Granvor

"Every island on the Grand Line follows certain laws and has its own magnetic field."

Crocus drew a wavy line in the sand with a twig, then marked several dots along it.

"In other words... as long as you use a Log Pose to record the magnetic links between islands, you can follow this invisible line to the next island."

He looked up at Norton and the others sitting around him, resting the twig on one of the dots.

"On this ocean, where you can't determine your own position, the only thing you can rely on is the magnetic record shown by the needle. Without it, even the finest ship and the most experienced navigator will lose their way."

Crocus crouched again and tapped the starting point with his knuckle. "At the beginning, you can choose any of the seven magnetic routes extending from Reverse Mountain. But whichever island you reach first, those magnetic routes will eventually converge into a single route."

"Once you've chosen a route, you can't change it."

The twig slowly traced a path from the starting point to the end.

"You can only follow that route, moving from one island to the next until you reach the end."

"Speaking of which, Buggy is one of your companions, isn't he?"

Crocus suddenly put down the twig and looked at Norton. "He should know all these basics. Didn't he tell you?"

"Buggy?"

Nami blinked.

Buggy knew this flower-headed old man?

She thought back carefully-she really had never heard Buggy mention knowing anyone on the Grand Line.

That red-nosed fellow spent all day talking about the East Blue. On the rare occasions he mentioned the Grand Line, he only cursed some "red-haired bastard."

Crocus brushed the sand from his hands and stood, looking at Norton. "The papers said Buggy works under you now. Why haven't I seen him? I thought he'd come with you."

"Want to catch up?"

Norton smiled and turned to Sanosuke, who stood in the shade of a rock. "Go get Buggy."

"Yes, King."

Sanosuke nodded and hurried toward the anchorage.

The fleet was enormous, so Norton had arranged beforehand for all the wounded to be gathered aboard a single medical ship for convenience.

Buggy wasn't injured, and his ship, the Buggy, had been positioned toward the rear of the fleet, some distance from shore. From there, he couldn't make out what the people ashore were doing.

As a result, Buggy had no idea who Norton and the others were talking to.

When Sanosuke jumped onto the Buggy's deck, several pirates were patching a sail.

The deck was wet, evidently freshly washed.

"Where's Buggy?"

"Captain Buggy is sleeping!"

A pirate twisting a hemp rope looked up.

"Are we setting sail, Lord Sanosuke? Should I wake him?"

"Yes. King needs him."

The pirate immediately set down his work and jogged into the cabin.

A short while later, Buggy emerged behind Sanosuke, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

His hair was a mess, and he was still in his pajamas. Clearly, he had just been dragged out of bed.

The two crossed the fleet's anchorage and walked ashore over a makeshift wooden walkway.

When Buggy squinted at Crocus standing beneath the lighthouse, he stopped short, then his eyes widened.

"Long time no see, Buggy."

Crocus smiled. "I never imagined you'd grown so much."

"Uncle Crocus! It really is you!"

Buggy hurried closer, as though checking that this wasn't an illusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were..."

"I settled at Twin Cape after I retired."

Crocus said, "You haven't returned to the Grand Line in a long time, have you? Otherwise, you'd have known already. I've even seen Shanks. That boy's doing very well for himself these days."

"Don't mention him!"

Buggy's face scrunched up, his voice dripping with disdain. "That bastard!"

"You two haven't changed after all these years."

Crocus shook his head helplessly.

"Buggy, Shanks had his reasons for doing that. He's actually always..."

"I don't care what his reasons were!"

Buggy folded his arms and turned toward the sea.

"He's a bastard! I'll never forgive him as long as I live!"

Norton didn't interrupt their reunion.

He motioned for Sanosuke to ask the crew who had a Log Pose, then beckoned to Funing, Nami, Kuro, and Zeff.

They moved to a relatively flat rock nearby and formed a small circle.

"Now that we've entered the Grand Line, we need to rethink our plans."

Norton got straight to the point.

"Wait, Norton!"

Nami hurriedly interrupted, pulling a small ledger from inside her clothes and quickly flipping through a few pages.

"There's something you need to know-we're almost out of money! The Beli we have left will last half a month at most."

She pointed to the densely packed figures in the ledger.

