The Sea of Freedom, Sky City, and Black Blades

The Sphinx.

This is the hometown of Whitebeard.

It was a country that was originally under Whitebeard's protection, but chose to betray the Whitebeard Pirates and actively sought refuge with the Calamity Company in order to embrace a new life.

On this day, a war broke out in this country.

"Hahaha! Charge! My men!"

A man of unusually tall stature, estimated to be over six meters tall, covered in thick hair and resembling an Explosive Bear, laughed loudly, "This country may be poor, but we can still make a fortune!"

"Charge with the captain!"

Behind him, a motley crew of pirates followed, laughing maniacally.

And blocking their way were the country's army.

However, the soldiers guarding the country acted strangely when faced with these pirates invading their homeland.

There was no anger, no excitement, not even fear; only numbness.

They raised their guns and unleashed a barrage of fire at the pirates.

This is almost an unconscious action; it requires no thought at all.

The quality of the weapons purchased from the Calamity Company is undoubtedly excellent; both their range and power are top-notch.

But.

"Hahaha! Watch this!"

That man, who looked like Explosive Bear, really did transform into a giant brown bear in the next instant!

Zoan Bear-Bear Fruit - Brown Bear Form!

The brown Big Bear turned pitch black in the next instant, its powerful Armament Haki making every single hair on its body stiff and unyielding.

Then, the Black Bear became an unstoppable bulldozer.

The mere act of running forward caused the earth to tremble slightly.

When he finally charged into the ranks of soldiers, a brutal massacre began.

Even the sophisticated weapons from the Calamity Company could not penetrate the defenses of Armament Haki.

Unable to inflict any damage on the bear, each swing of its claws sent a swarm of soldiers flying, howling in agony.

Then, the pirates followed in their captain's footsteps and charged forward, instantly scattering the soldiers' formation.

It was at this moment that the soldiers, who were in a disadvantageous situation, scattered and ran away without any intention of continuing to fight.

In just a few seconds, all the soldiers, except those who were too badly wounded or already dead, had fled.

"Hahaha! Just like the rumors!"

The black coat of the enormous brown bear faded, and the pirate captain laughed heartily, "Anyone with a little strength can make a small fortune in this country!"

"Let's go, guys! Let's get the money!"

"Oh!!"

Amidst laughter and cheers, the pirate crew successfully stormed the royal capital.

They encountered no further obstacles even after storming into the palace.

Inside the palace, only a pale-faced man with a desolate expression sat on the throne.

Facing the ferocious pirates, he merely glanced up numbly, then pointed to the side, "Take what you want yourselves, don't make things difficult for this country."

Beside it lay an open treasure chest, filled with gold and silver treasures.

"That's all?"

The pirate captain curled his lip, "That's far too little! Are you trying to Delia?"

"Take it or leave it."

The man's face was indifferent, as if he didn't care about his own life or death at all.

"Hahaha! Oh well, we're already here, we can't go back empty-handed!"

The pirate captain didn't seem to intend to make things difficult for the man. He suddenly chuckled and nodded, "I know the process. Don't worry, we'll take the money and leave."

After saying that, he added, "But you'd better make a lot of money from now on, because it's almost tax time! Try to keep as much money as possible after paying taxes, so you won't leave empty-handed next time pirates come."

"..."

A flicker of life finally appeared in the man's lifeless eyes; an intense, almost indescribable hatred flowed from them, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

"You scum, why don't you just die!"

"Death? Hahahaha! What are you talking about, you idiot!"

The pirate captain, who looked like Explosive Bear, laughed loudly, "Having finally found true freedom in this great sea, how could I possibly die so easily?"

"I still want to join Lord Roa's ranks!"

Upon hearing Roa's name, the man on the throne instantly jumped to his feet as if electrocuted, gesturing wildly and screaming, "Liar! He's a liar!!"

"He said it! He said it! He will make this country prosperous and strong! He clearly said it!"

I never actually said that.

"Why, why has this country become like this! It's all his fault, it's all that Roa's fault--"

Bang!

The villain who was cursing behind someone's back was kicked away by the chivalrous pirate.

"Shut up! You despicable scoundrel!"

The pirate captain angrily shouted, "How dare you insult my idol, Lord Ursa Lord Roa! That man is the greatest pirate in the world! Without him, where would this free sea be?"

"Free?"

The man, kicked so hard he was almost glued to the wall, then slumped to the ground, ignoring the blood gushing from his mouth. He suddenly burst into manic laughter, as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever.

"You call this freedom?"

"If you don't strive for success, don't blame the environment."

Ursa, the great pirate with a bounty of 130 million Beli, sneered, "How come some countries have developed amidst this wave of freedom? They should reflect on themselves and see if they haven't worked hard enough."

"Effort? You mean effort? Hahahaha!"

