That night, at the secluded cabin near the Jewel Ice Sheet, Bardock's crew threw a farewell banquet for Gecko Moria.
Having fought intensely for over half the day, both Bardock and Moria were absolutely ravenous. The moment the food hit the table, the two giants began devouring it like black holes.
Bardock chewed thoughtfully, remembering the legends from the original manga. Akainu and Aokiji fighting continuously for ten days and ten nights. Whitebeard and Roger clashing non-stop for three days and three nights. Bardock had barely fought for half a day, and he already felt like he was running on fumes. He seriously suspected that Akainu and Aokiji had spent half of their 'ten-day duel' just sitting around slacking off. How could Logia users possibly fight at absolute maximum capacity for ten days straight without running out of stamina?
"Hey, Bardock," Moria suddenly spoke up between mouthfuls of meat. "Why don't you come with me to the Grand Line?"
Bardock swallowed his food before shaking his head. "No thanks. I have my own itinerary to follow. Besides, you're a pirate, and I'm a traveling adventurer. Sailing under the same flag wouldn't be appropriate."
"Kishishishishi! Bardock, do you think I'm blind?" Moria chuckled, not offended in the slightest. He pointed a greasy finger at Robin. "Nico Robin. The 'Demon Child' of Ohara. She's a high-priority target for the World Government. How much longer do you seriously think you can play the role of an 'innocent traveling adventurer'?"
Moria tore off another chunk of meat. "I can see it clearly. You're going to become a pirate sooner or later. It's inevitable. Why not just raise the Jolly Roger now and—"
"Eat your food!" Bardock interrupted, forcefully throwing a massive, bone-in ham directly at Moria's face.
Moria shrugged, catching the ham and taking a massive bite. If Bardock didn't want to talk about it, fine. But in Moria's eyes, it was only a matter of time before this entire crew had massive bounties plastered across the sea.
The banquet ended relatively early. Having eaten his fill, Moria gathered Absalom and departed into the night. He had originally planned to leave in the morning, but the unexpected rematch had delayed him. He wanted to get back to his ship, formally recruit Dr. Hogback, and set sail for the Grand Line as soon as possible.
The next morning, the weather was exceptionally beautiful, with a clear, boundless sky. Bardock treated himself to a rare sleep-in, only waking up when the sun was high in the sky.
After a light breakfast, he walked out to the Jewel Ice Sheet. Daz Bonez was already there, relentlessly practicing his slashes against the glacier.
Bardock stood before the massive wall of ice and drew White Iron. He closed his eyes, calming his mind and entering a profound state of absolute focus. He listened for the subtle 'breath' of the glacier.
In a single, perfectly smooth motion, he swung his sword.
A compressed air blade shot forward. Without a single sound of grinding or shattering, the impossibly hard ice parted like warm tofu, creating a clean, flawless fissure that extended deep into the glacier.
"I did it."
Bardock's Observation Haki instantly confirmed that the single slash had cleanly penetrated through dozens of meters of solid, hyper-dense ice, reaching all the way to the treasure vault below.
A deep sense of accomplishment washed over him. Two and a half months ago, he could barely scratch the surface of this ice sheet. Now, a single, casual flying slash could instantly cleave it open.
According to his original timeline, achieving this milestone should have taken him another full week. However, being pushed to his absolute limits during yesterday's battle against Moria had triggered a breakthrough in his swordsmanship. Testing it today confirmed it; he could slice the ice effortlessly, and he still had power to spare.
"Alright, that marks the completion of my swordsmanship training goal. Time to move on to the next phase," Bardock muttered to himself, sheathing his sword. "Next up: figuring out how to perfectly integrate the Rokushiki with the Hasshoken. And finding more creative ways to utilize the Flying Nimbus in combat."
The Flying Nimbus had played a massive role in neutralizing Moria's teleportation spam during their fight. It was a terrifyingly versatile weapon, but Bardock knew he had barely scratched the surface of its potential.
'Oh, right. I also need to develop a massive, wide-area destructive ultimate move. The techniques I have now just aren't flashy enough.'
With a fresh set of goals, Bardock happily dove right back into his grueling training regimen.
Another half-month flew by in the blink of an eye. The full three-month training period had officially concluded. It was time for the Dandelion Organization to leave the Kano Country.
Inside the wooden cabin, the entire crew gathered for a final meeting.
"Bardock, where are we heading next?" Robin asked softly. "We've already visited most of the major points of interest in the West Blue."
Robin had been noticeably quiet lately, frequently lost in her own thoughts.
"Next? We'll make a brief pit stop in the Ilusia Kingdom to resupply, and then we'll do one final, leisurely lap around the West Blue. Sai hasn't had a chance to explore this sea as a tourist yet!" Bardock announced cheerfully. "And after that... we're heading straight into the first half of the Grand Line to find the legendary City of Gold, Shandora!"
"The City of Gold?! Oh, my goodness! We have to find it! We have to clear Nolan's name!" Mansherry gasped, her eyes sparkling with tears.
