Leaving the Calm Belt! A Stronger Foe

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

"W-What? Was I wrong? Little brother, tell me, wasn't I right?"

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 aboard a pirate ship.

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

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

"Take another island!"

The pirates erupted into cheers.

They had never expected piracy to be this profitable. The people on those islands looked at them with nothing but fear, handing over whatever they were told to surrender.

Before long, they would all have vast fortunes.

"Boss, someone's there!"

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

The group's laughter abruptly stopped, and they excitedly looked where he was pointing.

Strange black dots were approaching across the calm sea in the distance.

Looking closely, they saw a raft made of several thick logs lashed together, with a shirtless man sitting on it.

"Damn it, does that guy look rich to you?"

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

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

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

I know some wealthy ladies on certain islands seem to like that sort."

The pirate captain suddenly understood.

That seemed right.

The man really might be worth something. If those thirsty wealthy ladies would not turn their noses up at him, he would have considered offering himself.

He recalled the noblewomen from the aristocratic 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 distant raft.

"Men, move closer. Looks like we're making another fortune."

As he spoke, he greedily stared at the approaching raft.

"Hm? Where did he go?"

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?

Yet he had just watched the person on the raft leap across with his own eyes.

Hearing him, the pirates abruptly turned toward the large table piled with food.

They had just raided an island and stolen plenty of food and treasure. They were about to hold a feast, so they had prepared a great deal of food.

Now, beside the food-laden table, a young man with black hair nearly reaching his waist was grabbing roasted meat and fruit from the table.

Huge amounts of food went into his mouth and instantly vanished.

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

The pirates froze for a moment, then glared furiously at the person who had suddenly appeared.

"Damn it, take this guy down!"

The pirate captain suddenly came to his senses. He raised his sword and shouted angrily.

Several pirates immediately stepped forward and charged at the young man beside the table.

This man was naturally Lin Ye, who had emerged from the Calm Belt.

After rowing all the way by himself, he had finally crossed the Calm Belt.

The seasonings he had brought were long gone, and all he had eaten was Sea Kings he caught himself.

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

To Lin Ye, this roasted meat covered in seasoning tasted exceptionally good.

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

That sight silenced the pirates who had been shouting just moments ago.

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 audibly swallowed.

Even the pirate captain's hand trembled as he gripped his sword.

What was with this guy?

Lin Ye paid no attention to their reactions.

The moment he had spotted this ship, Lin Ye had already sensed that its pirates were nothing more than a group of thugs.

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

They had likely just set out to sea.

Yet every one of them carried the smell of blood, proving that they had killed people only recently.

As Lin Ye thought this, he swept through nearly all the food on the table, picked up a washed fruit, and took a bite. Only then did he turn his gaze toward the pirates standing there dumbfounded.

"I ask. You answer."

Lin Ye swept his gaze over them before speaking.

"Who do you think you are—"

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

Whoosh!

A Flying Slash shot through the air, cutting through the speaking pirate and several pirates behind him in a single stroke.

The smell of blood immediately spread through the air.

"Where is this?"

Lin Ye lowered Enma in his hand and asked again.

"The Naruda Sea!"

The pirate captain answered, his voice trembling slightly.

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

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

Lin Ye's tone was not harsh, but the pirate captain's body still 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's the navigator?"

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

"My lord, what is a navigator?"

One pirate asked carefully.

Lin Ye: ...

These guys had gone out to sea without even knowing what a navigator was?

"Head for the nearest island!"

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

"Why aren't you hurrying up and following my lord's orders?"

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

For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to his hometown, facing those important figures back then. That instinctive reaction had surfaced again.

The pirate ship changed direction and sped toward one side.

The sails were lowered, and every pirate went into the cabin to start rowing.

Lin Ye closed his eyes slightly and rested.

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

Still, he had arrived directly in West Blue. It seemed this world truly was divided into the Four Blues by the intersection of the Grand Line and the Red Line.

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

"My lord, we've arrived!"

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

Lin Ye spread his Observation Haki. It was a small island, one covered 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 corpses saw the pirate ship approach and scattered in panic.