At the entrance to the New World, a medium-sized three-masted sailing ship rose and fell with the swells as it lingered in the narrow stretch of sea that served as the gateway to the next leg of the Grand Line.
Watching the rapidly darkening sky, the lookout atop the mast shivered and called down to the burly man standing at the bow with his arms folded and a gloomy expression.
"Second Mate! The weather's getting worse by the minute! Are we really going to keep waiting out here?"
The man known as the Second Mate had three deep claw scars running across his cheek.
He looked up at the thick black storm clouds rolling across the horizon and let out a heavy snort through his nose.
"We wait."
"Why wouldn't we?"
His voice was low and steady.
"The captain's still waiting for us to bring the money back."
The sailors standing beside him exchanged uneasy glances.
"Second Mate... it's not that we're complaining..."
One of them lowered his voice, his face conflicted.
"But think about it."
"How many ships have we robbed over the past six months?"
"Every time we risk our lives and bring back a fortune, the captain blows every last berry within a week."
"He's living it up in the casinos of Metallion City..."
"...while we've been the ones risking our necks out here."
"He hasn't sailed once."
"If this keeps going..."
"...the brothers are starting to..."
His words opened the floodgates.
Several nearby sailors couldn't hold themselves back any longer.
"He's right, Second Mate!"
"If this goes on, nobody's going to have any heart left!"
"The New World is brutal, sure—but every one of us has been gambling with our lives!"
The sailor gestured toward the exhausted faces around him.
"Look at us."
"Which one of us collapsed after a single setback?"
"Meanwhile, he's buried himself in gambling and keeps throwing away the money we earned with blood."
He took a deep breath, as though finally making up his mind.
Even his voice trembled.
"If you ask me, Second Mate..."
"This crew can't keep drifting like this."
"The brothers all respect you."
"So why don't you..."
"...become captain yourself?"
"Lead us."
"We'll make our own future!"
"Enough!"
The Second Mate spun around and roared.
At the same instant, he stepped forward and seized the sailor by the throat, cutting off the rest of his sentence.
His tremendous strength lifted the man clear off the deck, his face quickly turning red.
"You..."
"...actually dared to say that?"
With a rough shove, he threw the sailor back onto the deck.
His tone softened somewhat, as though trying to convince the crew...
...or perhaps himself.
"He's our captain."
"He was the one who led us all the way from the South Blue into the New World."
"Right now..."
"...he just needs time."
"He's only..."
"...lost his way for a while."
"The New World has broken countless people."
"He just needs time."
"He'll come back."
His gaze swept over the silent crew.
"I don't want to hear anything that shakes this crew's resolve ever again."
The sailors shrank beneath his intimidating presence and fell silent.
Only after the Second Mate turned back toward the sea did they dare whisper among themselves.
"But what if the captain never comes back?"
"Are we supposed to keep living like this forever?"
"Robbing rookies who've only just crossed into the New World?"
"Gambling's a bottomless pit..."
"And we're not the only pirates watching this route."
"The Navy's G-5 Base could show up on patrol at any time..."
The Second Mate stood motionless at the bow as the cold sea wind lashed against his face.
He could still make out their hushed conversations.
He didn't turn around.
Because...
...he knew they were right.
Truthfully...
...even he had no idea how long it would take for their captain to recover.
The ambition and pride that had once defined the man had long since been replaced by the feverish obsession of rolling dice.
Where would this crew...
...and the men aboard it...
...ultimately drift?
He didn't know.
So all he could do was keep waiting.
Keep robbing.
Keep using this life to preserve both the pirate crew...
...and what little dignity their captain still possessed.
Shaking the troubling thoughts from his mind, he fixed his eyes once more upon the rapidly worsening sea.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the ocean...
The enormous bubble surrounding the Blazing Fang was being driven upward by an invisible ascending current, hurtling toward the distant light beyond the endless darkness overhead.
"Hey!"
"Everyone, look!"
"I can see light!"
One sailor pressed himself against the bubble and shouted excitedly.
"What?"
"Light?"
"Seriously?!"
"Are we there?!"
"It's the New World!"
"That's the light of the New World!"
A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed throughout the ship.
Whether they had been resting below deck or organizing equipment, everyone rushed onto the main deck.
Far above them...
...the growing brilliance became clearer and brighter by the second.
Their long journey through the abyss was finally coming to an end.
"Hahaha!"
"Finally!"
"We're finally getting out!"
"My God..."
"I never want to make this trip again as long as I live!"
"Agreed!"
"It's freezing, pitch black, and those creepy giant fish keep staring at you with those dead eyes!"
"Seriously!"
"I nearly developed megalophobia looking at those monsters!"
The crew vented the emotions that had built up throughout their long voyage.
Even the officers wore expressions of immense relief.
This journey beneath the sea had tested their spirits far more than any fierce battle ever could.
"Brothers!"
Standing proudly at the bow, Sammy raised one arm high.
"Hold on tight!"
"We're—"
"—SURFACING!!!"
"OOOOOOOH!!!"
Amid thunderous cheers and deafening roars...
...the Blazing Fang burst violently through the ocean's surface, sending towering sprays of white foam into the air.
After a brief but violent bout of shaking...
...the ship finally broke free from the grip of the deep sea and settled steadily upon the waves.
At that exact moment—
"Second Mate!"
"Look over there!"
The lookout aboard the waiting three-masted ship let out a sharp cry.
Every pirate aboard instantly perked up, their eyes locking onto the large sailing ship that had just erupted from beneath the sea.
"Heh..."
"What luck..."
"...rookies."
The Second Mate licked his dry lips.
The claw scars across his face looked even more sinister beneath the darkening sky.
"But unfortunately..."
"...your journey through the New World..."
"...ends here."
"Welcome..."
"...to the real hell."
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