"Keeping a pirate crew of nearly three thousand people fed costs far too much. Food, fresh water, medicine, everyday supplies... every day means another huge expense."

"The treasure we took from the Redbeard Pirates, the nobles' cruise ship, and Arlong Park was almost all spent back in Loguetown."

"Ship repairs, supplies, new weapons... none of it comes cheap."

"We have to find a new source of income!"

Nami closed the ledger, her expression serious. "Otherwise, never mind continuing our voyage-we won't even be able to feed ourselves."

"Then we'll plunder!"

Norton said it as casually as if he were commenting on the fine weather.

"Plunder whom? And where?" Funing asked the crucial questions.

"We don't even know exactly where we are right now, let alone where to find targets. Uncle Crocus said the Grand Line's weather and waters are far too abnormal. Wandering around blindly will only waste time and resources."

Zeff stroked his beard and said slowly, "On the Grand Line, the only thing that can show you the way is a Log Pose. Without one, we really can only wander the sea, never mind draw up a clear plan of action."

After a pause, Zeff looked at Nami. "And there's one point you may not have fully understood-once you land on the first island, you can only keep following that route. You can't turn back. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Nami pressed.

"Unless you get an Eternal Pose."

Zeff said, "It's a permanent magnetic compass that points to a specific island, regardless of your route. With one, you can freely choose your destination at sea."

"An Eternal Pose?"

Nami's eyes lit up, then she clenched her fists in frustration.

"Damn it! I'm the navigator, and I'm only learning something this important now! I should've asked about all this sooner!"

Just then, Sanosuke flew back with a beat of his wings and landed lightly beside them.

"King! I found one!"

Sanosuke pulled a spherical glass instrument from inside his clothes and handed it to Norton.

Inside the instrument were three slender needles, one of which trembled slightly as it pointed in a certain direction.

Nami took the Log Pose, carefully cradling it in her hands as she examined it.

The glass sphere was scuffed, but its internal workings were intact.

She gave it a gentle shake and watched the trembling needle sway before stubbornly returning to its original direction.

"So this is a Log Pose? That's what it looks like!" Nami looked up at the others. "We actually had one in our crew!"

"That's hardly surprising." Zeff stroked his beard. "These things may be rare in the East Blue, but with three thousand people, it's no surprise someone owns one. The Norton Pirates absorbed the fleets of several pirate crews. Someone was bound to have brought something back from the Grand Line."

Norton took the Log Pose back from Nami and weighed it in his hand. "Now that we have a Log Pose, let's make a plan."

His lips spread into a brazen grin. "My plan is simple. Plunder pirates, plunder the rich, and plunder the Marines!"

"First, we reach the next island recorded by the needle and get a clear picture of the situation. Then we rob every local wealthy person and Marine base! If we run into pirates, we'll deal with them too!"

"That's insane!"

Funing couldn't help saying, "You'll even rob the Marines? Most pirates can't get away from them fast enough..."

"Of course we will."

Norton tossed the Log Pose into the air and caught it. "Marine bases have plenty of ready-made weapons and supplies, and they might even have treasure vaults. Robbing them will save us the trouble and expense of buying everything."

He looked toward the distant sea, anticipation in his eyes. "I actually hope they send someone strong to get revenge. Ideally, they'll send that Garp so I can really enjoy myself."

"And one more thing..."

Norton turned to Funing. "Could you find a way to build an intelligence network of our own?

"It doesn't need to be too complicated. Start within the fleet.

"The Grand Line's islands are scattered, and information doesn't travel easily. If we can get some basic information-which islands are wealthy, how the Marines are deployed, what other pirate crews are doing... our operations will go much more smoothly."

Funing thought for a moment, absently winding a lock of hair around her finger. "I'll try... but it won't be easy. We'll need trustworthy people and channels for passing information."

"Besides, we know so little about the Grand Line that we might not gather anything useful at first."

"Perhaps we could ask the men."

Zeff suggested, "We have all kinds of people in our fleet. Some might have worked in intelligence or know certain islands well. Find out what we have first, then gradually build a framework."

