It was almost impassable—more accurately, it was absolutely impossible to cross!
The Grand Line was sandwiched between two stretches of the Calm Belt, cutting it off completely from the other four seas.
Those from the four seas could not enter the Grand Line, and those within could not leave.
The only way to reach the Grand Line was through its starting point: Reverse Mountain, located on the Red Line. This was the rule for every sea.
The Calm Belt, true to its name, was a stretch of ocean with no wind at all.
Ordinary ships could not sail here—only specially constructed vessels had any chance of moving through these waters.
But even overcoming the forces of nature was not the greatest danger.
Indeed, nature itself was only a secondary concern.
Deep beneath the surface of the Calm Belt lived colossal Sea Kings.
They were the true, ultimate nightmare of these waters.
Every pirate knew the legends of these massive creatures. They seemed to be the natural enemies of all who sailed the seas.
Sensing any ship passing overhead, these giants showed no mercy or hesitation.
With their immense, god-given size, a single bite was enough to swallow the largest ships in the world whole.
Only the World Government and Navy Headquarters possessed the technology to overcome this.
By embedding Seastone along the bottom of their warships, they could mask their presence.
Seastone constantly emits the same energy as the sea itself, causing the Sea Kings dwelling in the Calm Belt to ignore the "tiny ships" floating above.
However, even without such technology, El and his crew would have had no trouble crossing the Calm Belt.
But this was El's first arrival as the true ruler of Amazon Lily—and he intended to arrive in grand style.
Shortly before reaching the edge of the zone, El contacted the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock via Den Den Mushi.
"Lord El!"
Hancock's voice came through, filled with adoration.
"You… you contacted me personally!"
"Ah… I am so happy I could faint right now!"
"..."
El listened patiently while she rambled on, before finally speaking.
"I am nearly there. Send someone to escort us in."
"Yes! At once!"
"You are already here?!"
"I understand! We will send ships immediately to welcome you…"
"No… I will come myself!!"
How could Hancock ever refuse or delay Lord El's wishes? She had been waiting for this exact moment, desperate for a chance to please him.
El shook his head helplessly as the call ended. That was just Hancock's nature. Perhaps in time, he would simply grow used to it.
To avoid any accidents—or embarrassment—inside the Calm Belt, it was best to have the "local ruler," the Pirate Empress herself, come and guide them.
Weather along the Grand Line was notoriously unpredictable. Even the most experienced navigators could be caught off guard.
And the waters near the Calm Belt were never calm to begin with. It was already an achievement that El's group had reached this far safely.
He could have sent Doflamingo ahead first—after all, he possessed the ability to fly—to scout the island.
But Amazon Lily was unique: a land of women only, where men were strictly forbidden.
Before El himself set foot on the island, it was better not to send any other men to cause trouble.
Because for all her devotion and obedience toward El, the Pirate Empress had absolutely no patience for any other man—even his own officers.
Doflamingo and Crocodile knew this perfectly well, and neither wanted to test her temper.
Furthermore, El had no capable female officers with him at this time. All communication with the island had to remain through the Den Den Mushi.
"Regardless, once we secure this island, Captain, your power will grow even greater!" Crocodile muttered, glancing at Doflamingo.
He ignored Doflamingo's attempt to strike up a conversation, but Doflamingo was not deterred.
"It seems the Captain has truly made that woman Hancock submit completely!"
"Have you ever seen her dote on or fawn over any man like this before?"
Both Doflamingo and Crocodile were former Warlords. Naturally, they knew all about Boa Hancock and her history.
Besides that, Doflamingo had always been a master of information. He held intelligence networks spanning the underworld, the World Government, and Navy Headquarters.
This was exactly how he earned his title and identity as "Joker"—controlling information from both sides of the law.
Even after joining El's crew, he never abandoned his old skills. With El's support, his information network had only grown larger and more powerful.
"I care nothing for such things!" Crocodile replied sharply.
He had returned to the New World and joined El's crew for one reason only: to witness the full extent of El's power.
El was already easily the strongest pirate Crocodile had ever met.
Whether it was Amazon Lily or any other territory, none could truly stand in El's way.
Crocodile understood now: El wasn't simply trying to achieve goals. He was achieving them in his own way, exactly as he envisioned.
Back when they were both Warlords, Crocodile and Doflamingo had never been on good terms. In fact, they had clashed and fought openly more than once.
Resources on the seas were limited, and powerful pirates would always compete for them.
Even as Warlords—technically colleagues—this rule never changed. Pirates were born to fight and seize what they wanted.
It was hard to say which of the two was truly stronger. If the gap had been too wide, the World Government and Navy would never have been foolish enough to recruit both into the Seven Warlords.
But according to the general rules of this world, Logia-type Devil Fruit users were usually considered to have the advantage. Logia abilities were widely believed to be superior.
However, that wasn't always true.
Take Crocodile, for example—a Logia user with the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit. He could not simply overpower Doflamingo, a Paramecia user with the String-String Fruit.
In fact, there were many things Doflamingo could do easily that Crocodile could not manage at all.
For instance: Crocodile could not fly.
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