Five days later, in the New World.
The climate here was far harsher than in Paradise. After five months of sailing, the Dawn Ship had charted less than one-third of the New World. It was not due to a lack of speed, but because Nami required stable weather conditions to accurately draw maps.
On this day, the Dawn Ship approached a new island.
This marked the first time they were intercepted by another pirate crew since entering the New World.
The opposing side introduced themselves as the Great Vortex Spider Pirates, a crew under the Whitebeard Pirates. Their captain was Squard, carrying a bounty of 210 million Berries.
Standing at the bow of his ship, the True Spider, Squard shouted toward the Dawn Ship, declaring that Sphinx Island ahead was territory protected by the Whitebeard Pirates, and that unauthorized individuals were forbidden from landing.
At that moment, Pini and Youki, both of whom had completed the Hundred Teachings training and could now contend evenly with Silvers Rayleigh or Scopper Gaban in single combat, had no patience for such warnings.
"Do you think you're Whitebeard? Blocking our path like this?"
Pini drew his bow without hesitation and released an arrow. The massive wind and lightning energy contained within it distorted the sky itself. In a single shot, both Squard and his ship were completely annihilated.
"Damn it, that was 210 million Berries! Couldn't you hold back a little?" Youki shouted, jumping in frustration as he watched the target vanish entirely.
Pini landed, casually snatched the cigarette Youki had just lit, took a drag, and exhaled.
"How was I supposed to know a pirate worth 210 million would be that weak? Next time we run into the Whitebeard Pirates, I'll let you take on Edward Newgate first."
"You said it. No taking it back!" Youki replied instantly, already forgetting about the lost bounty.
Pini rolled his eyes. "What are you so excited about? It's not like you can actually beat Whitebeard. No matter what, the Pirate King's right-hand men are still just that. They are not the Pirate King himself. There's definitely a gap between those two old men on this ship and Whitebeard. Don't get ahead of yourself and end up getting crushed."
Youki ignored the jab and grinned. "Doesn't matter. I'll be the first to fight him. And those two old men? Sure, individually they're not as strong as Whitebeard, but together, their combat power surpasses his."
"We can already fight them evenly. Next, we aim to suppress them, defeat them outright, or even take them on two against one. Just like how they used to handle us. Sounds good, right?"
"We can hear you!"
Rayleigh and Gaban stood nearby, their expressions dark as they voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
Pini and Youki raised their hands halfheartedly, offering a completely insincere apology before stepping forward. They placed Seastone handcuffs on the two veterans and escorted them back into the castle.
The two exchanged helpless glances.
It was not that they refused to resist, they simply could not.
Even putting aside the fact that Pini and Youki had already reached a level comparable to theirs, the methods of the seemingly harmless cook onboard were enough to make anyone uneasy.
After returning to the Dawn Ship following the New Year, the crew had openly discussed how to turn them into sparring partners without allowing resistance or escape.
After hours of discussion, it was Kirk, the cook, who proposed a solution.
They acquired slave collars fitted with explosive devices, the kind used by traffickers. Rayleigh had initially scoffed, confident he could crush such a device instantly before detonation.
However, Kirk turned out to be a rare Space Ability user.
While the two were restrained, Kirk directly embedded remote-controlled explosive devices into the flesh near their hearts.
As for who held the trigger, no one could say.
That uncertainty alone ensured their compliance.
Back in their room within the castle, the two old comrades exchanged another silent glance.
"Sigh… At this age, I still have to deal with this nonsense. Damn Shanks, when are you coming to get us out of here?"
After receiving Pini's call, Ash arrived on the new island as usual.
While everyone chatted, Youki casually brought up what had just happened. Only then did Ash realize that Pini had casually killed one of Whitebeard's adopted sons.
He had originally been waiting for Shanks to recover and rescue Rayleigh and Gaban, but now it seemed a conflict with the Whitebeard Pirates was inevitable.
As for Sphinx Island, the place they had just approached, it was none other than Whitebeard's homeland.
That detail did not concern Ash much. What mattered was the reminder this incident provided.
It was time to expand the army.
During the New Year, Ash had already spoken frankly with the village chief and elders. He told them that over the years, he and Sali had accumulated enough merit to create tens of thousands of Devil Fruits, enough to supply the entire village without burdening future generations.
When the elders heard this, they were delighted and immediately abandoned their earlier concerns.
Soon after, they began discussing which mythical abilities would suit them best.
Ash had not rushed them. He allowed them to take their time and simply asked to be informed once they reached a decision.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Ash suspected they had already made their choices but did not want to trouble him unnecessarily.
Meanwhile, Sali and the other members of the Dawn faction who traveled with Ash never revealed his true daily activities. Due to the unique location of Sky Island, no News Coo ever reached it.
To the elders, Ash was still tirelessly performing good deeds.
In reality, he spent most of his time enjoying life.
Realizing this, Ash felt a rare sense of embarrassment. While helping Kirk prepare the bonfire, he quickly instructed Pini and Youki to notify Sali and Wyper to return to Sky Island the next day for a meeting regarding army expansion.
Feasting upon reaching a new island had long become a habit of the Dawn Ship.
Sali and Wyper, upon receiving the message, immediately expressed interest in joining.
Ash activated his Observation Haki and soon detected a News Coo nearby.
Over the past six months, Big News Morgans had occasionally reached out, sharing bits of information to maintain goodwill. Because of this, Ash no longer eliminated his reporters on sight.
Instead, he appeared in front of the startled News Coo, gestured in a distant direction, and watched as it quickly flew away in understanding.
With surveillance gone, Sali and Wyper arrived without concern, joining the feast and learning about the plan to expand the army.
They all praised Pini's arrow.
A single shot had erased Squard entirely.
Without that display, how else could they measure the results of their recent training?
If they were going to fight next, they would aim for the strongest opponent.
Edward Newgate.
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