News of Moria's defeat never spread.
Thriller Bark was too special, too isolated, and too strange for the outcome to circulate.
So the sea remained calm.
As for the Straw Hat crew, after several brutal battles with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they spent a few days lying half-dead, wrapped in bandages, and finally recovered enough to move again.
They immediately prepared to set out for the next island.
On the Thousand Sunny, everyone was busy with their own thing.
Zoro was upside down, doing strength training.
Sanji was cooking.
Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were playing games and roughhousing.
Only Robin sat beneath a sunshade, long legs stretched out as she read the newspaper.
But her expression looked terrible.
Luffy and the others ran past her, grinning and laughing, until Robin suddenly stopped them.
Her tone was serious.
"Luffy. As captain, I think there's something you absolutely need to understand."
"Huh? Nani??"
Luffy froze with a blank look.
Usopp and Chopper halted too.
Even Zoro, still training, and Nami, drawing charts, turned to look.
Everyone gathered, forming an impromptu meeting.
"Luffy, do you know whose territory Sabaody Archipelago belongs to?"
Seeing the lingering fear in Robin's face, Nami frowned, shock flashing across her features.
"Don't tell me… another Warlord?!"
It was a fair guess.
On their journey, they had already run into more than half of the Warlords.
Mihawk, Crocodile, then Moria and Kuma.
Every time they met one of those monsters, the crew barely survived.
Robin's pupils trembled slightly.
Then she slowly shook her head.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper instantly exhaled, clutching their chests and leaning against each other.
Thank goodness.
But then Robin said a name so unforgettable it made their blood run cold.
"It isn't the territory of a Warlord."
"It's the base of the one who commands them."
"Black Spear, Ozz."
The moment the words fell, the ship went silent.
Luffy and the others reacted half a beat late, mouths hanging open.
The three main fighters all wore stunned expressions.
Nami, Chopper, and the rest looked like they'd turned to stone.
Only Brook stood there elegantly with a cup of coffee.
"Black Spear? I haven't heard that name."
Franky explained beside him.
"He used to be a crewmate of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. A terrifying monster. I met him once when I was a kid."
Brook blinked as if a memory stirred.
"Roger? Sounds like a rookie name… or maybe not…"
No matter what the others thought, Nami was the one who least wanted to meet Ozz.
Because Luffy had said that thing before.
And Ozz had heard it.
"Th then… can't we avoid the island and take another route…"
She pulled out the map, only to realize in despair that if they wanted to reach the New World, pirates basically had to get their ship coated at Sabaody and go through Fish-Man Island.
Once escape was impossible, Nami grabbed Luffy by the collar and snarled a warning.
"Hey, Luffy! When we get there, you have to keep a low profile! Don't attract anyone's attention, got it?!"
"Okay."
Luffy answered while picking his nose.
Nami's veins practically popped.
"You didn't listen at all!!!"
Zoro and Sanji sighed, but still backed Luffy up.
"Save your energy. If Luffy could ignore Vivi and Brook's situation, that'd be the weird thing."
"Yeah. And it's been years since we saw Dad."
"We're not kids anymore."
"We're pirates now!!!"
Hearing the other two main fighters say that, Luffy got fired up too, raising his fist.
"Alright!!! Sabaody, here we come!!!"
…
"Man… I feel amazing!!!"
Sabaody Archipelago.
Two figures emerged from a steam-filled room, wearing bathrobes, attendants bowing wherever they passed.
"If you get massages often, it eases the fatigue from sword training."
Mihawk clearly had his own unique philosophy about massages.
Ozz clicked his tongue.
He was already used to the hawk's sword-obsessed nature.
He dropped into a comfortable sofa, black hair spilling down his back.
Seeing Sāmi approach, he waved away the beautiful women who were about to come serve him.
"Sāmi, things feel lively outside lately."
Sāmi nodded, her expression calm, not the least bit tense.
"Yes, Lord Ozz. A lot of pirates have been arriving recently. Though, to be fair, there are always plenty."
"According to intelligence, quite a few Supernovas from the first half of the Grand Line will be reaching Sabaody soon."
"There's a lot of security work to handle."
Sāmi rubbed her forehead with a weary smile, but she clearly wasn't truly worried.
Too many rookie pirates had come through Sabaody.
Most of them never made a real splash.
But Ozz looked genuinely interested.
Leaning back, he tilted his head.
"If I'm bored anyway, I'll go deal with it myself."
Sāmi's eyes widened slightly.
She hadn't expected a few small fries to be enough to get Lord Ozz personally involved.
"So Lord Ozz is in the mood to play. Then I hope you enjoy yourself."
Sāmi understood perfectly.
With Ozz's personality, him deciding to handle such a tiny matter meant only one thing.
He was bored.
He wanted entertainment.
But that meant those Supernovas were about to suffer.
Sāmi sighed and shook her head.
Halfway through their journey, they met the final boss.
Wasn't that a little too unlucky?
As for Mihawk, he said nothing.
He simply wiped down Yoru, feeling the blade's pleased hum.
Then he spoke.
"I'm leaving."
"Marine Headquarters has issued a compulsory summons for the Warlords."
"Nominally, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are still under the World Government's control."
Ozz had no objections.
He already knew what this was about, so he allowed the Warlords to go.
But as Mihawk reached the door, he paused.
He turned his head toward Ozz.
"This major event Marine Headquarters is organizing…"
"Will you go?"
"Maybe."
…
"This is Sabaody Archipelago!!!"
The Thousand Sunny slowly entered the harbor.
Ahead lay a forest of enormous mangrove trees, the entire island shimmering with bubbles.
Everyone stared with bright-eyed anticipation.
"Yup!"
Hachi and Camie, who had met up with the Straw Hats, began introducing Sabaody's scenery and culture.
But before anyone could even stand up to disembark, their bodies all stiffened at once.
They discovered, in horror, that they could not move at all.
Only their terrified eyes could express what they were feeling.
And then…
Footsteps.
Unhurried, steady footsteps echoed across the suddenly silent deck.
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