As the sky gradually darkened, Sebastian and the others returned to the base one after another.
"What's going on? Why is everyone packing up?"
The camp was filled with packed luggage. Many were still busy tidying up, and even some of the temporary buildings had been completely dismantled. Some had gone as far as packing their bedding, looking as though they intended to just rough it out on bare bedboards for the night.
This behavior struck Sebastian as strange, having just returned from patrolling the outer waters.
"Lord Sebastian? You're back. This is Lord Logan's order—everyone is to pack their things and be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Also, he said to find him in the meeting room immediately upon your return. There's an important meeting."
A Fish-Man on sentry duty stepped forward to explain the situation. Hearing this, Sebastian headed straight for the meeting room. Aside from him, the other executives had already arrived.
Sunbell was currently holding a sea chart, whispering answers to Lulumo's questions. Bikapanda sat foolishly in an oversized chair, waving his massive hand at the moon in the sky, seemingly entertaining himself. Barbell sat silently on the other side, chanting something while turning the prayer beads in his hand. Even when Sebastian arrived, Barbell didn't start a spat as he usually did, only sparing him a brief glance.
"That bald guy didn't even comment on me being late... looks like something big is really happening," Sebastian thought. Barbell's reaction made him realize that Logan must have made a major decision; otherwise, Barbell would never be this well-behaved.
"Big Brother, I saw everyone packing outside."
"Yeah. After the meeting, you guys go pack too. Once this is over, we won't be coming back here," Logan said. "Like I said when we first went to sea: we went out to hone our strength, broaden our horizons, and meet more people and things to prepare for future actions. The preliminary preparations are more or less complete. At this juncture, it's time for the next phase."
Speaking of their early days at sea, Logan's tone carried a hint of reminiscence. In the blink of an eye, many years had passed, yet many things felt as though they had just happened.
"To put it simply, those Celestial Dragons are going to hold a subhuman 'game' at God Valley. Someone leaked the news, and Rocks and the others have finally decided to go and snatch the prizes back..."
After a brief overview of the situation, Logan continued: "Once we reach the West Blue, you will take the men and hide in the shadows of the outer seas. Just be ready to provide support from the periphery. As for God Valley itself... I'm going alone."
Logan's subordinates weren't just Sebastian and the few others. While their numbers were small at the start, as Logan's name spread back to Fish-Man Island, his ranks grew. Some Fish-Men and Merfolk who heard of his reputation chose to follow him, leaving the island as admirers to join his command. Among them were even those who simply wanted to see what the world above the deep sea looked like. Over the years, the base had grown to include many children alongside the adults.
"Big Brother, I understand you're worried about the danger, but going alone... aren't you looking down on us a bit too much?"
"Yeah, we aren't weak either. We might not have your monster-like strength, but we can handle mere Marines. Even if you're worried about the others, you don't have to leave all of us behind, right?"
Sunbell and Sebastian raised their objections one after the other. They understood Logan's intent but felt he was being overly cautious.
Their words were true. Even without Logan, Barbell and Sunbell would have eventually become members of Rocks' and Roger's crews respectively; they were not weak. Sebastian would have made his debut later with "The World Destroyer" Byrnndi World, but under Logan's training, they were even stronger than in the original timeline. Even the weakest, Bikapanda, had made a qualitative leap in strength.
Bikapanda said nothing. He was simple-minded by nature—capable of taking care of himself and not exactly stupid, but he lacked independent initiative. Since being taken in by Logan, he was absolutely obedient and never argued.
"Big Brother, let me go with you. The three of them are enough to guard the ships."
In the end, at their insistence, Logan chose to let Barbell accompany him, while the others remained in charge of staying behind on the ships.
The next morning, a massive pirate ship set sail, heading south at full speed from the port of Hachinosu, bound straight for the West Blue.
This was Rocks' ship. Even for giants like Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard, the ship did not feel crowded. Following behind Rocks' ship were two large Marine warships.
It wasn't that the Marines were tailing Rocks; those two ships were filled entirely with Fish-Men. The hulls had been repainted azure, and the seagull symbol on the sails had long been replaced. In its place was a stretched pattern based on a moon and a bat—very similar to the Batman logo. Unlike the common format of pirate flags, this was the flag Logan's subordinates used to identify themselves.
In a world dominated by the ocean where transportation relied entirely on boats, ships held a very high status. Ships built by master shipwrights often shared the fame of the powerhouses who sailed them. However, Logan's ships were snatched directly from the Marines.
Whether in terms of size, speed, hull quality, or firepower, Marine ships were among the best in the world. After all, the Navy was the "enforcement tool" of the World Government; their shipyards could gather the finest shipwrights and materials from across the globe. Except for a few legendary shipbuilders, most pirate ships were inferior to Marine vessels—otherwise, the Navy could never hope to catch pirates on the open sea.
A good ship mattered, but due to the Fish-Man race's own tactics, they frequently abandoned ship for underwater combat. Because of this, Logan hadn't bothered building his own ship yet; the ones they used daily were mostly plundered from the Navy.
Logan and Barbell were currently on Rocks' ship, while their own vessels followed at a set distance. On deck, Miss Buckingham Stussy was calculating the course.
"The direction is fine. As long as that intelligence is correct, we can reach God Valley before they start."
"Can't we go any faster? My Shakky is waiting for us to rescue her!"
"Shiki, what do you mean your Shakky? She's mine!"
Golden Lion Shiki and Silver Axe nearly came to blows over that one sentence, only stopping when the ship abruptly lurched to a halt.
"What happened? Why did we stop!"
"If you aren't blind, look up at what's in front of us!"
The scale of Rocks' ship was already massive enough to be described as gargantuan, yet compared to the vessel before them, it looked tiny.
The owner of that ship was the Kingdom of Giants—Elbaf.
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