No wonder Iron Fist Garp always treated his time in East Blue like a vacation.
It all made sense now on either side of Marineford, along the Red Line, there were safe sea routes, patrolled and protected by the elite forces of the World Government and Marine Headquarters.
And with the invention of Sea Prism Stone–coated battleships, those safe routes even passed through the formerly dangerous Calm Belt now more secure than ever.
As for rookie pirates from the Four Seas who dreamed of breaking through the Calm Belt or challenging the Marine escort fleets?
That was nothing short of suicide.
Even the infamous emperors of the New World wouldn't dare to pick a fight with the World Government's official escort fleet.
Which is why all new pirates from the Four Seas were forced to take the only remaining option enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain.
It was dangerous, sure, but it at least gave them a fighting chance.
The situation was no different from pirates trying to enter the New World they could only do so by diving beneath the Red Line, passing through Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile, Mary Geoise's bubble lift system and the Calm Belt's safe sea lanes were strictly guarded by the World Government. They served as the primary, sanctioned routes between the Four Seas and were off-limits to pirates of any kind.
Not a single pirate was allowed to even get near them.
Victor Shaw studied the map of these safe navigation routes used by the Allied Nations.
So it really was that convenient. One could sail directly from East Blue across the Calm Belt to Mary Geoise, then use the Red Line's infrastructure to travel onward to North Blue or West Blue.
Even the journey to the South Blue was straightforward just take the southern safe route through the Calm Belt.
No Reverse Mountain. No Grand Line. No danger.
Victor realized something else, too.
When Garp brought Portgas D. Ace from Baterilla Island in the South Blue back to East Blue, he had likely used one of these safe Allied Nation routes as well.
"Once I've secured my hold on East Blue," Victor murmured, "perhaps I'll make a trip to the South Blue."
His eyes gleamed with ambition.
After all, traveling to the South Blue wouldn't even require permission from Mary Geoise. There was no need to cross the Red Line at all.
This was one of the greatest privileges of being part of the World Government's Allied Nations
Access to the safe, protected sea routes connecting all Four Seas.
No need to brave Reverse Mountain, risk the Grand Line, or dive under the sea through Fish-Man Island.
No wonder Blackbeard was so desperate to have Hachinosu (Beehive Island) recognized as an Allied Nation.
Aside from avoiding Marine and World Government aggression, the ease of global navigation was a massive strategic advantage.
This was one of the true rewards of joining the Allied Nations.
…
Back in Goa Kingdom, Victor's vision had already begun taking shape.
At his command, hundreds of officials and soldiers moved in unison to carry out his plans.
This was the power of being a king.
Victor kept close tabs on all the notable warriors and rising figures in the East Blue.
He immediately instructed his court officials to send out invitations in the name of the Goa Kingdom, calling upon well-known mercenaries and bounty hunters.
He didn't even have to lift a finger to seek them out personally. Drawn by generous bounties and Goa Kingdom's newfound prestige, they came rushing to his gates on their own.
After all, the rich and beautiful Goa Kingdom had become the brightest beacon in all of East Blue!
And so, after just a few days of preparation…
A fully prepared fleet had assembled at Gray Terminal Port, the harbor of the Goa Kingdom.
Years ago, Sabo had once set sail from this very port in a tiny sailboat only to be blown out of the sea by a single cannon shot from Celestial Dragon Saint Charloss. He was later rescued by Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army.
And now, years later, a new kind of journey was about to begin.
Aboard the most luxurious flagship of the fleet, Victor Shaw stood proudly on the upper deck.
Below him, a group of mercenaries and bounty hunters waited in silence, heads lowered with respect.
Among them were two tall, thin figures who radiated a cold, detached aura. Their posture and presence made it clear they were no ordinary fighters.
These two were the elite mercenaries Victor had lured with high bounties and the prestige of the Goa Kingdom:
Whirlwind Eric, a Paramecia-type Sickle-Sickle Fruit user. He wielded dual scythes capable of conjuring and launching devastating wind blades.
He was a known figure in the waters between Loguetown and Reverse Mountain, frequently taking commissions from Marine Branch 8 to hunt down fledgling pirate crews trying to enter the Grand Line.
The other was Van Auger, also known by his alias Soundwave a sniper of exceptional reputation, armed with the legendary rifle "Chiluk."
Surprised?
Yes this is the same Van Auger, though not yet the pirate sharpshooter of the Blackbeard Pirates. Currently, at just 23 years old, he was a rising bounty hunter born in the East Blue.
From his noble attire and refined demeanor, it was clear he hailed from a prestigious family.
Only someone of noble birth could afford to train with a custom sniper rifle like Chiluk.
Victor had actually heard of Van Auger back when he was still in Edge Town.
He had once planned to recruit the guy after setting sail but to have him appear now, of his own accord, was a welcome twist of fate.
As Victor silently studied the two bounty hunters, they too were sizing up this so-called new king of Goa Kingdom.
They had heard rumors: that Victor Shaw was once just a street punk, a nobody.
And yet now here he was wearing royal robes and sitting atop the throne of one of East Blue's most elegant kingdoms.
Van Auger watched him quietly, an unreadable look in his eyes.
Eric, on the other hand, looked openly envious maybe even irritated. He viewed Victor as nothing more than a pretty-boy upstart, lucky enough to catch the eye of Princess Sally.
