"Okay, let's go too, Ro."
Rosinante took a deep breath, grabbed the boy's hand, and boarded the ship.
"I will make sure you live..."
...
Four large ships set sail for the North Sea!
Although Rowan was accompanied by nearly a thousand people, this was a drop in the bucket for Alabasta, which had a standing army of 600,000.
And for a "war," this number of a thousand people was naturally even smaller.
But the key to this team was quality, not quantity.
After all, even if passage through the Red Line goes smoothly, this trip to the North Sea would take at least a month.
If a large army was sent, dealing with fallback plans and establishing supply lines would be troublesome.
A rash move would quickly allow those all-penetrating pirates to find loopholes in the Four Seas Alliance's hard-won defense line.
So Rowan chose to take away a portion of the elite forces from within the Four Seas Alliance, while also having the Four Seas Alliance's Marines continue to stand guard in place, deterring those with malicious intentions.
More importantly, the thousand or so people setting sail this time are all top-notch experts!
The Alabasta Elite Royal Guard, led by Bell;
The Fish-Man warriors, led by Hocka;
The Skypiea Shandian guerilla elite warriors, led by "War Demon" Wiper;
The Drum Island Guard, led by Dalton;
The Drum Island medical teams, led by Kureha and Hiluluk;
Plus the Warlord himself – "Crocodile" Crocodile.
Even without Rowan's own power, this team would be enough to conquer the capital of a country in a very short time!
...
Time flew by, and half a month passed.
The Four Seas Alliance fleet successfully arrived at the designated area of the Red Line.
Once past this red land, they could reach the North Sea!
If people on a ship want to cross the Red Line and travel between the Grand Line and the four seas, there are usually three ways:
First, abandon the ship, land on the Red Line, buy a new ship on the other end of the Red Line, and continue sailing;
Second, coat the ship and take a special underwater passage, such as Fish-Man Island under the Sabaody Archipelago, or simply pass under the Red Line from the seabed;
The latter is too dangerous and is usually suitable for adventurers who do not want to abandon their ships, or pirates who dare not land on the Red Line to change ships.
The former is quick and convenient, and as long as money is paid, the crossing can be safely completed, making it suitable for long-term commercial routes.
The third method is what Rowan is choosing now.
In certain locations on the Red Line, many special "dams" have been built.
By repeatedly blocking and releasing water, the dams can create a "lift" effect, transporting large ships to the top of the Red Line.
After that, a certain amount of money needs to be paid to transport the ship directly to the other side of the Red Line.
This method is very suitable for royal nobles or Marine warships who do not want to choose ordinary civilian ships.
Of the three methods, this one costs the most money, but the former doesn't care, and the latter is free, so it doesn't matter.
At the same time, a very small number of people who are not wanted choose to spend this large sum of money for various reasons.
Rowan chose the third option.
He had no intention of changing ships.
At the same time, if trade with the North Sea opens up in the future, a large number of merchant ships will not be able to risk taking the underwater passage, and can only realize back and forth trade through the Red Line.
Once the sea route is completely opened, the third method can be abandoned in favor of the most efficient, cheapest, and long-lasting first method.
...
Beneath the Red Line.
Rumbling...
After initial contact, the huge dam elevator gate in front of them slowly opened.
The helmsman maneuvered the ship into it, and then a long wait began.
Several gates opened and closed, and the water entering the dam raised the four ships higher and higher, a process that would take about an hour.
...
On the main ship.
Rowan stroked his chin, observing the working dam elevator gate in front of him with interest.
Is this... the technology of Water Seven?
It seems that the reputation of "the world's shipbuilding factory" is well-deserved, and not only can they build ships, but they can also handle such complex projects.
As Rowan continued to observe, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.
There, the Fish-Man Hocka was calling his Fish-Man brothers to put on pre-prepared robes to cover their bodies and faces.
Rowan was curious and went over.
"What are you doing?"
"Mr. Rowan."
Hocka nodded slightly, leaned closer and whispered:
"You know our identities are special. If people from the World Government find out, it will cause you trouble."
Rowan instantly understood the meaning of Hocka's words.
They were originally slaves captured by slave traders and sold to the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The Holy Land Mary Geoise is located on the Red Line.
Because of the "Mary Geoise Incident" caused by the Fish-Man hero Fisher Tiger, Hocka and the others found an opportunity to escape that hell on earth.
In other words, the identities of Hocka and the group of Fish-Men are those of runaway Celestial Dragon slaves, and wanted criminals of the World Government.
Now that they have returned to the Red Line, if the World Government people discover their whereabouts, coupled with Rowan's own conflict with the Celestial Dragons, the World Government is very likely to use this as an excuse to hinder Rowan's actions!
Hocka didn't want this emperor who had taken them in to have his plans hindered because of them.
Therefore, Hocka gritted his teeth and had all the Fish-Man village warriors prepare a robe, intending to put it on when passing through the Red Line and hide in the cabin.
As long as they are not discovered by the World Government, that's all that matters.
But what Hocka didn't expect was that after Rowan finished listening to his words, his eyes stared at him, making him feel a faint sense of fear.
Hocka couldn't help but shudder.
"Mr. Rowan..."
Bang!
Rowan punched Hocka in the chest.
It was on the heart, and it hit hard. Even with the Fish-Man's tough body, Hocka still felt a faint pain.
But Hocka didn't take even half a step back, because he felt the emotion contained in Rowan's fist.
It was a kind of "unquestionable" force.
"Listen carefully, Hocka."
Rowan's voice slowly came, spreading across the deck.
"I can't do things sneakily, and I don't want to."
"You are not slaves on this red land now, but members of the Four Seas Alliance."
"No one should feel inferior because of their past."
"Because – we are creating the future."
Bang!
Rowan punched Hocka in the chest again.
Hocka didn't move.
"Look, what great bodies!"
Rowan raised his head, looked at the Fish-Men behind Hocka, and said in a deep voice: "Stand up straight, hold your chests high!"
...
That day.
The World Government staff in charge of the dam elevator saw such a scene.
Four Alabasta ships slowly rose, heading to the North Sea on the other side of the Red Line through a man-made river.
All kinds of people stood on the decks of the ship.
On one of the ships, a group of tall Fish-Men could be seen.
Fish-Men – not uncommon for people of the World Government, as they are the slave race most favored by the Celestial Dragons.
But these World Government people had never seen such "Fish-Men."
They looked down at this red land.
In their eyes, there was no anger that should have been there, nor fear caused by the past.
There was only calmness.
Just like an ordinary person looking at an ordinary piece of land.
There was only one thing that was different –
They straightened their bodies and held their chests high.
Oh, maybe there was one more thing.
In the eyes of those Fish-Men, a few teardrops like sea spray were faintly floating.
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