Because the New World and the first half of the Grand Line are blocked by the towering Red Line, there are only two ways to get to the New World.
One way is the official route the Marines use.
Abandon your current ship, take an elevator over the Red Line and down the other side, then build a new ship. Among pirates in this world, probably only the Red-Haired Pirates can manage to pass through by this route.
The other way is to coat your ship in a bubble film and sink to the seafloor, pass through Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters below the surface where the Fish-Men live.
After passing Fish-Man Island and the Red Line, you rise up on the other side and enter the New World.
Not many pirate ships that sink down can float back up. Naturally, many pirates simply disappear. That's probably also why the Marines don't pay much attention to pirates who make it here—letting them seek their own deaths, why not?