One reason the Calm Belt is difficult to cross is the vast number of Sea Kings; another is that most ships in this world are wind-powered.
Neither of these points posed a challenge for the sanctuary.
The Sea Kings could be dealt with by the Sea Stone hull, and the propulsion could be provided by Slaves.
They entered the New World without any incidents.
The weather in the New World was incomparable to the Four Seas; without an excellent navigator, it was truly impossible to advance.
However, with the World Government ruling the seas for eight hundred years, they could always find some talented individuals.
One of the CPs accompanying the sanctuary on this trip understood navigation and could continue towards the target island.
Blake reluctantly returned to his cabin, and the maids instinctively moved his lounge chair and other facilities inside.
"Is this navigator reliable or not? Why have we encountered another storm?"
Seeing Perona giggling to the side, Blake grabbed her and rubbed her vigorously.
Stella cleared the teacups from the table and said with a smile,
"Your Highness, there's no need to rush. We can't get in even if we arrive too early anyway."
Blake sighed helplessly.
It was no wonder Golden Lion valued Nami so highly; her talent for sensing weather changes from a distance was incredibly useful in the New World.
Blake secretly resolved that in a few years, he would definitely abduct Nami.
He let his body sway with the ship and once again focused his attention on the System Space.
As his strength grew, Blake had become increasingly adept at facing those few young card figures.
But whether it was Garp, Roger, or Garin, all three were top-tier experts of Admiral/Emperor level.
Being able to contend was one thing; wanting to defeat them was another.
Unless Blake fought for ten days and ten nights straight, like Akainu's battle with Aokiji in the original story, it would only then be possible to succeed.
Of course, it would only be possible.
After all, in such evenly matched battles, it was not unusual for either side to win or lose in the end.
Blake naturally wouldn't spend ten days to gamble on a 50% chance.
With at least 22 years until the final war, and no urgent enemies to deal with, Blake decided to wait.
It would be better to challenge them when his strength was greater and he could defeat them with relative ease.
Aside from anything else, the Armament Haki he had acquired earlier had yet to push his body to its limits.
Perhaps when Armament Haki completely permeated his skin and tempered his internal organs, his strength could rise another level.
By then, even without Conquerors Haki Infusion, Blake could still face Admirals and Emperors and emerge victorious.
After drifting in the New World for nearly half a month, the sanctuary finally arrived at a peculiar sea area.
"Saint Black, ahead is the Eternal Night Sea."
The CP who knew navigation knelt on one knee before Blake, reminding him with a bowed head.
Blake looked at the sea area ahead.
There, minerals erupted from an underwater volcano drifted into the air through cracks in the earth, and reacting with the atmosphere, formed a dark red sky.
"How much longer do we have to wait? Don't we have an Eternal Pose on board?"
Upon hearing this, the CP was overjoyed.
He had encountered many Celestial Dragons, and they were usually not reasonable characters.
He had thought he would need to expend considerable effort to explain why they couldn't enter now.
So he immediately began to explain:
"Saint Black, we only need to wait until two nights from now for the Blood Moon, which occurs once every 33 days."
"At that time, following the Path of the Blood Moon, we can pass through that red mist."
"And Eternal Sleep Island, our destination for this trip, is an island enveloped by a special magnetic field, where navigation pointers are completely useless."
"Only by the cycle of the Blood Moon can we pinpoint the island's entrance."
Blake nodded, waved for the other party to retreat, and continued to gaze at the blood-colored thick mist ahead.
He casually threw Perona, who was preparing to ambush him from behind, to the side.
She had no sense of occasion!
Couldn't she see he was trying to look profound?
Two days passed quickly, and the Blood Moon night arrived.
The full moon hung high, enveloped in red mist, appearing exceptionally eerie.
"Set sail! Follow the direction of the Moonlight! Quickly!"
The navigator CP called out to the Slaves on board to quickly set sail.
Ahead, a path paved by Moonlight shimmered faintly in the mist.
"This world truly has many wonders."
Blake stood at the bow, sighing with emotion.
After half an hour of travel, the outline of an island appeared in everyone's sight.
The rock walls around the island were red, clearly indicating a high iron content.
Under the erosion of the tides, rust seeped from the rocks, staining the nearby sea crimson.
As they drew closer, most of the houses on the island were shaped like neatly arranged coffins, with bronze bat wind chimes hanging from their ridges.
Only a few Gothic castles stood on the cliffs, and in the reflection of the Blood Moon, bats could vaguely be seen circling above them.
Perona, who was usually fearless, now clutched Stella's leg, trembling.
Koala also tightly gripped Mandy's cloak, covering her eyes.
With a rip, Koala accidentally pulled Mandy's cloak down.
Mandy turned around, somewhat helplessly came to her side and squatted down, reaching out to embrace her.
The sanctuary slowly sailed into the dock.
Here, glowing purple seashells covered the ground, and pale-skinned fishermen used long-poled lanterns to guide them to their berth:
"It's been a long time since outsiders came to Eternal Sleep Island. Are the guests here for the 'Blood Sacrifice Festival'?"
Blake did not answer. He maintained the simple attire he had worn in Tarot Kingdom.
After disembarking, Blake noticed that all the doors and windows in the town were carved with bat patterns, and the residents were drying fishing nets just like in any ordinary fishing village.
The problem was, it was deep night... Perona tugged at Koala's clothes, pointing at the bat lanterns hanging on the dock:
"Are those lanterns... staring at us?"
Koala shivered in fright:
"Don't... don't talk nonsense... it's just the wind..."
As she spoke, a flock of bats flew past at a low altitude.
"Ah!"
The two little girls shrieked, hugging each other in fear.
Blake looked at them speechlessly.
He knew Perona wasn't very brave, but he hadn't expected Koala to be afraid of these things too.
This was the woman whom Sabo had described as "nothing can faze her."
See, isn't she fazed now?
Stella walked forward with a smile, picking up one girl with each hand, and smiled at the woman selling lanterns:
"These patterns are very special."
"On the night of the Blood Moon, the Bat God will awaken."
The woman chuckled, revealing slightly elongated canine teeth.
She held out a lantern:
"Outsiders had best carry this; things in the mist are afraid of light."
Robin, meanwhile, noticed an obelisk standing by the dock.
She quickly ran forward:
"Is this... Ancient Script?"
Robin's voice was a little surprised.
With Olvia still alive and having lived in Mary Geoise for quite some time, Robin wasn't as obsessed with Ancient Script.
But putting her knowledge to use, she still read the text on the stone tablet aloud:
"When the Blood Moon hangs in the sky, thirteen bats will guide the way to the Fruit of Immortality."