Leaving the Kingdom

Nova watched Junhe leave, unable to suppress his anger. He had not shown much reaction when the cargo was stolen, but the attitude of those involved left him deeply dissatisfied.

Before long, Junhe came out pulling along a young woman who looked to be only twenty.

She kept her head lowered and did not dare say a word.

"After something happened, this is your attitude?" Nova demanded angrily.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. It was all my fault that the cargo was stolen. Gogoya is willing to accept any punishment."

Gogoya dropped to her knees, never daring to raise her head.

"I put you in charge of maritime transport because I trusted you. Even if something happened, that was something I should have considered.

Now that the cargo has been stolen, the first thing to do is investigate it immediately, not hide in the back like you. If everyone acts like you in the future, how is this country supposed to function?"

Nova roared, and Gogoya, kneeling on the ground, could not help but shed tears.

Junhe and the others stood to the side. Not one of them dared to speak. This was the first time they had seen their king so furious.

Gogoya placed both hands on her knees and bowed all the way to the ground, tears dripping endlessly onto the floor. Seeing this, Nova could only sigh helplessly. He did not say anything too harsh.

"Get up. Are the personnel ready?" Nova asked Gogoya.

"Everything is ready. We are waiting for Your Majesty to board and depart..."

Gogoya rose to her feet and quickly answered.

"Let's go. Once we're aboard, tell me everything in detail. I want to know the entire process." Nova turned and headed toward the ship.

Hearing that, Gogoya could only follow behind him cautiously.

Everything that needed to be prepared aboard the ship had long since been arranged. There were not many people traveling this time, but nearly fifty members of the King's Guard accompanied them.

As the sails rose, the previously stationary National slowly began to move.

The people standing at Naniwa Port all remained where they were, waving at them.

After boarding, Nova stood alone on the deck. He felt especially relaxed now. At least for the moment, he did not have to bear the burden of the entire kingdom.

"Your Majesty..."

Gogoya walked to Nova's side and called out softly.

"Go on. What exactly happened with the stolen cargo?"

"According to the message sent back by those who returned, the cargo was stolen entirely because of pirates. The problem occurred near Reverse Mountain. At the time, they happened to encounter a group of pirates preparing to head for the Grand Line, and that was how this happened."

Gogoya explained.

"Have you confirmed which pirate crew did it?" Nova asked calmly.

"The Red-Haired Pirates..."

"They?!"

Nova was both surprised and startled. He had not expected to come into contact with Shanks and his crew so soon!

But thinking about it, they were pirates. No matter what, robbery was still their main business. How could he expect them to behave well?

"All right, stop worrying. Since that's the case, it doesn't matter if we take a trip to the Grand Line." Seeing Gogoya's expression, Nova smiled.

"Your Majesty, you aren't blaming me?" Gogoya asked in surprise.

"What is there to blame? Encountering pirates is something that cannot be avoided. Besides, their strength was not something you could control." Nova said.

"Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty. But what should we do now to recover that shipment?"

Nova thought for a moment, then curled his lips into a faint smile and said indifferently, "Why recover it? We don't even know where they are. In this vast ocean, finding a group of pirates would be pure fantasy. Let's keep going for now. We'll see what happens along the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Reverse Mountain was the key point connecting the Four Seas. To travel from the Four Seas to the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain was the only passage, with no room for negotiation.

If a nation became strong enough, whether in terms of power or technology, it could also cross directly through the Calm Belt. That would save more than half the distance compared to going to Reverse Mountain.

However, the risks at sea were far greater than elsewhere.

Nova stood on the deck and watched the rolling sea. Perhaps it was the anticipation in his heart that made the ocean seem especially beautiful to him now.

At least the South Blue was still relatively safe.

The National was built entirely from wood, with a tremendous span from bow to stern. At a hundred meters long, it was already considered a large vessel among ships of this era.

It was propelled by three sails, and operating it alone required at least fifty people.

Besides places to rest and eat, the National had many entertainment facilities, including a swimming pool.

Even from far away, one could clearly see the National in its entirety.

The Tru Kingdom's flag bore a moon-like emblem and flew from the top of the mast. No matter how one looked at it, the National was an exceptionally luxurious and imposing ship.

Yet as it sailed across the vast ocean, the entire space available to them was practically limited to this one ship.

"Your Majesty, which direction should we head next? Should we go to Reverse Mountain first, or somewhere else?" Gogoya asked.

"Did you bring a Log Pose?"

"A Log Pose???" Gogoya clearly did not understand what Nova meant.

Hearing that, Nova immediately felt how ignorant this woman was. As the leader of the kingdom's maritime transport team, she did not even know what a Log Pose was?

"Forget it. We'll buy one when we find a place later. In the Four Seas, a compass alone is enough, but on the Grand Line, compasses are completely useless. You can only reach the next location by relying on a Log Pose. These are things you need to know in the future. You need to learn more about the world from now on. Don't be like today, acting as if you know nothing!" Nova said carelessly as he lay back in a deck chair.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gogoya was left speechless. She did not know how to respond, because she truly did not know these things.

