Chapter 38 Nightfire Pirates
The 3 of them traveled through the moonlit sky atop a cloud of mist. Because ama no murakumo was extremely soft, and both Yuriko and Ren had expended a great deal of energy during the day, the mother and daughter leaned against each other and fell asleep.
Ren lowered his gaze to the Log Pose on his wrist.
To navigate the New World, a single traditional Log Pose was no longer sufficient to precisely indicate direction. Compared to Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line, the magnetic fields of the New World's islands were far more chaotic, and even navigational tools had been upgraded accordingly.
The device Ren wore was an enhanced version equipped with 3 Log Poses.
Without such equipment, even the most skilled navigator would find it difficult to advance at all in the New World.
Of course, this was not absolute. If one possessed Eternal Poses for specific islands, navigation was still possible. Another method was following the movement of a Vivre Card, but that was a means of locating people, not land.
Ren carried sea charts of the regions Muzemi had traveled through during this period. At this point in time, territorial divisions in the New World were far less fixed than they would later become after the Four Emperors established their domains. Aside from the territory of the Rocks Pirates, other regions were even more chaotic.
Muzemi had clearly marked the boundaries of the Marines and the Rocks Pirates on the charts. Within these areas, Marine influence could be considered negligible. From this era onward, and for decades to come, the New World was effectively a region abandoned by the Marines.
It was not that they were unwilling to intervene, but that the cost was far too high.
Moreover, allowing powerful pirate forces to restrain one another within the New World was precisely what the World Government wanted.
To maintain its unreasonable rule, the World Government required pirate forces to exist as a counterbalance, forcing ordinary nations to willingly pay tribute to the Tenryubito. If the world were truly peaceful and free of pirates, which country would still be willing to pay such tribute?
Ren was not a rookie who had just passed through Paradise.
Many who sailed smoothly through the first half of the Grand Line, were labeled Supernovas, and then lost themselves, arrogantly believing they could stand among the countless pirates of the New World. In pursuit of fame, they would challenge established pirate forces.
The result was always the same: a crushing defeat, followed by a humiliating retreat.
Such examples were common. Crocodile, Moriah, Ace, Kid—each of them had, at some point, overconfidently challenged a Yonko. Moriah was comparatively fortunate; the one who defeated him was Kaido, who at that time was far from his peak, perhaps only slightly stronger than Moriah himself.
Ren had no intention of provoking Rocks, nor did he wish to come into contact with the World Government too early. The sea charts Muzemi provided allowed him to avoid both with precision.
Beyond sea charts, Muzemi had prepared other resources as well, including Eternal Poses for several islands.
As for the location of Birka, Muzemi had already investigated it thoroughly. Ren had long intended to obtain the Goro Goro no Mi, but reaching a Sky Island was troublesome, so Muzemi had not acted earlier.
Now, Birka had become Ren's first destination.
That said, the journey to Birka was extremely long. Although its location was close to the New World, it still lay within the first half of the Grand Line. Just as islands on the vast sea rarely interacted with one another, communication between Sky Islands was equally difficult.
After Enel consumed the Goro Goro no Mi, he destroyed his homeland, Birka, and departed for the Land of God. Naturally, the Goro Goro no Mi had originated in Birka.
"Such a long distance… relying on constant flight will still be troublesome," Ren sighed.
Although he could maintain ama no murakumo for a long time, he could not monitor the skies endlessly. The climate of the Grand Line was unpredictable, and storms could appear at any moment.
Moreover, daily necessities such as eating or relieving oneself would become extremely inconvenient.
"It seems I still need a ship. Even if I fly alongside it, having a place to land would be better."
He had originally avoided taking a ship out of concern that Yuriko might suffer seasickness, but that was no longer an issue.
"Let's see if there are any pirates nearby. I might as well take one by force," Ren thought calmly.
It would also be a good opportunity to teach some greenhorns from Paradise, who did not yet understand the immensity of the New World, a proper lesson.
However, locating pirates within the vast ocean was not an easy task.
This was not yet the true Great Pirate Era. Although pirates were numerous, their numbers were nowhere near what they would later become. Especially in the years immediately following Roger's execution, many men set sail in a moment of passion, driven by dreams of the fame and fortune he had spoken of.
It was not until the evening of the next day that Ren finally spotted a ship along the distant coastline.
By the time he accelerated to catch up, night had already fallen.
Most pirates had little formal education, and the naming of pirate crews was often extremely casual. Names like the Big Mom Pirates or the Beasts Pirates were actually considered relatively refined.
More commonly, crews were named after some defining feature of their captain.
Red hair meant the Red Hair Pirates. A white beard meant the Whitebeard Pirates. As a result, pirate crews with duplicate names such as the Scar Pirates or the Giant Bear Pirates were surprisingly common.
However, the crew Ren encountered this time bore a far less casual name.
To celebrate their recent plunder, the Nightfire Pirates were holding a banquet on deck, complete with blazing bonfires.
The captain of the Nightfire Pirates was one of the Supernovas of this generation, carrying a bounty of 70,000,000 Berries.
That number should not be underestimated. This was a bounty from nearly 40 years ago, before inflation had significantly devalued the currency. As a comparison, Crocodile, who entered the New World with great momentum more than a decade later, held a bounty of only 80,000,000 Berries.
In this era, a bounty in the tens of millions was enough to mark someone as a Great Pirate renowned throughout Paradise.
More importantly, the captain of the Nightfire Pirates was also a rare Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
He possessed the Flame-Flame Fruit, a Logia that sounded similar to the Mera Mera no Mi, but was in fact an inferior variant. The relationship between this Flame-Flame Fruit and the Mera Mera no Mi was much like that between the Hie Hie no Mi and the Yuki Yuki no Mi.
Both freezing and burning could be understood as states of transformation of matter.
However, the interactions between Devil Fruits in the pirate world did not necessarily follow real-world physics or chemistry. After all, the creator of this world was merely a cartoonist, someone who understood neither pirates nor the laws of physics and chemistry.
Dear Readers,
I have an important favor to ask of you today. If you've been enjoying the story, please consider switching to Patreon to support me directly.
By joining, you will instantly unlock 20 chapters and gain access to a total of 50 to 55 chapters every month.
To be honest with you, I am currently in deep financial trouble, and your support would mean the world to me during this difficult time. Furthermore, if I can get more members, I plan to add even more new fanfics by the end of this week!
Please consider supporting me on Patreon so I can continue creating content for you.
Thank you for your help
patreon.com/anish_44