"Cross Guild, huh?"
In the sky above a windless stretch between the New World and the West Blue, a bubble shaped like a giant paw pad shot forward at high speed.
Mihawk sat cross-legged in midair, calmly wiping his beloved sword with a handkerchief as he spoke in an unhurried tone. "Even when I stayed on Hachinosu, I still heard a bit about their recent movements."
"Crocodile's ambition isn't ordinary. Under his leadership, the Cross Guild has definitely become aggressive."
Kuma, acting as their means of transportation, spoke in a quiet voice. "Over the past six years, they've expanded a vast territory in the West Blue. And recently, they've even recruited a large number of pirates, forming a powerful pirate army."
"They're preparing to make a move on the West Blue."
Ian laughed. "Just like how we took hold of the New World, the Cross Guild now wants to dominate the West Blue."
"Dominate the West Blue?"
Mihawk raised a brow, unable to hide a slight chuckle. "What? Does the Cross Guild have a monster strong enough to match you?"
Ian couldn't hold back his smile. "Brother Redfield is actually pretty strong."
Six more years had passed. Time erodes everyone, and no matter how much one regains their strength, returning to one's absolute peak is almost impossible.
But with his mindset restored, Redfield should still be far from weak.
Yes… arm-wrestling with Yamato at this moment shouldn't be a problem.
It's just that compared to top-tier monsters like Kaido-sensei, Aunt Linlin, and Whitebeard, there's still a noticeable gap.
"Heh."
Mihawk, Ian's loyal partner-in-crime, only let out a cold laugh.
Patrick Redfield, huh?
In the previous era, he truly was a world-famous pirate, and supposedly a remarkable swordsman as well.
But this era no longer belongs to him.
Or rather, beneath Ian's radiance, no matter the era, everyone else could only fade in comparison.
"I just think the World Government has already exhausted themselves trying to deal with our Beasts Pirates. They probably don't have much energy left to manage the West Blue."
Kuma said this, "So, Ian—"
There was another person traveling with Ian this time: Aunt Linlin, whom Ian forcefully took from the Charlotte family.
She was brought along as a hostage.
Aunt Linlin cast a sideways look at Ian. "You know where those people are, don't you?"
The Cross Guild was different from the Charlotte family.
They had no fixed base of operations—its top officers were stationed aboard Moria's massive ghost ship.
That ship drifted through the West Blue year-round.
This was one of the reasons they dared to expand so aggressively.
Even the World Government couldn't locate them, making large-scale raids impossible.
"You should know about this, right?"
Ian spoke with a pleasant smile.
"Hm?"
Aunt Linlin looked puzzled.
What did he mean by should?
Did Ian actually have an informant within the Cross Guild's leadership?
After all, their secrecy was airtight, and very few were allowed on that ship.
Aside from the main executives and the original batch of escaped Impel Down prisoners, only a small number of later trusted officers had ever set foot aboard.
Ian simply kept smiling, offering no explanation.
Perhaps it was just a small surprise waiting to be used.
A hidden piece he had buried long ago had finally reached its moment.
"Ian!"
Another voice suddenly called his name.
The songstress with beautiful red-and-white hair turned back.
"After we finish with the Cross Guild… we're going to look for him, right?"
She tried her best to sound calm, but her voice still trembled slightly.
Ian fully understood her unease.
So he answered gently, "We still don't know their exact location. But it shouldn't take long."
Unlike the Cross Guild, the Red-Haired Pirates never bothered hiding their movements.
They had only one ship and no subordinate forces, yet their strength was nothing to underestimate.
Out at sea, no one was foolish enough to provoke them.
No one except Ian.
For six years, they had wandered across the West Blue like travelers, stopping and moving at their leisure.
Their lives had been peaceful—almost comfortable.
Uta fell silent for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"…I understand."
Mihawk let out a quiet sigh.
He knew better than anyone how attached the girl had been to Shanks.
She wasn't his biological daughter, yet she clung to him even more tightly than one.
Whatever that bastard had done to earn such hatred… Mihawk couldn't imagine.
Well, when they met again, he would have a proper talk with him.
A man like that—if he were sent to heaven so easily and without reason—would be far too much of a waste.
Linlin's lips twitched silently.
This guy is truly insane.
He actually wants to wipe out everyone on the sea in one go—everyone except the World Government.
But…
Linlin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Beasts Pirates really did possess that kind of unreasonable strength.
Their power had expanded to an absurd degree. Even Mihawk—who was always solitary and aloof, known to the world as a proud lone wolf—had already become a subordinate under Ian.
Of course, the key to all of this was naturally the strength that bastard Ian possessed himself.
Aside from the World Government, who else in this world could possibly resist him? Damn it, who else could?
A short while later, somewhere in the West Blue.
A massive ship, as large as an island, floated quietly on the sea.
A small boat entered through its main gate—the gate shaped like the gaping jaws of a demon—and slipped into the ship's interior.
When the boat docked, Crocodile stepped off the deck with a man trailing behind him.
"Chinjao the Drill" looked around curiously as he set foot on the land-like deck.
So this was the headquarters of the Cross Guild? Honestly, it was much more plain than he expected.
Although the ship's surface area was incredibly vast, there actually weren't many buildings on this island-sized vessel.
Only in the distant center of a forest stood a luxurious old castle. Surrounding it was a ring of newly constructed buildings, all clearly designed to match the castle's style.
"Not many people have the privilege to set foot on this island. You can be proud of that, Chinjao."
Crocodile waved a hand, and from afar, a carriage bolted toward them at high speed.
Chinjao raised an eyebrow.
A carriage, huh?
But it was being pulled by a dead horse.
Its whole body was covered in stitches. As it sprinted toward them at terrifying speed, Chinjao felt it could fall apart at any moment, and he wouldn't even be surprised.
So this was one of Moria's zombies?
These undead had become a common sight over the years during the Cross Guild's campaigns in the West Blue.
Compared to ordinary soldiers, zombies had the advantage of having already died once—they couldn't die again.
Even if their bodies were cleaved in half or their heads chopped off, they could continue fighting, and their stamina was practically limitless.
Chinjao said nothing. He simply followed Crocodile onto the carriage, and it carried them swiftly down the road toward the castle deep within the forest.
**********
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