But on this voyage, she could feel that she would indeed learn a great deal.

The ship drifted with the wind, moving at an outrageously slow pace. It was better when the wind was strong, but in such still, windless conditions, it could practically only remain motionless in place.

Fortunately, this voyage did not have a particularly strong purpose to begin with. Were they really going to recover that cargo? There was hardly any need to even consider it.

Pirates were not like nations that could maintain a settlement in one place for a long time. They went wherever they pleased, with no fixed location. Finding them would be extremely difficult.

Still, luck was always hard to predict. If they truly encountered them, that could only be considered good fortune.

"Tell them to train properly when they should train, and rest properly when they should rest. There is practically nothing to do on this ship. Once we make landfall, we can think of other methods. Then we'll replenish our supplies. Since we've come out this time, have them all learn more." Nova said leisurely to Gogoya.

Nova's Observation Haki could now reach ten kilometers away. As for whether the sea ahead was safe, he only needed to focus slightly to sense it.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

The entire ship felt incredibly dull and boring. During the first day or two, curiosity and anticipation might have made it seem interesting, but after a while, that feeling had almost completely vanished.

After sailing for three to five days, the sea still looked exactly the same. There was nothing unusual, and they had not even seen a single island.

Nova lay in a deck chair on the deck with a lifeless expression, utterly devoid of ambition. The scenery before him was nothing but sea and sky blending into one, with no refinement or beauty to speak of.

Gogoya was lying on the deck as well. She had rarely gone to sea, or rather, she had never gone out to sea at all. She had merely been put in charge of maritime transport, but this long voyage had left the young woman feeling exhausted too.

"Gogoya, why do you think those pirates like life at sea so much? Don't you find it dull and boring?" Nova asked lazily.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Life at sea really is boring. You can't eat well, and you can't sleep well either," Gogoya replied with the same lazy expression.

"What's going on today? Why has the weather suddenly become so stifling? Did the navigator give any instructions?" Nova asked.

"Your Majesty, the navigator said last night that we still need another two or three days of sailing before reaching Reverse Mountain. Within the Four Seas, there should not be any particularly severe weather, but..."

Before Gogoya could finish her "but," the sky began to change color. Dark, oppressive clouds swept toward them.

And it was not only dark clouds sweeping toward them, but enormous waves dozens of meters high.

"Your Majesty, please enter the cabin immediately. It is far too dangerous outside..."

The moment they saw this, the soldiers who had all been lounging about instantly became alert.

The scene before them made them feel as though this voyage would be the end of their lives.

The huge ship began turning around, preparing to move away from the waves. But at that moment, Nova stood up and roared, "What is the navigator doing? How can we turn now? Tell him to face the waves head-on, or we'll all die!"

Nova was utterly speechless. This navigator probably did not even qualify as third-rate. He did not understand even the most basic and obvious principles.

Nova had no idea how these people had made it this far.

After receiving the order, the bow slowly straightened and directly faced the incoming waves.

The massive wave stretched beyond sight. But after several days of boredom, whether they lived or died, at least it had stirred their competitive spirits.

Even Nova was the same. He stood on the deck with a focused gaze, watching the waves ahead.

There was no longer any point in figuring out where the waves had come from. The dark clouds overhead clearly meant a violent storm was coming next.

"Tell the navigator that no matter what happens, the bow must keep moving straight ahead," Nova said solemnly.

For the people of the Tru Kingdom, they had always lived in poverty before. They could not even afford a ship, much less sail upon the open sea.

Getting the ship this far was already remarkable, let alone facing such enormous winds and waves.

"Everyone, get ready! Lower the sails immediately, then hold tightly onto anything you can grab. Do not let the waves sweep you overboard!" Nova shouted again.

The soldiers behind him all braced themselves for the incoming waves, every one of them wearing a grave expression.

The enormous wave was at least thirty meters high. Their ship might be large, but against such a wave, a single impact could shatter the entire vessel!

Everyone in the rear hurriedly climbed the masts and cut the ropes securing the sails. As the wave drew closer and closer, the anxiety on every face was plain to see.

Meanwhile, the navigator at the bow, controlling the rudder, was completely bewildered. It was his first time facing such a huge wave, and he had no idea why his king wanted to charge straight at it.

Nova stood alone at the very front of the deck. He summoned the Demon Blade Muramasa from the System Space, his eyes fixed tightly on the wave about to arrive.

He paid no attention to the expressions of those behind him. He did not even notice Gogoya calling out to him.

Just as the wave was about to collide with the National, Nova roared, "Draw Sword Slash..."

In a flash, faster than human vision could follow, the Demon Blade Muramasa was drawn from its sheath. A massive blade aura instantly tore through the entire wave.

As everyone stared in shock, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground, the wave was split cleanly in two. Because he had not controlled his strength properly, even the seawater for several miles ahead was cleaved open into a massive gap.

The National passed through the wave without incident, but the seawater split apart by the blade aura was now rapidly rushing back together. Under those circumstances, the entire ship began rocking violently.

Fortunately, after some time, the hull gradually steadied.