The Uchiha Trading Company's private ship departed from the port of Water 7 just as dawn was breaking.
This ship is not as large as Marine warship, but its materials and craftsmanship are far more sophisticated.
The hull is White Wax Wood keel with West Blue hemlock deck, and the bow is cut into a smooth arc, so that when it cuts through the waves, you can hardly hear the muffled sound of water splashing against the hull.
The sail was a cream-colored, angled barre, with a red-and-white Gunbai pattern painted in the center. This sail had become a kind of unspoken pass on the first half of the Grand Line.
The ship was not equipped with cannons, and there were only four crew members on deck: a helmsman, two sailors, and a lookout, all wearing the dark blue uniforms of the Uchiha Trading Company.
The route was determined by the Uchiha Trading Company itself. It started from Water 7, heading east, running along the edge of the Calm Belt for a short distance, then turning northeast and passing through several reef areas rarely traversed by merchant ships.
This route is almost a day's journey shorter than the standard trade route, but only ships from the Uchiha Trading Company dare to take it because the safe passage in the reef area was determined by Koldo leading a hydrographic team, and the nautical chart has not been made public to this day.
Even if the Chamber of Commerce's business rivals knew about this shortcut, they could only be envious. They wouldn't sell nautical charts, wouldn't lend navigators, and any merchant ships that dared to follow would be intercepted and questioned by patrol teams.
Damian stood on the ship's side, his hand resting on the railing, looking out at the sea.
Mila changed her clothes, tucking a white shirt into dark trousers, and re-tying her short hair with a hair tie, looking completely different from the Mila she had been this morning.
Roy sat cross-legged opposite her, using the cable roll as a backrest, and sharpened his dagger with a whetstone. The blade slid back and forth on the whetstone, making rhythmic metallic scraping sounds.
Barlow set up a folding table under the awning on the aft deck, on which lay three documents: quarterly reports, route logs, and a list of supplies for White Wax Island.
This efficiency of multitasking allowed him to squeeze in more time on the way back, thus reducing the amount of business he had to handle on White Wax Island.
After leaving the reef area, other ships began to appear on the sea.
A merchant ship flying the flag of the Goa Kingdom spotted their sails in the distance. The captain raised his binoculars to confirm the Gunbai pattern on the sails, then lowered them and said something to the helmsman.
The cargo ship began to adjust its course, veering at least ten degrees to the right to make way for a wider channel.
A little while later, a small speedboat without a flag appeared in the channel, its bow facing the direction of travel.
Just as the lookout on the merchant ship raised the signal flag, the helmsman of the speedboat opposite seemed to have recognized the Gunbai sail and turned on his own, the stern drawing a semi-circular white arc on the sea.
That flag itself is the pass.
Above the shipping lane, it drew an invisible boundary, within which no one dared to approach. Only seagulls occasionally landed on the top of the mast, tilted their heads, and pecked at the red dye on the Gunbai pattern. After a couple of pecks, realizing it wasn't food, they flew away again.
As the sea turned a deep blue in the afternoon, the aroma of food wafted from the deck.
Barlow closed the logbook, tucked the Fountain Pen back into his shirt pocket, and took out packaged sandwiches from the food basket to distribute to everyone.
Roy was still sharpening the knife, not stopping until it was so shiny it could be used as a mirror.
Damian said it was okay, but Roy said it wasn't. The rope broke when he cut it last time, and this time he had to grind it until he could shave.
The afternoon passed, and dusk fell.
A dark green line emerged from the sea ahead, first appearing as a blurry outline of tree canopies on the horizon, then the line widened and thickened, becoming a continuous layer of tree canopies, and then the gray-white limestone cliffs and the iconic White Wax Forest to the east were revealed below the canopy.
Sunlight slanted across the leaves of the ash trees, revealing their silvery-white undersides. The entire forest appeared to be half-glowing, and the outline of White Wax Island emerged from the interplay of deep green and silvery-white.
The lookout put away his binoculars and called out to the deck, "We're home."
On the eastern coastline of White Wax Island, two arched breakwaters extend from the Uchiha Ancestral Grounds's private port, resembling outstretched arms welcoming ships.
The breakwater is built with local stone from White Wax Island. The stone surface has been eroded by the sea wind, leaving patterns of varying depths. Dark green moss grows at the joints, and it gleams with a damp sheen in the setting sun.
Several Uchiha Patrol boats were moored on the inner side of the harbor, their hulls neatly arranged and their mooring lines coiled up in an orderly fashion.
Patrol officers on the dock stand at fixed intervals, wearing uniforms and standing at standard postures. When they see a ship with Gunbai sail approaching, they stand at attention and salute.
There is still one ship in the port.
That ship was significantly larger than the Uchiha Trading Company's ship.
Three gun decks, an iron-clad bow, a seagull flag flying atop the mast, and several bullet holes and repair marks on the military gray hull—each mark telling the story of how many battles this ship had fought.
The prow resembles a dog's head, grinning with bared teeth and a bone in its mouth, its eyes fixed straight ahead, exuding an air of utter arrogance from every angle.
Everyone in the entire naval port recognized this ship; you couldn't find another warship in the entire navy with a dog's head on its bow.
This ship belongs to Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
The Dog-Head Warship was docked in the private port of the Uchiha Ancestral Grounds, its posture as casual as if it were parked in its own backyard.
Barlow turned his gaze from the Dog-Head Warship to Damian's face.
Roy also turned his head, his dagger unconsciously striking the cable stake.
Mila didn't speak, but raised her eyebrows slightly.
Damian glanced at the warship and said calmly, "It's Garp. You've all met him before."
Roy's eyes widened.
He tucked the dagger back into his waistband, took two steps forward, stood beside Damian, stared at the Dog-Head Warship for a long while, then frowned and turned to Damian.
"Why does this guy keep coming to our house?" He paused, his tone shifting from question to another possibility.
"Big brother, be careful. I suspect he might be after Gwen..."
Roy received a solid tap on the shoulder from Damian's bent middle finger, the sound crisp and decisive.
"Don't talk nonsense." Damian withdrew his hand, his knuckles still bent at the angle of his knuckles.
"His son is almost twenty years old. Garp came here to see me. What are you thinking about all day long?"
Roy rubbed his shoulder, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I was just worried about my sister-in-law... You're away so often, what if something happens to you..."
"Say one more word..."
Roy shut up.
Barlow walked past the two, casually adding, "It's rare to find someone better at being lectured by their older brother than me."
Mila jumped down from the pile of cables, dusted herself off, slowed down as she passed Roy, patted his other shoulder without saying a word, but the force of her hand clearly conveyed "you deserve it."