An enormous cannonball tore across the waters of the Calm Belt at a speed that defied all reason, sending ripples across seas that were normally still year-round...
The enormous cannonball struck an island head-on...
Boom!
Far out at sea, a massive cannon was mounted atop a fortress that resembled a gigantic island. Beside it, World shaded his eyes with one hand, gazing at the distant island that had already been reduced to dust.
"Nice work, Gairam!"
World's voice brimmed with excitement, but there was no feeling at all when he spoke Gairam's name, as though he were talking about a hammer or a wrench...
"You've got to be kidding..."
"Just one shot! That whole island..."
That did nothing to lessen the shock of the World Pirates' new recruits. Their mouths hung open, their faces full of disbelief, as though they were asking:
"Was that really the cannonball we just loaded?"
Compared with them, the creator of this masterpiece, Gairam, the World Pirates' shipwright, seemed much calmer. He stood with his hands on his hips, though a flicker of disappointment passed behind his glasses before he spoke.
"What the hell? Not even a word! I've spent these past ten years waiting for your return, World!"
As far as he was concerned, World was still his comrade. He had done all this for him without expecting anything in return. If he had to name something he wanted, perhaps it was simply a word of praise. What he did not know, however, was that World was no longer the man he had once been.
Just then, Nanting spoke up beside him.
"We've been waiting too! Do you know how much effort Sebastian and I put into gathering the materials to build this ship?"
"Don't take all the credit!"
Nanting directed those words at