The Marine warship finally left the Calm Belt, escaping the gaze of the colossal Sea Kings. The recruits, who had barely managed to stay standing earlier, now collapsed onto the deck, their legs giving out completely.
That had been far more perilous than the giant waterspout.
Against the waterspout, they'd at least had a slim chance of survival. But if those Sea Kings had attacked Only Victor and Gion, with their Moon Walk abilities, would have stood a chance. The rest would have been doomed.
Victor was a miracle. No matter the situation, it seemed there was nothing he couldn't handle.
The crew stared at his back as he stood at the bow, hand resting on his sword, black coat fluttering in the wind. His imposing aura had now settled into calm.
Victor remained motionless.
Because in his mind, fragmented words had echoed
Forbidden... mountain of corpses... killing intent... 800 years... covenant... fate...
The rest had been unintelligible.
Victor pondered—it seemed willpower had acted as a conduit, allowing him to catch fragments of the Sea Kings' conversation.
Ordinary people wouldn't have heard it. Perhaps the frequency was too low, or maybe it was a racial trait of the Sea Kings.
A forbidden zone, huh The Grand Line truly is full of secrets.
He knew a little about the 800-year covenant—its connection to Joy Boy, the Sea Kings, Noah, and that unnamed race.
With a soft click, Chikara slid back into its sheath.
The recruits flinched. That sound would likely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Years from now, they'd recount this tale to their juniors—the legend of the man who faced down Sea Kings with sheer presence alone.
Victor walked over to Gion, who still wore a grave expression.
This warship was her responsibility. If something had happened, it wouldn't just be about Marine disciplinary action—she'd have carried the guilt forever.
''So How was it Thrilling, right? Want to go again?''
Victor smirked, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
Gion rolled her eyes, though a reluctant laugh escaped her. The tension eased.
She elbowed him away—his breath tickled.
''I really thought we were done for. I was ready to fight to the death. Thank goodness your 'reputation' actually worked. You saved us.''
Victor shook his head.
''You think my 'reputation' did that? There's more to it. Something... terrifying. Best not to speak of it.''
His fingers brushed the stone box at his waist.
Gion didn't press further, shifting the topic to training instead.
---
The recruits had regained their composure. After this ordeal, simply being alive felt like a gift.
And they hadn't even reached their destination yet. Their hearts couldn't take much more of this rollercoaster.
With all stations manned, the ship sailed toward Peace Island—this time, no one dared be careless.
Within an hour, the coastline came into view. No further surprises.
As they docked, the pier appeared deserted—no suspicious figures in sight.
Makes sense. A rookie pirate crew, inexperienced, wouldn't even post lookouts.
Barnet quickly assembled the combat and intel teams.
The intel team relayed details pirate numbers, strength, hideout locations, and dispersal patterns.
Barnet devised a plan—plus a backup in case intel was wrong—and the combat team moved out, weapons ready.
Victor, Gion, Rebecca, and Wendy followed. They wouldn't intervene unless absolutely necessary.
(Not that Gion needed to lift a finger now—Victor's presence meant she could relax.)
The pirates were indeed greenhorns, no stronger than the recruits.
Victor, Gion, and Rebecca didn't act. Only Wendy occasionally fired warning shots at pirates attempting ambushes.
Soon, only the pirate captain remained, locked in combat with Barnet.
The captain's strength matched Axe-Hand Morgan's, but Barnet dominated the fight. His martial arts were solid, and his Devil Fruit's support abilities boosted his stamina.
Finally, the captain fell.
A search of the hideout revealed dozens of kidnapped children—hostages used to extort the islanders. The pirates had planned to use them as shields against the Marines, but the recruits' swift, stealthy assault left no time for that.
Interrogation revealed the pirates had spies in every town, monitoring the locals.
Barnet split the combat team to clear out remaining pirates while others handled the children's return, medical aid, and community reassurance.
Their mission wasn't just to eliminate the pirates—it was to fully restore peace.
That would take days.
But with the pirates dealt with, Victor's role here was done.
He had his own agenda.
Rear Admiral Gion, I'm heading to the island marked on the map. The recruits are yours. I'll be back soon.
Victor said to Gion, who was idly wandering around the town.
"Going so soon? Alone? Why not wait until we finish things here, then we can all take a warship there together?" Gion thought for a moment before replying.
"Forget it. I'll be faster alone. It's my personal matter anyway—can't misuse military resources for private affairs."
Victor didn't want too many people tagging along. The enemies were likely strong, and he didn't want anyone getting hurt because of his own business.
"How is that misusing military resources? They're still pirates—we can go take them out!"
Gion pressed on. She wanted to go along for the fun, but if Victor left now, she wouldn't be able to leave this place.
"It's not confirmed intel yet—no need for everyone to make the trip. Besides, they're not official Marines yet, so they shouldn't be actively seeking out pirates. No more arguing. Just let Rebecca and Wendy know for me—I won't say goodbye to them personally."
With that, Victor turned to leave without hesitation.
Right now, he was desperate to replace his swords. The two blades at his waist were of poor quality, forcing him to expend more Haki in combat just to keep up. It was inefficient and cumbersome.
"Wait!"
Gion called out, stopping Victor in his tracks. She was annoyed—he was leaving after just a few words, as if she didn't matter at all.
Victor paused, glancing back at her in confusion.
Gion walked over, a look of frustration on her face as she reached into the valley between her two peaks and pulled out an Eternal Pose. She checked the name on it before handing it to Victor.
Victor took it—the pose was warm to the touch.
He couldn't help but marvel. Truly, anything could be stored between those peaks! What kind of spatial structure was hidden there?
"Admiral Garp asked me to give this to you. I was planning to keep it so we could all go together on a warship later, but since you insist on going alone, you might as well take it now. Stay safe."
Gion explained the origin of the pose—it was from Garp, who clearly looked out for Victor.
Victor held it up to his eyes. The label read "Gia Island," the place rumored to hold clues about the legendary Eternal Black Gold.
Shaking off the thought, he made his way to the northern tip of Gia Island.
The island was shaped like a comma, and the pointed end conveniently pointed toward Gia Island.
With a single leap, Victor shot into the sky, then kicked off the air with Moon Step, soaring toward Gia Island.