The Sabaody Archipelago is located at the midpoint of the Grand Line, not far from the Holy Land of the Celestial Dragons, Mary Geoise. In addition, Marine Headquarters, Marineford, was also on a nearby island.
This archipelago was very similar to the Boin Archipelago, composed of several massive, towering trees. The ground was made of roots, and the entire island was covered in them. These great trees were called Yarukiman Mangroves, a legendary species on par with the Treasure Tree Adam and the Tree of Knowledge of Ohara.
The most striking and unique feature of the Sabaody Archipelago was the large bubbles that emerged from these trees. For this reason, it was also often called the Bubble Archipelago. These ubiquitous bubbles formed the basis of the local culture: bubble cars, bubble Ferris wheels, houses built on bubbles... The bubble culture permeated every corner of Sabaody Island and gave rise to a very special technology.
Coating.
As the name suggests, coating is the process of covering an object with a thin film. Since it was a special technology of the Sabaody Archipelago, this film was naturally made of bubbles. The film produced using this local technique was extremely tough, capable of withstanding the pressure of diving ten thousand meters to Fish-Man Island without breaking.
However, this technology had significant limitations. The material required for coating had to be the resin from the Yarukiman Mangroves. Only the resin collected from this legendary tree species could withstand the immense pressure at a depth of ten thousand meters. Moreover, once it was too far from the Sabaody Archipelago, the resin would gradually lose its effect. Therefore, this useful coating technology could not be found anywhere else.
After completing their training on the island, Bellamy's crew left the Boin Archipelago that same day. They traveled at high speed and arrived at Water 7, which was very close to Sabaody.
There were only three ways to cross the Red Line into the New World. The first was to buy a pass from the World Government and cross the Red Line normally. The second was to dive under the Red Line, ten thousand meters below the sea. The third, and simplest, was to fly directly over the Red Line with your crew.
If he didn't need a ship, Bellamy would have chosen the third option without hesitation. But he wasn't a user of the Float-Float Fruit; he couldn't keep a group of people flying in the sky indefinitely. For him, a good ship was a necessity. Therefore, a trip to Water 7 was also a necessity.
Water 7 was the most famous shipbuilding holy land in this world. Eight hundred years ago, the Ancient Weapon Pluton was built here by countless shipwrights. The maritime marvel, the Sea Train, was also built here by the legendary shipwright Tom. In short, if you wanted a good ship, this was the place to go.
Bellamy had rushed here with another intention: to look for Franky. Back then, Spandam had stolen the battleships Franky had built, framing his master Tom for the crime of attacking a judicial ship. To stop the World Government from taking Tom away, Franky had tried to block the Sea Train with his own body, only to be hit and severely injured, falling into the sea.
The world thought that Tom's young apprentice was surely dead. But in reality, not only had Franky survived, but he had also been lucky enough to be washed ashore on Ship-Scrapping Island. There, Franky used the abundant scrap metal from the abandoned ships to rebuild himself into a cola-powered cyborg. Who knows how he did it, but the technology in this world was a bit illogical to begin with.
Bellamy wasn't sure where Franky was now. At this point in time, he might still be on Ship-Scrapping Island modifying his body, or he might have already finished and left. Franky was currently just an insignificant nobody; not many people cared about his existence. Bellamy planned to check the nearby Ship-Scrapping Island first. If he could find him, great. If not, he would have to steal a good ship locally and then go directly to Sabaody for coating.
As for building a ship himself, that was currently impractical. The construction period for a large ship was at least half a year. He was currently right under the noses of the Five Elders. Given what he had done, if his whereabouts were discovered, the Three Admirals would probably be dispatched immediately.
Bellamy and his crew were all dressed in hooded cloaks and were acting very low-key, so they wouldn't be recognized in the short term. But over time, their identities would surely be exposed. They couldn't stay here long. Within a month, they had to get a good ship, get it coated, and head to the New World.
Ship-Scrapping Island, located near Water 7, was originally an insignificant reef area. It only got its name over time because people often dumped their abandoned ships there. Normally, no one ever came to this place, so it had become a gathering spot for seagulls.
After finding out the location of Ship-Scrapping Island in Water 7, Bellamy immediately sailed there. Although his crew had many questions about his strange actions, no one asked. After spending a long time with Bellamy, they had all come to understand that their captain definitely had other sources of information. Drake even secretly suspected that the captain had some connection with the Revolutionary Army. If not for Bellamy's extremely fierce nature, which didn't fit the style of the revolutionaries, this suspicion would have become a certainty.
Upon arriving at Ship-Scrapping Island, Bellamy immediately activated his Observation Haki, enveloping the small island. Soon, the distinct mental fluctuation of a human appeared in his perception.
"Found him."
This place was uninhabitable. Other than Franky, Bellamy couldn't think of anyone else who would be here.
"You guys wait here. I'll be right back."
Franky was a man burdened by a deep-seated grudge. Recruiting him shouldn't be too difficult. With this thought, Bellamy appeared before the pervert who was wearing nothing but a blue speedo.
"Hey, you're Franky, right?"
"Huh? Who are you?"
Franky was busy tinkering with his body with a wrench when a strange voice suddenly came from behind him, startling him. "When did you get here?" He hadn't sensed anything. Was he too engrossed in his work just now?
"Yo! This SUPER guy is Franky! What do you want with me?"
Franky, with no awareness of being a wanted man, brazenly pointed to his chest and admitted his identity. This personality was unexpectedly to Bellamy's liking.
"Not bad. He's built pretty solid, too."
"I'm Bellamy, captain of the Bellamy Pirates. I'm now officially extending an invitation to you."
"So what do you say, Franky? Want to come with me? Let's go to the New World together."
When it came to recruiting new crew members, Bellamy was as direct as ever, extending an invitation on the spot.
"Bellamy! I've heard your name!"
Ship-Scrapping Island was near Water 7, and a large flock of News Coos flew by every day. Bellamy's challenge from half a year ago had shocked the world, so Franky naturally had a deep impression of the name.