Chapter 60: Chance Encounter During A Sea Voyage
“Crack————！！！”
Thunder exploded in the sky.
Silver-white lightning slashed through the pitch-black sea of clouds like a suddenly appearing white blade. In that instant, the Vast Sea was illuminated pale white. The seagull flags fluttered loudly in the Storm, and the Navy’s warships bobbed up and down like toys children placed in a bathtub.
“All hands, hard right turn······”
On the flagship at the ship’s bow with a dog head biting a bone,
A navigator over forty years old was shouting commands hoarsely through the Den Den Mushi.
“Mister Garp, aren’t you going to make a move? With your abilities, breaking apart the clouds in the sky shouldn’t be any trouble, right?” In the flagship’s bridge, Prince Elus toyed with a chess piece carved from magnetite, glancing sideways at Garp, who was sitting nearby eating a doughnut.
“Why should I go to the trouble?”
Garp gave Prince Elus a strange look.
“I’m not a babysitter, and the Navy under my command aren’t kids who need someone to look after them. Kid, don’t underestimate them! Of course they’re not monsters like you, but as Navy, they won’t be taken down so easily by a little Storm.” Garp said.
“No.”
“Well, I’m not underestimating anyone. It’s just that this rocking is really troublesome.”
Prince Elus frowned, holding the chess piece in one hand and a cup in the other.
The magnetite chess piece naturally wouldn’t fear the rocking on the iron chessboard cut from sheet metal, but the cup full of coffee milk couldn’t be placed on the table. He had to hold it in his hand and constantly adjust its position to avoid spilling and making a mess.
“Hahaha! What nonsense are you saying? This is the charm of the sea, isn’t it?”
“If this counts as charm, then it probably doesn’t suit my tastes.”
As Prince Elus spoke, he placed the chess piece in his hand down with a “snap.”
The one playing chess with him was a beautiful major with a head of lovely pink long hair. This Navy major, who had the verbal tic of “Tina how how,” had decent chess skills. After discovering this little secret, Prince Elus had dragged this beautiful major to play chess with him.
Tina stared intently at the chessboard, pondering her next move.
Nearby,
Garp leisurely ate sweets.
Smoker, with a cigar in his mouth, sat by the window puffing clouds of smoke.
Fran, dressed in a maid outfit, was watching over two children playing a game.
Jinbe held a finely bound book and read it slowly.
Besides that,
There were also figures of busy Navy officers in the bridge.
This Navy fleet was on its way back to Navy Headquarters Marineford. After seeing the Navy warships docked in the port, Prince Elus immediately had the idea of hitching a ride on a Navy warship to the Red Line.
Though riding his own warship would be more comfortable, the Navy warships weren’t bad either, and it was a bit more convenient for heading to the Red Line.
After all,
Even ships from World Government Member Nations had to undergo extremely strict inspections to cross the Red Line. Ever since the vicious incident where Fisher Tiger invaded the Holy Land and freed a large number of slaves, the guards on the Red Line had become even stricter.
Rather than waiting for that cumbersome and lengthy inspection, it was better to catch a convenient ride.
Thus,
The two princes and one princess of the Sokachio Family, along with nearly a hundred maids and attendants, boarded a Navy warship. Under the Navy’s escort, they headed to the Red Line. In addition, the Seven Warlords’ “Sea Knight” Jinbe was also aboard.
This team with a slightly complex personnel composition thus left the Eckmond Kingdom and headed toward the Red Line.
······
“By the way, Jinbe, we left in such a hurry that I forgot to ask what you gained from wandering around with Eschbach and the others before?”
Victory and defeat had been decided on the chessboard,
Prince Elus won decisively.
Major Tina bit her thumb, her face full of unwillingness.
“What do you think? Jinbe.”
Prince Elus tilted his head back and drained the coffee milk from his cup, placing the empty cup into the grooved tray where it clicked into place. No need to worry about it rolling onto the floor from the rocking.
“Don’t know!”
Jinbe shook his head.
“What kind of answer is that?” Prince Elus glared.
“That’s my answer.”
