Dawn Base, Spectrum Key

"Go, Empress!" the elder shouted with the last of her strength. "Fulfill the mission our ancestors entrusted to us!"

Tears in her eyes, Boa Hancock turned and raced toward the shore with Ivankov. A boat from the Revolutionary Army submarine came to meet them, and under heavy covering fire, they finally made it aboard.

The submarine dived quickly, evading pursuit. Through the periscope, Boa Hancock looked back at Amazon Lily Island one last time—her home, the holy land she had guarded all her life. Smoke now billowed across it. The temple's golden roof collapsed amid the flames, while more and more enemies seized every inch of the island.

"I swear," Boa Hancock said, clenching her fists, her voice steadier than ever, "I'll repair the Dimensional Barrier at any cost, then come back and free my people. This isn't the end. It's the beginning."

Ivankov stood beside her, unusually silent. After a moment, he took out a sealed letter. "This is from Dragon. All the key holders are being summoned to one place—a secret base in the Calm Belt. We're running out of time, Boa Hancock."

Boa Hancock took one last look at Amazon Lily Island as it receded, then turned to face the future. "Then let's go to the Calm Belt. The wheels of fate have begun to turn. We have no choice but to move forward."

The waters of the Calm Belt were usually deathly still. Without wind or currents, it was one of the most feared regions at sea. But today, an isolated stretch of water held an extraordinary sight. A giant sea turtle floated on the surface, a cluster of buildings arranged across its shell. Thin streams of white smoke rose from chimneys, antennas and signal towers reached skyward, and figures hurried across the deck.

This was