A New Beginning (Continued)

The warship slowly left the harbor. A flicker of reluctance crossed Koshiro's eyes.

But he quickly collected himself.

"Perhaps a better teacher will help Kuina become even stronger!"

"This is the best path for her!"

Koshiro spoke softly, then sighed.

Of course, he could let his daughter go so readily partly because they had mentioned a Chief Instructor named Kozuki.

He wondered whether the instructor had any connection to that family in Wano Country.

At the stern, Kuina waved goodbye to her friends from home, tears streaming down her face.

As Shimotsuki Island receded and finally vanished from sight, she grew interested in everything at sea—and even more curious about the teacher Ivy had mentioned.

"What kind of person is my teacher?"

Ivy smiled at her question. "You'll know when you meet him. Superior Officer Xia Le is a truly great man!"

Kuina had plenty more questions, but she could only nod.

Then she noticed Ivy's expression change.

"I'm fine."

"I just thought of Superior Officer Xia Le, and my heart suddenly started pounding."

Ivy managed a strained smile.

But she could not still the unease in her heart, no matter how hard she tried.

It felt as though the person she cared about most had met with some inexplicable danger.

The New World.

This mysterious, dangerous, ever-changing sea had once been the second half of the Grand Line. But with the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, several Emperors had established themselves there, and it had come to be called the New World.

Doflamingo sat in a chair at the bow, holding a newspaper. He stared at it in silence for a long while before finally looking away.

"An admiral?"

He murmured the words, a glint flashing across his sunglasses.

"You may be the only person in this