The New World greeted the Athena with an unexpected sense of tranquility.
Several days had passed since the Athena left Angel Island behind, carrying the ART Pirates deeper into the vast waters of the New World. The island had long since disappeared beyond the horizon, along with the events they had left behind.
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath a brilliant blue sky, while a gentle breeze pushed the white sails forward with steady confidence. Even the waves, usually restless within the New World, rolled gently against the hull as though the waters themselves had settled into a rare calm.
Arthur stood alone at the bow, quietly studying the horizon as the Athena sailed deeper into unfamiliar waters.
His crimson coat fluttered softly in the wind while his eyes remained fixed on the distant horizon. Around him, the crew enjoyed the unusually calm voyage in their own ways. Some chatted on the deck, others trained, while a few simply relaxed beneath the warm afternoon sun.
Something about it felt different.
The oppressive atmosphere they had encountered in other Emperors' territories was nowhere to be found.
There was no sense of being watched from every rooftop, no armed patrol waiting at the edge of the harbor, and no massive fortress dominating the coastline. Even the ships entering and leaving the port seemed to move without urgency.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the details.
Peace in the New World was rarely genuine. Usually, it was simply the silence that came before someone powerful demanded obedience.
But this felt different.
The people here were not pretending to be unafraid.
They simply had no reason to be.
Soon, the outline of an island emerged from the horizon.
Unlike the fortified settlements they had encountered elsewhere in the New World, this island looked remarkably ordinary.
A bustling fishing village stretched along the coastline, its wooden docks crowded with merchant vessels and fishing boats. Merchants called out to customers from colorful stalls while children ran freely along the harbor, barely paying attention to the pirate ship approaching from the sea. There were no soldiers rushing toward the docks, no guards shouting orders, and no civilians scrambling for cover.
The Athena sailed past at a comfortable distance.
Several villagers paused to glance toward the unfamiliar vessel bearing the emblem of the ART Pirates. Curious whispers spread among them, yet none showed the fear Arthur had expected.
Instead, one elderly fisherman simply adjusted his hat before returning to mend his fishing net.
"Another pirate crew," he muttered casually.
His companion glanced toward the Athena before shrugging. "As long as they don't cause trouble."
The conversation ended there.
There was no panic, no desperate attempt to flee, and no alarm bell ringing across the village. Life continued exactly as it had moments before.
"...That's strange." Sugar leaned against the railing, watching the lively harbor disappear behind them.
"They're not afraid of pirates at all." Koala nodded in agreement.
"They know we're an Emperor's crew too." Even Law sounded genuinely surprised.
Law kept his eyes on the shoreline for several seconds.
"That's what bothers me."
Sugar glanced at him. "What?"
"If they know exactly who we are, then their reaction isn't ignorance."
He folded his arms.
"They know an Emperor's crew has entered their waters... and they're still going about their day."
Koala looked back toward the village.
"Maybe that's the point."
Arthur said nothing.
He simply watched the villagers disappear into the distance, quietly storing the observation away in his mind.
Throughout the New World, pirate flags often brought chaos wherever they appeared. Merchants hid their valuables, civilians ran for shelter, and local guards prepared for battle.
Yet here...
Nothing had changed.
The same rhythm continued from one island to the next.
As the Athena sailed deeper into the territory, the pattern became unmistakable. Island after island passed beneath the afternoon sun, each displaying the same sense of order and security. Busy ports welcomed merchant ships from every direction. Farmers worked their fields without concern. Families enjoyed peaceful lives beneath clear skies, while fishermen returned home carrying the day's catch.
There were no towering fortresses.
No heavily armed patrols.
No signs of a nation living under constant fear.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
Before anyone could voice another question, a familiar cry echoed overhead.
"Coo! Coo!"
A News Coo circled gracefully above the Athena before descending toward the deck with a satchel hanging from its neck.
"I'll get it!" Bepo grinned and hurried over.
After paying the usual fee, he accepted the freshly printed newspaper and handed it to Law. Law unfolded the front page, but his expression changed the moment he saw the headline.
"...Captain."
Arthur turned toward him. Law held the newspaper out without saying another word.
Across the front page, bold letters stretched from one side to the other.
"STRAW HAT LUFFY ESCAPES ENIES LOBBY!"
The headline instantly caught everyone's attention.
Robin closed the book she had been reading.
Baby 5 stepped closer.
Koala and Sugar gathered beside Law, while even Bepo craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the article.
The article detailed an incident that had already begun sending shockwaves throughout the world.
