"Of course I want to save him — but we're in the New World. Even if we charge straight through the Calm Belt, the journey back would take at least two months. We'd never make it in time."
Beckman lit a cigarette. "And honestly, I still can't understand why Grimm would go to such lengths just to find Luffy!"
He took a long drag, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke, then added: "Though… there might be one way."
"Well don't keep us waiting — spit it out!" Shanks urged impatiently.
"But this plan will put us all in mortal danger. Are you really willing to go through with it?"
Beckman's expression was graver than anyone had ever seen it.
Silence fell over the entire crew.
Are we really going to stake everything on one boy named Luffy?
Shanks and his officers fell quiet.
Most of the older crew had grown fond of Luffy, and eight or nine out of ten would agree to go — but to throw away everything they had built to save a single child… it was a choice no one wanted to make.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for someone else to speak first.
Finally, Shanks stood up.
"I've made my decision. Anyone who wants to come with me, stand with me. Those who don't can stay here and wait for my return."
It was a statement that said everything and nothing at all.
A pirate crew was a family — not like Kaido's or Grimm's, where the captain roamed alone.
Shanks was no loner; bonds and teamwork were his greatest strength.
And his crew knew it: if their captain set out, they went with him. To refuse would be to leave the crew entirely.
Lucky Roux bit into his ham and grinned. "I like that kid Luffy. Count me in, Captain."
"Same here," added Yasopp.
"I left my wife and child behind to sail the seas — and when I met Luffy, it felt like looking at my own son. If he falls into Grimm's hands… I'm not standing by."
One by one, the core officers voiced their support. With the leaders already committed, the rest had no choice but to follow — even those who were uneasy about it.
"Everyone's in agreement then. Beckman — what's your plan?" Shanks turned to his first mate.
"Thank goodness for that — this wouldn't work without all of us," Beckman said, stamping out his cigarette.
Then he dropped a bombshell: "We attack New Sanctuary — Artemis."
"WHAT?!"
Half the crew nearly fell over backward in shock.
"First Mate… you're joking, right?"
"Artemis is Grimm's home base…"
They had seen it once before, when Shanks paid a visit to the other Emperor — and had been attacked for it. The memory of the Sea Kings alone still gave them chills.
But more than that: they had barely recovered from fighting Kaido.
To march straight into Grimm's stronghold? Was that madness?
"That's exactly why I said it's dangerous!" Beckman replied.
"From what Makino told us," he explained, "almost all of Grimm's top officers are in the East Blue — including Grimm himself, Mannolos the Ghost Warship, Planck the Scourge, Yasuo the Storm Blade, and Shiki's old subordinates. That leaves only the Ice Witch and the Calamity Lord behind. If we strike fast and take Artemis, Grimm will have no choice but to rush back — and that's when we run."
It was simple: hit their base, force them home, and escape before they returned — buying enough time to keep Luffy out of their grasp.
Even with Grimm gone, Artemis was still a lion's den. Shanks thought for two full minutes before nodding firmly.
"We do it."
The island they had seized from Kaido was not far from Artemis — Grimm's and Kaido's territories had always bordered each other.
If they had Bartholomew Kuma, he could send them there in an hour.
By ship, it would take three to five days — the New World's weather was too wild to say for certain.
All they could do now was hope Luffy stayed hidden long enough.
---
Meanwhile, on the western edge of the East Blue, on Mount Corvo above Windmill Village.
This had once been the stronghold of the "Mountain Bandit King" Higuma, and home to other bandit gangs.
After Higuma vanished, the Dadan family had taken full control.
Led by Curly Dadan, who had once been hunted by the hero Garp, they now lived in seclusion, rarely venturing down from the mountains.
But today, their sanctuary had been torn apart.
Grimm sat calmly on a stone step beside a great tree, while his thousand men had already wiped out almost every bandit on the mountain.
One of his crew came running over, breathless.
"Lord Grimm, we got it from one of the bandits! That boy Luffy runs with two others — Ace and Sabo. They're known as the three little rascals around here!"
"I already know that. Get to the important part," Grimm said.
"R‑right! Sorry, sir! They hang out in the Trash Mountain to the north — that's where all the bandits trade. Everyone who lives on this mountain goes there often. Beyond that stands a high wall — and on the other side is Goa Kingdom, the richest nation in the East Blue!"
"Trash Mountain… and a kingdom. Two words that should never go together — separated by nothing more than a single stretch of water," Grimm mused.
Mattheus tossed aside a bandit he had beaten half to death — one of Dadan's men, and not worth wasting time on.
"Captain, I recall there's a pirate crew called the Sapphire Pirates operating here. Their captain has a bounty of five million Berries — he should know every inch of this land."
"Then bring him to me," Grimm said, walking north and leaving the groaning bandits behind.
---
Trash Mountain — a lawless sprawl where waste from Goa Kingdom was dumped twice a day.
Here, beggars and scavengers sifted through the garbage cast off by the rich.
"What is that thing?!"
"A monster?!"
As Grimm and his crew stepped into the wasteland, Mannolos once again drew gasps of terror from everyone who saw him.
"I'm going into Goa Kingdom. You — find the boys," Grimm ordered.
"Aye, Captain!"
---
On the southern border of Goa Kingdom lay Border Town, right beside the wall separating it from Trash Mountain.
The air reeked of filth, and the streets were filled with drifters and outcasts.
Further north lay High Town — the true heart of Goa Kingdom.
No one from the slums or the trash fields was allowed past the gate; uniformed guards from the "Garbage Patrol" kept watch to make sure none slipped through.
__________________
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