In the first half of the Grand Line, pirates of every kind were mixed together, but most were inexperienced newcomers who had only recently entered these waters.
Rojen's group sailed all the way smoothly. No one was able to stop them. Aside from necessary stops, the Logan remained at sea continuously. After five days of sailing, the ship steadily docked at the next island indicated by the Eternal Pose.
"Is this Little Garden?" Jason asked curiously as he looked at the island before them, filled with lush vegetation and enormous trees.
"It is said that giants nearly a hundred meters tall live on this island." Daz Bonez spoke up.
"Normally, when we're carrying out missions, we try to stay as far away from this island as possible."
"So there really are giants here?"
The other crew members asked curiously.
Just imagining it amazed them. In the first half of the Grand Line, there were actually incredible beings, such as giants.
Jason and the others had already seen the giant Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters during that war, so they showed little reaction. The rest, however, were extremely interested.
"We won't stop here. We'll leave immediately and wait for the Eternal Pose to lock onto the next destination."
At that moment, Rojen suddenly spoke.
"Captain, aren't we going to see the giants?"
Chaporos shouted.
"Haven't you seen enough of them in the New World?"
Trens smacked Chaporos on the head and scolded him loudly.
The latter chuckled awkwardly and stopped making a fuss.
"We're not staying here. Increase speed and leave at once."
Rojen shook his head, his tone firm.
Throughout their journey, they had been gathering information about Dina's father, but they had found no useful clues. Based on the information Dina provided, the sea region where she and her father had fallen was most likely near Jaya Island.
Therefore, only in the waters around Jaya Island would they have a chance of discovering traces of Dina's father.
Moreover, according to what Rojen knew, if one wanted to reach Skypiea, ten thousand meters above the sea, then the waters near Jaya Island were an excellent choice. At the very least, Knock-Up Streams appeared there from time to time. As long as the ship was reinforced and modified enough to withstand the tremendous impact of the stream at the moment of eruption, there was a sixty-percent chance of reaching the White-White Sea of Skypiea.
That sixty-percent probability should not be underestimated. It was already remarkably high. Although many ships were still destroyed attempting it, this was, after all, an era without airplanes.
As for reaching Skypiea, Rojen was not worried at all. If necessary, his Jasper Gourd and Sword Manipulation techniques were both viable options. With his current cultivation level, carrying an entire ship's crew directly into the sky was not impossible.
Following Rojen's orders, The Logan quickly turned and sailed in another direction.
Two days later, after a slight fluctuation of the Eternal Pose, the next island was indicated.
Without the slightest hesitation, Rojen set course toward the direction pointed out by the Pose.
This time, The Logan maintained high speed throughout the journey. After fifteen consecutive days at sea, they finally entered the waters near Jaya Island.
Given the performance of The Logan, any pirates who attempted to rob them during those fifteen days eventually discovered that they could not even catch sight of the ship's stern lantern, leaving them dumbfounded.
By the time The Logan disappeared from view, they had not even managed to see the pirate flag clearly. The only thing they caught was the cool skull emblem on the bow.
"Jaya Island, we've arrived!"
"Based on the information we've gathered during this period, the chances of Dina's father being on this island are the highest!"
The crew docked their pirate ship along the shoreline, leapt onto land, and quietly surveyed the crowds moving about around them.
"This island lies roughly in the middle of the first half of the Grand Line and is home to the largest concentration of pirates. It must not be underestimated."
Crocodile spoke in a deep voice.
"What we're looking at right now is only one side of Jaya Island. The town in front of us is called Mock Town."
"This town is filled with pirates who spend money like water. Some of them even have connections to the great pirates of the New World. Because of that, the situation on this island is extremely complicated."
After Crocodile's brief introduction to Mock Town, everyone gained a basic understanding of what kind of island this was.
Fortunately, they weren't here to cause trouble. Their purpose was simply to find information about Dina's father.
"You've all heard what Crocodile said, so remember this."
"After entering the island, be extremely careful. Your personal safety is the top priority."
"Now, set out. I hope you'll find information about Dina's father as quickly as possible and put her worries to rest."
Rojen swept his gaze across the crew and spoke solemnly.
"Understood!"
After responding in unison, everyone turned and departed.
These were all experienced people, so Rojen wasn't worried about them. Dina followed Nalene, her face full of excitement as she disappeared from his sight.
As for Rojen, he leisurely wandered through the so-called "Town of Sin," casually observing the island's situation.
Mock Town contained countless bars and casinos. Underground auctions were also a common sight here.
After wandering around for only a short while, Rojen had already noticed this characteristic.
"This island is hiding quite a few dark forces."
His eyes flickered as he continued exploring.
He soon discovered that some of the pirates here were clearly far stronger than the average pirate in the first half of the Grand Line. Yet they remained quiet and low-profile, obviously concealing their identities.
That alone was enough to show how unusual this place was.
Meanwhile, after splitting up, the crew quickly gathered clues and information through various inquiries.
"Dina's father is indeed on this island!"
"And just like Dina, her father also fell into the sea. According to the information we've gathered, the place where he landed wasn't actually far from hers. However, directions are difficult to determine at sea, so neither of them realized the other was nearby, and they ended up missing each other."
Trens arrived beside Rojen with the six members of Dragon-Elephant and reported softly.
"Then where did her father go?"
Rojen asked.
"He was captured."
As he said this, Trens looked somewhat speechless.
Just how unlucky could this father and daughter be? The daughter had been captured, and the father had also been captured. Neither of them seemed able to escape that fate.
"The people who captured him belong to a dark organization on the island called the Slender Shad Underground Casino."
Trens had investigated the matter thoroughly.
He had once served as the Night's Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Commander-in-Chief. Within the Night Revolutionary Army, aside from the Fleet Admiral himself, Trens had held one of the highest possible ranks. It could be said that he had been the organization's second-in-command.
Because of that, he had witnessed more than his fair share of the world's darkness.
"Heh heh, we also learned something else."
At that moment, Chaporos and Daz Bonez appeared with grins on their faces.
"In two days, her father will be taken to the New World."
Trens turned toward Chaporos in confusion.
"Why the New World?"
"Because the force backing that casino... is interested in angels."
(End Of This Chapter)
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