With Teresa joining the ship, everything suddenly became much livelier. Faced with this new world, she was especially curious.
She spent most of her time on the deck, listening to Ronan and the sisters Beth and Alicia talk in greater detail about this world. When she heard about the Grand Line and the New World, Teresa's eyes visibly changed.
In her original world, she had been nothing more than a weapon in the hands of the Organization. Now that she had come to this world, a new thought quietly surfaced in her once-calm heart—a desire to go and see this world with her own eyes.
And when Ronan explained this different kind of power called "Haki," divided into Observation Haki that senses danger, Armament Haki that strengthens offense and defense, and Conqueror's Haki that intimidates the spirit itself, a clear light flashed in Teresa's silver eyes.
Over the next few days, Ronan finally understood just how much weight the title "strongest No.1 in history" really carried. After Beth demonstrated Observation Haki and Armament Haki, Teresa merely watched and felt the flow of it, and she had already stepped up to the threshold.
Even Beth and Alicia, seeing Teresa handle Haki so effortlessly, were left with only deep respect. As expected of the senior warrior they had once admired.
While Teresa was still immersing herself in this new power, the Sabaody Archipelago gradually came into clear view.
Those dozens of gigantic Yarukiman Mangrove trees, from a distance, made the whole place look as though it were covered by a forest. This bizarre sight instantly captured the attention of the four people aboard the Silver Gull.
Even though Ronan had known about all of this back in his original world, only now, standing here himself, did he truly feel how magnificent the scenery was.
What an… unbelievable world. Teresa sighed softly. You could say that the Sabaody Archipelago was the first island she had seen since arriving in this world.
These trees, these bubbles… they completely violate the natural laws I know.
"In this world, any kind of strange thing can show up," Ronan said with a light laugh to Teresa.
Before long, the Silver Gull slowly docked at the civilian port of the Sabaody Archipelago, at berth No. 41GR.
Opening the hatch, Ronan was the first to disembark. Behind him, Teresa, Beth, and Alicia walked down one after another.
Three golden-haired women bearing massive greatswords followed behind a boy and appeared on the pier, instantly becoming the focus of everyone's gaze there.
At the same moment they set foot on the soil of the Sabaody Archipelago, several pairs of hidden eyes within the crowd at the port quietly locked onto them.
One of the watchers murmured to a tiny Den Den Mushi tucked in his collar: "Target confirmed ashore, port 41GR. Matches the photos: black-haired boy, Ronan, accompanied by three blonde female bodyguards. Repeat, target confirmed."
Marineford, Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku had just finished processing the documents in his hand when the Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang urgently.
"Fleet Admiral! Emergency intel from the Sabaody Archipelago!" As soon as Sengoku picked up, an unexpected report came from the other end.
"Target Ronan and his three blonde female guards landed at port 41GR ten minutes ago!"
Sengoku's grip on the receiver tightened. "Three?"
From the earlier reports, he remembered very clearly that there had only been two identical twin bodyguards. Now, on the Sabaody Archipelago, there was an extra guard.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral. Aside from the twin bodyguards, there is another guard at Ronan's side," the voice on the other end replied with absolute certainty.
"Keep them under close surveillance!" Sengoku ordered at once. "Activate every covert line we have on Sabaody. I want to know their every move. But remember: without my explicit order, no one is allowed to approach them or provoke them in any way. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Hanging up, Sengoku took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He looked across the desk at Garp, who was stuffing senbei into his mouth.
"They've arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago," Sengoku said in a low voice.
Garp chewed noisily and mumbled, "Oh? That's pretty fast. Looks like that Shiki incident didn't cause them any trouble. So, how is it? Have you found out what they're trying to do?"
"Not yet," Sengoku shook his head. "That's exactly what's so unsettling. A group capable of killing the Golden Lion comes to the Sabaody Archipelago, and there's now one more guard at Ronan's side, not just those twin bodyguards."
"Looks like the World Government's CP Agency didn't dig up everything on that brat. That's a pretty serious oversight," Garp said carelessly, not bothered in the slightest.
"This is no time to push responsibility around. They must have some purpose for appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago!" There was a hint of worry in Sengoku's tone.
"What they're doing has nothing to do with you. Sabaody isn't even that far from Headquarters. If something really happens, HQ can rush support over. Besides, the kid's a prince of an allied kingdom. Didn't you say yourself we can't make a move on them without a reason?" Garp looked completely unconcerned.
Seeing Garp like this, Sengoku's face darkened. "Garp, you don't have anything particular to do here anyway. Go station yourself on the Sabaody Archipelago for a while. I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Not going!" Garp refused without even thinking.
"You—" Sengoku was about to say more, but Garp cut him off immediately.
"I only have eyes for pirates. I don't have the energy to babysit that mess on Sabaody. Go find someone else," Garp said, utterly indifferent.
When it came to this old friend of his, Sengoku was helpless. Since Garp refused to go, he had no choice but to deploy other vice admirals who were still resting at Headquarters. After all, with Beth and the others' level of strength, an ordinary marine officer simply wouldn't be able to handle them.
While the Marines were busy laying out their surveillance network, the news of Ronan's group of four landing on the Sabaody Archipelago quickly spread through the island's shadows.
Because of its location, the Sabaody Archipelago occupied a crucial position. Pirates, bounty hunters, slavers, informants, black market traders—people from every walk of life converged here.
Ronan and his group hadn't bothered to hide their movements. In fact, with three guards that eye-catching by his side, hiding was almost impossible. They soon checked into a high-class hotel in area 50GR. And the moment they set foot into the hotel lobby, news of their stay was already being passed along by certain "interested parties."
In no time, whispers spread through the bars, casinos, black market dens, and slave auction houses scattered across the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Did you hear? Those two women who took down the Golden Lion are on Sabaody!"
"Not just two! There are three of them! And one of them never showed up in the papers—a blonde woman with an even scarier presence!"
"They're following a kid. I heard he's a prince from some kingdom…"
"Damn, what are they here for? Don't tell me it's sightseeing?"
"Who knows… but whatever they're after, you'd better not mess with them. Even the Golden Lion went down to them…"
"Heh, this is gonna be a good show. All those arrogant supernovas on the island, and those underworld big shots—let's see if any of them are dumb enough to poke this hornet's nest."
(End of Chapter)
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