Jinbe looked up. “The Eckmond Kingdom is very prosperous. The commoners domestically live very well. In this New World, it’s absolutely a top-tier wealthy and peaceful country. The Sokachio Family has been able to pass down the throne for six generations and produce someone like you, Prince Elus—that’s only to be expected.”
Words of praise flowed out without reservation.
Prince Elus wasn’t blinded by the tall hat and calmly waited for the turn that followed.
Then—
The Whale Shark Fish-Man stared straight at Prince Elus, paused, then changed tack. “However, all that is the achievement of your ancestors, Prince Elus. I still haven’t figured out what exactly you want to do. If the Seven Warlords are just your hobby, then what are your ambitions and aspirations?”
If Prince Elus was just planning to inherit his ancestors’ legacy and steadily expand the Eckmond Kingdom bit by bit, then establishing diplomatic relations between Ryugu Kingdom and Eckmond Kingdom would naturally be a top-tier good thing. But if Prince Elus intended to bite off more than he could chew, and Fish-Man Island got tied to his chariot, it would be hard to say whether the future led to heaven or hell.
He had already contacted His Majesty King Neptune of Ryugu Kingdom.
From their initial meeting on the deck of the Moby Dick to everything he’d seen and heard in the past month, he reported every detail to His Majesty the King and sought advice from this great knight of the sea on how to guide Fish-Man Island toward a better future.
In the end, he hadn’t gotten any suggestions or opinions from King Neptune.
King Neptune had only said, “I trust your decision, Jinbe. No matter what judgment you make, Ryugu Kingdom will stand behind you.” This trust excited Jinbe while also making him deeply feel the pressure on his shoulders.
So,
He observed Prince Elus even more cautiously, trying to get a reliable, certain answer.
Nearby,
Tina, sitting opposite and organizing the chessboard, secretly perked up her ears. Smoker, leaning by the window smoking, subtly turned his neck. From the corner of his eye, he could see Prince Elus sitting across from Tina. Garp, however, continued happily eating sweets, as if he hadn’t noticed the conversation between Prince Elus and Jinbe at all.
“I see, my ambitions?”
Prince Elus nodded in understanding. This was worry that he might lead Fish-Man Island into a ditch later··· Well, though it was a bit long-winded!
“Jinbe, in this world, people die from eating and drinking. Nothing is a sure thing. Even suicide—some jump off cliffs and don’t die, ropes break when hanging, poison expires, neck wounds aren’t deep enough··· I understand your concern for Fish-Man Island, but I don’t like this mindset of yours. You didn’t refuse back on the deck of the Moby Dick, so don’t hesitate now. Besides advancing courageously forward, you have no other choice.”
“Rather than wasting time wondering if I’ll bring destruction or new life to Fish-Man Island, it’s better to work hard to push Fish-Man Island toward the direction of your ideals.”
This time, there was no more soft whispering.
Prince Elus’s cold gaze fell on the skin like the sharp edge of swords, faintly conveying a tearing pain.
“······I was impetuous.”
Jinbe didn’t get angry.
He lowered his head and carefully recalled his recent words and actions. His brows gradually furrowed. Because his mind was full of worries about Fish-Man Island’s future, he’d somewhat forgotten that Prince Elus was a monster on the same level as Whitebeard’s Old Man.
Dealing with such a monster required keeping his head bowed and maintaining a humble heart at all times.
And recently, he seemed to have forgotten that caution.
Jinbe suppressed his worries about Fish-Man Island’s future. Indeed, preparing for a rainy day was a good habit, but he couldn’t ignore the present because of a future that might come someday. Excessive worry would turn into worrying about nothing.
After all, Fish-Man Island was still under the protection of Whitebeard’s flag right now!
“Prince Elus, I hope you can forgive my rashness and offense.”
Jinbe bowed his head deeply.
He didn’t care that there were many people around. On the contrary, with so many watching, this apology that discarded face was even more valuable.
However,
Prince Elus opened his eyes and looked east.
Ignoring Jinbe’s apology that followed, not just Prince Elus—Garp also put down his doughnut and turned his gaze east. Their bright eyes seemed to pierce through the thick ship hull walls, seeing the Storm raging on the sea outside.
“What monster is this? Mister Garp, did the Navy arrange backup? Are they not confident you can handle the New World’s troubles?”
