"We only have this one ship capable of sailing through the Calm Belt! Ships powered by Internal Turbine Power and lined with Seastone on the bottom are extremely rare, even at headquarters."
Hijikata Yoshitoyo pointed toward the enormous ship docked at the harbor and continued, "We still have a large amount of supplies to load, so we can't send too many people. We can only choose five hundred to go with you to the Grand Line."
"Just assign a navigator and a weather observer. I can go on my own," Bai Ina replied coldly.
Hijikata Yoshitoyo shook his head. "You should still take some people with you. Even if they can't help in a fight, they can help carry the supplies."
Bai Ina thought it over, then nodded. Indeed, it was unrealistic for him to carry enough supplies for a hundred thousand people all by himself.
"Ina, can I go with you?"
Loxi stepped forward and asked softly. His face was full of anticipation; after all, they hadn't sailed together in more than three years.
But Bai Ina shook his head without hesitation. "No!"
"Why?" Loxi asked urgently. "I know how to navigate, and I can cook for you, too."
"You're too weak—"
Bai Ina said without mercy, then turned and jumped straight onto the ship, leaving Loxi no chance to argue.
"Ina..."
Loxi stared blankly at the ship as Bai Ina entered the cabin without looking back. A trace of sadness crossed his face.
It was true. Bai Ina had changed. He had become someone Loxi found increasingly unfamiliar, someone who even... frightened him.
Bai Ina had always been cold, but he had treated his companions well and had never looked down on them for being weak. Now, he was like a madman controlled by power, as if nothing but strength could enter his heart.
"He probably refused because he's afraid you'll get hurt," Hijikata Yoshitoyo said, stepping forward to pat Loxi on the shoulder. His expression grew somewhat guarded. "I don't know if sending Bai Ina to the Grand Line was the right decision. The dangers there are well known."
"You're right!"
Loxi nodded without hesitation. Looking at the great ship, now loaded with food and ready to set sail, he said softly, "Ever since Bai Ina put on that mask, he's become more and more terrifying. I understand why he turned out this way, but we absolutely can't let him keep venting like this. Otherwise, one day... he'll go mad."
"Yeah. It might be good to let him go out and clear his head. If he stays in the East Blue, sooner or later he'll choose to destroy everything..."
The sudden voice made Hijikata and Loxi turn in surprise. Zongcilang stood there, leaning against a tree with his sword in his arms. He looked toward the ship, his expression grave. "Hijikata was right before. All Bai Ina wants now is to destroy everything. If this goes on, perhaps one day even we'll end up among those he wants to destroy."
"Zongcilang, that's going too far. Bai Ina wouldn't do that!" Hijikata Yoshitoyo said, frowning in displeasure.
Zongcilang's lips curled into a self-mocking smile. "That's right. Bai Ina wouldn't. But... what about White Asura?"
"..."
Hijikata Yoshitoyo fell silent. Recalling all the things Bai Ina had done while wearing the Demon Mask, he couldn't find anything to say in reply.
"No, that absolutely won't happen!" Loxi said with conviction. A strange look flickered across his face, and his gaze at Hijikata and Zongcilang seemed odd as well. After a long pause, he murmured, "Whether he's Bai Ina or White Asura, he'll never turn on us. Maybe that's exactly why he wants to destroy everything else..."
Hijikata Yoshitoyo frowned slightly. "Loxi... there's something you've been hiding from us, isn't there?"
"Maybe..."
Loxi gave a bitter smile but didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked away.
Hijikata Yoshitoyo and Zongcilang exchanged a glance, but didn't press him further. They knew Loxi well enough to understand that unless he chose to tell them, no amount of questioning would help.
"We'll take the shortest route, crossing the Calm Belt to reach the Grand Line. According to the coordinates sent from headquarters, even if we sail without stopping, the journey will take more than two months."
Mo Mo stood before Bai Ina and reported their route in detail. Then he continued, "Since we're not taking the usual route, we'll save nearly half a year of travel. But the technology for sailing through the Calm Belt was developed by the Navy, so encountering them out there is inevitable."
Bai Ina frowned and asked in a low voice, "There's no way to avoid them?"
The Navy was one of the world's three great powers. Bai Ina had never underestimated them, and he certainly didn't believe his strength could overwhelm everyone. With memories of his previous life, he knew that, having only just begun to sense the breath of all things, he was at best comparable to a pirate with a bounty of around sixty million Beli.
Compared to the Navy, that would put him somewhere between a captain and a Commodore. But that was assuming the opponent wasn't a Logia user like Smoker. Without Haki, Bai Ina would have a hard time beating him unless he could find a weakness in his Devil Fruit.
"Not easily."
Mo Mo shook his head and continued, "As far as I know, the Navy uses the Calm Belt for part of the journey between its major military bases, whether to transport supplies or to deploy forces against the enemy, all to save time."
"What if we pose as a merchant fleet?"
"Impossible. As far as anyone knows, only the Navy and the Revolutionary Army possess this technology." Mo Mo looked troubled. It was hardly easy for their ship full of people to cross the Calm Belt.
But if they took the safer, regular route to the Calm Belt in the New World, they would need at least six months to reach the uninhabited island where the supplies were stored. A round trip would take at least a year. By then, how could the Revolutionary Army, short on ammunition and weapons, stand against the Kingdom Army?
So no matter how dangerous the Calm Belt was, they had no choice but to take this route.
Bai Ina's face beneath the mask turned grim. There was nothing he could do about it, so he finally said coldly, "Pass down the order. Have the lookouts keep an eye on the route at all times. If they spot any ships, avoid them whenever possible."
"Yes!"
Mo Mo replied respectfully, then turned and left.
Before you continue