Enies Lobby—the Judiciary Island of the World Government—had been attacked.
The World Government and Marines had suffered a humiliating defeat.
Against all expectations, the Straw Hat Pirates had escaped alive after openly declaring war on the World Government.
Arthur quietly continued reading.
The deeper he went into the article, the clearer the truth became.
This had never been about Nico Robin.
According to the report, the World Government's true objective had been Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta who had chosen to sail with the Straw Hat Pirates instead of returning to her kingdom.
The report raised questions about why the World Government had gone to such lengths to seize Vivi, a descendant of the Nefertari Family—one of the royal bloodlines connected to the founding of the World Government eight centuries ago.
Yet the article offered no convincing explanation for why her capture had been considered important enough to trigger such an extraordinary response.
Arthur's eyes remained on the article.
The report listed the Marines involved, the destruction at Enies Lobby, and the Straw Hats' escape. It described the World Government's pursuit of Vivi as though her presence alone had been enough to justify the operation.
But there was something missing.
A reason.
No explanation was given for why a princess who had already spent years traveling alongside pirates had suddenly become important enough to warrant the intervention of Cipher Pol.
Arthur slowly lowered the newspaper.
"The Government is hiding something."
"That's what I thought." Robin's eyes met his.
Whatever their true intentions were, the Government had considered Vivi important enough to risk a confrontation on a scale the world could not ignore.
Instead...
Monkey D. Luffy answered with war.
Arthur lowered the newspaper slightly, amusement flickering across his face.
"...Looks like he's done it again."
To the ordinary public, the incident at Enies Lobby would be remembered as another reckless act committed by the Straw Hat Pirates.
But those who stood near the summit of the world would see something entirely different.
Whatever the Government had hoped to accomplish, it had failed. Vivi was still free.
"Luffy never does things halfway," he said, shaking his head with quiet amusement.
"He has a habit of turning impossible situations into miracles."
There was no surprise in his voice, only quiet amusement.
"You expected this," Robin observed.
"Not the details." Arthur chuckled softly.
"But I knew that sooner or later... Luffy would shake the world." He looked ahead toward the endless sea.
No one challenged him. Uneasy glances passed across the deck as the newspaper once again became the center of their attention.
For several moments, the only sounds were the steady rhythm of the waves and the wind filling the Athena's sails. Each member of the crew seemed to be processing the implications behind the article rather than the battle itself.
Koala was the first to break the silence. "I'm just relieved Vivi is safe. I never thought the World Government would go that far just to capture her."
"Neither did I." Law folded the newspaper slowly.
"But I don't think we've seen the real reason yet." Arthur's expression remained serious.
Arthur tapped one finger against the newspaper.
"The timing doesn't make sense either."
Law raised an eyebrow.
"Vivi has been traveling with pirates for a long time. If the Government simply wanted her returned to Alabasta, they had opportunities before this."
Robin's gaze sharpened.
"Exactly."
She looked toward the newspaper again.
"They waited until she became involved with the Straw Hats... and until the Government had reason to believe she could become connected to people capable of challenging its authority."
The implication settled heavily over the deck.
Whatever had triggered the Government's decision, it was unlikely to have begun at Enies Lobby.
It had probably started much earlier.
Robin's expression grew thoughtful. "The Government has never been particularly open about the Nefertari Family. But that alone doesn't explain why they were willing to send Cipher Pol after Vivi."
Arthur eventually spoke.
"The Nefertari Family was one of the Twenty Royal Families that established the World Government eight hundred years ago. But unlike the other nineteen..." Robin paused. "They refused to move to Mary Geoise."
The deck grew quieter.
"Queen Lili," Robin continued, "Vivi's distant ancestor, was the one who refused."
Monet looked surprised.
"I know the official story," Monet said. "She was the queen who remained in Alabasta after the World Government was formed."
"That's what the official history claims," Robin replied.
Her tone changed slightly.
"However, very little is actually known about what happened between Queen Lili and the other nineteen rulers."
"Because the records were erased?" Law narrowed his eyes.
Robin nodded. "Most of what existed was either destroyed, altered, or simply disappeared."
She looked toward the horizon.
"There are fragments suggesting that Queen Lili knew things she was never supposed to know. Knowledge connected to the founding of the World Government... and perhaps events that were deliberately erased from history."
Robin's voice became quieter.
"Unfortunately, the surviving records never explain exactly what she discovered."
"Never?" Law asked.
"Never."
Robin closed the book resting in her lap.
"That's what makes it suspicious. When history disappears naturally, fragments remain. Contradictions, damaged records, conflicting accounts."
