On the map, the locations marked with circles—Marine bases completely overrun and rendered inoperative—were mostly small bases. These bases had fewer personnel and weaker defenses. Larger and medium-sized bases were rarely completely incapacitated. Overall, the distribution of circle and triangle markers followed a certain pattern, except for one area that stood out.
"Damn it," muttered Strawberry, the usually composed Vice Admiral. For the first time since arriving in the East Blue, he cursed as he stared at the map, gritting his teeth. "Those bastards really are hiding in the Calm Belt!"
At the top of the East Blue map, near the edge labeled "Calm Belt," Strawberry had drawn a long line. Every base along this line—whether large or small—was encircled with a circle marker, indicating complete destruction. Moreover, this line extended all the way to the waters surrounding the Navia Kingdom.
Along this line, every Marine base, regardless of size, had been completely obliterated and rendered inoperative. In contrast to other areas, which had a mix of circle and triangle markers, this line stood out starkly.
Doberman, too, noticed the anomaly in Strawberry's markings. He stared at the map and said in shock, "This line…"
"It's obvious," Strawberry said in a grave tone. "Morgan William is hiding in the Calm Belt. Before rescuing him, his crew was already concealed there. Then, while we were distracted by the pirate uprisings in the East Blue, his allies systematically destroyed the Marine bases near the Calm Belt and along the route leading to the Navia Kingdom's waters. This was to prevent the Marines from discovering them during the rescue operation."
Strawberry continued, "I only just realized this. Anyone with basic nautical knowledge knows that the Calm Belt is incredibly dangerous. Even pirates armed with Buggy Balls and M.H.5 would instinctively avoid it when attacking Marine bases. So why were the Marine bases near the Calm Belt hit so hard? It's highly abnormal. It's likely that William's crew carried out these attacks themselves."
"But…" Doberman stammered, struggling to process the revelation. "How is that possible? I mean, how could they hide safely in the Calm Belt?"
Navigating the Calm Belt presents two major challenges: the lack of wind and the presence of enormous Sea Kings lurking beneath the surface. While the former issue can be addressed, the latter is particularly difficult to overcome.
The Marines solve this problem by outfitting their ships with Seastone on their hulls. This rare and precious mineral tricks Sea Kings into perceiving the ships as part of the sea itself, allowing safe passage. However, Seastone is an extremely scarce and valuable resource with numerous applications. Only the World Government-affiliated Marines have the financial and logistical capacity to outfit entire ship hulls with it.
Some factions may acquire small amounts of Seastone or Seastone-based equipment through various means, but replicating the Marines' method of outfitting entire ship hulls is nearly impossible. Thus, the Marines' method of navigating the Calm Belt is difficult to emulate.
Aside from this, Doberman couldn't think of any other way for ships to safely traverse the Calm Belt.
"I don't know," Strawberry admitted, shaking his head. He then turned to Doberman and said seriously, "But we've searched the East Blue and the Grand Line and found no trace of them. Is there a more reasonable explanation? At the very least, we know Morgan William's crew has solved one of the challenges of navigating the Calm Belt. They have steamships, so propulsion isn't an issue."
Doberman furrowed his brow deeply. "Then what do we do?"
"We won't find Morgan William's crew in the East Blue because they're not here. Let's not waste our efforts," Strawberry said firmly. He pointed to the map and traced the long line connecting the Navia Kingdom's waters to the Calm Belt. "Notify Vice Admiral Garp. We'll follow this line and head directly into the Calm Belt to search for Morgan William's secret base!"
In the Calm Belt, William led his fleet of four steamships, accompanied by transport ships carrying the Tequila Wolf laborers, to an island where Dampier and his team had previously been stationed.
From afar, the lush island covered in green trees came into view.
William's method for safely bringing the transport ships into the Calm Belt was simple. While constructing a steamship takes time, building sonic emitters is much quicker. William had his team install sonic emitters on several transport ships. These ships, equipped with the emitters, were mixed in with those without emitters as they traveled together.
William's sonic emitters operated on a principle different from the Seastone-lined hulls of Marine warships.
Marine ships use Seastone to trick Sea Kings into perceiving the ships as indistinguishable from the ocean, ensuring safe passage without interference. In contrast, William's sonic emitters emit sounds that Sea Kings find repulsive, causing them to actively avoid the source of the noise and ensuring the fleet's safety.
Essentially, William's fleet moved through the sea like a group of noisy, disruptive entities, akin to a squad of elderly dancers blaring loud music as they marched. The Sea Kings, unable to tolerate the racket, fled far away, paying no attention to the quieter ships mixed in with the noisy ones.
As for propulsion, the laborers from Tequila Wolf provided the manpower. If nothing else, they had plenty of physical strength from their years of hard labor.
Upon reaching the island, the laborers disembarked in a dazed state and were guided by William's crew toward the empty mines on the island. The island, originally inhabited by the indigenous Melvue people, had been evacuated earlier. The mines now stood vacant, ready to accommodate the laborers.
Standing at the bow of his ship, William watched the dense crowd of people disembarking. His gaze then shifted to the towering trees surrounding the mines.
He seemed to perceive countless microscopic particles floating slowly in the air. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the thought made his throat itch slightly.
Footsteps sounded behind him. Without turning around, William spoke, "How long do you think it'll take for the Marines to find us here?"
Dampier stepped out from behind William and stood beside him, following his gaze toward the lush greenery in the distance. Calmly, he replied, "Not long. Unless the Marines are complete fools, the clues we left behind are obvious enough. After failing to find us in the East Blue and the Grand Line, they'll connect the dots and realize our true base is in the Calm Belt."
"They'll move quickly," Dampier added, his eyes shifting to the laborers. A faint smile crossed his face. "After your prison escape, you even took the risk of returning to Tequila Wolf to rescue these people. You did it to provoke the Marines, didn't you?"
(End of Chapter)
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