Oboro pushed open the door and stepped outside.
The afternoon sun blazed overhead in a pristine azure sky, while emerald grass swayed gently in the warm breeze. The scenery possessed an almost surreal tranquility.
They appeared to be in a small village nestled on some remote island.
However, the settlement was tiny, barely a dozen scattered houses visible across the modest landscape.
The Hell Pirates had dispersed throughout different locations, each member savoring this rare moment of peace and respite.
Dom stood sentinel by the entrance, his eyes closed in meditation but his posture alert.
Dolan sat cross-legged beneath the shade of a gnarled tree, contentedly gnawing on a meaty bone, grease glistening on his satisfied expression.
In the distance, Lucci gazed contemplatively toward the horizon where the ocean met the sky, his stance characteristically aloof and calculating.
Yurivich's massive frame sprawled across a rooftop, his scarred body basking lazily in the afternoon sunlight.
Only Kaka was nowhere to be seen.
The sound of the door opening immediately drew everyone's attention to their captain.
"Captain."
"King."
The acknowledgments came in overlapping voices, each crew member's tone reflecting their distinct personality and relationship with their leader.
Oboro smiled and nodded in response, his expression warm but carrying the weight of recent events.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, his voice steady despite the lingering exhaustion that clung to his movements.
"Half a month," Dom replied immediately, rising to his feet with practiced efficiency.
"Where's Kaka?" Oboro's sharp gaze swept the immediate area, noting the missing crew member.
"He went to patrol the coastline for potential threats," Dom explained with characteristic precision. "This is a remote island in the East Blue, sparsely populated with only a handful of households scattered across its shores. While it's typically deserted, we can't afford to assume complete isolation. That's why, "
"Yingge..." Oboro's expression darkened, the name carrying the weight of unfinished business.
"He's dead, killed by Golden Lion," Dom stated with cold finality.
"I see." Oboro could only acknowledge the loss with grim acceptance. Being a pirate was never a 'safe' profession, especially when pursuing goals that carried such immense risks. From the moment someone joined the Hell Pirates, they had to accept the possibility of death at any moment. Against a legendary opponent like Golden Lion Shiki, losing only one crew member actually represented minimal casualties considering the overwhelming power differential.
"Are you injured?" Oboro asked, directing his attention to Yurivich, who had gracefully leaped down from the rooftop.
"Just minor wounds," Yurivich replied with characteristic stoicism.
Despite his dismissive tone, even after two weeks of recovery, the devastating punch Golden Lion had delivered to his abdomen still left a horrific scar, one that even his enhanced healing abilities couldn't completely erase. Moreover, judging by the subtle tension in Yurivich's aura, his injuries hadn't fully healed yet.
He would need additional time for complete recuperation.
Noticing Oboro's assessing glance, Lucci approached with his hands casually tucked in his pockets, his expression maintaining its usual cool detachment. "The Marine and World Government are aware of Golden Lion's death," he reported with clinical efficiency. "They've relocated the displaced indigenous populations from the floating islands and confiscated the SIQ enhancement formula, the fruit of Golden Lion's decades of research. As for the survivors among Shiki's subordinates, some escaped before the Marine's arrival, while others were detained."
"The World Government initially wanted to suppress this information to prevent our notoriety from spreading further," Lucci continued, his tone suggesting intimate knowledge of government operations. "However, news agencies broke the story first. Now the entire world knows we killed Golden Lion Shiki... though the reaction isn't as severe as the incident we caused at Twin Capes. After all, in the public eye, Golden Lion had been missing for decades, many believed him dead long ago. So regardless of how powerful Shiki once was, he was perceived as merely an old pirate in his twilight years."
Dom, standing nearby, added with a hint of disdain, "Some people think we simply got lucky..."
"An old pirate?" Oboro chuckled, genuine amusement flickering in his eyes. "How amusing."
It didn't matter what the general public believed. He didn't need the world to comprehend the true magnitude of their achievement.
As for Golden Lion's genuine capabilities... Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others, as well as the Four Emperors, certainly understood the reality of what they had accomplished.
"Anything else of significance?" Oboro pressed, his expression becoming more focused.
"Actually, Captain, regarding that East Blue pirate you mentioned, Straw Hat Luffy..."
"Yes?"
"That crew has already entered the first half of the Grand Line and is heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago. According to our intelligence, they should be on Winter Island right now," Dom reported with the thoroughness expected of his position. "I've been monitoring their activities, and Straw Hat Luffy has accomplished quite a bit during his time in the East Blue. One notable victory was against a crew of fish-man pirates led by someone named Arlong, a former member of the Sun Pirates."
While Arlong was merely a fish-man pirate, Dom's interest stemmed from the connection to the Sun Pirates founded by the legendary Fisher Tiger. Given Fisher Tiger's considerable influence, Arlong, as a former comrade, should have possessed significant combat ability. While the East Blue was admittedly the weakest of the four seas, it remained remarkable that such a veteran could be defeated by someone who had only recently begun his pirating career.
Of course, Dom had no way of knowing Arlong's true power level. He simply assumed that anyone who had once served alongside Fisher Tiger must have possessed some degree of competence.
"Furthermore, they dismantled the Creek Pirates, who were known as the overlords of East Blue," Dom continued his comprehensive report. "And in Logue Town, Straw Hat Luffy encountered Marine Captain Smoker but still managed to escape safely into the Grand Line. This encounter occurred after the Battle of Twin Capes..."
