At Marine Headquarters, after receiving a communication from the Marines stationed at Reverse Mountain, Fleet Admiral Kong pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly. "This Silver Pirate Crew is far more terrifying than we imagined."
The Marines weren't afraid of the kind of pirates who flaunted themselves openly. Those crews left obvious tracks, making it easy to hunt them down and wipe them out. What the Marines truly feared were the crews who knew how to exercise restraint, who could lie low and bide their time.
No fixed movements. No trace in Marine intelligence reports. Those were often the most dangerous pirates of all.
"In that case, Fleet Admiral, can we withdraw the ambush on the Sabaody Archipelago? Having those three stationed together is a waste of resources." A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral spoke up in Kong's office.
The three lying in wait on the Sabaody Archipelago were none other than the future three Marine Admirals: Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru.
Aokiji had gone to settle matters from his previous failure. Akainu refused to let such evil exist. And Kizaru had been forcibly dispatched by Fleet Admiral Kong as a countermeasure against Shirakawa's flight ability.
But now they had been left completely empty-handed.
"Withdraw them. But before they pull back, have them capture as many pirates as possible. We cannot let this operation yield nothing." Kong issued new orders.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral."
What Shirakawa didn't know was that because of him, every pirate currently on the Sabaody Archipelago, and every pirate about to arrive there, would suffer catastrophe.
Countless pirates who carried dreams of entering the New World might now spend the rest of their lives locked away inside Impel Down.
After all, the Marines' operation had drawn quite a bit of attention. Returning empty-handed would inevitably make them a laughingstock.
Upon receiving their orders on the Sabaody Archipelago, the three Marine Vice Admirals began to move without the slightest hesitation. Akainu in particular was the most zealous of the three.
He had been stuck idle here for over a month, and he had long since lost patience with the pirates infesting the island. If not for orders from above holding him in check, he would have taken action long ago.
Meanwhile, Shirakawa and his crew reached the North Blue without incident. After slipping past the Marines, they encountered not a single mishap. Even the giant whale that was supposed to appear beneath Reverse Mountain in the original story was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it had gone to the deep sea to feed.
Upon reaching the North Blue, Shirakawa instantly felt that this place was different from the Grand Line. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was psychological, but he suddenly felt much more at ease.
What Shirakawa didn't realize was that his decision to head for the Four Seas had allowed the crew to escape calamity. If they had gone to the Sabaody Archipelago instead, even Shirakawa would have been helpless against those three monsters together. In all likelihood, they would have died on the spot or been imprisoned on the sixth level of Impel Down.
"So this is the North Blue?" The moment they arrived in a new place, they had to get a feel for the surroundings. Yuristin, with the strongest Kenbunshoku Haki, took on that task.
The second they entered the North Blue, he fully unleashed his Observation Haki. He sensed plenty of life signals, but all of them felt incredibly weak, the kind of opponents he could finish with a single shot.
"The sea rumored to be the strongest of the Four Seas doesn't quite live up to its name. Or are the other three seas full of people even weaker than the ones here?"
Yuristin honestly couldn't detect anything special about the sea that was supposedly the mightiest among the Four Seas.
"That's because you were born on the Grand Line. You've seen a great deal and fought against plenty of powerful opponents, so naturally, you wouldn't think the Four Seas have anyone impressive," Shirakawa explained. "The Grand Line is the place every pirate from the Four Seas longs to reach, even though it's known as the pirates' graveyard."
There had to be a reason the North Blue was called the strongest sea of the Four Seas. Either it was in a state of extreme chaos, or there was a powerful figure here capable of keeping the entire sea in check.
But Shirakawa thought the second possibility was unlikely. After all, the East Blue had an existence that could suppress the entire Four Seas, and yet it was known as the weakest sea.
"Riddle, you're from the Four Seas. Do you know why the North Blue is called the strongest sea?" Jora asked Riddle, figuring he might be familiar with the North Blue since his own home was in the West Blue.
"I don't know too much about it either. I've never had dealings with the North Blue. I've only heard rumors that it has the strongest pirate hunter alliance in the Four Seas, the most prosperous merchant guilds, and the world's most powerful research and development teams. Of course, it's all hearsay. I don't know if any of it's true."
"If those things really are true, then it's no exaggeration to call the North Blue the strongest sea of the Four Seas."
After all, just like a nation, strength wasn't measured by military power alone. Politics, commerce, and a host of other factors all played a part.
And the North Blue was like a nation that had taken all those other factors to the extreme.
"It's also said that quite a few organizations in the North Blue have close ties with certain powers on the Grand Line. There are plenty of pirates on the Grand Line who hold membership in organizations that span both the Grand Line and the North Blue."
Riddle added this last detail because, when he first entered the Grand Line, he had run into pirates like that. They had invited him to join their organization. If he refused, a fight was inevitable.
Fortunately, Riddle at the time had been strong enough to beat back the attackers.
"So that's how it is. I hope the North Blue can provide me with some entertainment."
Shirakawa smiled faintly, gazing out at the boundless expanse of the North Blue, a spark of interest igniting in his heart.
He had originally considered heading to the East Blue, but he gave up on that idea. Ace and Luffy hadn't even set sail yet, and if they happened to run into Garp along the way, that would be the end of them.
Besides, the East Blue also had that bandit king of unknown depth. Shirakawa was in no mood to take his crew on an adventure there right now, even if those two were both in the vicinity of Windmill Village.
But there was no guarantee that other islands wouldn't have similar figures.
Ever since the East Blue had been labeled the weakest sea, nearly every year pirates seeking a quiet retirement without disturbance had hidden themselves away there.
There was a good chance the East Blue was now the sea with the highest concentration of powerful individuals, perhaps even surpassing the Grand Line, though these reclusive powerhouses always stayed in the shadows.
"Captain, we've reached the North Blue. What's our next objective?"
"First, find the nearest town to rest and resupply. We've been drifting at sea for over a month. It's about time we felt solid ground under our feet."
"Understood, Captain."
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