Her eyes hardened.
"But in Lili's case, the gaps are almost too clean."
For a moment, even the sound of the waves seemed distant.
"Someone wanted the truth to disappear."
No one needed to ask who she meant.
"Whatever she discovered, she refused to follow the other rulers to Mary Geoise."
"So they think Vivi might inherit whatever Queen Lili knew?" Baby 5 asked.
"Perhaps..." Robin's expression became more thoughtful. "Or perhaps they're afraid she might eventually discover it for herself." She glanced at the newspaper.
The words hung heavily in the air.
For eight centuries, the Nefertari bloodline had remained in Alabasta, carrying fragments of a history the World Government had spent generations trying to bury.
Now one of Lili's descendants had left Alabasta and chosen the life of a pirate, traveling freely across the world alongside people who were already searching for the truths the Government had buried.
Hancock, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"If Queen Lili truly knew something that dangerous..." Hancock's expression darkened.
"Then the Government would want to make certain Vivi never discovers it." Robin finished.
Arthur finally looked up from the newspaper.
His expression was calm, but his eyes had become noticeably sharper.
"So they weren't simply trying to bring a princess home."
"That may be the reason they wanted the world to believe." Robin slowly shook her head.
"But whatever the real reason is..." Robin slowly closed her book. "...it's something the World Government doesn't want anyone to remember."
The implication hung over the deck for several moments.
Arthur folded the newspaper carefully before handing it back to Bepo.
Far above them, a News Coo disappeared into the distant sky, carrying stories of Enies Lobby toward another corner of the world.
"Whatever Lili knew..." He turned toward the horizon. "...they're still afraid of it."
"And if they're afraid after eight hundred years..." Arthur's expression softened.
He left the thought unfinished.
The conversation gradually faded as the Athena continued deeper into Red Hair's territory. None of them realized that their arrival had already attracted attention far beyond the islands they had passed.
...
Another island slowly emerged from the horizon, larger than the previous one. Its coastline was dotted with small homes and sprawling fields, while the harbor bustled with merchants moving cargo between ships and warehouses.
The scene was so ordinary that it almost felt detached from the turbulent New World.
"We've passed several islands already, and every single one feels... normal." Sugar rested both elbows on the railing as she observed the town below.
"What is?" Kuina glanced toward her.
"No one looks scared." Sugar gestured toward the island.
"She's right." Baby 5 followed her gaze.
"We've passed several islands already, and every single one feels... normal."
"Almost too normal," Kuina murmured.
They had spent years sailing through the Grand Line and knew better than anyone how rare such stability was in the New World.
"That's because this sea belongs to Red Hair." Robin closed the book she had reopened moments earlier.
"Every Emperor rules differently." Everyone looked toward her.
"Big Mom built her empire through fear. Those under her protection paid with their lifespan and lived knowing punishment would come the moment they disobeyed." Her voice remained composed as she spoke.
Images of Totto Land briefly crossed the crew's minds.
"Kaido relied on overwhelming military strength. His territories survived because no one was powerful enough to challenge him." Robin continued.
"But Shanks chose another path." She paused before looking toward the peaceful village they were passing.
"The people living in his territory aren't protected because they fear him."
"They're protected because he protects them."
The distinction was subtle, yet profound.
"Pirates avoid causing trouble here because they know Red Hair will respond. As a result, merchants can trade freely, fishermen can work without constantly looking over their shoulders, and children grow up without witnessing war every day." Robin folded her hands on her lap.
Koala smiled as she watched a group of children waving enthusiastically toward the Athena.
"So the people trust him."
"They do." Robin returned the smile.
"And because they trust him, they'll defend his name long before he ever needs to draw his sword."
Arthur remained silent for a moment, his eyes following the coastline as the island slowly disappeared behind them.
"Good." A faint smile appeared on his face.
The crew turned toward him.
"That makes him even more interesting."
His words carried neither admiration nor rivalry.
Only curiosity.
Ahead of them, the sea stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sun, calm and inviting.
Elsewhere across the New World, the news traveled far faster than the Athena itself.
A merchant vessel heading west spotted the distinctive black-and-white sails of the ART Pirates before quickly changing course. Its captain wasted no time passing the information to the next island, where the report continued spreading from harbor to harbor.
Within hours, the rumor had spread through nearby waters.
"The ART Pirates have entered Red Hair's territory."
The reactions varied.
Some captains changed course immediately. Others stayed anchored, unwilling to miss whatever might happen next.
