City of Water

Sailing on the sea was, in truth, an incredibly boring affair. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but seawater... and more seawater.

After seven days of sailing, the weather changes that Sephiroth had initially hated so much had gradually, without him even noticing, become little "surprises" in his life at sea, adding quite a bit of variety to his daily routine.

Of course, there were also times when those surprises became "big surprises"...

Such as enormous Sea Kings suddenly emerging from the surface, or endless layers of towering, relentless "mad dog waves."

Every time, it could be called a narrow escape from death!

If not for navigator Sandersonia and helmswoman Marigold, Sephiroth felt that this ship definitely would not have survived those two "big surprises."

The Grand Line... Sephiroth was slowly beginning to understand why people called it by that name.

Unpredictable weather, all sorts of unbelievable races and islands, endless adventures...

The gentle sea breeze brushed against Hancock's lovely face, sending several strands of her long black hair drifting in the wind.

The girl sat on the small staircase on the inner side of the deck, watching the boy beneath the mast as he continuously swung his blade. An indescribable emotion occasionally surfaced in her eyes, but she did not know what it was.

She only knew that merely looking at the boy made her feel inexplicably happy...

"Sephiroth, why do you train so hard?"

At her words, the boy's sword-swinging paused for a moment. But less than three seconds later, he once again swung the long blade in his hand with determination.

"Because I want to become stronger... strong enough to protect the things I cherish...

"And I want revenge on someone!

"For that, absolute strength is essential!"

After spending this time recalling things, Sephiroth had finally remembered...

The pirate crew to which the horned skull flag flying from the pirate ship that had attacked the passenger ship he was on during that storm belonged... the Beasts Pirates!

This was the pirate crew founded by Kaido of the Beasts...

By Sephiroth's estimate, Kaido at this point in time had probably already killed that big idiot Kozuki Oden and completely turned Wano Country into his own sweatshop.

Although the seas had not yet formed the pattern of the Four Emperors dividing the world among themselves.

Still...

There was no doubt that Kaido had already become one of the most powerful pirates in the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line!

The boy's path to revenge seemed rather long and winding.

A gentleman's revenge could wait ten years!

If that still didn't work, then I'll wait another nineteen years...

Once Monkey D. Luffy defeats Kaido, I'll go to Wano Country to claim the kill and give Kaido another two slashes!

At that thought, the breath Sephiroth had been holding in his heart nearly leaked out, and he almost felt like giving up altogether!

No! No!

In this world, weakness was the original sin. Without absolute strength, no matter what you possessed, it could be easily taken away.

Besides, I said I would take revenge on the Beasts Pirates. I absolutely have to kill that dead fat bastard Queen. I have to keep my word!

As the boy once again strengthened his resolve to become stronger and cast aside his hesitation, his blade swings became several degrees sharper.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!

Hancock did not know about the change in the boy's emotions, but she inexplicably wanted to help him...

"Sephiroth, do you have a grudge against someone?"

"The Beasts Pirates. They killed my father..."

The boy's voice was calm, yet it contained a trace of killing intent.

"Oh!"

Hancock nodded and did not ask any further questions. She merely remembered the name of that pirate crew.

She did not know why she cared so much about what the boy said. Perhaps it was only because she wanted to repay him for taking such meticulous care of her for three days while she was sick...?

On the mast, Sandersonia held a spyglass in her hand. When she saw the enormous city shaped like a fountain, she immediately called down to the three below.

"Great! Water Seven, the City of Water—we've finally arrived!"

Because the Grand Line's magnetic fields were extremely chaotic, compasses could not be used for navigation. Thus, to sail the Grand Line, one had to rely on Log Poses and Eternal Poses to find the locations of islands.

A Log Pose could record an island's magnetic field, and its needle would then point toward the next island. An Eternal Pose, on the other hand, would forever point in the direction of a particular island.

Merchants engaged in maritime trade, as well as the Marines and pirates, generally used Eternal Poses to sail the shortest route possible when they wanted to reach a particular island quickly and reduce travel time.

Of course, some islands could not be reached or found using a Log Pose. Such islands could only be located through the direction indicated by an Eternal Pose, such as Laugh Tale, Punk Hazard, and other special islands.

On this fast sailboat, aside from the Log Pose, there were only five Eternal Poses: Jaya, Sabaody Archipelago, Water Seven, Aito Island, and Saint Poplar Island.

Among them, Water Seven was the island closest to Amazon Lily, and it was also where Sephiroth's home was located...

Water Seven was the city with the most advanced shipbuilding industry in the world. Even the ancient weapon, the battleship Pluton from eight hundred years ago, had been built by the island's shipwrights.

Besides its world-famous shipbuilding industry, the City of Water was also among the very best in the world when it came to constructing and developing hydraulic engineering. Crisscrossing waterways covered the entire city.

It was worth noting, however, that construction on the Sea Train linking Water Seven to the surrounding islands had only just begun...

At this time, Franky was still a rebellious teenager, spending every day researching offensive weapons.

Iceburg, the future mayor of the City of Water and president of Galley-La Company, was still an ordinary shipwright.

For now, the two of them were still apprentices under the shipwright Tom at Tom's Workers, working to make a living.

After sheathing his sword, Sephiroth saw that Marigold seemed to be planning to sail the ship directly into the harbor to dock, so he hurriedly stopped her.

"Let's not sail this ship into the harbor. Go around to the right—there's a place called Junkyard Island over there."

"This ship isn't a pirate ship, and it isn't flying a skull flag. It should be fine to sail into the port and dock, right?" Hancock asked with a puzzled expression.

Hearing this, Sephiroth gently shook his head and reached out to stroke the long black-haired girl's head.

Boa Hancock's soft, smooth hair felt exceptionally good, and he found himself reluctant to let go. Rather than disliking this intimate gesture, the girl felt somewhat delighted and enjoyed it.

"This ship may not be a pirate ship, but have you considered this? Since those slave traders had an Eternal Pose for Water Seven, isn't it perfectly normal for them to have connections or forces in this place as well?"

"I see."

After hearing the boy's explanation, Hancock immediately nodded in understanding.

The four of them had killed everyone aboard a slave ship and seized their vessel. If they were spotted by members of those affiliated forces, they would surely invite a great deal of trouble.

Marigold immediately turned the helm, steering the fast sailboat in a wide arc along the edge of the island toward Junkyard Island...