Norton thought that made sense and turned to Sanosuke again. "Make another trip. Ask on every ship whether anyone is good at gathering intelligence or familiar with certain areas of the Grand Line. Bring anyone willing over for a chat."

Sanosuke nodded, turned, and spread his wings.

After eating his Devil Fruit, his speed had improved considerably. He could fly from one place to another in the blink of an eye, making him well suited to running errands and relaying messages.

Meanwhile, Buggy and Crocus's reunion was drawing to a close.

Buggy's voice rose and fell, and occasionally words like "that bastard Shanks" could still be heard.

Crocus mostly listened, occasionally responding with a cheerful chuckle.

Just then, a low cry sounded across the sea.

The enormous whale Laboon finally stopped ramming the Red Line and slowly sank into the water, leaving only part of his back exposed.

Several fresh wounds on his body were seeping blood.

Crocus immediately picked up the medical kit at his feet-a badly worn wooden box filled with medicine bottles, bandages, and instruments.

"Let's leave it there for now, Buggy."

Crocus patted Buggy's shoulder. "I need to treat Laboon's wounds. That child needs proper care every time he finishes ramming the wall, or his wounds will get infected."

"No problem! Uncle Crocus, do you need any help?" Buggy glanced at the whale, then at the medical kit. "Some people on my ship know a little medicine too..."

"No need."

Crocus smiled and shook his head, carrying the box toward a small boat tied to the shore. "Laboon doesn't take well to strangers, especially unfamiliar men. He had a bad experience when he was little, so he's very wary now. I can go alone."

He jumped into the boat, untied the rope, waved to Buggy, and rowed toward the whale bobbing in the water.

Buggy stood watching for a while before turning to walk back.

As he passed Norton and the others, Buggy rubbed his red nose and muttered, "Well... thanks. I never thought I'd meet an old friend here."

Norton merely nodded, his gaze still fixed on the direction Sanosuke had gone.

Beside the rock, Nami was still studying the Log Pose.

She tapped the glass with a finger, watched the needle tremble slightly, and murmured to herself, "The next island... what will it be like?"

The sea breeze blew in from both sides of Twin Cape, carrying a salty dampness.

In the distance, Crocus's boat had reached Laboon. He was looking up and saying something to the enormous whale, but his voice drifted on the wind, too faint to make out.

At dawn the next day.

With everything ready, the Norton Pirates set sail again.

Along the way, they encountered one extreme weather event after another!

Blizzards, gales, thunder, whirlpools...

If no one manned the helm, even for a few short seconds, the chaos could make them lose their bearings at any moment!

On this sea, where the weak could not sail, the only thing they could trust was the Log Pose.

Everything else-the wind direction, the weather, the clouds, the waves... none of it could be trusted!

As the navigator, Nami felt this keenly.

The Norton Pirates' twenty-seven ships nearly became separated!

Apart from the White Pearl, the other ships weren't sturdy enough, and holes repeatedly opened in their hulls.

Nami could only direct the shipwrights aboard the White Pearl to help on the other vessels.

And because the rough waves made it impossible to lay gangplanks between the ships, Sanosuke had to use his flying ability to carry them over one at a time.

The voyage lasted only a day, yet it felt as long as a year!

When everyone was utterly exhausted, the outline of an island finally appeared on the horizon ahead.

"What enormous dead trees!"

"Is this an autumn island?"

Norton, Funing, Nami, and the others came to the foredeck and gazed into the distance.

The island ahead was covered with towering, enormous birches, their branches bare. Most stood dozens of meters tall, with astonishingly thick trunks.

"This is Granvor!"

"King! Why don't we anchor here and take a small boat over to scout things out?" Funing suggested.

Given the enormous size of the Norton Pirates' fleet, approaching the shore without warning would inevitably cause panic.

"Good idea." Norton nodded.

Sending a few people onto the island first to learn the basics would make their later operations easier.

"We need to put on more layers! It's cold on the island!" Nami began rummaging for clothes.

A little over ten minutes later, Norton and his officers reached the shore in a small boat.

Only Zeff and Sanosuke remained behind to guard the ships.

"Look! There's a town over there!" Nami suddenly pointed ahead.

In a relatively open area, at the foot of the enormous dead birches, stood a sprawling cluster of Siberian-style buildings.