30 Years in Whitebeard’s Crew, I Became Invincible

"No wonder you wanted to leave Fish-Man Island. Staying down there must feel suffocating."

The ship burst out of the sea, its coating bubble shattering as the Sabaody Archipelago came into view not far away.

"Big bro, actually, it's not so bad for Fish-Men down there, but for humans, it's definitely not a suitable environment. The light from the Sunlight Tree Eve doesn't carry any warmth, so Fish-Man Island is always cold," Namur explained.

The Sunlight Tree Eve emits light, yes, but that doesn't mean it emits heat like the sun.

Living on Fish-Man Island is truly harsh.

It's more humid than land, and there's no sunlight.

Sure, Fish-Men can adapt; they thrive in sticky, damp environments.

But it's not like they don't need the sun; they long for it. It was that very longing that birthed the Sun Pirates and even the legend of the Sun God.

In nearly every mythos, the sun always held a sacred place.

Some cultures even view the earth as a mother and the sun as a father.

According to legend, fish-men once lived on land, but their ancestors led them underwater for protection, and there, they eventually discovered the Sunlight Tree Eve.

Alabasta has over 4,000 years of history; Fish-Man Island also spans thousands of years.

"Land is still better," Roy nodded.

"Yeah," Namur agreed.

"But Fish-Men do have an advantage."

"What kind of advantage?"

"You guys can't drown."

"Huh?!"

"We've arrived at Sabaody. Let's rest a bit, and then we'll set off again."

"Aye!"

They docked at Sabaody. Compared to a few months ago, it was noticeably quieter. It was rare for all the Supernovas to gather in one place for a whole year, and now folks like Kid were raising hell all across the New World.

Roy had heard about them nonstop, jumping around like monkeys.

Clearly, the New World had taught them a lesson: no one stays invincible. There are only three paths for rookies entering the New World:

Challenge. Submit. Die.

Challenge the Emperors, overthrow them, and climb step by step toward becoming the Pirate King.

Submit to the Emperors and survive in the New World under their rule.

The last option was simple: die in the New World.

Very few escaped the New World, and those who did might as well be dead.

Those rookies making noise now will sooner or later cross paths with an Emperor's forces. Just the pirates under the Emperor are enough to humble them.

No one had yet stepped up to truly challenge an Emperor. It would still take a few years.

But at least they all had clear goals, targets they aimed to surpass.

Sabaody was still lively. They were only stopping briefly to resupply fresh water and the like.

Roy went to visit Shakky and picked up a permanent Log Pose from her.

"Big Bro, where are we headed?" Namur couldn't contain his curiosity. They hadn't brought many crew members this time, so it clearly wasn't for a fight.

"To the Kingdom of Women."

"The Kingdom of Women?!"

"Amazon Lily."

"You're not joking, are you?"

"The legendary island of only women?"

"Heard about it, never been there myself."

"Can we really go?"

Before Namur could react, his crewmates were already buzzing with excitement.

The Kingdom of Women, a land said to be inhabited solely by women.

"We're just going to ask for directions. What are you guys getting so worked up about?" Roy couldn't help but laugh.

"Big Bro, no wonder you didn't tell Big Sis Whitey Bay. If she found out, she'd beat you up," Namur teased.

"I told you, it's just for directions, not a fight," Roy shot back.

He had no clue where Luffy was, but he planned to go to Amazon Lily to ask around. Once he found Luffy's whereabouts, he'd go and meet him.

Of course, another goal of this trip was the Nika fruit.

Since the Nika fruit was a Zoan-type, there were things Roy could work with.

If it were a Paramecia, things would be much more complicated. But with a Zoan, it was simpler.

Plus, Sengoku's Buddha fruit was also a Zoan-type.

The Human-Human Fruit could be quite powerful in the right hands, except maybe Chopper's.

Well, okay, he was pretty strong too.

But since they were all Zoan-type Devil Fruits, there was potential to develop clones.

Once the crew knew Roy was heading to Amazon Lily, the excitement onboard skyrocketed. The journey would take about seven days, with a stop at Water 7 for supplies.

Amazon Lily lay between the Grand Line and the South Blue, within the Calm Belt, a bit ahead of Impel Down. Not too far.

But there was a massive whirlpool nearby, and sea current control belonged to the Marines. To reach Amazon Lily, they'd need to avoid the whirlpool, detour through Water 7, then head to Amazon Lily from there.

Shakky had given Roy this route. If they followed the Log Pose directly, they'd head straight into the whirlpool. Only by passing through Water 7 could they use the pointer she gave him to reach Amazon Lily safely.

"Report! Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, urgent news!"

"What is it?"

Back at Mafine Headquarters, Akainu was suffering a headache, Aokiji had vanished, and he had a bad feeling. Where the hell had that man gone?

Aokiji was one of the Marines' strongest combatants. Akainu had just promoted one person to replace him, and now he might need two.

The World Government had approved his massive recruitment plan and the relocation of the HQ. But before those could even begin, they'd lost another Admiral.

Now they needed two new Admirals and had to oversee the construction of the new HQ.

"The Marine branch stationed at Sabaody Archipelago just sent word. They spotted the Moby Dick, flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates," Penn reported.

"What?!"

Akainu shot to his feet.

The Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' crews, had just fought Kaido, and now they were back in the first half of the Grand Line?

Their recent activity had even Akainu noticing, they were more aggressive than ever.

Their recent activity was unlike anything from the past. Under Whitebeard, they'd been just a pirate crew. But under Roger's leadership, both the World Government and the Marines had noticed a shift—their entire organization was changing.

They no longer resembled a mere pirate group. In some ways, they were evolving into something closer to a nation.

"Where are they now?"

"They didn't stay long at Sabaody. They've already left."

"Did we send anyone to tail them?"

"W-Well… our men didn't dare get too close," Penn said awkwardly.

"Useless! Send a scout ship to follow them and monitor their movements!" Akainu ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Do we know who's onboard?"

"The Eighth Division Commander, Namur, and Vice-Captain Roy."

"That guy's out too? Notify Borsalino, tell him to go." Sakazuki gritted his teeth around his cigar.

"Yes, sir!"

"Damn it, Kuzan, of all times to disappear, you picked now to stir trouble."

Penn rushed off quickly. The whole Navy was now searching for Aokiji, and with Akainu in a foul mood, no one dared step on his toes.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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