Bai Ina Won't... What About Bai Asura?

"This is the only ship we have capable of navigating the Calm Belt! With its Internal Turbine Power and a hull lined with Seastone, even the headquarters possesses very few of these."

Hijikata Yoshitoyo pointed to the massive vessel docked at the harbor and continued, "Because there is a large quantity of supplies that must be loaded, we cannot take many people. We can only select five hundred to accompany you to the Grand Line."

"I only need a navigator and a weather observer; I can go by myself!" Bai Ina replied coldly.

Hijikata Yoshitoyo shook his head at these words: "Take some men with you. Even if they can't help in a fight, they can assist with moving supplies."

Bai Ina pondered this for a moment before nodding. It was true; expecting him to move supplies meant for 100,000 people all by himself was impractical.

"Ina, can I go with you?"

At that moment, Loxi stepped forward and asked softly. His face was full of anticipation; after all, they hadn't sailed together for nearly three years.

Bai Ina shook his head immediately: "No!"

"Why?" Loxi asked anxiously, quickly adding, "I know navigation, and I can cook for you."

"Too weak--"

Bai Ina said it without a shred of mercy, then turned and jumped straight onto the ship, leaving Loxi no chance to argue.

"Ina..."

Loxi stared blankly at Bai Ina, who had walked into the cabin of the giant ship without even looking back, his expression tinged with sorrow.

It was true; Bai Ina had changed. He had become increasingly like a stranger, to the point where he even... frightened him.

The Bai Ina of the past, while cold, had always treated his companions with great kindness and never looked down on anyone for being weak. The current Bai Ina seemed like a madman possessed by power, as if nothing but strength could ever enter his heart.

"He probably just doesn't want you to be in danger, which is why he refused to let you follow," Hijikata Yoshitoyo said, stepping forward to pat Loxi on the shoulder with a cryptic look. "I don't even know if the decision to send Bai Ina to the Grand Line is the right one. After all, the dangers of the Grand Line are well known."

"You're right!"

Loxi nodded without hesitation. He looked up at the giant ship, which had finished loading its provisions and was preparing to set sail, and whispered, "Ever since he put on that Demon Mask, Bai Ina has become more and more terrifying. Although I understand why he has become this way, we absolutely cannot let him continue to vent like this. Otherwise, sooner or later... he will go insane."

"Indeed. Letting him go out to cool off is for the best. In the East Blue, he would eventually choose to destroy everything..."

The sudden remark startled both Hijikata and Loxi. They turned to see Zongcilang leaning against a tree, his sword held in his arms. He looked up at the giant ship, his expression grave: "Hijikata was right before. The current Bai Ina only wants to destroy everything. If this continues, perhaps one day in the future, we too will become part of what he seeks to destroy."

"Zongcilang, you've gone too far. Bai Ina wouldn't do that!" Hijikata Yoshitoyo frowned, his voice laced with dissatisfaction.

Zongcilang's mouth curled into a self-deprecating arc: "True, Bai Ina wouldn't. But... what about Asura?"

"..."

Hijikata Yoshitoyo choked. Recalling the various actions of the masked Bai Ina over these past few days, he found himself unable to refute the claim.

"No, he absolutely wouldn't!" Loxi said, his face full of conviction. A strange glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Hijikata and Zongcilang with an unsettling expression. After a long silence, he murmured, "Whether it is Bai Ina or Asura, he will never raise a hand against us. Perhaps that is precisely why he wants to destroy everything else..."

Hijikata Yoshitoyo frowned slightly: "Loxi... is there something you've been keeping from us?"

"Perhaps..."

Loxi offered a bitter smile but did not answer, turning away and walking off.

Hijikata Yoshitoyo and Zongcilang exchanged a glance, choosing not to press the matter. Based on what they knew of Loxi, unless he chose to speak, questioning him would be useless.

"We will take the shortest route, passing through the Calm Belt to enter the Grand Line. According to the coordinates sent by headquarters, even if we sail without stopping, it will take us over two months."

Mo Mo stood before Bai Ina, reporting their planned route before continuing: "Because we are not taking the standard route, we can save nearly half a year of travel time. However, the technology for navigating the Calm Belt was developed by the Navy, so encountering them while inside is inevitable."

Bai Ina frowned and asked in a low voice: "Can we not avoid them?"

The Navy was one of the three great powers in this world; Bai Ina never underestimated them, nor did he believe his power could crush everything. Possessing memories of his past life, he knew that having only just touched upon the ability to "hear the breath of all things," he was at most equivalent to a pirate with a bounty of around 60 million Beli.

Compared to the Navy, that was roughly the level of a Captain to a Commodore. But there was one caveat: that was assuming the opponent wasn't a Logia-type user like Smoker. Without Haki, it would be difficult to defeat such an opponent unless he could find the weakness of their Devil Fruit.

"It's difficult."

Mo Mo shook his head and continued: "As far as I know, the Navy's large military bases use the Calm Belt to save time when transporting supplies or deploying forces."

"What if we pose as a merchant fleet?"

"Impossible. The only ones known to possess this technology are the Navy and our Revolutionary Army." Mo Mo looked troubled; it wouldn't be easy for their ship to cross the Calm Belt unnoticed.

However, if they took the safer, standard route to reach the Calm Belt in the second half of the Grand Line, it would take at least six months to reach the uninhabited island where the supplies were stored. A round trip would take at least a year, and by then, with the Revolutionary Army's weapons and ammunition depleted, what would they have left to contend with the Kingdom Army?

Therefore, no matter how dangerous the Calm Belt was, they had no choice but to take this route.

The expression on Bai Ina's face beneath the mask turned grim, but there was no other way. Finally, he said coldly: "Pass the order down. Tell the lookouts to keep a constant watch on the route. If they see the silhouette of a ship, avoid it if possible."

"Yes!"

Mo Mo responded respectfully before turning to leave.