Yet the more he searched, the deeper his frown became.
After an unknown amount of time, as if he had realized something, Sengoku's eyes suddenly shifted and fell upon a stretch of sea on the West Blue map.
On the map, there was nothing in this area of sea, only a vast blue expanse. But as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines and someone who had personally experienced that incident back then, Sengoku was well aware of this sea area.
This sea area... Back then, everything had been erased by the World Government. There was not even a trace left on the sea charts to indicate that it had once existed.
Sengoku stared intently at that area, but his eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief as he muttered to himself: "That guy... has he gone mad?"
As his words fell, just as his expression turned uncertain and he was hesitating whether to arrange marines to investigate that sea area…
"Purururu!"
The ringing of the Den Den Mushi on the desk instantly pulled Sengoku back to his senses. He took a deep breath, calming himself as much as possible, then picked up the Den Den Mushi and said coldly: "Hello, what is it?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, it was as if he heard something from the other side.
His expression changed instantly, and he roared angrily: "Damn it, which bastard provoked those people and dragged them to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
…
The Sabaody Archipelago is located in the middle section of the Grand Line, at the front end of the Red Line.
It is formed from the exposed root systems of the world's largest Yarukiman Mangrove trees, and the ground continuously produces floating bubbles formed from natural resin.
Due to its special geographical location and because it lies at the foot of the Red Line, the atmosphere of trade on the islands is extremely strong.
Countless merchant ships and slave ships transport their goods here, hoping that their merchandise will gain the favor of the Celestial Dragons who descend from above, and ultimately be sold throughout the entire sea.
Of course, it is not only merchant ships and slave ships that come here.
As a mandatory passage to the New World, the Sabaody Archipelago is also a place that countless pirate crews, who have passed through the first half of the Grand Line and yearn to enter the New World in pursuit of their dreams, must visit.
Only here can pirate ships be coated, allowing them to enter the New World from beneath the sea and thus avoid the sight of the marines.
Therefore, pirate crews that come here, in order not to attract the attention of Marine Headquarters, all act in a low-key manner on the islands.
Once their ships are coated, they quickly pass through the seabed and enter the New World, entering that world... known as the pirates' paradise.
However, this year... It was somewhat different.
In past years, pirates recognized by the sea as supernovas were difficult to see, yet this year, a full ten of them had emerged. Moreover, these pirates were given the title of the Worst Generation.
They were regarded as a new generation of pirate crews that combined both competition and reform, capable of changing the balance of power on the seas.
One can imagine just how terrifying the strength of these pirate crews was.
But what was even more terrifying was that these members of the Worst Generation actually arrived on this island, the mandatory passage to the New World, on the very same day.
Because of this, the Sabaody Archipelago also ushered in a rare pirate carnival.
After landing on the islands, these hot-headed youngsters did not act in a low-key manner like other pirate crews. Instead, because they had gathered together, they caused even greater commotion.
At this moment, whether by fate or by coincidence, seven pirate crews encountered one another on Grove No. 24 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
In an instant, an indescribable atmosphere hung over the heads of these members of the Worst Generation.
Aside from Luffy, who was still foolishly grinning, the other captains all stood with their respective crews, watching with vigilance the pirate crews that were likewise part of the Worst Generation.
"Hahahaha, I didn't expect my luck to be this bad!"
Just as everyone was warily watching one another, a wild, arrogant laugh suddenly broke the heavy atmosphere.
The captain of the Kid Pirates, Eustass Kid, wore an arrogant smile on his face.
After sweeping his gaze across everyone present, he gave a cold snort, his eyes filled with disdain. "The Worst Generation? I thought it was an amazing title. Turns out it's just a bunch of trash. Marine Headquarters is really annoying. They actually lumped me together with you guys?"
Everyone: "...?!"
As soon as these words fell, the expressions of the other pirate captains changed instantly.
Some revealed anger, others frowned deeply, but all of them stared fixedly at the arrogant captain of the Kid Pirates before them.
All of them were Supernovas; who would dare say who was weaker than whom?
However, Kid did not pay any attention to these people. Instead, his gaze fell on the boy with a straw hat not far away. "Hey, you're the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, right? You don't look like anything special."
He curled his lips in disdain. "Yet your bounty is actually higher than mine. What a joke. Looks like Marine Headquarters has gone blind."
After all, in order to raise his bounty, how many incidents had he stirred up since setting sail?
Yet he, who should have had the highest bounty among the supernovas, was overtaken some time ago because of a certain incident by the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
No, not only by the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, but even by his crew members.
As if recalling something, Kid's gaze shifted to the other side of the straw-hat boy, landing on a dark-skinned, burly man with messy hair and a thick beard. His brows immediately furrowed.
"Marshall D. Teach, famed for loyalty and righteousness? Heh."
As he spoke, the corner of his mouth again carried a disdainful tone. "Marine Headquarters is really timid. Just the son of a guy who's been dead for who knows how many years, and they get that nervous?"