Ashen had no time, nor interest, to get involved in the chaos erupting across the New World.
To cover up a certain secret, the World Government had gone to great lengths to spread the story that the Roger Pirates had uncovered an unimaginable treasure.
This rumor drove countless pirates to madness, making them forget the vast gulf between themselves and the Roger Pirates. The world erupted with those desperate to hunt them down.
But even with Roger now on the verge of death, the Roger Pirates were still, without question, one of the top crews on the seas.
Any pirate deluded enough to think they could profit from confronting them was just chasing a hopeless dream.
And since Ashen wasn't currently in Dressrosa, and his crew's strength was spread thin, his orders to Salles and the others were simple: defend Dressrosa, and stay far away from the turmoil in the New World.
At this moment, the Pufferfish had been away from Skypiea for two days. Below them, the sea of the South Blue stretched wide and calm.
"Tesla, how much longer until we reach your hometown? You keep going on about the fine wine from your land, this time I'm definitely having a taste!"
In the Pufferfish's control room, Ashen was half-focused on studying the cloud route map given to him by Gan Fall, half-joking around.
"Soon! We'll be there by tonight. Once we land, we're all drinking until we drop!"
Tesla's mood was clearly lifted at the thought of returning home. After carefully stashing away the Vivre Card in his hand, he added, "Thanks again, Captain. We've delayed the crew's journey for my sake."
His heart was full of gratitude.
This whole trip, the entire crew had devoted themselves to helping with his family matters, not only finding his ancestor, but now even making a special stop in the Briss Kingdom so that he could give that ancestor a proper burial.
Considering how chaotic the New World was now, if they'd stayed, they probably could have seized the moment and gained huge benefits. That knowledge left Tesla with a tinge of guilt.
"Don't overthink it. This was on our path anyway, barely delayed us at all. Besides, our trip to Skypiea wasn't just about finding your ancestor. There's something important we need to do."
Ashen could see the confusion on Tesla's face and continued.
"I'd wager that by now, all the factories in Dressrosa have been fully converted.
The power cores for the paddle steamers should've started production too. Now tell me, what's the one thing we're still missing the most?"
"Seastone!"
Tesla and Dan, who was at the helm, replied in unison.
"Exactly. Seastone. The stuff we extorted from the Navy is only enough for two ships. If we want more, we'll have to buy it at sky-high prices.
And once the first ship is sold, word of Seastone's uses will spread like wildfire. After that, even if we had the money, we wouldn't be able to get it."
Ashen's concern was plain, and both Tesla and Dan nodded in agreement.
There was another thing Ashen didn't mention, Seastone was currently mined only in Wano, and Wano was now under Kaido's control.
Ashen had no chance of buying it in bulk. Back in the Rocks Pirates days, he and Kaido had always been at odds.
Sure, the current strength of the Helgrave Pirates meant they could easily take Wano by force from Kaido, who hadn't yet fully come into power.
But Ashen had two reasons for not doing so.
First, if they went to war with Kaido now, it would result in mutual damage, and Ashen wasn't about to do all the hard work only for Oden to reap the rewards.
Second, Kaido might not be acting alone. If that crazy woman joined forces with him, Ashen would no longer hold the advantage.
"So this place is rich in Seastone too?"
Tesla pointed to the endpoint marked on the cloud map, making a perfectly reasonable guess.
"That's right. I've always suspected there's another source of Seastone beyond Wano. Otherwise, how do you explain the Sky Islands' Sea Clouds and Island Clouds?
Island Clouds are created when water vapor mixes with a keratin-based particle, basically, crystallized rock salt.
And that rock salt crystal is a core component of Seastone.
A place capable of generating such enormous quantities of Island Cloud must be producing Seastone as well, lots of it.
This place, called the Summit of the Western Sky by the Skypieans, is another Seastone mine, and one that's continuously regenerating."
Ashen's explanation cleared up why they weren't taking the Calm Belt, and why they were returning to the New World via the South Blue instead.
After a few more hours of travel, just as Tesla had predicted, the Pufferfish arrived over the skies of the Briss Kingdom before dusk.
Ashen left behind Amelia, Old Nick, and over a dozen Fish-Men to guard the Pufferfish, while he, Tesla, and three others descended in a backup hot-air balloon, along with the remains of Nikola Tesla.
The Briss Kingdom consisted of one main island and more than twenty smaller ones. Tesla's family was located on one of the smaller islands.
It wasn't a large island. At its center sat a timeworn manor, surrounded by sprawling farmland.
"Hey! You up there! Who are you? This is private property, you can't land here without permission!"
Even before the balloon touched down, a slightly overweight old man, clearly a butler, shouted up at them while waving a gun.
Tesla seemed to recognize the voice instantly. He leaned out of the basket and waved excitedly.
"Hey! Uncle Peter, it's me, Tesla!"
Clack.
Peter dropped the gun onto the ground and, dragging his aging body, rushed toward where the hot-air balloon was descending.
"Young Master, you're finally back! I thought I'd never see you again!"
He threw his arms around Tesla the moment he stepped out of the basket, choking up with emotion.
"Haha! It'll take more than the Grand Line to kill me!"
After exchanging a few more words and introducing everyone, Tesla led them into the manor.
Peter and the manor staff prepared a lavish feast for the pirate crew. The wine Tesla had always praised lived up to the hype, truly a unique flavor.
"What? The person in that coffin is the ancestor you've been looking for this whole time?
And you're that pirate named Tesla? I thought it was just someone with the same name."
At dinner, Peter gasped in shock after hearing Tesla recount his adventures.
Time and again, he felt a chill. If not for meeting Ashen, Tesla might have died of old age in the Calm Belt.
"That's right. I'm a pirate now. I came back to bury my ancestor."
Tesla's reply was firm.
"And you're not planning to stay? You're leaving your family estate to an old man like me? I'm already too old, I've started forgetting things."
Peter caught the hidden message behind Tesla's words, and his mood quickly sank.
"I trust you to take care of this place. Besides, I've got a bounty on my head now. Staying here would only bring trouble to the kingdom."
Then he glanced at the others, who were still locked in a drinking contest, and said, "Besides, I've already found something even more precious."
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, after Nikola Tesla was laid to rest, the hot-air balloon rose once more into the sky, lifting slowly as Peter watched them leave, reluctant to let them go.
-------
If you want to support me and read 25 advance chapters, please visit.
pa-treon.com/Anfractuous
[Just remove the hyphen(-) to access the page.]