Prince Elus asked.
“I don’t know this monster, Prince Elus. Are you sure this isn’t trouble you stirred up?”
At the same time,
“This is?”
Jinbe’s eyes widened.
Though a beat slower than Garp and Prince Elus, he now released his Observation Haki and noticed the terrifying aura fluctuation appearing in the east. But from the feedback of Observation Haki, it was a powerful aura not much inferior to Garp and Prince Elus.
“Mister Garp, shall we go take a look?”
Prince Elus stood up and extended a hand in invitation to Garp.
Without a word of nonsense, Garp got up and walked out, pushing open the bridge door onto the deck shrouded in Wind and Rain. He stood by the ship’s side, hand on the railing, raising a monocular telescope. Through the thick curtain of rain, he barely made out the ship struggling in the massive Storm.
“If it’s not Navy······ Where did this monster pop up from? Eh? It’s a blind guy!!!”
Prince Elus vibrated his pitch-black wings and flew into the air, holding binoculars. Through the Storm, following the guidance of his Neuro-Scan, he saw a Blind Swordsman in coarse cloth robes, carrying a long staff sword, standing tall and proud on the deck.
「So it’s this guy······」
Back then, Prince Elus had specially searched for this large Crocodile hiding underwater, hoping to receive guidance from this fierce person and pull this future general, not yet in the Navy, to become the Eckmond Kingdom’s guardian god. The result, naturally, was failure.
This monster, who liked gambling, had roamed the four seas and the Grand Line with mysterious whereabouts, wasn’t someone you could find just by wanting to.
After all,
If not for the world’s great draft in the original plot, which finally brought this Flood Dragon to the surface, the World Government and Navy never knew such a monster was hidden in the world.
At this time,
Jinbe, Fran, Tina, and Smoker all came out one after another.
“Your Highness, what happened?” Fran lifted her skirt hem and ran over quickly.
“Vice Admiral Garp?”
Smoker and Tina also looked at Garp with questioning gazes.
“It’s coming!”
Garp planted his feet firmly and put away his monocular telescope, simply tilting his head to look at the thick clouds in the sky.
“Boom————！！！！！！”
A humming sound echoed in the void.
In that brief instant, all falling raindrops suddenly hung motionless in midair. A force countering gravity pulled countless raindrops together. Under the glow of a purple halo, they surged back toward the sky with terrifying momentum, cleaving the clouds in the sky apart from the middle.
The howling wind slowly died down.
The cold rainwater had no more follow-up.
In just a few minutes, once the clouds in the sky dispersed, the obscured sun reemerged. Rays of sunlight poured down onto the sea below. The now-calm waves shimmered with light, and the wind-and-sun scene gave a sudden indescribable sense of strangeness and disparity.
One second ago, it was a violent storm.
The next second, it turned to fair weather.
To the east of the Navy warships was a massive merchant fleet of twelve large ships. They came from Paradise, escorting scheduled cargo to hand over to their clients. But they hadn’t expected this journey to be so unlucky, encountering a natural disaster—truly bad luck!
On the deck of the leading flagship, the blind old man slowly sheathed his sword and said calmly to the employer who walked up to him:
“This—heavy gravity sword: fierce tiger.”
“The clouds have been driven away, and the fleet can continue forward.” He said, carrying his staff sword, preparing to return to the cabin to play cards and gamble with the off-duty sailors.
If not for the Storm coming so suddenly and the cargo-laden ships struggling against its ravages, he wouldn’t have intervened to manually drive away the rain.
“Sorry, Mister Fujitora. The Navy fleet ahead contacted us, saying they hope to··· meet with Mister Fujitora you!” The skinny employer looked somewhat embarrassed at the Blind Swordsman. “I really don’t know how to refuse···”
He was a merchant from Paradise.
In Paradise, they were accustomed to obeying Navy orders. This wasn’t about not knowing how to refuse—it was that they didn’t dare refuse Navy requests that didn’t involve huge interests.
“Wants to meet me?”
The Blind Swordsman gripped his staff sword tightly and looked west.
The warships flying seagull flags slowly came into view.
“Then let’s meet!” He said fearlessly.
