The New World.
The Sabaody Archipelago.
Mangrove No. 1.
The enormous Yarukiman Mangrove resembled a natural skyscraper, its sprawling roots forming the island's foundation.
Sunlight spilled through gaps in the canopy, casting dappled light and shadows onto the streets.
The pedestrian street bustled with people coming and going.
Vendors' cries, tourists' chatter and laughter, and the metallic scraping of sightseeing cable cars passing slowly overhead mingled into a noisy, vibrant street atmosphere.
Amid the crowd.
A young man in a black coat strolled along the stone-paved road with both hands in his pockets.
He had black hair, delicate features, and a languid, indifferent gaze.
He yawned.
"Ah..."
The sound dragged on, carrying the drowsiness of someone who had just woken from an afternoon nap.
"So this is the Sabaody Archipelago."
He tilted his head, sweeping his gaze over the colorful shops lining the street and the pedestrians coming and going.
"Looks pretty nice."
"I'll have some fun here for a while, then head to the New World to get my money from Whitebeard."
But his gaze failed to linger on any one sight for long.
Because everyone along the entire street was discussing the same thing.
"Hey, did you see the wanted poster? The ten-billion one!"
"I did! Ten billion Beli! I've never heard of a number like that in my life!"
"Who the hell is that guy? I'd never even heard of him before!"
"They say he's the one who sank Marineford during the Paramount War!"
"Seriously?! One person sank an entire island?!"
"Don't you read the papers?"
"Straw Hat hit a Celestial Dragon. Things were such a mess that I hadn't come out in ages."
"Fair enough. Also, a Marine Admiral died in that battle."
"Really?!"
"He looks pretty young in the wanted photo. Pretty handsome, too..."
"What