The man became even more frenzied, unable to speak clearly, only laughing wildly, laughing so hard he was doubled over, spitting blood.

"Just an idiot abandoned by the times."

The pirate captain sneered and shook his head. "Let's go, men! Let's continue our search for the Calamity Company! Damn it, how on earth can we join Lord Roa's ranks?!"

The pirates picked up the treasure piled to one side and left without encountering any hindrance. The palace guards simply watched quietly, as if it were nothing new to them.

Only the man laughing maniacally stared intently at their retreating figures.

"Heh heh, idiots! Another bunch of idiots fooled by that monster! Just wait, you won't get away with this! That monster will chew every bone in your bodies! Just like this country—"

As if some switch had been flipped, the man suddenly began to wail again.

"It's all my fault! I'm the one who ruined this country! If it weren't for me, how could this country have fallen into hell?!"

Reflecting on the events of the past year, this man, the former leader of the Sphinx Rebellion, still believes he is living in a nightmare.

In the beginning, he was overjoyed and ready to embrace the new era.

Roa's words are so true. He said he would have true freedom in these waters, where everyone could do whatever they wanted.

However, when he became the new king of the Sphinx and excitedly prepared to seek cooperation with other countries, he discovered that refusing them was also a form of freedom.

The Sphinx were poor and backward, lacking any resources and with a small population, making them of no value to any cooperation, and no one even bothered with them.

So he could only return, bewildered.

In that case, isn't there no change compared to the past?

Just as he was thinking this, things changed.

By then, the massive expansion of the New World had come to an end, and the monarchs who ruled over this sea were eager to demonstrate their authority.

They would not tolerate any rebels within the empires they ruled.

Therefore, the pirates roaming their territory became the primary targets of their attacks.

These pirates had only two choices: surrender or die.

Many pirates surrendered, and many pirates died, but even more pirates chose to escape.

Where to escape to?

Of course, the best course of action is to flee to the only sea in the entire New World that hasn't cracked down on pirates, to the sea ruled by the Calamity Roa.

At first, the pirates were relatively restrained, afraid of offending that monster, and kept a low profile in these waters.

But the pirates soon discovered that Roa practiced true liberalism; as long as it didn't interfere with his tax collection, they could do whatever they wanted.

And so, the disaster began.

Pirates recklessly attacked the countries in this sea area, using violence and bloodshed to bring disaster to every nation—except, of course, Elbaf.

Aside from one pirate crew that went too far, causing a country to collapse and disrupting the tax collection of the Calamity Company, only to be crushed by the giant army sent by Roa, none of the pirates were punished.

So the pirates knew that as long as they didn't interfere with the Calamity Company's tax collection, they had absolute freedom on this sea!

More pirates were attracted to the area.

If Beehive Island is the island of pirates, then this sea is now the sea of pirates, where pirates from all over the New World who refuse to be bound by their bonds gather.

It wasn't just pirates; a whole bunch of random Underworld forces also moved over without warning.

Even the more powerful nations began waging wars abroad.

The taxes levied on Calamity Company are the same in all countries.

The meaning of "treating everyone equally" here is to make all countries feel the same burden, with fewer poor countries and more rich countries, but without a doubt, all of them will be able to cause significant damage to that country.

Add to that the costs of forced arms purchases, and every country is under immense pressure.

Therefore, some countries think, since natural Calamity Company won't care anyway, if pirates can do it, why can't they?

The war has started again.

Driven by plunder and the will to survive, warships roamed these waters.

The strong run rampant, while the weak can only suffer humiliation.

And the Sphinx happened to be one of the weakest nations.

In just one year, their country suffered more than a dozen pirate attacks and was also attacked twice by a neighboring country with considerable strength.

Although they didn't go too far because they didn't dare affect the tax revenue of the Calamity Company, and only stole some treasures, the disasters they caused to the country were real.

It's not just this country; many countries in this sea area are struggling in a hell of disaster.

"Roa! Roa!!"

In the ruined palace of the Sphinx, the man who had once been so full of ambition to save the country cursed incessantly, "You wretched creature! You deceived me! You destroyed this nation!"

"We were wrong! Whitebeard! Come back and save this country!"

"No, he won't come back! How could he possibly return after being betrayed by his country! It's all my fault!! Ahhhhhh!"

His voice sounded like he was insane.

The others in the palace ignored it.

And where is Roa now, the one who was cursed?

Somewhere in the sky over this sea area.

A city floats silently here.

Although it's called a city, it's not actually that big; its diameter is about five kilometers, and a large part of its perimeter is still covered by clouds.

If you look closely, you'll find that the town itself is actually a large ship, with a city built on its hull.

The ship was surrounded by solidified clouds, allowing it to float in the sky. These solid Island Cloud were also equipped with numerous propellers for movement in the sky.

