At dawn, the sky was just beginning to brighten…
Above the harbor of Mangrove 42 on the Sabaody Archipelago, an air door suddenly opened in midair.
A pirate ship shot out from it, propelled by compressed air. It descended slowly and silently onto the sea. Moments later, coating bubbles swelled up, wrapping the entire Twin Goddesses in a massive sphere. Without a sound, the ship sank beneath the surface.
"So amazing… so beautiful…"
The early morning light filtered down through the sea, illuminating the ocean floor in dazzling brilliance.
All around them stretched the enormous roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove, plunging deep into the ocean. Even the thinnest root was as thick as the Twin Goddesses.
Countless sea creatures drifted through the waters, and even the massive, fearsome Sea Kings were far from rare. It felt like touring an underwater park.
"Unbelievable…"
On deck, the members of the Sky Pirates stared at the dreamlike scenery, awe written across their faces.
But the most excited of all was the ship's navigator, Fisher Tiger.
Standing beside him, Yemu could feel his emotion and said gently,
"We're finally heading home, Tiger."
"Yeah!"
Staring into the dim depths of the sea, Tiger wiped his eyes.
"It's been six years, Captain."
"I'm sorry. You could've gone back three months ago. I ended up delaying you this long."
Yemu spoke with a trace of guilt.
Tiger shook his head firmly.
"No… that's not it. Captain, you were right."
He clenched his fists, feeling the powerful strength surging through his body. His eyes burned with excitement.
"The weak can't protect what they want to protect. I can feel it. These three months of training have made me much stronger. Now I'm finally qualified to stand beside you and the vice captain in battle. And it's not just me. Everyone's grown a lot."
As he spoke, he and Yemu both looked toward the others.
The crew's attention shifted to them.
After a brief pause, Yemu asked,
"Tiger, how does the rest of our route look?"
Tiger answered smoothly, clearly prepared.
"We'll keep descending steadily like this for about half an hour, until we reach a depth of around 1,000 meters and the seabed. Then we'll encounter the great ocean trench. The currents there are extremely turbulent. Over roughly two hours, we'll drop another 5,000 meters, straight into the true deep sea."
"After that, the currents will calm down again, but the temperature will turn quite cold for about 2,000 meters. Then, after another 1,000-meter descent, we'll reach the undersea volcanic zone. That area is extremely hot."
"From there, we'll continue descending another 1,000 meters. At a depth of 10,000 meters… we'll finally see Fish-Man Island."
"I see."
Yemu nodded.
"Since we'll have a relatively stable stretch ahead, I'll take this chance to talk about our plans moving forward."
…
On the deck of the Sky Pirates' ship, everyone gathered in a circle.
At this stage, there was no need to steer. The sea currents carried them downward in a steady descent.
All eyes turned to Yemu. As captain, it was naturally his responsibility to set the course for their future.
"Our plans aren't complicated."
"Compared to the first half of the Grand Line, the New World is practically paradise for pirates like us. Sure, the pirates there are more terrifying than the last—true monsters—but compared to the World Government, it still feels freer and easier."
"But that doesn't mean we can let our guard down."
"Next, we'll stay on Fish-Man Island for a while. Tiger, as our host, we'll be relying on you to take care of us there."
Tiger laughed boldly.
"Leave it to me, Captain. I'll make sure everyone gets a proper tour of Fish-Man Island."
"After we leave Fish-Man Island, we'll officially enter the New World."
"The New World is different from the first half of the Grand Line. That's already the end of the Grand Line, so there's no need for us to rush forward anymore. Instead, our goal will be to find an island suitable for the Sky Pirates and turn it into our own paradise and base."
"But before that, there are two places we need to visit."
As he spoke, Yemu took out a somewhat rough sea chart.
"I got this from Shakky. Unlike the first half of the Grand Line, the New World has four routes running from start to finish. Each route is surrounded by numerous islands. For example, one of our destinations—Flare's homeland, the Gourmet Kingdom—is located near the route closest to North Blue."
"Our second destination, Island Alchemi, lies along the central route that leans toward West Blue."
"Island Alchemi?!"
The unfamiliar name made everyone blink in surprise.
"What's so special about that island? Why are we going there?"
Flare asked curiously.
Yemu smiled.
"Island Alchemi is known as the legendary Alchemy Island."
"Alchemy Island?!"
"Yeah. I learned about it from that treasure hunter we took down. The island is famous worldwide for alchemy. For Kuromi and the others, especially when researching new metals, it'll be extremely useful."
"On top of that, there's said to be a legendary metal there."
At this point, excitement flickered in Yemu's eyes.
"It's called Pure Gold. Its effect is simple—it can slow down human aging."
"Slow down aging…"
The moment those words fell, no further explanation was needed. Shock filled everyone's eyes, especially Flare's.
"Hey, Yemu… you don't mean…"
"Exactly what you're thinking. It's said to keep people youthful, delay aging, and even cure illnesses. No one knows how long someone could live with it, but a few hundred years shouldn't be a problem."
"No way… That kind of metal really exists? Then we absolutely have to go!"
Flare's eyes shone brightly.
Baby-5 excitedly waved her arms.
"That's wonderful, Enel-sama! That way everyone can stay together forever!"
No one could resist the temptation of eternal youth.
"Of course," Yemu said with a grin. "But to be honest, I have no idea whether we'll actually find it. That depends entirely on luck."
After calming everyone down, he continued.
"Once we're done with those two islands, it'll be time to choose a base."
"We don't know much about the New World's islands yet, but my idea is to find one close to the Calm Belt."
He traced a line across the map.
"Both the route near North Blue and the one near West Blue are options for us."
"Our biggest advantage is our ability to sail through the Calm Belt. Among these, the route near North Blue is our best choice. First, because Flare's homeland is there. Second…"
Yemu turned to look at Erik and Ayala.
"Erik and Ayala's homeland, Flevance, is in North Blue. If something unavoidable ever happens, our ability to navigate the Calm Belt might give us a chance to save that country."
The moment they heard that, tears welled up in Erik and Ayala's eyes.