"Yeah! We'll find the gold and prove to the whole world that Mont Blanc Noland wasn't a liar!" Leo cheered, pumping his tiny fists in the air.
As Tontattas, they had grown up hearing the tragic tale of Noland the Liar. Hearing that their very next major destination was finding his lost city made them want to set sail that exact second.
"Don't worry, I know the secret behind Noland's lost city. We'll definitely find it," Bardock smiled confidently.
Bardock was incredibly excited to visit the Sky Islands. For anyone transmigrating into the One Piece world, Skypiea was an absolute must-visit location. The dials, the Mantra, the endless dials—it was a treasure trove of unique resources. Many fanfiction protagonists even turned the Sky Islands into their own personal, untouchable strongholds.
"Once we reach Paradise, we won't just be looking for the City of Gold. We'll explore as much as we want," Bardock continued. "Eventually, we'll sail straight through the Calm Belt to visit the East Blue and the South Blue. That alone should give us years of adventuring."
"The East Blue and the South Blue?" Perona tilted her head. "Is there anything fun to do there?"
Having grown up entirely in the West Blue, Perona knew practically nothing about the other seas. Even though Robin had given them basic geography lessons, Perona hadn't paid much attention.
"Well," Bardock grinned, knowing exactly how to hook his audience. "The East Blue is the hometown of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. And the South Blue is the hometown of the Pirate King's wife."
Instantly, every single pair of eyes in the room snapped to him.
"The Pirate King had a wife?!" "Wait, really?!" "His wife was from the South Blue?!" "How do you even know that?!"
"Hold on, it gets better," Bardock raised a hand, his grin widening. "Not only did he have a wife, but the Pirate King also had a son!"
Over the next few minutes, Bardock casually narrated the tragic, heroic story of Portgas D. Rouge, and the absolute atrocities the Marines had committed across the South Blue in their desperate hunt to extinguish Roger's bloodline.
"That's horrifying! How could the Marines do something so evil?!" Mansherry cried, tears streaming down her face. "She was so incredibly strong..." Robin whispered, deeply moved by a mother's sacrifice. "What a legend! But man, Roger really screwed her over," Sai noted, shaking his head. "So... what happened to the Pirate King's son?" Perona asked, completely engrossed in the gossip.
"The Pirate King's son? He'll show up eventually," Bardock smiled cryptically. "When a pirate named 'Portgas D. Something' eventually makes a name for himself on the seas, that guy will be the Pirate King's son."
While he didn't reveal Ace's full identity or his connection to Whitebeard, Bardock had successfully etched the name 'Portgas' into his crew's memories.
"Alright, meeting adjourned! The rest of you, go help Sai and Boo prepare the ingredients for dinner. We're throwing a massive farewell feast with Leader Chinjao tonight!" Bardock clapped his hands. "Robin, stay behind for a minute."
Once the others had left the room, Bardock turned to the archaeologist.
"You've been incredibly distracted lately, Robin. You've had this hesitant look on your face for weeks. What's on your mind? You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Robin lowered her gaze, unable to meet his golden eyes. "Bardock... do we really have to go to the Grand Line?"
"You're worried about the World Government," Bardock stated gently. "You heard what Moria said during the banquet, didn't you?"
Robin slowly nodded, clutching her arms.
"Do you know what the most important tactical advantage a pirate crew can possess on the open sea is?" Bardock asked, walking over to her. "Mobility."
"Right now, there are several Admirals and Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters who could defeat us in a fight. But there is only one man in the entire Marine organization who is fast enough to actually catch us on the open ocean: Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino."
"And the Marines aren't going to deploy an Admiral to hunt down a relatively unknown crew right off the bat," Bardock reasoned. "Even if we do run into him, there's no need to panic. Currently, you are the only person on this crew with an active bounty. If it comes down to it, I can hold Borsalino off while the rest of you escape. He's notoriously lazy and hates doing extra work. He won't chase you."
"Besides, we're heading to the City of Gold first. There's a Poneglyph hidden up there," Bardock added casually. "We can stay hidden there for as long as we want before heading to the South and East Blues."
"A... a Poneglyph?!"
Robin's head snapped up. While she had genuinely wanted to avoid the dangers of the Grand Line to protect her new family, the mere mention of a Poneglyph instantly shattered her resolve.
"Yes. I know the exact locations of several Poneglyphs, and almost all of them are in the Grand Line," Bardock smiled. "To be completely honest, Robin, I understand the terrifying power of the World Government far better than you do. But it's exactly because I understand their power that I want to enter the Grand Line as soon as possible.
"I've practically reached the absolute ceiling of what I can achieve in the West Blue. If I stay here, the only way I can grow stronger is by waiting to get older. But in the Grand Line, I can encounter true monsters, push my limits, and learn completely new abilities. Besides... I actually have some friends waiting for me there."
"Friends?" Robin blinked, her curiosity completely overriding her anxiety. "You've never mentioned having friends in the Grand Line before."
"Hahaha! You'll meet them eventually!" Bardock laughed, leaving her in suspense.
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