An Encounter on a Deserted Island

The tide of the times shifted quietly beneath this strange calm.

The New World seemed to have entered a brief lull.

For ordinary people, it was a rare stretch of peace.

Cannon fire no longer sounded so often from the harbors, and distress signals no longer rose constantly from the coasts.

Fishing boats could head out without fear.

Merchant ships could return on schedule.

Even tavern talk had shifted from "Who got wiped out this time?" to "How's this year's harvest looking?"

However brief it might be, it was worth cherishing.

Of course.

The calm was only on the surface.

The currents beneath had never stopped moving.

Most pirates chose to lie low.

They kept out of sight and avoided drawing attention.

In secret, they expanded their influence and gathered strength.

With the name Azure Dragon looming overhead, no one wanted to sail the seas too boldly.

Even so.

Two powerful pirate crews still sailed openly across the sea.

They made no effort to hide, but neither did they flaunt their presence or seek a fight.

And they rarely killed or plundered without reason.

In a sense, they seemed more intent on "searching" than "conquering."

So Rock had not singled them out.

Off the coast of a deserted island.

Sunlight scattered gold across the rippling sea as a huge ship with a white whale figurehead cut through the waves.

Its hull was broad and heavy, its masts towering.

It was the Moby Dick.

The flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Laughter still rang across the deck.

The wind was gentle, the sea calm.

Until—

As the ship drew near the deserted island.

Something changed without warning.

The schools of fish that had been swimming beneath the surface suddenly scattered.

They fled in frantic swarms.

As if some unseen predator had driven