Leaving the Calm Belt! A Strong One

As soon as Ulti said that, the little ones all looked at her, their eyes wide.

"W-What? Am I wrong? Little brother, tell me, am I right or not?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little ones nodded frantically.

They all thought Ulti was right.

Ulti put her hands on her hips and smugly watched Kaido disappear into the sky.

West Blue.

Laughter rang out continuously aboard a pirate ship.

"Hahaha! Boys, on to the next island!"

A pirate missing several teeth waved the blade in his hand and shouted triumphantly.

"Let's plunder another island!"

The pirates erupted in cheers.

They had never expected being pirates to be so profitable. The people on those islands were filled with fear whenever they saw them and handed over whatever they were told to.

Before long, they would all possess vast amounts of wealth.

"Boss, someone's there!"

A pirate atop the mast shouted and pointed in one direction.

The group's laughter came to an abrupt stop, and they excitedly looked where he pointed.

On the calm sea in the distance, a strange black speck was approaching.

Looking closely, it was a raft made of several thick logs placed side by side, with a shirtless person sitting on it.

"Damn it, does that guy look like he has money?"

Once the pirate captain got a clear look, he immediately flew into a rage.

That guy was so poor he did not even have clothes. What could they possibly rob from him?

"Hehehe, Captain, don't get angry. Don't forget, before this person... I just took a look. The person on the raft seems to be a young man, and he looks pretty good.

I know some wealthy ladies on the islands seem to like this kind."

The pirate captain suddenly understood upon hearing that.

That seemed right.

This person might indeed be worth quite a lot. If those thirsty wealthy ladies would not look twice at him, he might have offered himself up.

He recalled the wealthy ladies from the noble families on the island where he had been born—their snowy skin, voluptuous figures, and delicate faces.

Then he reached down to scratch his crotch and pointed toward the raft in the distance.

"Boys, move in. Looks like we're about to make another fortune."

As he spoke, he greedily watched the approaching raft.

"Huh? Where is he?"

The pirate captain stared at the empty raft, his face full of confusion.

"Uh, Captain, he came over. He's eating your food!"

The pirate on the mast said hesitantly.

Something felt wrong to him. From that far away, how could someone possibly jump over here?

Yet he had watched with his own eyes as the person on the raft leaped over.

Hearing this, the pirates abruptly turned to look at the large table laden with food.

They had just raided an island and stolen plenty of food and treasure. Since they were preparing for a feast aboard the ship, they had laid out a huge amount of food.

And now, beside the table, a young man with black hair nearly reaching his waist was grabbing roasted meat and fruit from the table.

Large amounts of food entered his mouth and vanished instantly.

In only a moment, nearly half the food prepared for the feast had disappeared from the table.

The pirates stood dumbfounded for a moment before glaring furiously at the man who had suddenly appeared.

"Damn it, seize this guy!"

The pirate captain suddenly snapped out of it. He raised his blade and shouted angrily.

Several pirates immediately stepped forward and lunged toward the young man by the table.

This person was naturally Lin Ye, who had escaped from the Calm Belt.

He had relied on rowing by himself all the way and had finally crossed the Calm Belt.

The seasonings he had brought had long since run out, and all he had eaten was Sea Kings he caught.

Although most Sea King meat was delicious, he had grown sick of eating it plain.

To Lin Ye, this roasted meat sprinkled with seasoning tasted exceptionally good.

A flash of red light flickered in his eyes, and the several pirates charging at him collapsed directly to the ground.

This scene silenced the clamoring pirates.

What was going on?

"Don't disturb me, or I'll kill every last one of you."

After swallowing the meat in his mouth, Lin Ye looked at the pirates aboard the ship and spoke coldly.

"Captain!"

One pirate gulped hard.

Even the pirate captain's hand holding his blade trembled slightly.

What was with this guy?

Lin Ye paid no attention to their reactions.

He had already sensed the pirates aboard this ship the moment he spotted it. They were a bunch of rabble.

They were very weak. A single Marine soldier could probably defeat all of them with ease.

They had probably only recently set sail.

But every one of them carried the scent of blood, proving they had just killed someone.

As Lin Ye pondered this, he devoured nearly all the food on the table, grabbed a washed fruit, and took a bite. Only then did he look at the pirates standing frozen in place.

"I ask. You answer!"

Lin Ye swept his gaze across them before speaking.

"Who do you think you are—"

Perhaps Lin Ye's tone was too arrogant, or perhaps the pirate had instinctively wanted to talk back.

Whoosh!

A Flying Slash swept past, cutting through the speaking pirate and several pirates behind him in one strike.

The smell of blood immediately spread through the air.

"Where is this?"

Lin Ye lowered Enma in his hand and asked again.

"Naruda Sea!"

The pirate captain answered, his voice trembling.

Lin Ye looked at him. "Is this the Four Blues or the New World?"

"The Four Blues... Oh, right, West Blue!"

Lin Ye's tone was not severe, but the pirate captain's body trembled uncontrollably.

Mom, the sea is too dangerous. I want to go home.

West Blue!

Lin Ye turned to look at the other pirates aboard the ship.

"Who is the navigator?"

At his question, the other pirates all looked utterly bewildered.

"Sir, what is a navigator?"

One pirate asked cautiously.

Lin Ye: ...

These guys had set sail without even knowing what a navigator was?

"Head for the nearest island!"

Lin Ye waved a hand and found a place to sit.

"Hurry up and do as the sir commands!"

The pirate captain nodded and bowed in agreement, then roared at the other pirates around him.

For an instant, he seemed to have returned to his hometown, facing those important figures. That instinctive response surfaced once more.

The pirate ship changed direction and sped toward one side.

The sails were lowered, and all the pirates went into the cabin to start rowing.

Lin Ye closed his eyes slightly and rested.

Even with his abilities, the journey had left him mentally exhausted, though his body was fine.

But he had ended up directly in West Blue. It seemed the Grand Line and the Red Line truly crossed and divided the world into the Four Blues.

He had entered the Calm Belt from Wano Country in the latter half of the Grand Line, and after crossing it, he had arrived in West Blue.

"Sir, we've arrived!"

Not long after, the pirate captain approached and spoke respectfully.

Lin Ye spread out his Observation Haki. It was a small island, one engulfed in flames.

There were many corpses on the island, but quite a few living people remained as well.

It was obvious that it had only recently been attacked.

The people who had been clearing away the corpses saw the pirate ship approaching and scattered in panic.