Others anchored their ships at nearby islands, hoping to hear what would happen next.
A few ambitious captains even considered following the Athena from a safe distance before abandoning the idea altogether.
No captain wanted their ship caught between two Emperors if a clash broke out.
Yet no one dared intercept the Athena. Every pirate in the New World understood the rule: once a ship entered an Emperor's territory, only the Emperor decided what happened next.
Arthur's crew understood that rule better than most.
They had entered the territory of a man whose reputation alone could silence entire fleets.
Yet nothing had happened.
No warning shot.
No demand to identify themselves.
No fleet had appeared on the horizon.
That absence was beginning to feel deliberate.
Arthur rested one hand against the railing.
"He's watching us."
"You think so?" Robin glanced toward him.
Arthur's gaze remained fixed on the empty horizon.
"Someone like Shanks wouldn't ignore an Emperor entering his territory." A faint smile crossed his face. "He's probably deciding what kind of welcome to give us."
...
As the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, Bepo suddenly called down from the crow's nest.
"Captain!"
Arthur looked up.
"Ship approaching!"
The conversations on deck immediately stopped.
Law and Kuina moved toward their swords, while Koala and Sabo instinctively took defensive positions.
Hancock and Baby-5 rose from their seats, their eyes fixed on the horizon.
Sugar climbed onto one of the railings, already searching through the scope of her rifle.
Robin closed her book while Monet turned her attention toward the approaching vessel.
Nearby, the Angeloids quietly gathered the children and escorted them below deck.
A small vessel slowly emerged from the shimmering sea.
It wasn't a warship.
There were no escort ships surrounding it.
No battle formation.
Just a single pirate vessel sailing directly toward the Athena without hesitation.
The distance between them gradually closed.
As the approaching ship became clearer, everyone noticed something unusual.
Only one man stood at its bow.
Arthur raised a hand before anyone could make another move.
"Stay calm."
The crew relaxed slightly, though none lowered their guard.
Moments later, the two ships drifted close enough for conversation.
The man standing at the bow wore a dark coat, with a sword resting at his waist and a familiar scar crossing his face.
He looked directly at Arthur.
"I'm Rockstar of the Red Hair Pirates. I've come on Captain Shanks' orders." His voice carried confidently across the water.
The name alone was enough to deepen the silence.
No threats followed.
No declaration of war.
"I have a letter from my Captain for you." Instead, Rockstar reached into his coat and produced a neatly folded envelope.
Robin glanced toward Arthur.
At Arthur's nod, she stepped gracefully onto the ship's railing. Flowers bloomed beneath her feet, forming a bridge of petals across the narrow gap between the two vessels.
Rockstar simply waited.
Without resistance, he placed the envelope into Robin's hand.
Robin inspected the envelope carefully. Nothing about it appeared unusual; it was sealed with dark red wax and showed no obvious sign of a trap.
Robin returned to the Athena and handed it to Arthur.
Every pair of eyes followed the envelope.
Arthur broke the seal.
Inside...
Only three words had been written.
Come and drink.
— Shanks
Silence settled over the deck once again.
"...That's it?" Bepo blinked.
"It's too simple," Kuina said, folding her arms. "Which makes it difficult to predict."
Law's eyes remained fixed on the letter. "It could still be a trap."
"If Red Hair wanted to attack us..." Robin smiled faintly. "...he wouldn't need an invitation."
Arthur looked at the short message one last time before folding it carefully and slipping it into his coat.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He raised his eyes toward Rockstar.
"Tell your captain..." Arthur folded the letter and slipped it into his coat. "...we'll be there."
"I'll deliver your answer." For the first time since arriving, Rockstar smiled.
He gave a respectful nod before turning his ship around. Without another word, the lone messenger sailed away, disappearing into the golden light of the setting sun.
There was no escort and no formal farewell. Rockstar simply turned his vessel toward the horizon, completely confident that Arthur would follow.
The Athena adjusted its course soon afterward, following the direction Rockstar had come from.
Evening gradually blanketed the sea in shades of crimson and gold.
Far ahead, barely visible beyond the horizon, a large island slowly took shape beneath the fading sunlight.
No one spoke. The mood aboard the Athena had changed completely.
This was no longer a journey through an Emperor's territory.
They had just accepted a personal invitation from one.
Arthur remained at the bow, watching the distant silhouette without a trace of hesitation.
Somewhere beyond that island, one of the Four Emperors was waiting.
Not with an army.
Not with an ultimatum.
But with a drink.
And somehow...
That felt more dangerous.