Previously, they had possessed no information about Luffy because their activities had been concentrated in the North Blue. But now that he was operating in the East Blue, certain details had become readily discoverable.
Moreover, the World Government and Marine hadn't initially taken Luffy seriously, and his bounty wasn't officially announced until after he defeated Crocodile in the Kingdom of Arabasta.
"Such remarkable speed," Oboro mused thoughtfully.
Luffy's progression was truly astounding by any standard.
This also brought Dracule Mihawk to mind. The world's greatest swordsman must have encountered Roronoa Zoro during the events at Reverse Mountain. The Creek Pirates had likely been destroyed around that same timeframe.
"They've reached Winter Island, is this intelligence reliable?" Oboro inquired with sharp focus.
Winter Island was also known as Drum Island in the Sakura Kingdom. If accurate, this meant Luffy had already met Tony Tony Chopper and was preparing to enter Arabasta, followed eventually by Sky Island.
"The source is the North Blue's premier information broker, and many pirates operating in the first half of the Grand Line maintain contact with his network," Dom confirmed. "Moreover, Winter Island appears to be under the control of a pirate named Wapol. Cross-referencing this with the intelligence I recently gathered about their East Blue activities, the timeline and their rate of progress align perfectly."
"We need to accelerate our schedule," Oboro declared, his eyes narrowing with renewed determination.
While he wasn't particularly concerned about Luffy's specific itinerary, the Straw Hat Pirates absolutely could not be allowed to reach Sky Island before the Hell Pirates arrived.
"Pack everything and prepare for immediate departure," Oboro commanded with authoritative finality.
He had originally planned to accomplish certain objectives in the East Blue, but those would have to be abandoned for now.
Their next destination lay deeper within the Grand Line's treacherous waters.
"Understood."
Finally, we're about to enter the Grand Line proper...
Lucci noted this development internally, his expression remaining impassive.
Entering the first half of the Grand Line meant inevitable confrontation with the Marine's concentrated forces. Both the Marine and World Government had invested enormous resources in controlling this crucial maritime region. Over the past two weeks, he had discretely contacted his superiors twice to report on the current situation.
During those communications, it was confirmed that Oboro had sustained serious injuries. Lucci had even considered attempting assassination, but Dom's vigilance and Yurivich's gradual recovery eliminated any viable opportunities. Furthermore, beyond the immediate threat posed by Dom and Yurivich, Lucci wasn't entirely confident he could defeat the God Slayer in direct combat, his abilities were simply too bizarre and unpredictable.
Despite suffering grave wounds, Oboro's flesh and blood continued healing autonomously, which defied conventional understanding.
Naturally, he had also reported these emerging capabilities to his superiors. They had originally planned to exploit the God Slayer's unconscious state by informing the government or Marine to lay siege to the island, but the higher-ups had mysteriously abandoned this golden opportunity. It was explained that one of the Hell Pirates' ultimate objectives was apparently to overthrow the Four Emperors, making this the perfect chance for the Hell Pirates and one of the Four Emperors to clash directly.
Moreover, since they didn't fully comprehend the God Slayer's true capabilities, acting prematurely would not only expose their infiltration operation but also risk catastrophic failure.
After all, they had already failed multiple times against this target.
Regardless of whether the Hell Pirates or the Four Emperors emerged victorious from such a conflict, the World Government would be the ultimate beneficiary.
It would be ideal if both the God Slayer and the Four Emperors could be eliminated simultaneously!
Therefore, the timing of the World Government's intervention was absolutely crucial, and that was precisely where Lucci's role as a deep-cover operative would prove invaluable, providing critical intelligence at the decisive moment.
Based on this strategic calculus, the World Government chose to exercise patience, refraining from immediate action.
In the government's assessment, the current Hell Pirates naturally lacked the strength to challenge the Four Emperors directly. However, Golden Lion's defeat had presented them with an opportunity to "kill with a borrowed blade." Rather than prevent the God Slayer from reaching the Grand Line, they could allow the timing of this inevitable war to depend on the God Slayer's own decisions.
Instead of expending their own resources and personnel, it would be far more efficient to let the pirates destroy each other.
The government could easily "add fuel to the fire" when the moment was right.
The primary issue was that every direct attack by the government and Marine had yielded disastrous results thus far.
Given the Hell Pirates' current capabilities and the aftermath of the Battle of Twin Capes, Lucci believed, as did his superiors, that once they entered the Grand Line, they would undoubtedly exploit the God Slayer's unique abilities to circumvent conventional challenges.
Therefore, traditional interception methods would prove ineffective.
Capturing the God Slayer wouldn't be simple either, making it preferable to wait for a conflict between him and the Four Emperors.
Considering the God Slayer's abilities, the Hell Pirates would undoubtedly surpass other pirate crews in their progression through the Grand Line, making their eventual passage into the New World seem inevitable.
Consequently, the day of war with the Four Emperors wouldn't be far off.
Lucci found himself curious about one particular aspect. His superiors seemed absolutely certain about the intelligence regarding the Hell Pirates' intention to challenge the Four Emperors, apparently harboring no doubts whatsoever.
Where had this intelligence originated? Who had provided such confident information?