This is fate

"War?!"

Crocodile froze. He did not understand what River meant, but the man clearly had no intention of explaining further.

A quarter of an hour later, the warship and Foxy's Ship set sail.

Finally meeting Ace had fulfilled one of River's wishes after leaving Impel Down, leaving him in an excellent mood.

"As for Rouge's whereabouts..."

Standing at the bow, River's eyes flickered.

He naturally could not investigate in person. The people most likely to know anything about Rouge were undoubtedly Sengoku and his associates.

But if he asked them directly, they obviously would not be foolish enough to tell him.

He had already entrusted this matter to Doflamingo. As one of the Shichibukai, the Heavenly Yaksha possessed astonishing ambition and ability, and he had long since planted informants within the Navy.

Perhaps news would come soon.

"Then our next destination is..."

Slowly raising his head, River looked toward the sky.

After twenty years, Void Night's numbering system had long since fallen apart, and many Numbered Ones had passed away, including Saint Homing.

Besides, there had never been enough Numbered Ones to begin with.

Now that he had left Impel Down, his goal was to select new Numbered Ones and further expand the power of the Void Night Palace.

"Just wait. It won't be long!"

"Until the day I step onto the world's stage again."

River murmured, his eyes gleaming.

He would gather a group of the world's most promising people, restore the Void Night Palace, then turn this world upside down and change it completely!

People were born to do great things, weren't they?

Wherever River stood, that was his era. An era did not define a person; a person defined an era.

The era of Roger, the era of Whitebeard, and so on. This sea was selfish. It belonged to only a select few.

In the blink of an eye, another day passed.

The warship and Foxy's Ship were approaching Mock Town.

"The boss said our next destination was Sky Island, but..."

"How are we supposed to get to Sky Island?"

The crew discussed it eagerly.

It was indeed a difficult question, one that stumped everyone. With their knowledge and imagination, they simply could not conceive of how a ship could rise ten thousand meters into the sky.

"The most direct, but also dangerous, method is to ride the Knock Up Stream in the nearby waters."

"But we may have already missed the best opportunity."

River spoke softly.

When he left, Straw Hat's crew had just arrived at Mock Town. Judging by the time that had passed, it was already time for them to ride the Knock Up Stream into the sky.

"The Knock Up Stream?!"

Crocodile paused, his gaze turning grave.

"That's a natural disaster known as a monster current. If a ship gets caught in it, the chances of survival are extremely low."

River smiled. "Every adventure comes with risks, doesn't it?"

As they approached the waters around Mock Town, they indeed saw a gigantic Knock Up Stream shooting straight into the sky, spiraling like a bridge leading to the dark clouds above.

The dark clouds overhead shifted, rain poured down, and enormous bolts of lightning flashed through the clouds. It was a spectacular sight.

Foxy had sharp eyes. He soon spotted a ship with wings on that enormous Knock Up Stream.

"Wait, is that a ship?!"

"There's really a ship riding the Knock Up Stream into the sky!"

"That's insane!"

The others aboard were instantly stunned. They all looked toward the Knock Up Stream, where they could faintly make out a ship with a sheep figurehead hurtling skyward on the air currents.

River also tilted his head back to watch, a smile forming on his lips.

"It's Straw Hat's crew!"

Crocodile spoke solemnly.

Everyone looked up at the sky. The rising current swept across the surrounding waters with breathtaking force, waves churning as the sea heaved ceaselessly.

Gurgle, gurgle!

The spiraling whirlpool turned slowly, bubbles roiling in the seawater. It was a terrifying sight.

The sky was dark, and thunder boomed.

"Look, not far ahead! Someone's actually sailing in a boat that crude!"

Hamburg, who had fully recovered, cried out loudly, pointing at the pirate ship bobbing in the waves ahead.

"You've got to be kidding! That thing counts as a pirate ship?!"

"It's powered entirely by rowing, too."

"Just how strong does that guy have to be?!"

The crew aboard Foxy's Ship all cried out.

Following their gazes, River soon spotted a pirate ship made from four logs, with a pirate flag hanging in the middle.

The vessel was so crude that it could hardly be called a ship. A raft would perhaps have been a more accurate description.

But that ship, and the people aboard it, made River's gaze sharpen.

The Blackbeard Pirates!

The group that had appeared before him was none other than the Blackbeard Pirates, led by Marshall D. Teach.

"Marshall D. Teach!"

River spoke quietly.

"He's Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach?"

At those words, Crocodile looked ahead.

He soon noticed the tall man standing at the bow, with unkempt black hair and several missing teeth.

"That guy!"

With just one glance, Crocodile vaguely sensed the danger the man posed.

A man who dared to sail these dangerous seas in such a crude vessel was anything but ordinary.

"Bring the ship alongside them!"

Without the slightest hesitation, River shouted the order.

Marshall D. Teach was an exceptionally dangerous man. For the sake of a single fruit, he had lain low among the Whitebeard Pirates for twenty years, concealing his strength.

A man like that was a born tyrant. Even now, despite having crossed swords with Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, he remained virtually unknown.

Ordinary people had no way of knowing just how powerful he truly was.

"To think the target Fire Fist Ace has been searching so desperately for would appear right before us."

Crocodile chuckled softly.

"He's dangerous."

River's voice was low and grave.

Hearing that, Crocodile's smile faded.

Meanwhile, aboard the crude pirate ship...

"Captain, do you see him? That guy you're so wary of."

Holding a wooden oar in both hands, Jesus Burgess laughed as he rowed.

"Of course I see him!"

"Who would've thought fate would bring us together again under circumstances like these!"

Marshall D. Teach's eyes flickered, a shadow crossing them.

"Then let me get a little revenge for you first, Captain!"

Behind him, Van Augur moved his hands, raising his rifle, Thousand Land. At the same time, he took aim at the forehead of the man standing at the front of the warship.

"This is fate!"

With almost no hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

He was confident that once he took aim, no one could evade his shot.

Bang!

The dull gunshot rang out, only to be swallowed almost immediately by the roar of the surging waves.

Under conditions like these, this shot will be even more accurate.

It's guaranteed to hit.

Van Augur thought to himself.

But the shot also caught Blackbeard's attention up ahead. He spun around and roared, "Don't!"

When he saw smoke rising from the muzzle, his expression turned utterly grim.

"Now we're in serious trouble!!"