The Importance of Charts and Log Poses

Grand Line, Queen City of Spring Island

The harbor.

A steam passenger ship slowly docked, and the passengers filed ashore. Amid the crowd, an unknown patch of darkness moved along with the flow of people. It enveloped a tall figure, yet those around it turned a blind eye, as though it did not exist at all.

Dawn took a deep breath within the darkness, drawing the harbor's clamor into his lungs. He had lain low on Drum Island for a full half month before finally catching this passenger ship bound for Queen City of Spring Island.

Using the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he had successfully boarded the ship unseen. Along the way, he had also thrown Wapol's corpse into the vast sea.

Dawn ignored the cheerful atmosphere around him. His aqua-blue eyes calmly swept over the crowds and the maze of streets.

Like a silent ghost, he slipped through the bustling throng before eventually turning into an empty alley darkened by the tall buildings on either side.

Dawn carefully sensed his surroundings. Once he confirmed there was not another breath nearby, the darkness wrapped around him receded like a tide and swiftly withdrew into his body. His tall figure was fully exposed to the air, and sunlight streaming in from the alley entrance illuminated his handsome face.

He walked out of the alley and blended into the crowd on the main street. Immediately, quite a few girls' gazes were drawn to him. His exceptional height, strikingly handsome features, and distinctive presence made him stand out like a crane among chickens.

They whispered among themselves, their eyes gleaming with admiration and curiosity. The men's gazes, however, were far more complicated. Envy, jealousy, and even a trace of barely perceptible hostility intertwined into an invisible net, as though trying to bind this overly dazzling outsider.

Dawn ignored all those varied looks. His goal was clear, and he had no interest in such irrelevant emotions. He moved between broad streets and narrow alleys, his sharp eyes searching the signs of shops.

He needed to find a store that sold Log Poses, or better yet, Eternal Poses. To sail safely through the unpredictable Grand Line, a compass capable of guiding one's way was absolutely essential.

He could not rely on irregular passenger ships forever. Those ordinary ships would never venture to places that truly concealed secrets or danger.

Stopping a passerby who looked like a local, Dawn asked for the location of a shop that sold Poses.

After receiving the answer he wanted, he nodded in thanks and promptly headed in the indicated direction.

A quarter of an hour later, he stood before a Pose shop that looked fairly legitimate. Without hesitation, he stepped inside. The shop displayed all kinds of Log Poses, along with Eternal Poses for certain islands.

He walked straight to the counter and directly stated his purpose to the bespectacled old man behind it, who was polishing a Pose.

"I need an Eternal Pose to Ohara, or a detailed sea chart. Do you have either?"

In this world, sea charts and Poses were both indispensable for navigation. Even though Dawn retained all kinds of place names from another world in his mind, he had no idea where they were specifically located or what routes led to them. The original story had never explained the actual process of sailing in detail.

No matter what he planned to do on these seas in the future, detailed sea charts were his highest-priority necessity.

But he knew very well that an ordinary store could never provide such things. Only Ohara, which possessed the world's largest library and countless books accumulated over more than five thousand years, might contain everything he needed.

Besides, according to his memories, there were still several years left before the Buster Call. There was still time.

The shop owner looked up and pushed up his glasses. Without much thought, he shook his head decisively.

"Ohara? I'm sorry, sir. I don't have one here. That place... I've heard it doesn't welcome outsiders, and its route is rather unusual."

At that answer, an unmistakable flicker of disappointment passed through Dawn's eyes. He said nothing more. After buying an ordinary Pose to use for navigation, he turned and walked out of the shop.

Standing at the entrance, bright sunlight fell across him, yet it could not dispel the gloom in his heart. Where could he find a Pose to Ohara?

Other than these legitimate shops, where else was most likely to have something like that?

He fell into thought, rapidly analyzing every possibility in his mind. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted squads of Marines in white uniforms conducting routine patrols along the streets.

Dawn abruptly slapped his forehead with a soft smack and silently cursed himself for being stupid. How had he forgotten that? He had only considered obtaining one through legal means and instinctively overlooked illegal methods.

It seemed the habits of thought from his previous life were still influencing him little by little.

Having found a new direction, Dawn no longer hesitated. He stopped another passerby and asked for the location of the Marine base.

After receiving the answer, he swiftly slipped into another deserted alley. Once he confirmed the surroundings were safe, that profound darkness once again enveloped him, and his figure completely vanished from the real world.

Hidden from sight, Dawn avoided the passing crowds all the way, moving swiftly and silently.

In just over ten minutes, he arrived at the gates of the Marine base on the outskirts of the city.

The base was heavily guarded, with Marines standing rigidly at the gate, rifles in hand. However, these ordinary soldiers clearly had not mastered the advanced technique of Observation Haki. They were utterly unaware of this uninvited visitor's arrival.

Dawn remained cautious as well. He had not come here without concerns. Ordinarily, the chances of a Marine branch stationed in Paradise having members who had mastered Haki were extremely low.

But that was only a matter of probability. What if his luck was bad and he happened to run into an expert temporarily dispatched from Headquarters?

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario he had anticipated did not occur.

Dawn harbored deep loathing for the Marines, an organization that called itself "justice" but was, to a great extent, merely an instrument of rule for the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.

In his eyes, apart from a very small number of members who still retained their original ideals and conscience, most of this organization's existence was an obstacle that would have to be removed in the future. The Marines had likely played the role of accomplices in the tragic experiences of his past.

At the same time, however, he clearly understood that before he had sufficient strength, rashly confronting such a colossal force head-on would only bring about his own destruction.

At present, he had only begun developing the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Though his physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, he had yet to systematically master Haki. He was still far from the point where he could act without restraint.

To say nothing else, if the Marines reacted and unleashed saturated firepower upon him, his current level of Dark-Dark Fruit development might not be enough to absorb and process it all.

The Dark-Dark Fruit could indeed absorb and break down attacks, but its range and limits depended on its user's strength. Faced with dense, omnidirectional firepower without a single blind spot, he would likely be unable to cope and ultimately be blasted to pieces.

The enemies he had encountered in the past had possessed nothing close to the Marines' level of organization and firepower.

Carrying this caution and his thirst for power, Dawn strode into the Marine base like a true ghost.

He crossed the training grounds and passed the barracks. Neither the ordinary Marines nor the occasional low-ranking officers noticed anything amiss. He moved unhindered through the vast base, carefully searching for his target.

Half an hour later, he finally found a room in a relatively secluded office building with a sign hanging on it that read, "Records Archive Room (Restricted)."

He carefully observed the area. The corridor was empty, and through the crack in the door, he saw no one inside either.

After confirming it was safe, he quietly approached. Using darkness to subtly manipulate the internal structure of the lock, he gently pushed the door open, slipped inside, and closed it behind him.

TO BE CONTINUED