The Grand Line was a sea route that spanned the entire world.

It was split in half by the Red Line.

The first half was called "Paradise," and the second half was known as the "New World."

Magnus and his crew were currently located in the latter.

The New World!

The Red Line acted as a massive wall, separating the first and second halves of the Grand Line. Anyone who wanted to travel between the two either had to climb over it or pass through a deep underwater tunnel ten thousand meters below.

Since Fishman Island was located beneath the Red Line, at a depth of ten thousand meters, and lay in the first half of the Grand Line, Magnus had no choice but to dive deep.

Going over the Red Line was out of the question.

Especially since right beside it sat the Marine Headquarters, heavily fortified with troops. Passing over the Red Line would also mean entering Mary Geoise, the Holy Land where the Celestial Dragons resided.

Magnus wasn't here to pick a fight with the World Government — just to find the Pure Gold.

No need to cause unnecessary trouble.

"To dive into the deep sea, we'll need a coating. But in the New World, getting your ship coated isn't as easy as on Sabaody. All the Yarukiman Mangrove resin here is smuggled, and it doesn't store well. We'll need to wait a couple of days," someone explained.

Magnus and his crew were currently on an island near the Red Line in the New World. The resin needed for coating would take two days to arrive. As for the craftsman, Fishman shipwright Dean sometimes moonlighted as a coating specialist — his skill was trustworthy.

"Hey, isn't that a Marine base over there? And we're just casually hanging around here like it's no big deal?" Rocks asked, raising an eyebrow.

Not far from their island, across the sea on another large island, stood a fortress-like structure with the large letters "G-1" etched onto it.

The Marine G-1 Branch!

The largest Marine base aside from their main headquarters.

"Relax. As long as we don't intentionally show off our Haki and provoke them, the Marines don't have the time to monitor every corner of every island."

Magnus lounged in his chair, cracking open sunflower seeds. Beside him sat the Thousand-Year Falcon, shrunken down to palm size by Ripley. As long as their pirate ship wasn't discovered, a few pirates showing up in a city with hundreds of thousands of residents wouldn't cause a stir.

"This place is a vital gateway between the two halves of the Grand Line. All goods from Paradise pass through here to reach the New World."

"From a strategic perspective, this place is as important as Sabaody."

"If not for the terrible weather here, we might've even run into a wandering Celestial Dragon."

Akropolis Port.

Although most pirates who entered the New World didn't pass through here, many merchants still considered it the starting point of the New World.

Just a few kilometers ahead, towering cliffs came into view, with elevators wrapped in bubbles transporting goods and people from the base up to the heights.

Only merchants with strong ties to government officials could afford to use those lifts.

"There's a lot of people at the port today," Lily observed, forming an "OK" shape with her fingers like a telescope. Over the years, she'd traveled between the two halves of the Grand Line many times with Magnus, but the port had rarely been this busy.

"It's probably because of the Reverie."

Fishman shipwright Dean explained, "The World Conference that happens every four years. The kings of all government-affiliated nations in the New World should be gathering."

"So, will the King of Sphinx attend too?" Newgate asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, not yet," Magnus shrugged. "The World Government rejected Sphinx's entry on the grounds that we only recently joined. We have to pay ten years' worth of Heavenly Tribute before our king gets to attend."

Even if they were eligible, Magnus wouldn't send their puppet king to Mary Geoise.

No telling what kind of mess that guy might cause.

"Disperse for now. Regroup in two days."

While the kings went to their conference, the White Wolf Pirates searched for Pure Gold. At this point, even the weakest member of their crew, Newgate, had mastered both types of Haki. Magnus didn't need to babysit them anymore.

If they ran into Marines and got recognized, they'd just raise a ruckus.

At Magnus' current level of strength—

Even if he encountered two admiral-level enemies, he could still escape unscathed.

Rocks and Newgate exchanged glances and set off toward the marketplace together — like a pair of hooligans up to no good.

Magnus was the second one to sneak away.

He hated shopping with women. Despite being pirates, every time the girls went shopping, they had to visit every single store.

Even fighting a Marine admiral wasn't as exhausting!

"Magnus ran off again!"

Lily clenched her teeth. She'd been counting on him to help carry her bags.

"I'll go check on the suppliers," Dean said, also making his escape. If even the captain wouldn't deal with the women, why should he?

After all, there were quite a few.

Lily, Ripley, Toki, Stussy, and even Linlin.

If you didn't count Roya and Ed, there were probably more women than men on this crew!

But that was the captain's headache, not his.

Dean wasn't worried. He was already old, and even if he stayed on the ship, he'd only have a few years left.

Whether they found Pure Gold or not, he no longer had any grand ambitions.

That's why he respected Magnus.

If it were him, even if he got his hands on something that granted eternal life—

At this age, he wouldn't bother making a comeback.

The future was for the young!

Clang—

The sound of metal striking metal echoed beside him. A massive shadow passed by.

It was a slave with a hunched back, and Dean's palm grew damp with sweat.

But he wasn't dead yet!

"That's a giant!"

Rocks and Newgate reappeared at his side.

"There are a lot of giant slaves here!"

Rocks' expression darkened. During their time in Elbaf, he'd formed deep friendships with many of the giants.

And he recognized several of the enslaved giants here — they were from Elbaf!

War.

He remembered the battle in Elbaf one year ago.

Although they'd rescued King Harald—

In the six months that Magnus was absent, many giants were still captured.

Slavery.

That was their final fate.

"We need to tell the captain!" Newgate urged.

"No need," Rocks replied without even looking up.

"With the captain's Kenbunshoku (Observation) Haki, do you really think he hasn't already seen this?"

"This is a test. He wants us to decide for ourselves."

The G-1 base was right next door. If they acted rashly, admiral-level reinforcements would arrive in under an hour.

And there wouldn't be just one!

"We'll need to plan this carefully."

They had to rescue the giants without attracting too much attention.

Rocks was sure—

This was Magnus' way of testing them!

Dean looked at the calm, steady Rocks and couldn't help but wonder where Magnus had found all these talented youngsters.

Though still young, Rocks was already stronger than him on land.

At the open-air bar by the port—

"Two Winter Flames, please."

Magnus ordered a drink and sat down across from someone at a table.

"Pretend you didn't see what's about to happen. Sound fair?"

"Oh? And what do I get out of that?" the woman asked.

"I'll buy you a drink," Magnus grinned.

Across from him sat a red-haired female Marine with long, slender legs propped up on the table. She lowered her sunglasses and glanced at him.

"That won't cut it."

"You'll have to buy me a whole night's worth!"

(End of Chapter)

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