Under the watchful eyes of maritime observers throughout the North Blue, the Hell Pirates finally reached the waters near the Red Line, following their predetermined route toward destiny.
This was the confluence where four great seas converged, Reverse Mountain, where countless pirate dreams had been born and shattered. The treacherous currents that would carry them into the Grand Line's legendary waters lay just ahead.
From their current position, the flagship's crew could already observe a dark line stretching across the distant horizon like an impenetrable wall dividing their world.
There lay the Red Line, the geographical barrier that separated the known from the unknown, the Four Blues from paradise.
Throughout the vessel, an atmosphere of electric anticipation permeated every deck and cabin. Pirates checked weapons with obsessive care, their enhanced capabilities making them feel invincible despite the obvious dangers ahead. Enhanced demons flexed supernatural muscles while ordinary crew members tried to project confidence they didn't entirely feel.
Yet despite their arrival at this momentous threshold, the Hell Pirates made no immediate move toward their destination.
They were waiting for someone.
Rob Lucci positioned himself at the second deck's stern, maintaining careful observation of the group surrounding Oboro while processing the tactical implications of their current situation. His analytical mind worked through contingencies and probabilities with the methodical precision that marked his elite training.
Surely the God Slayer wouldn't simply sacrifice his carefully cultivated forces at the Grand Line's entrance?
Surely he possessed contingency plans beyond what was immediately visible?
His enhanced vision swept across the surrounding waters, noting the distant black specks that dotted the ocean like scattered chess pieces. Those were other North Blue pirate crews who had sailed here to witness this historic moment, vessels maintaining respectful distance while confirming that the Hell Pirates were indeed departing their familiar waters.
These observers lacked the courage to approach closer, understanding that even proximity to such a momentous event could prove hazardous. Their presence served purely as verification, ensuring that the Hell Pirates' departure was genuine rather than elaborate deception.
"Here they come!"
The lookout's call shattered the tense atmosphere as two oceangoing vessels approached from the eastern horizon, their masts flying the distinctive skull-and-throne banners that marked them as part of the Hell Pirates' fleet.
Lucci's eyes narrowed with professional interest as he studied the approaching ships. Throughout his infiltration period, he had been confined to training exercises on their isolated island base, limiting his knowledge of the Hell Pirates' complete organizational structure. Intelligence reports had mentioned additional vessels and personnel, but witnessing their coordination firsthand provided valuable insights into their true operational capacity.
The soldiers aboard the approaching ships immediately captured his attention. Their uniforms, equipment, and disciplined formations marked them as professional military rather than typical pirate rabble. Advanced firearms dominated their armament, while their coordinated movements spoke to extensive training and institutional discipline.
"As expected..."
Recognition crystallized in Lucci's mind as he identified the distinctive characteristics that marked these troops as Germa Kingdom personnel. His mission briefing had included comprehensive intelligence about major North Blue powers, though the extent of cooperation between Germa and the Hell Pirates had remained unclear until now.
While the Vinsmoke Family's status as World Government allies made their assistance to pirates politically problematic, such arrangements weren't unprecedented. The Four Blues contained numerous gray areas where expedience trumped strict adherence to official policy.
Still, several hundred Germa soldiers represented significant military assets, their individual capabilities far exceeded ordinary pirates, while their technological equipment provided advantages that could prove decisive in conventional engagements.
"Insufficient," Lucci muttered with cold assessment.
Even accounting for the enhanced pirates and professional Germa reinforcements, the Hell Pirates' total combat strength remained inadequate for breaking through the kind of marine encirclement that awaited them beyond Reverse Mountain. Marine Headquarters would deploy overwhelming force to ensure the God Slayer's capture or elimination.
Was this truly the extent of Oboro's preparation?
Lucci's speculation was interrupted as he observed the God Slayer launch himself through the air with casual ease, landing gracefully aboard one of the newly arrived vessels. What followed defied every assumption about the limitations of supernatural enhancement.
Gathering the Germa soldiers into formation, Oboro began a process that Lucci recognized from his own recent experience, the granting of "divine power" that would fundamentally transform their combat capabilities.
But witnessing the process applied to hundreds of subjects simultaneously revealed the true scope of the God Slayer's abilities. One by one, the professional soldiers underwent metamorphosis that elevated them beyond human limitations. Their enhanced physiques, evolved reflexes, and supernatural durability would make them formidable opponents for even experienced marine forces.
Most remarkably, weapons began materializing from empty air, specialized armaments that complemented their new capabilities while defying conventional understanding of resource acquisition.
"What are the limits of his divine power?" Lucci's mind raced with alarm as the implications struck him. "Can he transform anyone into enhanced demons at will? Create combat-ready forces through pure supernatural application?"
The display suggested capabilities that transcended normal Devil Fruit classifications. If Oboro could grant such enhancements without limitation, the strategic balance throughout the maritime world would shift dramatically in his favor.
Yet logic suggested constraints must exist. Otherwise, the God Slayer would have no need for careful recruitment or selective enhancement. The presence of baseline humans among his crew indicated that his power operated within defined parameters, though those boundaries remained frustratingly unclear.
Observing the Germa soldiers' transformation, Lucci couldn't suppress growing unease. This was equivalent to the Hell Pirates suddenly acquiring hundreds of additional supernatural combatants, each one possessing capabilities that would challenge conventional marine tactics.
The pirates on the main deck erupted in celebration as they witnessed this demonstration, their arrogance and confidence reaching new heights. They roared approval and promised devastation, convinced that such power would sweep away any opposition.
