Changes in the South Blue

"Brrr, brrr!"

Just as Ross and Zany were chatting, the Den Den Mushi on the table began to ring.

This was the Den Den Mushi Ross used to communicate with Cipher Pol. Gion had been in charge of it before, but it had only been returned to Zany yesterday.

"Answer it first."

Ross casually gave her a look, and only then did Zany walk over to the Den Den Mushi and pick it up.

"This is Zany of CP0, assigned to Saint Ross!"

"Lady Zany, we found the woman Saint Ross was looking for on Baterilla Island. She is currently still pregnant. Should we bring her back to the Holy Land?" A respectful voice came from the Den Den Mushi.

"They found her? And she's still alive?"

A hint of joy appeared on Ross's face. He walked straight over to the Den Den Mushi.

"I am Saint Ross. I will immediately head to the island where you are. From this moment on, gather the best doctors nearby and ensure that nothing happens to that woman's health. Also, do not reveal any information related to the World Government or me."

"Understood!"

Upon hearing Ross's voice, the Den Den Mushi's simulated expression visibly turned flustered, though it quickly became respectful again.

"Good."

After hanging up, Ross turned toward the doorway.

"Stella, notify Sakazuki. Have the warship proceed at full speed. Even if someone has to push it from behind, get us to the Holy Land as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

After receiving Ross's orders, Stella hurriedly ran out of the cabin.

Ross had never been this anxious before. If something could make him this urgent, it had to be a major matter that could not be delayed.

"Saint Ross, under normal warship travel, it will take three days to reach Baterilla Island from the Holy Land."

While Ross was speaking, Zany had already taken out a sea chart and spread it across the table.

The World Government possessed the most complete sea charts. As a Celestial Dragon, Ross naturally had access to the most comprehensive one.

The distances marked on the chart had been physically measured, so the margin of error was very small.

Baterilla Island was located in the South Blue. From the West Blue, where they currently were, the fastest route was still to cross the Red Line and use the Holy Land's artificial sea route.

"Three days... that's a little too long."

Ross shook his head. He was now racing against time.

He had originally assumed that if they found that woman, she would only be a corpse. He had never expected her to still be alive.

Yet perhaps because he had sent people to search the South Blue again, that woman had somehow endured for twenty-two whole months.

That woman could give out at any moment. With his current means, and without exposing anything to the World Government, only Stella's Devil Fruit ability could save her.

This was truly a race against time. If they delayed even a day, that woman might die—possibly taking two lives with her.

But if he could save both mother and child, he would undoubtedly gain the absolute loyalty of an S-class powerhouse in the future.

Even left to grow on his own, he had reached Shichibukai level by the age of twenty. Given his bloodline, that was practically being wasted.

If Ross personally raised him and prepared a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit for him in advance, then in twenty years, he would definitely be able to twist Blackbeard's head right off.

This time, Ross would try doing what Whitebeard loved to do as well.

"Notify the Holy Land. Prepare twenty physically strong slaves who can swim, with no Devil Fruit abilities. At the same time, mobilize every Devil Fruit user in the World Government who possesses the ability to fly," Ross said calmly.

"Yes!"

Zany knew exactly what Ross intended to do and immediately began contacting the Holy Land.

Suddenly, the ship's hull jolted violently.

Then an enormous force pushed from behind the ship, causing the entire warship to tilt slightly.

From the outside, one could see that the warship had lowered its sails and was racing forward at an unbelievable speed. It was moving so fast that the entire vessel was nearly skimming above the sea, with only its stern still in the water.

At the stern, Zephyr stood bare-chested, holding up the warship with both hands while his legs kicked at such speed that they became afterimages.

With every kick, the warship became several degrees faster.

The sudden acceleration sent Robin tumbling off the ship.

Fortunately, Ross was right beside her and grabbed her by the collar. Otherwise, she would have slammed straight into the cabin door.

"What happened?"

With the world spinning around her, Robin was still somewhat dazed.

"The warship accelerated. We'll reach the Holy Land at the fastest possible speed."

As Ross spoke, he carried Robin toward the cabin exit.

Even though the hull was nearly tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, he moved as steadily as if he were walking on level ground. That was the benefit of strength.

"Huh?"

Robin's eyes were filled with confusion as she stared at the slanted hull.

She could hardly imagine what kind of method could make a warship move this quickly.

Especially after leaving the cabin and seeing the enormous wave left behind by the ship's stern due to its excessive movement, Robin could not help opening her mouth wide.

"Saint Ross, is that a person?"

Robin pointed tremblingly at Zephyr, unable to believe that they were actually being pushed along by a person.

"Zephyr was once an Admiral. He was even stronger than Sakazuki."

Ross explained calmly as he walked step by step toward the stern.

That was not exactly a lie. Zephyr was proficient in Physical Technique and Armament Haki, making him particularly effective against Logia-type users.

At the same level, Sakazuki was indeed somewhat inferior to Zephyr.

But Sakazuki was still in his growth phase, while Zephyr had already reached his peak. The gap between them would gradually become apparent in the future.

"Zephyr, thank you for your hard work. Time is tight. I need to save a great woman."

Ross walked to the stern and took the initiative to explain himself to Zephyr.

He did not actually need to explain, but Zephyr had gone to push the ship without hesitation. Ross felt that he should at least say something.

"If it's to save someone, then I have even less of a problem with it."

Even while pushing the ship with all his strength, Zephyr still had time to respond to Ross.

Pushing the ship was purely a matter of brute force, and it did not consume much of Zephyr's stamina.

As long as he controlled his strength properly, he could keep pushing for three days and three nights.

"At our previous speed, we would still need three days to reach the Holy Land. Zephyr, judge your own stamina. Once we reach the Holy Land, others will handle the rest of the journey. You just need to rest properly," Ross said after thinking for a moment.

An Admiral's stamina was simply on a different level from everyone else's. Based on Ross's current stamina, pushing the ship at this speed would exhaust him in an hour.

But if it were Zephyr, that was harder to estimate.

Perhaps this speed was nothing more than child's play to him.

"I understand!"

After hearing that, Zephyr's legs moved even faster. Ross could clearly feel that their speed had increased by at least thirty percent.

Their current speed was at least four times greater than at the start.

At this pace, they could reach the Holy Land in less than a day.

Then, after changing ships at the Holy Land and continuing onward, they could likely reach Baterilla Island within two days.

This was already the fastest speed they could currently achieve.

He could only hope that it would be enough to save them.