The Grand Line.
A sea route running like a scar across the entire world.
At the midpoint rose the colossal Red Line, splitting the Grand Line in two. The first half is called Paradise. The second is known as the New World.
The place where Silas and his crew now stood was the New World!
The Red Line was like an invincible wall. Anyone who wished to cross from one half of the Grand Line to the other had only two choices: pass over the Red Line, through Mariejois itself, or dive into the abyssal depths 10,000 meters below.
And at that depth lay Fish-Man Island.
To reach their destination, Silas and his crew had no choice but to go below. Challenging Mariejois above, with the Marines' main headquarters and Celestial Dragons looming just beyond, would be senseless.
Silas was here for Pure Gold, not to provoke the World Government.
"Diving that deep requires proper coating," Dean explained, scratching his chin. "But unlike Sabaody, resin is harder to come by here. Smuggled resins spoil quickly. We'll need a couple of days before we can begin the coating."
Right now, Silas and the crew rested on an island near the Red Line's base. Dean, their fish-man shipwright, was skilled enough to coat the Millennium Falcon, but it would take time for materials to arrive.
"By the way," Rocks muttered, arms crossed as his gaze drifted upward, "isn't there a Marine base near here? Won't we be spotted so openly sitting in their backyard?"
Across the horizon, towering like a soldier's fortress, was the massive castle of the Marine G-1 Branch.
Marine G-1 Branch.
The strongest Marine fortress in the New World after Marineford itself.
Silas cracked sunflower seeds in his teeth as if the sight were merely scenery. He leaned back lazily.
"Relax. As long as we don't go parading our flag and stomping at their door, the Marines aren't going to waste their strength tracking every shadow in this port. We'll stay invisible unless we invite them."
The shrunk-down Millennium Falcon, held in Ripley's palm like a toy model, was hidden safely. Without the pirate ship's massive silhouette looming, they were just another odd bunch in a city of hundreds of thousands.
"This island is the artery connecting both halves of the Grand Line," Dean explained. "Resources from Paradise all flow here, distributed into the corners of the New World. Strategically, it is no different from Sabaody."
"Except the weather makes it miserable," Silas added. "Otherwise you'd even see Celestial Dragons strolling here, just like in Sabaody."
Acropolis Port.
A bustling behemoth of trade and politics. Most pirates didn't pass through here, avoiding the proximity of the Marines. But merchants, nobles, and kings alike called this city the true starting point of the New World.
A dozen kilometers inland, an immense cliff rose. Elevators wrapped in bubbles lifted supplies and royals skyward, toward the Red Line itself. Only kings backed by the World Government could afford to even touch those elevators.
"Feels like there are too many people packed into the port today…" Lily squinted, using her thumb and forefinger to shape a pretend telescope.
Dean confirmed, "It's because of the World Council. Every four years, kings from across allied nations travel here to ascend to Mariejois. The rulers of the New World are gathering as we speak."
"Then… is the King of Sphinx going to attend too?" Newgate asked, childlike curiosity shining in his big eyes.
Silas shrugged, a dry smile tugging his face. "Not for now. The World Government rejected Sphinx's request. Ten consecutive years of Heavenly Tribute are required before that king receives an invitation."
He chuckled grimly. Even if they had accepted, there was no way he would let Sphinx's puppet ruler step foot into Mariejois. One foolish slip there could lead to disaster for them all.
He clapped his hands. "Two days, then we regroup. While the kings debate in their shiny council halls, we chase Pure Gold."
The order was given. His crew scattered across the city.
By now, even the youngest of them, Newgate, was proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki. Babysitting was no longer needed. If they were recognized and provoked Marines, Silas didn't mind a commotion.
With his current strength, even if he faced two Admirals at once, he had confidence he could break away alive.
Rocks and Newgate looked at each other knowingly, then immediately bolted off toward the marketplace, laughter in their wake. The trouble-making duo was united again.
The second figure to vanish was Silas himself.
The infamous White King slipped away with a grin. What he hated most in life was the unfathomable trial known as shopping with women.
To him, fighting Admirals was less exhausting.
"Silas really escaped again!" Lily gnashed her teeth. She had fully intended to bury him in shopping bags.
Dean, realizing the trap, also waved goodbye. "I'll check on the suppliers."
Why should he be saddled as porter if not even the Captain endured it?
Now left in the port were Lily, Ripley, Kozuki Toki, Stussy, and Linlin. The balance leaned sharply, and the women already outnumbered the men.
Dean sighed inwardly. He was on the older side now. Even if he journeyed again, he might last only a few more years at most. Whether they found Pure Gold or not, his ambitions had long been polished away by time… unlike Silas, whose fire burned without dimming.
That's why he respected the man so deeply. If he had found Pure Gold, at his age he wouldn't even think of venturing into new seas again. But Silas? Silas carried the hunger of youth itself.
Clang!
The ring of metal startled Dean out of his thoughts. A massive shadow swept past him. A hunchback, shackled and collared, lumbered forward. The air around him reeked of sweat and chains.
Dean's heart ran cold.
"A… giant…"
At some point Rocks and Newgate had appeared beside him, their eyes following the same shadow. The giant's body bore scars of whip marks and brands. Shackles bound his ankles. And he was not alone. Around the port, chained giants moved like oxen… Slaves were bought and sold openly.
Rocks's fists trembled. "There are many giant slaves here, and some of them I recognize. From Elbaf."
Memories of war surged in their minds. They had saved Harald, but not all. Too many had fallen into chains while Silas was absent.
This was the price. This was slavery.
"We'll tell the Captain!" Newgate's voice cracked with urgency.
"No need."
Rocks's eyes never left the slaves. His voice was low, steady, and hardened. "With Captain's Observation Haki, do you really think he hasn't already seen this? He's not here because this time, this decision falls to us."
Beside them, the looming fortress of G-1 Marine Base reminded them how delicate this balance was. One false move and Admiral-level reinforcements could come crashing down.
They couldn't simply charge in. This needed planning.
Rocks clenched his fists tighter, jaw set. "This is his test."
Dean, overhearing the boy's conviction, shook his head with a sigh. Where did Silas keep finding such prodigies? Rocks, barely grown, reckless, yet already carrying the weight of command. In a land battle, the boy was already stronger than even him, a veteran shipwright.
Meanwhile, at a shaded corner of an open-air bar by the port city, Silas leaned back in his chair, a bottle of burning Winter Flame in his hand.
"Two Winter Flames," he said casually to the barkeep, before turning his attention back to the woman opposite him.
"About what's about to happen out there…" Silas's grin spread wide. "How about turning a blind eye?"
The woman across from him tilted her sunglasses down, revealing sharp eyes beneath a curtain of fiery red hair. Her long legs were propped lazily on the table.
"Oh? And why would I ever do that?"
"What's in it for me?"
"I'll buy you a drink."
Silas winked.
A smirk ghosted Rona's lips, Admiral Crimson Snake herself.
"That won't do." She reached for the glass he slid toward her, her tone amused but dangerous.
"You'll have to treat me until I've drunk my fill."