Looking at Victor's sharp features, noble clothes, and confident bearing, the ugly and wiry Eric felt a flare of resentment in his chest.
"You've accepted my money," Victor said calmly, his voice carrying across the deck. "So I expect you to earn it."
"Otherwise… well, the consequences won't be pretty."
He gave a faint smile one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Victor could see it clearly: Eric was annoyed, displeased, even defiant.
If he wanted to win these men over, he'd have to earn it through strength, not charm.
Especially with someone like Eric the same man who once killed Marine Commander Nelson Roy of Branch 8 over a Millennium Dragon.
Victor already had a plan forming in his mind.
He knew exactly how to use a man like that.
"I only answer to money not people."
Whirlwind Eric crossed his arms with an air of self-importance, his voice filled with arrogance.
"You pay me, I'll get the job done. Simple as that."
His tone made it abundantly clear he didn't respect Victor Shaw, King of the Goa Kingdom, in the slightest.
He had absolute confidence in his strength.
Even when facing someone like Arlong, who held the highest bounty in East Blue, Eric never backed down.
The Royal Guards stationed on deck widened their eyes in shock, stunned by how boldly Eric spoke.
Would their fearsome and unpredictable king kill him on the spot? Or banish him into the void like those court traitors?
But Victor simply offered a faint, indifferent smile.
"Let's hope so."
He made no move to punish Eric. Not yet.
He would use him first and then let him taste the cruelty of what it meant to cross a king.
Victor's gaze shifted to Van Auger.
"I've heard your marksmanship is exceptional. I happen to be… quite fond of marksmanship myself."
With a smooth motion, Victor drew a gold-plated flintlock pistol from his waist.
It shimmered in the light, clearly no ordinary weapon.
The Goa Royal Family's collection was, as expected, both vast and lavish.
Among their arsenal were high-tech firearms gifted by the Celestial Dragons themselves.
Gold-trimmed flintlocks. Gold-plated sniper rifles. Even gold cannons gleaming weapons of destruction.
In fact, the same golden cannon that Saint Charloss used to blow up Sabo's ship had come from this very collection.
Anything adored by the Celestial Dragons was not only expensive it was terrifyingly effective.
Victor had recently realized how well his Time-Time Fruit (Toki Toki no Mi) abilities paired with long-range sniping.
Why run across the battlefield when he could sit back and let bullets travel through time?
With pinpoint accuracy and flawless timing, his sniper shots were nearly impossible to dodge.
It was the perfect way to make a statement without even lifting a sword.
"…Just a little," Van Auger replied modestly, responding to the king's praise.
But inwardly, he felt a chill.
This so-called pretty boy king gave off a deadly pressure, the kind that couldn't be faked.
Van Auger didn't underestimate him.
Unlike Eric, his demeanor remained calm, respectful, and quietly confident refined like a true noble.
"I think very highly of you."
Victor made no effort to hide his admiration.
After all, Van Auger was one of his handpicked future retainers a man who, in another timeline, would go on to become a cadre in the Blackbeard Pirates.
Hearing this, Eric, who was standing just to the side, clenched his jaw in frustration.
Victor's open praise for Van Auger clearly rubbed him the wrong way.
Eric clenched his jaw.
He was clearly the more powerful close-combat fighter wielding dual scythes and mastering the Sickle-Sickle Fruit.
So why did Victor Shaw seem to value a sniper someone who only fired from the shadows more?
Why was Van Auger, of all people, the one to earn the king's admiration?
As those bitter thoughts stewed in his mind, the grand Goa Kingdom fleet nine fully armed warships carrying over a thousand personnel departed Gray Port with a roar.
Under Victor's command, the royal expedition officially set sail.
Queen Sally did not join the royal fleet. Instead, she remained behind in Goa Kingdom.
She was responsible for managing internal affairs and preparing to assume leadership of any newly conquered territories.
After all, each kingdom that fell to Victor would need governance and Sally De Cannette was ready to rule them.
To reach the Konomi Kingdom, the fleet would pass through several other island nations.
Each of those kingdoms was already marked in red on Victor's map.
They were all pathetically weak isolated, under-resourced, and politically irrelevant.
Victor had no intention of letting them remain independent.
It would be far better to absorb them into his rising Goa Empire.
And as for whether the World Government would raise objections?
It didn't matter.
As long as he paid the required celestial tribute, they'd turn a blind eye.
Even if Vice Admiral Garp came knocking, Victor would simply let the World Government lean on him.
In fact, Victor wouldn't mind stirring up a little trouble in Windmill Village either.
Let Garp taste the cost of opposing a king.
…
The fleet pressed westward across the East Blue.
The first kingdom they approached was the Four Leaf Kingdom, nestled among the islands of the Four Leaf Archipelago.
It was here that Shells Town could be found home to the 153rd Marine Branch, one of many small naval outposts scattered across the sea.
Victor's eyes narrowed as he reviewed the territory.
"Shells Town, huh…"
Somewhere on one of those islands was a young man who would one day be known throughout the world.
But for now?
There was no sign of the 17-year-old moss-head known as Roronoa Zoro.
His name as a bounty hunter hadn't yet spread across East Blue.
The man who would one day become the right-hand swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates was still unknown.
Victor chuckled to himself.
That guy was 19 when he finally stepped onto the Grand Line. Who knew how long he'd wander around, getting hopelessly lost in the local seas, before destiny finally pushed him forward?