At the heart of this Sky City stands a tall tower, the residence of the officials.

At the top of the tower is the residence of the rulers of the Calamity Company, from which one can easily overlook the entire island.

"That's absolutely amazing, Boss!"

Morgans stood on a terrace at the very top of the tower, gesturing excitedly.

"Sky City! Like the Golden Lion, it's far from the sea, so even if the World Government attacks, it won't be afraid!"

Behind them, on the terrace, Roa lay leisurely on a deck chair, Kozuki Toki sat beside him, quietly kneading his legs on his knees.

Roa, who was almost seventeen, had completely shed his childishness and transformed from a handsome boy into a dashing man.

"Pretty good, right? Judge and the others spent more than half a year building this. With this Calamity City, the snails are no longer needed."

The Snail Fleet, which had been carrying Roa and the Calamity Company for more than three years, was left on the high seas.

Also left on the sea were the weapons factories behind them.

There are factories in this Sky City, or rather, most of the city is an industrial area.

However, the factories here are factories that produce Clone soldiers, factories that produce Lineage Factor androids, and factories that produce certain special weapons.

"That's absolutely amazing!"

Morgans didn't hold back his praise, saying, "I'd even like to move our company headquarters here!"

"It doesn't matter, everyone here is trustworthy."

Roa casually remarked that anyone who might have leaked the information was left at sea.

"Hehe, Boss! Let's forget about that for now! Times are changing rapidly! Staying at sea will allow me to better monitor the world for you!"

Morgans chuckled, "The number of pirates setting sail all over the world with their sights set on becoming the Pirate King and Seven Monarchs is increasing every day!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this world is gradually entering an era dominated by pirates!"

"It's just a pity that the Navy has recovered a lot of strength through the massive conscription. After all, the world still believes in the Navy's justice, and outside the New World, the pirates can't cause any trouble for the time being."

"However, Boss, it seems there's a special policy being discussed within the World Government, supposedly related to pirates..."

Legal pirates, huh?

Stussy understood even better that the changing world situation had made the World Government feel the urgency, and they were already secretly contacting powerful pirates.

The Shichibukai will likely be formed ahead of schedule.

According to Stussy, the government even attempted to contact Ochoku and his group.

That's quite an idea.

"Oh, right, Boss, there's something..."

Morgans suddenly said, "Charlotte Linlin has secretly gone to the South Blue; I wonder what she's going to do there."

"Oh?"

Roa raised an eyebrow. "The South Blue, huh? Looks like they've finally started making moves."

"Boss, do you know what Charlotte Linlin went there to do?"

Morgans exclaimed in surprise.

Many times, I feel like the boss is more well-informed than I am, the intelligence specialist.

"Don't worry about it."

Roa casually replied, "We're just going to pick up the bride."

"The wedding procession?!"

Because of the territorial issue, which has delayed things for so long, is Aunt Linlin finally going to find the Bakaria Tribe she's been longing to visit?

Sigh, regarding NTR, I hope Big Bear is alright.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Roa asked seriously, "How's the Roger Pirates' investigation going?"

"The whereabouts of the executives who disembarked in the New World can be traced because of the disembarkation location you provided, Boss. However, the whereabouts of the members who disembarked outside the New World are still unknown."

Morgans' expression also turned serious. "However, the whereabouts of the two most important high-ranking officers have been determined: Yamato Gaban went to Fish-Man Island, Pluton Rayleigh, is in the Sabaody Archipelago."

Fish-Man Island?

Roa raised an eyebrow.

Didn't Gaban disembark in the New World? Fisher Tiger followed them the whole way, giving them directions.

So they ended up on Fish-Man Island?

Are you planning to go to Fish-Man Island in search of love?

Or is it something to be wary of?

As for Rayleigh, it was not surprising at all, after all, Shakky ran a bar in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"And what about Roger?"

Roa asked.

"This..."

Morgans gave an awkward smile and stammered, "There's no result yet."

"I see."

Roa nodded slightly.

In that case, where will Robin be able to find someone else?

Roger, you're such a nuisance! You always cause trouble for others.

Why can't you just entrust your wife and daughter to me?

Don't you trust me, this honest and reliable young man?

Oh well, Roger should be here soon, right?

Roa picked up his beloved knife, which was placed to the side, and gently drew it from its sheath.

The originally scarlet blade now features streaks of jet-black, flame-like lines, making it look even more ferocious.

You're really looking forward to it too, aren't you? Tiger Soul.

A dark red aura silently emanated from the Tiger Soul.

"Forehead!!"

Morgans was so frightened that he quickly backed away.

The mere approach of those air currents filled him with immense trepidation, as if he would be completely swallowed up the moment he came into contact with them.

Roa raised the corners of his mouth.

Roger, come quickly.

I'm ready.