Arrival at the Sabaody Archipelago
Ban nodded slightly, asking no further questions, and returned to silence.
Izuna Uchiha glanced sideways at his older brother, a knowing smile playing on his lips, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Natsu took in this subtle scene, picked up the slightly cool teacup beside her, took a small sip, and remained silent, without saying a word.
He understood perfectly well that what Ban cared about was never the cold, hard numbers of killings.
This ancestor who led the Uchiha through the chaos of war was merely silently verifying whether the Uchiha, now free from the flames of war and rooted in the West Blue, could still uphold the ironclad rules and bottom line passed down through generations.
His reply Setsuna clearly put his mind at ease.
As the morning mist slowly dissipated, the outline of the Sabaody Archipelago gradually emerged from the sea.
The boys who were busy on the deck all stopped what they were doing and looked straight ahead.
Towering mangroves rise from the sea, their layers of branches spreading out to create boundless shade. Crystal-clear bubbles float gently from the forest floor, bathed in a soft golden glow by the rising sun.
No matter how clear the black-and-white illustrations in the textbook are, they can't replicate the overwhelming shock I feel right now.
The island is alive, with bubbles floating everywhere, each one bathed in sunlight, stretching out freely.
The sailboat slowly glided into the harbor. Chunwu stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the crowds thronging the dock.
Merchants coming and going, pirates roaming around, bounty hunters lying in wait for their prey, and spying people hiding in the corners of the streets and alleys, deliberately concealing their presence, were all taken into account.
From the moment the Uchiha Gunbai flag on the hull was fully unfurled by the sea breeze, the entire island's gaze was fixed firmly on their ship.
A worker carrying a cargo box quietly nudged his colleague with his elbow and whispered something.
"It's the Uchiha, the one with a bounty of 15 billion."
His companion nearly dropped the wooden crate, staring wide-eyed at the sailboat, utterly bewildered. "What are these kids doing here? Don't they say the Uchiha always stay in the West Blue and never venture out?"
The murmurs drifted to his ears on the sea breeze, Chunwu paid them no heed and gave the order to furl the sails and dock.
As soon as the boat touched down on the pier, a man in a floral shirt strode up to us. His hair was slicked back and his face was plastered with a deliberately ingratiating smile.
He claimed to be a local tour guide at Grove 17, boasting that he could get through any channel on the island and that his fees were fair and he would never overcharge tourists.
Chunwu stared quietly at his shifty eyes, then turned his head to look at Rin beside him.
Rin shook her head slightly and whispered what she had sensed.
The man carried no weapons, his breathing was rapid, and his heart was pounding wildly. He had no malicious intent to harm anyone; it was merely the self-serving instinct he had developed from years of working at the docks.
Finally, she uttered only two soft words: tour guide.
Chunwu withdrew his gaze and declined in a flat tone.
"Unnecessary."
The tour guide's smile froze instantly. He wanted to say a few more words to attract customers, but when he looked up and saw twenty teenagers lined up neatly by the ship's side, their Sharingan gleaming with a cold red light in the sunlight, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He awkwardly took a few steps back, not even daring to hand over the business card he had prepared in advance.
Chunwu walked to the stone wall of the harbor and spread out the nautical chart in his hand.
"There are three supply points on the island: one in the port area, one in the No. 30 mangrove area, and one in the Grove 40."
The operation was divided into three groups: one group purchased fresh water and dry rations, another group inspected the hull waterproofing system, and the remaining people stayed on the ship.
Once all supplies are replenished, return to port immediately without lingering on the island.
Lin nodded and noted down the arrangements. Just as he turned to assign tasks, he suddenly stopped.
The port bulletin board was covered with densely packed wanted posters. The naval bounty figures that were originally printed below several portraits had been boldly crossed out in red ink, and black market prices several times higher were written in charcoal next to them. The figures were so exaggerated that they were glaringly outrageous, far more up-to-date and higher than the intelligence they had brought out from the West Blue.
Chunwu followed her gaze and immediately saw through the situation.
"This isn't the amount publicly announced by the Navy; it's the price privately agreed upon by the Underworld. Bounty hunters never accept official wanted notices; they only accept offers from the black market."
Rin didn't respond, but her knuckles tightened unconsciously, gripping the hilt of the knife tightly.
She knew perfectly well what was behind this—the people lurking in the shadows had already set a price for this new generation.
It won't be the navy that takes action; it'll be the most shady, desperate group of criminals on the entire ocean.
Chunwu remained silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone more tense.
"Shorten the length of time spent on the island."
Go and tell everyone that once supplies are replenished, return to the ship and assemble immediately.
No one may leave the group alone throughout the entire process, and no one may initiate arguments with outsiders.
If someone deliberately tries to provoke you, warn them first.
If warnings are ineffective, action can be taken, but only to repel the attackers without pursuing them. Never proactively escalate the conflict, and don't give lurking spies an excuse to launch an attack.
Rin turned around in response and quickly dispersed to relay the instructions.
The bubbles still floated lightly and translucently in the sunlight, but Sabaody was never Paradise for people to play in.
These archipelagos serve as a dividing line; beyond the sea lies New World fraught with danger.
All the forces and spies on the island knew that the new generation of Uchiha had already stepped onto this dividing line.
The supply team quickly split into two groups, each with its own responsibilities, and dispersed to carry out their mission.
Chunwu personally led the team to Grove 30.
Before setting off, the intelligence department had already thoroughly investigated the area and found that it was home to a cluster of established shipbuilding shops that specialized in supplying long-distance fleets. Their supplies were reliable and genuine, and their prices were transparent and fair. It was one of the few safe spots in the Sabaody Archipelago where there was no need to worry about prices being inflated.
Rin led a team to stay in the port area, responsible for purchasing basic supplies such as fresh water and dry food.
The two teams agreed on a time limit in advance, and all members returned to the dock to meet up one hour later and boarded the ship on time.
The streets and alleys of Grove 30 are much quieter than the noisy and chaotic port area.
The shops on both sides of the road exclusively sell ship materials, nautical medicines, and navigation equipment. There are no vendors soliciting customers along the street; only wooden shop signs stand quietly at the entrance, neatly engraved with clearly marked prices, exuding the unique steadiness and composure of old-established shops.
Chunwu checked the list of supplies in his hand, verifying one by one the special plates, waterproof coatings, and fixing rivets needed for the repair of the ship's bottom. After confirming that the categories and specifications were all correct, he raised his hand to signal the accompanying team members to settle the bill and prepare the goods.
As the group carried their boxes out of the store, an old wanted poster pasted on a dilapidated lamppost on the street corner inadvertently came into view.
This was an early bounty notice released by the Marine Headquarters before their landing at Iron Reef Port.