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Shiryu did not know why Arthur was going to the Drum Kingdom, nor did he care. All that mattered was completing the mission his captain had assigned him and proving his captain's trust was well-placed.
They both fell silent as Shiryu piloted the shuttle-shaped steel vessel, cutting through the waves. In just a few hours, they neared the Red Line—a journey more than ten times faster than any other ship could manage.
After a brief stop for coating, the vessel submerged, then shot through the great cavern, ten thousand meters into the deep sea.
The ship's speed was terrifying. If not for its small, agile frame and the fact that both men aboard were as skilled as they were reckless, no one would want to pilot it.
One small mistake would result in the instant annihilation of both ship and crew.
The endless journey through the dark sea eventually grew dull, and Shiryu was the first to break the silence.
"Captain... while you've been injured, some crew members may be getting ideas. They might be preparing to seize power."
Trust was the bedrock of a pirate crew, and Shiryu was not one to gossip—he found the act meaningless, less interesting than polishing his blade.
But Byrnndi World's actions had become too blatant. He was likely testing Arthur to see if he still had the strength to fight back.
World had absolute faith in his ship's doctor, Nightin. He believed her diagnosis that Arthur's injuries would slowly kill him and that his death was a certainty.
"I know," Arthur replied, his eyes closed as he rested on the lounge chair, his voice a low rasp.
"World's ambition is plain for anyone to see. Now that the Thunder God Pirates have stabilized and the four powers have reached a temporary balance, it's only natural for cracks to appear from within."
A small, cruel smile touched his lips.
"Let him scheme for a while. Wait until he believes everything is within his grasp, and then shatter his little fantasy. Isn't that more interesting?"
"So the Captain already had a plan. My concerns were misplaced." Shiryu said.
He said nothing more, simply lighting a cigar and exhaling a cloud of smoke as he steered the steel boat through the waters of Fish-Man Island, racing towards Sabaody.
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Another day passed.
In less than forty-eight hours, the small vessel had carried Arthur and Shiryu from the New World back to "Paradise."
It burst through the surface of the sea, the coating bubble shattering automatically. The steel boat drifted to a stop a few nautical miles from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Looking at the island, which had shrunk by a third since he had last seen it, Arthur couldn't help but feel a sense of grim awe.
If the strong were to unleash their power without restraint, perhaps one day, few islands would be left for people to inhabit.
World-shattering battles that could alter the very climate... for those without the strength to endure, living in such a world was a torment.
"Shiryu, go to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in Grove 13 and buy a Log Pose for the Drum Kingdom," Arthur said before lying back down, his voice weak with exhaustion. "Tell her it's what she owes me. She'll understand."
In the past three years, Rayleigh, along with Crocus, had scammed a considerable amount of bounty money from the Thunder God Pirates to buy drinks.
The only reason Arthur had not unleashed his entire fleet to hunt them down was out of respect for Roger's memory. He could not be bothered to deal with Rayleigh.
Their destination—the Drum Kingdom—was a closely guarded secret. He had not told anyone, not even Vegapunk. If they took a Log Pose from their own base on Raijin Island, their destination would surely be discovered.
It was not that Arthur was afraid of his movements being tracked, he just did not want his plan to be known.
That left only Shakky.
With how sharp Shakky and Rayleigh were, they would understand when they saw Shiryu arrive alone. Arthur trusted them not to leak his whereabouts.
"Understood." Shiryu, a man of few words, simply pushed off the deck and shot into the air, flying towards the island.
Lying there in the quiet, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves, the cry of the gulls, and the soft popping of the bubbles, Arthur was about to drift off to sleep.
Suddenly, he heard the hushed sound of voices nearby, and it immediately jolted him awake.
"Oh? The first battle of the new generation against the old, and they've chosen me as the target?" Arthur listened intently for a moment, then let out a dry, mirthless laugh. He had never been targeted like this before.
For the Supernovas to make a name for themselves in the New World, they had to challenge the Four Emperors. He had never imagined that he would be the first to be chosen.
He had thought it would take at least a few more years, that they would need to grow and be tempered by more experience before they would have the courage. He never thought they would come so soon.
"Are they trying to take advantage of my injuries?" His expression gradually turned cold.
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"Captain! Captain!" A pirate of average height and unremarkable appearance, a spyglass in his hand, rushed into a bar in Grove 1.
At that moment, two crews had taken over the bar.
One was led by the demon-like Gecko Moria, with his crew of misfits. The other was led by Mad Treasure, and included his short subordinate who wore sunglasses, the user of the Color-Color Fruit, Psycho P, and a drunken archer with thick lips named Naomi.
The arrowheads of the archer, Naomi, were embedded with what were said to be Dyna Stones—explosive rocks comparable to the Ancient Weapons, though the quantity was extremely small.
Dyna Stones were an incredibly rare and terrifying substance that had to be sealed in a special solution. Once they suffered a violent shock or came into direct contact with the air, they would cause a massive explosion.
A slightly larger amount of this substance could easily flatten an entire island.
The Marines had discovered these special rocks in the New World years ago but wouldn't use them carelessly. They couldn't even risk announcing they possessed something on par with the Ancient Weapons—one slip in security and the consequences would be catastrophic.
A violent shock or contact with air, and they would explode. It was completely indiscriminate.
One mistake, and it would be an act of mutual annihilation.
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"Jararararara! Any news?"
The chains on his body rattled as Mad Treasure saw Moria's crewman run in. An excited smile spread across his face.
He had coveted Arthur's golden flying ship for a full five or six years. Every time he thought of it, his heart ached with an unbearable desire.
Back at Roger's execution in Loguetown, in the great square, he had wanted to snatch it right then and there.
"He's here! I saw it with my own eyes! Thunder Emperor Arthur and the First Division Commander of the Thunder God Pirates, Shiryu, just came up from Fish-Man Island! The underworld intel was correct!" the crewman said, panting from his run.
"Kishishishishishi! With the two of us working together, we can definitely take Arthur's head! Then, we will finally have our place in the New World!"
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