The Gathering Storm

Half a day later.

The Treasure set sail, towing the golden ship as it gradually disappeared beyond the horizon.

Alice stood on the shore, holding Teach's hand in her right and a black suitcase in her left.

Inside the suitcase were more than twenty million Beli in banknotes from John, along with a revolver and a few bullets.

Carrying too much money would only become an obstacle while fleeing, drawing covetous eyes and needless trouble.

"Rocks, John, I hope you both survive."

Alice wanted to do her part for those fighting against fate, but she was not strong enough.

For now, she could only ensure that Teach and she survived without holding them back, then silently pray for them in her heart.

The Calm Belt was a dangerous band of sea surrounding both sides of the Grand Line. Together with the Red Line, it formed an X-shaped geographical structure through their perpendicular intersection.

The region's utterly windless climate made it impossible for conventional sailing ships to travel through it. At the same time, it was home to giant Sea Kings over a hundred meters long, forming a natural geographical barrier.

The Treasure had not been fitted with a Seastone hull capable of blurring the Sea Kings' senses. It relied entirely on John continuously releasing Conqueror's Haki for extended periods to drive them away.

"Row faster, all of you! Don't slack off!"

Pete stood by the rail, leaning out and shouting down toward the lower deck, urging the pirates to use the external oars to propel the ship through this windless region.

From time to time, he stole a glance toward the bow, watching the purple-haired figure.

Keep releasing that Conqueror's Haki. By the time we land, you'll have drained it dry, and I'll be even more certain of victory.

Pete knew very well that his Reaction Fruit possessed absolute suppressive power only against enemies he met for the first time and knew nothing about.

Commonly known as—an instant-kill meeting!

As for people like John, who knew his abilities inside out, though they said nothing on the surface, most of them secretly maintained their Haki while around him, lest they be affected by the Reaction Fruit without realizing it.

Although Armament Haki was what resisted Devil Fruit powers, exhausting one's Conqueror's Haki would still affect one's condition.

When someone was in poor condition, they would instinctively conserve their strength and no longer maintain Armament Haki for long periods, saving it for possible emergencies.

And that was his opportunity!

Even if John remained highly vigilant because he was bringing outsiders to the treasure site and kept his Armament Haki active the entire time—

As long as he no longer had Conqueror's Haki, Pete was confident he could defeat him head-on!

The sea resembled solidified blue jade, smooth as a mirror without the slightest ripple.

Following the Eternal Pose, after two days of sailing, they finally spotted a solitary island standing ahead.

The island was made up of jagged black boulders, steep as though carved by blades and axes. Sparse vegetation covered its surface, making it seem utterly wild and desolate amid the tranquil sea.

"I see the island! We've arrived!"

As the lookout atop the mast called out, the pirates aboard the ship immediately erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Roar! We can finally see Captain John's treasure!"

"I wonder if there are any Devil Fruits. Think I can eat one when the time comes?"

"That depends on whether the captain is willing to give you one."

"Hahaha, the captain's so generous. He'll definitely give me one!"

At the final moment, the pirates could no longer contain themselves, and their words grew increasingly presumptuous and unrestrained.

This "captain" was not that "captain."

Pete's brow furrowed deeply as he listened. He nearly wanted to kill every one of these pirates.

But to reduce his own presence and increase the odds of a successful sneak attack, he remained silent and did not rebuke them.

"Go around to the back."

Ignoring their offensive words, John raised a hand and pointed out the direction to the helmsman.

"Aye, Captain!" The helmsman grinned, placing particular emphasis on the word "Captain."

A ship at sea was essentially a small society, with an extremely rigid hierarchy.

Aside from the captain and first mate, positions requiring specialized skills—such as navigator, ship's doctor, and helmsman—held the highest status.

Combatants ranked only above general laborers.

In the Great Age of Piracy, whether pirates or Marines, people were generally not well educated. There were countless people who could not even read.

Of course, knowledge and skills alone did not grant status. Rather, those skills could aid navigation and improve a ship's chances of survival at sea.

As a helmsman with professional skills, he was naturally entitled to a larger share of the loot than those of lower status.

That was why this helmsman was so pleased with himself that he could barely hide it.

"Good boy."

John smiled as well, though his smile was exceedingly strange.

He raised a hand and placed it on the helmsman's head, gently stroking his greasy hair as though petting an animal.

Then he wiped the grease from his palm onto the helmsman's filthy clothes.

The helmsman felt all the hairs on his body stand on end as inexplicable terror surged through him. He forced a grin and laughed along with John.

Soon, the Treasure rounded to the other side of the island, where jagged cliffs came into the pirates' view.

Beneath the sheer cliff face was a cave entrance like the ferocious maw of some giant beast. By the daylight, they could see the thick layer of dark green, faintly glowing algae coating the rock walls inside.

"Sail straight in." John lifted his chin and ordered the helmsman.

The helmsman swallowed hard and carefully worked the wheel, avoiding the reef positions reported by the lookout as he guided the ship into the cave.

As they entered the cave, bone-chilling air mixed with a heavy stench of seawater rushed over them, making the pirates shudder.

The deathly silence outside was instantly magnified a hundredfold. The pirates could clearly hear their own ragged breathing, pounding heartbeats, and the drip of water falling from the stalactites above.

It suppressed even their excitement at the prospect of obtaining an enormous fortune.

The oars sliced through the water again and again, gently pushing the ship deeper toward the heart of the island.

The pirates lit torches, and oil lamps drove back the darkness. Their burning gazes remained fixed ahead until scattered flecks of golden light reflected from the distance.

Not far ahead was a shore formed of black rock, piled with hill-like heaps of gold and silver goods, as well as rotten wooden treasure chests.

Though it was far less than the golden ship they had towed behind them, these treasures were conservatively estimated to be worth at least two or three billion Beli!

"They just... left the treasure out in the open like this?"

"What else did you expect? You think treasures are all buried underground like the tall tales you hear in taverns?"

"No, I mean, aren't they afraid some passing navigator might take it?"

"Idiot, this is the Calm Belt! Who besides us would dare come here?"

"Hehehe... you're right."

"But there should be traps, shouldn't there?"

The pirates excitedly discussed it back and forth. Only when someone mentioned "traps" did they hurriedly turn their eyes toward the purple-haired figure standing at the bow.