Final Preparations

Sea Circle Calendar, April, 1494.

Summer gave way to autumn, autumn passed into winter, winter turned to spring... and just like that, more than six months hurried by.

Rustle, rustle... Reg and Berg walked side by side through the southern forest of Jaya Island.

"So this is the scent of spring... Reg."

Berg had changed greatly by now... his monocle was gone, his skin had darkened to a healthy bronze, and even his tailcoat had been replaced with an ordinary long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.

Compared to the shrewd merchant he had been a few months ago, Berg now looked far stronger and fiercer—more like the captain of a pirate ship.

"Yeah... After tomorrow, you'll be free."

Still fair-skinned, Reg answered casually... in his hand hung an upside-down bird. Its feathers were richly patterned and brilliantly colored, making it look like an oversized, multicolored parrot.

Chirp, chirp... Strange cries came from its beak, as though it were venting its displeasure.

"Shut up, or I'll boil you."

With black lines creeping across his face, Reg mercilessly shook its feet... This fellow was a South Bird.

Like pigeons and salmon... these animals had natural compasses within their bodies that allowed them to determine their location.

Among them, the South Bird was the finest of all... no matter how vast the land or sea where it was released, it would automatically find the correct direction. Its long, sharp beak was now pointing precisely south.

"This thing's pretty troublesome."

Berg glared viciously at the South Bird in his own hand... only for the two birds to smack their beaks disdainfully at the same time.

Reg decisively shook his bird a few more times, leaving the South Bird dizzy and disoriented... When he had caught these things, Reg had received the same treatment as Luffy and the others.

Ladybugs larger than human heads, praying mantises that knew martial arts, giant centipedes that made one's scalp tingle, spiders as large as fists... If Reg hadn't spent several years on Tower Forest Island and learned Moon Walk, he really wouldn't have managed to catch two of these bastards.

"Hmph... I really want to burn down the place those bastards live in." Berg rubbed the huge swollen bump on his neck.

"You're not much better yourself, Captain Pirate." Reg teased.

"What captain? With only a few people left, can we still be called a pirate crew?!"

Berg was utterly stifled... Over the past few months, unless the weather had been truly terrible, they had spent every remaining moment at sea investigating the currents.

This was the Grand Line... a place where pirates and Sea Kings frequently appeared!

The battles with both had dealt Berg's pirate crew severe losses... Many times, when facing enormous Sea Kings, they would have been wiped out if Reg had not stepped in.

Thanks to that, and to fighting to sustain themselves... Reg had not extended his "evil" hand toward Berg's collection.

"The ones left are all elites... With Fitch and the others as officers, you'll soon be able to rebuild a pirate crew even better than the original."

Reg offered a fair suggestion... Having had his weak point seized by Reg, Berg had not tried any tricks and had worked honestly and obediently.

"I'll have to think about it some more... Though I do long for the New World."

Berg's face was full of conflict... An eight-year-old brat had shattered his pirate crew, then forced him into six months of labor.

That brat might have been special, but Observation Haki and immense strength... were standard equipment for New World pirates.

If he fell into the hands of those vicious pirates, he would truly be better off dead.

"Suit yourself."

Reg shrugged... Over the past half year, with Berg's help, he had grown rapidly from a novice navigator who possessed nothing but theoretical knowledge.

Even if Berg ran away now, Reg could calculate the time and location of the Knock Up Stream by observing the nearby waters... It would simply be much harder alone, and Reg naturally would not give up free labor.

At around one tomorrow, using Jaya Island's eastern coast as the reference point... a Knock Up Stream would appear in the waters directly north.

The exact location would still have to be determined from the fluctuations when the current emerged... The downside of the South Bird's guidance was not much of a problem for Reg.

Within the range of his Observation Haki, he could adjust the ship's course at any time according to the movement of the South Bird's head. As long as they maintained that rhythm, they only needed to head north when the time came.

Splash, splash... Their conversation temporarily ended as the pensive Berg followed Reg through the forest.

With South Birds in hand, no insects would attack them... After all, those clever creatures had no desire to be boiled and eaten.

Once they left the southern forest, Berg spoke with a grave expression. "Wait, Reg."

Reg turned and raised an eyebrow. Berg was rarely this serious... Since they had met, the man had never shown such an expression over anything other than his collection.

"You're from P9, and you used some method to escape the World Government's control." Berg spoke as though courting death.

"..."

Reg nodded... Their long time together had allowed him to confirm that Berg was a noble from some country, though he had no idea why the man had chosen to become a pirate.

Ordinary commoners and merchants might not know of P9's existence, but to the upper ranks of nations affiliated with the World Government, it was no secret.

Just like Lucci's famed battle where he slaughtered five hundred soldiers and pirates... When certain countries encountered problems they could not resolve internally, they would ask the World Government to handle them.

He was not afraid that Berg would spread word of his identity everywhere... After spending so much time together, he understood Berg's shrewd character well. Other than his collection, the middle-aged man lived an extremely cautious life.

They were both people with "criminal records." If Berg spread it around... P Organization would undoubtedly come knocking, and Berg would be the first to suffer.

"Lucci might have already arrived at Tower Forest Island..."

The thought flashed through Reg's mind... Rob Lucci had been born in the same year as Robin and was eight when he met Luffy, meaning he had been born in 1490.

In his memories, Roger's execution had taken place in 1498, and six-year-old Lucci had appeared on a page in Episode 0... together with the training Jabra.

Jabra's fate had already been changed by him... If Reg hadn't hurriedly applied for the assessment, Jabra would probably have remained on Tower Forest Island for several more years, only applying after he had completely mastered and grown familiar with the Six Powers.

Reg didn't know what kind of butterfly effect this change would cause, nor did he worry about it... On the contrary, he was quite happy. This was proof of the mark he had left behind.

"I want to follow you... on the condition that you can survive beneath the sea current."

Berg took out his monocle and gritted his teeth as he continued courting death... He had thought this through carefully.

After all this time together, no one dared to regard Reg as a child anymore. Not only was he powerful, but he was also exceptionally mature. The amount of time he spent training was astonishing... Childishness simply did not exist for someone like him.

Because of his Observation Haki... they didn't even dare entertain the thought of launching a sneak attack.

As for poisoning him... aside from that first battle, Reg had not eaten any of their food or drunk any of their water afterward.

This level of caution had once driven Berg to despair... Yet after spending time with him, he discovered that Reg was usually quite mild-mannered and not difficult to get along with.

And he had many secrets... That exquisitely designed sailboat alone proved quite a few things.

That assembled sailboat was simply insane... a keel made from Treasure Tree Adam, composite wings, a hot-air balloon, and so on.

On the so-called "Empty Number," Berg saw determination... the kind without even a trace of confusion.

This adult who was only eight years old—no... now nine—was seriously intent on going to that illusory Sky Island, and he had made ample preparations for it.

Someone who had left P9 yet was unwilling to settle for an ordinary life... had only one choice: become a pirate.

Rather than recklessly leading people into the New World, which they might not even be able to reach, he might as well take a gamble and follow this highly promising "potential stock"... Even if they failed, he had nothing to lose.