The meeting had been brief, following the long-standing Marine tradition of "less talk, more action."
Kojin was slightly troubled by his posting in the South Blue, but that feeling didn't last long.
According to his recollections, after Pirate King Gol D. Roger reached the final island, Laugh Tale, he disbanded the Roger Pirates and went into hiding on Baterilla Island in the South Blue, where he married Portgas D. Rouge.
"At this point in time, Roger should be busy making babies with Rouge," Kojin couldn't help but inwardly speculate.
After nearly a year of peaceful life, that world-famous Pirate King would then turn himself in to Marine Headquarters.
"So what kind of Pirate King is he at this stage?"
Dragging along a body ravaged by terminal illness, he had forced himself all the way to becoming Pirate King. Ultimately, due to his deteriorating health, or perhaps other reasons, he had no choice but to disband his crew and take refuge on a small, unnamed island in the South Blue.
It could be said that even if Roger didn't surrender a year later, his remaining lifespan was already extremely limited.
So, what was Roger's physical condition like at that moment? How much of his peak strength remained?
After learning that he had been assigned to the South Blue, Kojin found himself thinking uncontrollably about these things.
He suddenly felt nervous, then expectant, and immediately afterward, an indescribable surge of battle intent welled up in his heart.
'How far was he now from the Pirate King, the strongest man in the world?'
'If they were to face each other, could he surpass him?'
Anticipation filled Kojin's heart as he stayed at Headquarters for about a week.
When the Seastone Battleship technology was sent back to the shipbuilding facility at Headquarters, it triggered a wave of battleship modifications. Due to Kojin's success in the mission, his battleship, like those of Sengoku and Zephyr, was given top priority for modification.
As a result, the battleship refit was complete seven days later.
This meant that Kojin could set off for the South Blue.
Kojin didn't delay. In fact, during this period, many officers whose assigned missions were closer had already departed. They hadn't waited for their battleships to be modified, choosing to handle the refits later instead.
At the harbor, Kojin encountered Borsalino, who was also preparing to set sail.
"Long time no see, Kojin San."
Borsalino walked over to him with a broad smile and greeted him. Then he glanced at Crocodile, Bullet, and the others behind him and his expression shifted slightly.
"Whether it's you, Kojin, or your subordinates, you all look pretty terrifying!"
Kojin burst out laughing.
"Honestly, you're the truly terrifying one, aren't you?"
Borsalino waved his hand. "I just want to do my job properly and live peacefully."
After a pause, he sighed again.
"But the world has really been too unstable lately. Pirates, Marines, and even the World Government… Each one is more frightening than the last."
Kojin understood the hidden meaning in his words and asked, "Borsalino, what do you mean by that?"
"Is the World Government making a move too?"
Borsalino glanced around, his smile fading as he lowered his voice.
"You didn't know?"
"Compared to us, they clearly place even more importance on the serious impact Roger has caused. This time, it's not just the CP organisations being deployed to investigate Roger and his crew."
"Apparently, even the God's Knights have shown signs of appearing."
Hearing this, Kojin froze.
"The God's Knights? What are they?"
'"Who knows? But they sound pretty scary.'
"But I'm not sure whether they're actually participating in this incident."
Borsalino shrugged and stood up straight.
Kojin fell into thought, speculating about the power truly possessed by the World Government.
After chatting for a while longer, Borsalino curiously prodded Kojin's bulging pectoral muscles, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"In just two years, you've changed a lot."
"With a body this solid, you'd probably scare many delicate little beauties into curling up and trembling in the corners of their beds."
Kojin was speechless.
"You lecherous old bastard."
"Heh heh."
"I'll accept being called lecherous, but I'm still young, you know. I'm only a few years older than you." Borsalino shook his head while speaking.
After that, he stretched lazily and looked at the fully prepared battleship.
"Looks like it's time for me to set off, too. Once this busy period is over, I'm definitely taking a long holiday."
Kojin was completely speechless towards this guy, but managed to say with some emotion, "Sometimes, I really envy your attitude to work, clocking in and out on time."
"Isn't it just a job?"
Borsalino waved without turning around and stepped onto the battleship.
At that moment, Slo was also on board, waving at him.
"Then it's about time for us to set off as well!" Kojin sighed softly.
The battleship slowly sailed out through the Gates of Justice. Soon after, Slo and Mina frowned slightly as they studied their route for this voyage carefully.
"Since our ship can pass through the Calm Belt, there's no need to go through the Grand Line to reach the South Blue. We can cross the Calm Belt directly to the east and enter the South Blue."
The two quickly finalized the sailing plan.
Kojin had long since stopped personally handling ship operations. As long as the direction and destination were decided, his navigator and shipwright would execute everything perfectly.
This often made him sigh with appreciation; having capable people under him was truly a blessing.
The ship entered the Calm Belt at around two or three in the afternoon.
The moment they crossed into the Calm Belt, everyone's expression changed subtly as a clear sensation washed over them.
The sails, which had once billowed in the wind, suddenly went still. The fluttering clothes and capes stopped moving altogether. There was no force in the air to drive them.
There was truly no wind at all.
Even the sea surface beneath the battleship fell into an eerie, deathlike stillness.
Kojin was astonished. In his experience, everything in the world was in motion, and wherever there was motion, air would be stirred, forming wind and sea currents.
The flapping of a butterfly's wings in the distance could cause a storm on the other side of a strait.
That was the essence of motion in all things.
Put simply, the Calm Belt was unscientific... yet it undeniably existed.
Evans, Rosinante, and the others leaned over the railing, their faces tense and vigilant.
Clusters of massive shadows floated quietly near the sea's surface. Without making a sound, they radiated fear and dread.
There was no doubt, these were Sea Kings.
Crocodile and Bullet also stared solemnly down at the sea, remaining silent.
Kojin had never seen creatures this enormous before, and he was overwhelmed by a sense of shock that was almost indescribable.
He had seen giants, Saul, for example, but compared to these rulers of the sea, even giants seemed insignificant.
The battleship moved slowly forward. They saw the largest of the sea kings, a creature that rivaled a mountain in size and was floating on the sea like a small island. Only its back, covered in jet-black scales, was exposed above the water.
It was a truly terrifying, colossal creature.
Moments later, they spotted an island covered in dense jungle in the distance.
"There's actually an island in the Calm Belt?" Crocodile exclaimed in surprise.
"That's Amazon Lily Island. An island inhabited only by women." Bullet replied in a deep voice.
He had once heard legends about this island when he had followed Roger.
The group gazed at the island as they passed by it. By evening, the ship finally emerged from the Calm Belt. In an instant, a gentle breeze blew across them, causing everyone to shudder slightly.
"We've reached the South Blue!"
"That was way too fast!!"
(End of Chapter)
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