September, Sea Circle Calendar 1517. Loguetown Plaza.
Today was the day of Captain Smoker's funeral. Almost all the residents of the town who could come had come. Before long, the plaza was filled with the sound of weeping. Although Captain Smoker had a somewhat fierce appearance, he was clearly deeply loved by everyone. All felt grief over this Marine's death.
In the procession of mourners, a young woman was already a mess of tears. Tashigi couldn't believe that the Captain, who had merely gone out for a bit, had actually died at the hands of a pirate. Even now, she couldn't accept that Captain Smoker would die at Bellamy's hands. But Smoker's body lay before her; what else could she do but believe? "You big liar! You promised you'd be right back!"
"Sir, how could you just die like this!"
Accompanied by a wave of weeping, Captain Smoker's body was carried to the Loguetown cemetery. Just then, a tall figure arrived in haste with a contingent of elite Marines.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp!" Almost everyone recognized this man at a glance; Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp had actually arrived.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Ensign Tashigi reporting." Tashigi fought back her profound grief and saluted Garp. "Are you here to see Captain Smoker off?"
"Yes."
"I arrived a step too late." Garp had been ordered to the North Blue to pursue the Bellamy Pirates, but unfortunately, due to insufficient intelligence, he hadn't even caught a shadow of Bellamy. By the time Garp received new information and rushed over, Captain Smoker had already been dead for many days. For a soldier as dedicated to his duty as Smoker to die tragically at the hands of a pirate – Garp's heart was equally filled with sorrow.
"Captain Smoker fulfilled the duty of a soldier. He is an undisputed hero of the Marines!" Garp delivered the final verdict on Smoker's death in battle. He removed the cape from his shoulders and slowly draped it over Smoker's body.
"The Loguetown branch will be taken over by personnel dispatched from Headquarters."
"Next, I will be heading to the Grand Line to pursue the Bellamy Pirates." At this point, Garp paused, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Marines. "You all, does anyone wish to accompany me?"
"I do!"
"Me too!"
"Avenge Captain Smoker!"
Hearing Garp's invitation, Tashigi's long-suppressed emotions burst forth uncontrollably. "Vice Admiral Garp, please, you must take me with you, I beg you!" Her superior officer had died inexplicably at the hands of a pirate; she could not accept it, no matter what.
"Very good."
"Those who wish to pursue Bellamy, follow me." After saluting Smoker, Garp departed without hesitation. A lot of time had already passed; if they didn't enter the Grand Line soon, the Bellamy Pirates would get too far away.
"Captain Smoker, I will definitely avenge you." Tashigi wiped away her tears and hurried after Garp. A large group of soldiers followed behind her, embarking on the journey to pursue Bellamy.
Twin Cape.
Bellamy and his crew had just finished their week-long study tour and were bidding farewell to Crocus.
"If there's any news, I'll find a way to inform you." Since he had agreed to help with Brook's matter, Bellamy would find a way to resolve it.
"Then I'm counting on you."
"Oh, right, young man, which route do you plan to take into the Grand Line?"
"Would you like some advice from me?" The Grand Line was divided into seven routes, each an independent journey. Once a choice was made, turning back would be very troublesome.
Although Bellamy was a rookie entering the Grand Line for the first time, he was perfectly clear about this; he had planned his itinerary before even arriving. He didn't particularly need Crocus's advice.
"No need, I have my own arrangements."
"Then, farewell." Bellamy didn't tell Crocus which route he intended to take; for such matters, naturally, the fewer people who knew, the better.
After returning to the ship, Bellamy immediately raised the sails and weighed anchor, officially setting off towards his first destination.
Stilt Island: A magical island where the people and animals living there all liked to walk on stilts. This was the first stop for the Bellamy Pirates, and also conveniently the first of the seven Grand Line routes. After this, Bellamy would follow this route straight ahead.
From Stilt Island → Fruit Island → Sun-Moon Island → Carnival City.
Upon reaching Carnival City, they could directly board the Sea Train there. Taking the Sea Train, they could travel as far as Water 7, which was the midpoint of the Grand Line, the end of the seven routes. If this journey went smoothly, Bellamy could traverse the first half of the Grand Line in just three months. If following a normal voyage, even without stopping to rest, they wouldn't be able to get this far in under half a year. The appearance of the Sea Train greatly reduced travel time.
Of course, Bellamy's ultimate destination on this trip was not the Sabaody Archipelago. So, he would disembark midway and then head towards the place he truly wanted to go. Before that, he still needed to obtain a detailed sea chart of the Grand Line. The seven routes of the Grand Line had extremely complex courses, each requiring a massive sea chart. It wasn't as simple as having an Eternal Pose and just heading in the indicated direction to smoothly reach the next island. The weather, currents, and so on in the Grand Line changed illogically. However, there were a few fixed routes that were relatively safer. These were routes explored bit by bit, at the cost of countless lives; this was the true value of a Grand Line sea chart.
While in the Four Blues, Bellamy couldn't get his hands on a Grand Line sea chart, only managing to acquire a few Eternal Poses. Before reaching the first island, he would have to rely on his own seafaring skills to lead the ship through numerous perils. To be honest, Bellamy's skill in navigation was only average. Many times, he had relied on brute force to escape danger; such an approach might not work well in the Grand Line.
But his current crew was basically fixed; he couldn't possibly turn back to find a navigator now. A team needed constant integration; this current small five-person pirate crew was already tiring him out to lead. A few more people, and Bellamy would have to play nanny for a long time again. Who the hell liked being a nanny? If he didn't need enough hands to sail the ship, he'd gladly have set out to sea alone.
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