The sun dipped below the horizon, and night cloaked the sea. The moon and stars blazed in the inky sky.
Hannabal.
This island, home to over 400,000 people, was like Water 7: a city directly administered by the World Government, not an independent nation. Officials dispatched by the World Government managed it.
Due to the extreme corruption of the World Government officials and the deep roots of underground forces on the island, public order was chaotic. Pirates were a common sight.
Some lesser-known pirates, seeing the chaos and sin, chose to retire here.
As night fell, bonfires blazed throughout the town. People gathered around them, singing, dancing, drinking, and chatting. Laughter and insults echoed endlessly.
Fights broke out. Crowds gambled together. Girls sold themselves on street corners. Gangs openly conducted drug deals, and the city's law enforcement officers turned a blind eye.
This was clearly an area under the World Government's jurisdiction, yet it was filled with the chaotic atmosphere of a lawless zone.
A man holding a long-handled saber, stout and ugly, with waist-length golden hair and an upward-curving white mustache like an inverted crescent moon, asked the old blonde woman walking ahead of him, who wore a leopard-print coat and leaned on a cane, "Mama, where are we going?"
"Weevil, Mama is taking you to make big money."
The old woman was Buckingham Stussy, a former member of the Rocks Pirates, also known as "Miss Buckin." The fat man following her was Edward Weevil, a recently emerged Pirate Supernova with a bounty of 100 million Berries.
Soon, after navigating alleyways, the two arrived at the entrance of an underground bar.
The bar's sign displayed the word "bar," along with a white skull and a dark red anchor.
Miss Buckin led Weevil inside. They followed a winding bluestone staircase lined with wanted posters and arrived in the bar's main hall.
She ignored the noisy patrons. Walking straight to the bar, she hopped onto a chair, took out two hundred-denomination silver coins from her pocket, and handed them to a bearded bartender behind the counter.
"We're here to participate in the Death Navigation Race..."
Hearing this, the bar's bearded bartender glanced at Miss Buckin, then at Weevil standing behind her.
The bartender immediately recognized that the fat man in front of him was the recently famous Pirate Supernova.
He picked up a kerosene lamp, beckoned to the two, and motioned for them to follow.
Next, he took out a key, opened a large door next to the bar, revealing a dark cave passage.
After taking the kerosene lamp from the bartender, Miss Buckin didn't hesitate. She led Weevil directly inside.
The two walked a long distance down the dim tunnel before reaching a large door.
Miss Buckin showed the muscular man guarding the door the two silver coins again. The man immediately opened the large door and let them pass.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Go for it!"
"Kill him!"
...
Inside the brightly lit, huge circular cave, a cacophony of noise filled the air. A rough estimate put the number of people at two or three thousand. Black pirate flags were openly displayed on the cave walls.
Miss Buckin walked to a counter, placed the two silver coins on the table, and asked the pot-bellied, black-haired fat man sitting behind it, "I heard the prize money for this year's competition is 500 million Berries. Is that right?"
"Indeed..."
"Grandma, you're so old. Are you actually still participating in this kind of dangerous competition?"
The black-haired fat man took out an Eternal Pose with the word "Paldea" written on it and a document from under the counter. He placed them in front of Miss Buckin.
"With my son Weevil here, winning this kind of competition is simply effortless!"
Hearing this, the black-haired fat man took a long look at Weevil, who stood dumbly behind Miss Buckin. He said with an inexplicable tone, "Indeed! Your son is a Supernova with a bounty of 100 million Berries. He should be quite strong..."
"Speaking of which, are you interested in the bonus for this competition?"
"What bonus?"
"A special event that only Pirates with a bounty of 80 million or more can participate in during the competition. The bonus amount is 2 billion Berries."
Hearing that there was an opportunity to earn an additional 2 billion Berries, Miss Buckin's eyes immediately lit up. She said with a sly smile, "Hmm!? Tell me the specifics..."
............
On the turbulent azure sea, ten medium-sized Marine warships sailed side by side toward their destination.
On the First Class Marine Academy warship, ten class instructors leading the team sat around a conference table. Each had a file in front of them.
"The information in front of you is the latest intelligence passed on by Marine undercover agents."
The Death Navigation Race held by the Pirates on Hannabal Island this time has attracted many troublesome individuals due to the unprecedentedly high bounty.
Death Poison Doctor Beck, bounty 150 million Berries; Strongman Banks, 140 million Berries; Invisible Man Curry, bounty 120 million Berries; Great Saber Edward Weevil, bounty 100 million Berries...
This is destined to be an extremely difficult battle. You are all team-leading instructors and must do your best to protect the safety of every Military School Student; they are the future hope of the Marine..."
Sephiroth muttered while flipping through the file in his ha...
"If there's hope, don't let them face these dangerous guys directly!"
"The quality of the Military School Students this year is too poor. Let's find a few Pirates with bounties over ten million Berries for them to practice on."
Hearing this, Zephyr immediately frowned and glared fiercely at Sephiroth. "Hey! I'm telling you, kid, you weren't much better when you were in the Marine Academy, were you?" he snapped.
"So-so!"
"When I was in the Marine Academy, I spent half a semester barely finishing Six Styles and Life Return, mastered two-color Haki, and could only fight ordinary Pirates with bounties over 100 million, or those at the Commodore or Rear Admiral strength level of Headquarters," Sephiroth said casually.
Everyone: "..."