Target: New World!

"Huh?"

"Leon, you're not going to the training camp?"

Rosinante, who had rushed over full of energy early in the morning, happened to run into Leon carrying his luggage and heading out.

"Teacher Garp wants me to go to sea with him. I'm not sure how long it'll take."

"But the Elite Training Camp runs for a long time, so I should be able to make it back before it ends. I'll just miss quite a few lessons..."

"In that case..." Rosinante's gaze turned resolute. "Leon! I'll work twice as hard to make up for your share!"

"Haha, you've got plenty of drive, Rosinante!"

Hearing Leon's praise, Rosinante scratched his head a little sheepishly. Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, he spoke up. "Come to think of it, Father was supposed to set out today too."

Oh? Sengoku was also going to sea?

Two Admiral-level combatants deployed at once...

Leon bid Rosinante farewell and, filled with doubt, made his way to the port of Marineford. The sight before him confirmed his suspicions.

Ten sturdy naval warships were lined up in a row at the harbor, and countless elite naval soldiers were boarding in orderly fashion. A rough count put the number at nearly ten thousand troops!

Leon found Garp's personal Dog Head Warship. As soon as he stepped onto the deck, he spotted an unexpected figure.

A blue-and-white suit, a dark green eye mask on his head, and a Coat of Justice draped over his shoulders—Vice Admiral Kuzan!

"Little brother Leon, right on time!"

"Brother Kuzan, are you heading out to sea too? Is Teacher Garp not on the ship?"

"Mr. Garp should be with Admiral Sengoku..."

Kuzan casually pulled out a lounge chair, stretched out with a big yawn, and then fished a bottle of white wine from his pocket.

"Want a sip, little brother Leon?"

"It's sherry. Drink it, and you'll turn into a handsome man."

"?"

I thought you hadn't started practicing your "lazy justice" yet?

So you were just born lazy!

Seeing Kuzan pull down his eye mask and get ready to sleep, Leon couldn't help but ask, "Brother Kuzan, what's the mission for this operation?"

"Are we attacking Whitebeard?"

Garp, Sengoku, and Kuzan—three Admiral-level fighters—were already far beyond the standard Buster Call setup.

But honestly, taking on Whitebeard in his prime with these forces...

Leon's mind fast-forwarded straight to the sky shattering and rivers of blood.

"Huh?"

Kuzan pulled up his eye mask.

"The Navy doesn't go picking fights with monsters like Whitebeard lightly."

"Didn't Mr. Garp brief you on this mission?"

"Not at all."

"I see..." Kuzan yawned. "Our mission this time is in the second half of the Grand Line."

"The target isn't as tough as Whitebeard, but it's still a crazy monster."

"When the fighting starts, little brother Leon, be extra careful..."

Kuzan's voice trailed off. Leon waited a long time for him to continue, only to realize Kuzan had already fallen asleep.

Just like Teacher Garp, huh...

Around noon, Garp finally returned to the ship in a black suit.

"Hey! Kuzan!"

"You bastard, why aren't you on your own warship? What are you doing on mine?!"

Kuzan jolted awake, startled to find it had gotten dark. He fumbled around for a bit before realizing his eye mask was still on.

"Mr. Garp, you're back!" Kuzan grinned and walked over. "Since the target location's already confirmed anyway,"

"I figured I'd stay on your ship and soak up more of your wisdom!"

"Hmph, smooth-talking brat. You're nothing like my disciple."

Garp shot Kuzan a glare, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Kuzan settled back into his chair without a hint of guilt.

Commanding a warship was way too tiring. Lying down was much more comfortable...

With Garp's return, the massive naval fleet officially set sail.

Since the target was in the second half of the Grand Line, the fleet needed to cross the Red Line.

Generally, there are two ways to cross the Red Line and reach the New World.

One is to apply to the World Government and pass directly through the holy land of Mary Geoise atop the Red Line, but this route cannot accommodate ships.

Although the Navy possesses the technology to safely traverse the Calm Belt, it would require going through Reverse Mountain to reach the North Blue or West Blue, which takes far too long.

Therefore, for this mission, the Navy chose the other method: coating the ships with Yarukiman mangrove resin, diving ten thousand meters, passing through a giant hole beneath the Red Line, and reaching the New World via Fish-Man Island.

Having several Admiral-level combatants was enough to minimize the risks of this route.

The Navy fleet first headed to the Sabaody Archipelago to complete the coating. Pirate ships encountered along the way, upon glimpsing a fleet of this scale from afar, all fled at the sight, leaving the sea surface noticeably quieter.

During this time, Leon finally learned the specifics of this operation from his adjutant, Bogard.

Months ago, the World Government, for the sake of a certain secret plan, had quietly made contact with a great pirate who had recently risen to fame on the seas.