"Have you ever been to Wano?"

"No."

"No."

Crocodile and Mihawk responded simultaneously.

They both turned their eyes to Buggy.

"I have~" Buggy's presence shrank a little.

The two were a bit annoyed, but couldn't argue.

Buggy was once a crewmember of Roger, so he had been to many places.

Wano is a dangerous place; it's understandable they hadn't gone. Mihawk had heard the samurai there were strong, but he didn't bother going himself.

In his view, only those who come to challenge him are worth fighting.

No one's worth the effort for him to go to them.

"What about Elbaf then?"

"Yes" ×3

This time, all three replied at once, surprising everyone.

"I get why you two have been there, but you?" Roy looked at Crocodile.

It made sense for Buggy, who followed Shanks in his youth, and Mihawk had likely visited after Shanks became Elbaf's hero. But Crocodile? He had no clear ties to the giants.

"I heard it was the strongest nation in the world, and curiosity drove me there. Only after visiting did I realize that to stand firm in this world, one must possess great military strength."

"Elbaf has remained independent from the World Government for 800 years purely through strength. I went there in the past two years and saw it firsthand. That's why I want to build a nation like theirs, one that can't be touched by war," Crocodile said.

"Why are you bringing up these two countries? Does it have something to do with what you said earlier?" Buggy asked nervously.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but in recent days, the sea level has risen a bit," Roy said casually.

"Who'd care about that kind of thing? We're not scientists," Crocodile replied.

"I actually noticed. There's definitely been some change. The sea level has risen slightly, although not by much. But I no longer live on Kuraigana Island," Mihawk said.

Kuraigana Island is Mihawk's territory after becoming a Warlord. The island once had a kingdom that eventually fell into chaos and was destroyed.

There are many such examples across the world. Mihawk had lived there for over a decade and observed the island very closely.

"Yes, the sea level has been rising for a long time. It all started around 800 or 900 years ago, during the Void Century, a major event changed the entire structure of the world," Roy said.

"What event?" asked Crocodile.

"The sea level rose by 200 meters," Roy stated.

"200 meters?!"

All three widened their eyes in shock. They had never heard such a claim. A 200-meter rise would have submerged many islands entirely.

"Tectonic movements, perhaps. The Red Line keeps growing every year. The current world, you could say, is like a pancake, flattening out over time. If this continues, the entire planet may become a flat sea. And the Red Line would be the only remaining land. Everything else would be underwater," Roy explained.

"If the world turns out like that… wouldn't we all have to live on the Red Line?" Buggy said anxiously.

"Don't exaggerate. Geological changes like that take millions of years. If it were happening that fast, we'd already be dead," Crocodile snapped.

"Normally, yes. But centuries ago, the sea did suddenly rise by 200 meters. Most of the world's land was swallowed. "

"What we see now, these islands, are just mountain tops from the old world. The real land was drowned. Why do you think the Celestial Dragons live on the Red Line? The Celestial Dragons didn't move to the Red Line because they wanted to; they had to. After they won the war, they erased that part of history. That's why no one today knows about the great flood," Roy continued.

"Two hundred meters… that must have killed so many," Buggy gulped.

"You weren't with Roger when he reached Laugh Tale, so it's normal you don't know. Even without Poneglyphs, clues to this truth can be found in historical records."

"Some islands still show signs of that drowned history, take Water 7, for example. The city's underground is full of ancient structures. The sea level kept rising, and now the entire city floats on water. Why do you think I asked about recent sea-level rise?" Roy paused and added, "Because someone recently used a certain weapon that caused the sea level to rise even more."

"A man-made sea level rise?" Crocodile was stunned.

"Yeah. Global warming, ice melting, it all contributes to rising sea levels. It's a problem the world faces. The planet remains, but human resources are dwindling. And when resources run low, people plunder. If you think you can stay out of it, you're dreaming. The Celestial Dragons won't allow powerful factions to exist."

"You either search for the One Piece… or wait to die. There's no safe place in this world," Roy said with a grin.

"So what do Wano and Elbaf have to do with all this?" Mihawk asked.

"They have one thing in common. Buggy, you tell them," Roy motioned while he ate a bowl of noodles.

Buggy, sweating under the pressure, started racking his brain.

"What do those two places have in common? Let me think... oh! They're both really big!"

"Hmph." Crocodile glared at him.

"Wait, wait, don't hit me! Let me think again. I got it! They're both high up! Wano is up on a mountain, and Elbaf, though it has land, its people live on the branches of the Adam Tree. Both places are way above sea level!" Buggy shouted excitedly.

Roy, still eating, gave him a thumbs-up.

"Exactly. Height. When the sea suddenly rose 200 meters, how many people must've died? That's why now they live up high. Because the World Government erased the truth, people have forgotten about that disaster. But countries that opposed them, like Wano and Elbaf, still live high above sea level, just in case the flood happens again."

"Here's the issue: unless you find a place like that, or move to the Red Line, any nation you build will be at risk, either from the World Government or from the rising sea."

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

[email protected]/DaoistJinzu