Sabaody Archipelago

After several days of sailing, the Navy warship and the Kuja Pirates finally slowly drifted out of the Calm Belt.

With the sea wind at their backs, the group picked up speed.

The blue ocean surface gradually gave way to strange sights.

When that massive island shrouded in countless colorful bubbles appeared on the horizon, the atmosphere aboard the Navy fleet noticeably relaxed.

They were finally about to pass Sabaody Archipelago, meaning only half a day's voyage remained to Marineford.

"That's Sabaody Archipelago."

Sandersonia stood at the bow, her green hair streaming in the sea breeze.

She naturally explained to Uchiha Yoru and his companions beside her:

"Actually, Sabaody Archipelago isn't an island—it's the world's largest mangrove tree, the 'Full-Power Red Tree.' Its sprawling roots form seventy-nine islands of varying sizes. This giant tree constantly secretes a special resin, creating the bubbles you see.

The resin bubbles are climate-bound and can't leave the island, forming a unique transportation and architectural style. It's quite fascinating."

After months of coexistence on Kuja Island, she had grown less hostile toward these outsiders from Uchiha.

In fact, it wasn't just her—the entire Kuja Tribe's warriors had softened their stance toward these strangers.

True, the female warriors of Kuja Island despised men.

But more than hating men, they revered the strong.

And this sudden group from Uchiha was undeniably powerful, fitting their tastes perfectly.

Uchiha Yoru squinted, watching the bubbles refracting rainbow light under the sun.

Some were as huge as houses, carrying buildings slowly upward; others were as fine as pearls, drifting through the air. The entire island felt like a crossroads of fairy tale and reality, beautiful beyond belief.

"The whole island is divided by tree numbers into zones: 1-29 are the human trafficking and lawless areas, 30-39 house the Bubble Park, 50-59 are the shipbuilding and coating district, and 60-69 fall under Navy jurisdiction."

Sandersonia added, "It's a famous tourist spot, but also a den of filth."

She hinted at something but didn't elaborate.

Yoru nodded, his gaze fixed on the increasingly close dock area.

He could see all kinds of ships moored, bustling crowds, and the bizarre structures perched high on the mangrove trunks in the distance.

Sabaody Archipelago was the only route for all ships entering the second half of the Grand Line.

For normal vessels to reach the New World, they had to request permission from the World Government and then cross directly through the Holy Land Mary Geoise atop the Red Line.

That meant abandoning the ship, spending a lot of money, and wasting a lot of time on applications.

The advantage was safety.

Pirates naturally couldn't use this method to reach the New World.

The other path was to first arrive at Sabaody Archipelago, coat the ship in Yarukiman Mangrove resin, and dive ten thousand meters.

Passing through a giant cavern beneath the Red Line and traveling via the undersea route through Fish-Man Island to reach the New World.

This method was dangerous, but it was the choice of nearly every pirate ship.

Thus, Sabaody Archipelago was a chaotic mix of all sorts, teeming with slave traders and bounty hunters. The buying and selling of humans, mermaids, and fish-men was tacitly allowed here.

Of course, even with all that chaos, this area was still temporarily under Navy control.

So ordinary pirates had no right to openly dock their ships at the port.

Pirate ships usually had to weave through the gaps in the mangrove roots and sneak ashore in secluded corners.

"Empress."

Yoru suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention on the ship.

The Empress glanced over at Uchiha Yoru.

"We of Uchiha will disembark here. Marineford doesn't hold much interest for us, so we won't go."

Yoru made his farewell.

The Empress was heading to Marineford with Vice Admiral Momonga for a meeting.

Tagging along would be pointless; the ride had gone far enough.

It was time to get off.

"Huh? You're not coming with us? Then I'll have the helmsman dock now."

Sandersonia was a bit surprised, then moved to order the ship to shore.

"No need. We'll make it on our own from this distance."

Aboard Vice Admiral Momonga's warship, a lookout was monitoring the Kuja Pirates' every move through binoculars.

When he saw Uchiha Yoru standing at the bow pointing and gesturing, he immediately reported, "Vice Admiral! Those strange people seem to be discussing something!"

Momonga forced himself to the railing and took the binoculars.

Sure enough, he saw that young leader beckoning to something.

At his call, all those red-eyed people gradually gathered behind him.

On the Serpent pirate ship.

Yoru walked to the ship's railing and looked down at the blue sea below.

The Serpent pirate ship was currently sailing near the 12th mangrove area of the Sabaody Archipelago, just a few hundred meters from the shore.

"I'm off!" Yoru waved a hand behind him.

The dozen or so Uchiha clan members nodded in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Uchiha Yoru stepped off the ship's railing first, plunging straight toward the sea.

"He jumped into the sea?!"

The sailors behind Vice Admiral Momonga cried out in shock.

Not into the sea!

Vice Admiral Momonga shook his head, recalling the first time he'd seen Uchiha Itachi standing on the ocean to block their path.

Sure enough.

The moment before Uchiha Yoru touched the water, his feet landed firmly on the sea's surface.

He didn't sink. He didn't fall in.

He just stood there on the rolling waves, ripples spreading from beneath his feet, circles lapping across the water.

"Just as I thought, he can do it too."

Vice Admiral Momonga stared hard at Yoru, who stood steadily on the sea.

And the other Uchiha clan members on the Serpent ship leaped off the railing one after another.

Plop, plop, plop—

Like dumplings dropped into a pot, over a dozen black figures arced through the air, then—landed firmly on the sea.

"Let's go," Yoru said, turning back to his clansmen.

"This is your real first stop in this world. Go see what it has to offer!"

He took his first step.

The sea rippled beneath his foot, with no sign of sinking.

Second step, third step...

Uchiha Yoru walked across the sea as if treading on an invisible sheet of glass.

The clansmen behind him followed closely, their steps neat and uniform, black coats snapping in the sea breeze.

"They can all... walk on the sea..."

A young marine soldier muttered in disbelief, his voice tinged with awe and fear.

"Devil Fruit users?" another guessed.

"Impossible," Vice Admiral Momonga said, his face pale.

"Even if they were users, there's no way this many people could all have the ability to walk on water, especially since they're clearly from the same clan."

He stared hard at the black figures fading into the distance.

He had to report all of this to Sengoku as soon as possible.

A group of uninvited guests had appeared on this turbulent sea!