After hearing Marco's words, Edward Newgate's face darkened immediately.
To speak of it, he and Douglas Bullet were once absolute archenemies.
Before the rise of the Roger Pirates, there existed a truly terrifying pirate crew in the world—the Rocks Pirates, to which Edward Newgate once belonged.
More than forty years ago, the Rocks Pirates' captain, Rocks D. Xebec, had already claimed dominance over the entire seas.
And his crew members? Each one was more infamous than the last.
Among the current Four Emperors, aside from Shanks, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom), and Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) himself were all once part of Rocks' crew.
Even beyond Renji Kai, the only person in history to have broken out of Impel Down was the legendary Golden Lion, Shiki, another former Rocks pirate.
With such a formidable roster, the Rocks Pirates were once unmatched—unstoppable on a global scale.
However, their strength ultimately made them too dangerous. As a result, the Navy's greatest hero, Monkey D. Garp, joined forces with the Roger Pirates to bring them down.
That legendary battle led to the complete annihilation of the Rocks Pirates. The surviving crew members scattered across the world, eventually becoming rulers of their own domains.
So if you really think about it, Edward Newgate had every reason to hate Douglas Bullet to his core.
"Heh… It's been more than twenty years. We've all gotten old. But now that you've mentioned it, I find myself actually looking forward to meeting him again."
"Old man, are you saying we should go find them ourselves?"
"There's no need. I'm sure those two won't stay holed up in the East Blue for long.
And if they actually dare set foot in the New World… I won't hesitate to crush them both!"
With that, Edward Newgate grabbed Murakumogiri, the mighty naginata symbolizing his power, and slammed it down hard onto the deck.
The entire ship shook. Weaker pirates stumbled and fell to the floor under the sheer force of the blow.
Meanwhile, across the seas, the world believed that Renji Kai and Douglas Bullet were headed for Fishman Island.
According to Sakazuki's calculations, their ship should have sailed from the East Blue directly toward Fishman Island.
That's because in the world of pirates, the Red Line divides the Grand Line into two halves. The second half is what the world calls the New World.
To reach the New World, there are only two possible routes:
One can formally request passage through the Holy Land of Mariejois, located atop the Red Line. This path is safe but requires abandoning one's ship. It's also expensive and time-consuming to apply for—but very secure.
The second, more dangerous route is to coat the ship in resin from the Yarukiman Mangrove trees, submerge it 10,000 meters underwater, and pass through a massive undersea tunnel that leads through Fishman Island into the New World.
Given that Renji Kai and Douglas Bullet had just been issued fresh bounties by the World Government, even a fool would know they'd never be allowed to enter Mariejois.
That left them with only one viable option: Fishman Island's undersea passage.
But when Sakazuki's "Justice Fleet" stationed themselves along all possible routes in East Blue leading to Fishman Island, they found nothing.
In truth, Renji Kai and Douglas Bullet had drifted at sea for several days and ended up making landfall not at Fishman Island—but in the Kingdom of Alabasta, specifically in the city of Rainbase.
Alabasta is home to several major cities, but Rainbase is famously called the City of Dreams.
It also happens to be the stronghold of Crocodile, the notorious Warlord of the Sea.
So it was only natural for Renji and Bullet to head straight there the moment they arrived.
Upon landing in Rainbase, Renji instructed two of his crewmates to stay behind and guard the ship. He and Bullet headed directly toward the city center.
Though Alabasta is a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line and should, by all accounts, be quite strong, it had fallen into decline.
Outside of its capital, Alubarna, most of the other major cities hadn't seen rain in years.
Under the manipulation of Baroque Works, the people were led to believe that the drought was caused by the king secretly using a rainmaking powder known as Dance Powder.
This propaganda incited a full-blown civil war across Alabasta. Thousands were killed, and the nation's economy was left in ruins.
Yet, Rainbase stood in stark contrast to the rest of the country.
The city thrived peacefully. Its citizens lived comfortably compared to other regions, thanks in part to the presence of Alabasta's largest casino, Rain Dinners.
This grand casino was one of Crocodile's prized assets.
So when Renji Kai arrived in Rainbase, he immediately locked eyes on Rain Dinners.
The casino was so famous that it took almost no effort at all to find it.
When Renji and Bullet reached the casino's entrance, Bullet turned and looked at him curiously.
"What are we doing here?"
"What else do you do in a place like this? We're here to gamble, of course. Let's go."
Renji stretched lazily and strode through the casino doors.
No sooner had they entered than two gorgeous women dressed as bunny girls approached them.
"Gentlemen, would you like to try your luck today?"
"Haha! Well, now that we're in Rainbase, it would be criminal not to. Lead the way!" Renji grinned.
"Right this way, sirs!"
The two bunny girls led them to a large gaming table.
At its center was an enormous spinning wheel, marked with various numbers and a giant directional pointer.
The game was simple: players could place bets on specific numbers, choose high or low outcomes, or wager on even or odd results.