Should I attempt to warn Marine forces about this development?
The thought flickered through Lucci's analytical mind before professional discipline reasserted itself. Such action carried unacceptable risk, if the God Slayer detected his communication attempt, his infiltration would end in immediate death. Moreover, his assessment remained unchanged: even with these preparations, the Hell Pirates faced overwhelming odds against the forces that awaited them.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters had committed absolute resources to ensuring the God Slayer's destruction. A few hundred enhanced soldiers wouldn't alter the fundamental mathematics of that confrontation.
He could maintain his cover while allowing events to unfold according to their natural course.
After completing the mass enhancement, Oboro returned to the flagship with the same casual grace that marked all his movements. Everything was now in position for their final phase of preparation.
Next came the waiting period.
He exchanged meaningful glances with Dom before retreating to his private quarters, leaving his lieutenant to handle the remaining coordination through their communication networks.
The plan called for crossing Reverse Mountain under cover of darkness, an approach that bordered on suicidal by conventional standards.
No experienced navigator would attempt such a passage during nighttime hours. The turbulent currents where four seas converged created hazardous conditions even during optimal visibility. The narrow channel carved through the Red Line's stone cliffs left minimal margin for error, while the treacherous winds and unpredictable eddies could dash vessels against the walls with devastating force.
Such conditions placed extraordinary demands on both helmsman and crew. Daylight provided essential visual references for navigating the shifting currents and avoiding the countless obstacles that had claimed so many previous expeditions.
Attempting Reverse Mountain in darkness was considered synonymous with suicide.
Beneath the Red Line's towering cliffs, the seafloor was littered with the wreckage of ambitious crews whose dreams had died in the churning waters. Pirates failed to conquer Reverse Mountain almost daily, their broken vessels washing back down from the heights to serve as grim warnings for future challengers.
Yet Oboro's supernatural abilities rendered such conventional limitations irrelevant. His atmospheric manipulation and enhanced perception would provide navigation capabilities that transcended normal human senses. Moreover, the cover of darkness would serve strategic purposes that outweighed the additional risk.
But departure wasn't scheduled for tonight.
They would remain in position for several more days, a delay that had been communicated to the crew in advance, though the reasoning remained known only to the senior leadership.
Dom departed with Den Den Mushi in hand, ready to coordinate with distant allies whose involvement remained carefully concealed from most crew members.
Observing this exchange, Lucci's suspicions deepened. The God Slayer's preparations extended beyond the immediately visible, layers of contingency and coordination that suggested far more comprehensive planning than intelligence assessments had anticipated.
"The Hell Pirates have indeed made extensive preparations," he mused privately, "but even darkness won't provide sufficient advantage against the forces arrayed against them."
A nagging uncertainty gnawed at his professional confidence. Nothing was absolute in the intelligence world, and the government's assessment of the God Slayer emphasized his consistent ability to escape seemingly impossible situations. Such a record suggested capabilities or resources that remained unknown to even their most comprehensive analysis.
If the God Slayer somehow managed to slip through their carefully laid trap, then Lucci, as the Hell Pirates' only embedded operative, would need to execute the secondary phase of his mission parameters.
The stakes of this confrontation extended far beyond simple pirate suppression.
Across the ship's various decks, different individuals processed their approaching destiny according to their personal perspectives and motivations.
Even the typically gregarious Kaka maintained uncharacteristic silence, his metallic facial piercings catching the afternoon light as he contemplated what lay ahead. The enhanced physical capabilities granted by his transformation provided confidence, but the magnitude of opposition they would face sobered even the most optimistic crew member.
He, Yingge, and Lucci remained in provisional status, not yet full Hell Pirates members until they completed their final assessment. If circumstances unfolded according to plan, that evaluation would consist of their performance during the Grand Line entry battle.
Combat against marine forces representing the World Government's absolute commitment to their destruction.
Death remained a genuine possibility regardless of their enhanced capabilities. The Marine would deploy overwhelming force, while Marine Headquarters' elite officers possessed combat experience and training that dwarfed anything available in the Four Blues' more peaceful waters.
Yet retreat was impossible for any of them. This represented their only path to official crew membership and continued proximity to the God Slayer's inner circle.
For Rob Lucci specifically, delivering a "perfect performance" was essential to maintaining his cover while positioning himself for the mission's secondary objectives, assuming Oboro somehow escaped the coming trap and successfully entered the Grand Line's first half.
Yingge methodically sharpened her elegant katana with practiced motions, her androgynous features revealing nothing of her internal calculations. The enhanced Fire Breathing techniques she'd inherited combined with her natural swordsmanship to create a fighting style that could challenge most Grand Line opponents, but marine officers from Headquarters operated on entirely different levels of capability.
Kaka performed stretching exercises with mechanical precision, testing the enhanced flexibility and strength that his bloodline cards had provided. His inherited abilities from the former Donquixote Family operative Delinger gave him confidence in close-quarters combat, though Haki mastery remained beyond his current development.
Lucci maintained his position against the railing, studying the azure waters that stretched toward their destiny. Unlike the celebratory atmosphere permeating the lower decks, he and his fellow candidates understood the gravity of what approached. Their enhanced capabilities provided advantages, but the Grand Line's reputation had been earned through the systematic destruction of countless ambitious crews who had believed themselves invincible.
The next few days would provide their final opportunity for rest and preparation. When darkness fell on their chosen night, the Hell Pirates would either achieve the impossible or join the countless wrecks that littered the ocean floor beneath Reverse Mountain.
Either way, the pirate world would never be the same.