Sabaody Archipelago

A few white clouds drifted through the azure sky, and seabirds flew past from time to time.

Suddenly, an enormous, gleaming golden vessel appeared in the sky, heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

It was a massive ship, with a pirate flag flying above it.

It was a flying pirate ship!

As the final island in the first half of the Grand Line, Sabaody was the endpoint of every route. Anyone wishing to reach the second half of the Grand Line had to pass through Sabaody.

The residents of Sabaody could therefore be considered well-traveled and knowledgeable. But they had never seen a pirate ship like this, actually made of gold! How extravagant!

As a way station on the Grand Line, the Sabaody Archipelago attracted all sorts.

Many pirates who had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago began itching to act when they saw the enormous ship made entirely of gold.

This enormous ship was the Ark Maxim.

Satoru Gojo and the others watched the pirates gathering around them without stopping them.

Enel brought the ship to a stop by the shore.

Standing aboard the ark, Satoru Gojo glanced at the pirates surrounding them and said:

"I never expected the pirates of the Sabaody Archipelago to give us such a warm welcome!"

"Hahaha! Kid, who do you think you are, expecting us to welcome you?!"

"Hand over your golden ship, and we'll spare your lives!"

"So you've taken a liking to our pirate ship! Sure! If you have what it takes, come and get it yourselves!"

"You're pretty cocky, kid. Let me teach you a lesson!"

"Everyone, get them! Whoever kills them gets the ship!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Turning around, Satoru Gojo said coldly:

"Kill them all!"

Sasuke said, "That's what I've been waiting to hear!"

Enel said, "You dare try to steal this god's ship? You're asking to die!"

Esdeath said, "I'll have plenty of fun playing with them!"

"El Thor!"

Rumble! Rumble!

A pillar of lightning formed in the azure sky, radiating an aura of destruction.

Under the pirates' horrified gazes, it crashed down.

Boom!

None of the pirates it struck survived. All were electrocuted into charred corpses.

At that moment, the scene descended into chaos.

"What?! What kind of ability is that?!"

"A Devil Fruit! It's a Devil Fruit!"

"They have a Devil Fruit user!"

Before they could finish exclaiming, Sasuke launched his attack.

"Amaterasu!"

"Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!"

Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan spun. As a bloody tear trickled from the corner of his eye, black flames surged out, taking the shape of arrows that instantly shot toward the pirates.

The densely packed Amaterasu arrows left no time to dodge. Every pirate caught beneath the rain of arrows was hit.

Some were struck in vital spots and died on the spot. Others were hit in the arms and burned by Amaterasu's flames. They tried to extinguish them, but nothing worked, and they were ultimately burned to ashes.

"What kind of monsters are these?! Why do they have such bizarre abilities?!"

"Run! Run!"

More than half of them had been wiped out the instant the battle began. Greedy as they were, they still valued their lives.

Faced with the terrifying gap in strength, they were already scared out of their wits, wishing they had a few more legs to run on!

"Since you've come, why be in such a hurry to leave?"

"Ice Seal: Thousand Miles!"

Esdeath waved her hand, and ice spread across the ground, instantly catching up to the pirates who had turned to flee.

Almost without pause, the pirates were frozen into ice sculptures.

Esdeath snapped her fingers and said:

"Shatter!"

As her voice fell, the frozen pirates shattered into ice fragments that scattered through the air.

With that, every pirate who had joined the battle was dead. The entire process had taken only a few dozen seconds!

The pirates and local residents watching from a distance all wore expressions of disbelief.

"What incredible power!"

"What pirate crew are they?"

"They seem to be the Jujutsu Pirates, the ones who've been so famous lately!"

"Are they the ones who defeated Crocodile of the Shichibukai?"

"They're even more terrifying than the rumors!"

For a time, news of the Jujutsu Pirates' arrival at the Sabaody Archipelago spread through those who had watched the battle.

The rumors about their abilities grew increasingly fantastical with every retelling.

There was a thunder god who summoned lightning, someone with blood-red eyes who could unleash inextinguishable black flames, a blue-haired witch who could freeze a thousand miles with a wave of her hand, and a handsome white-haired man who decided life and death with a few words.

Satoru Gojo and the others' arrival sent the entire Sabaody Archipelago into an uproar.

But they paid it no mind and instead split up.

Lucci's group of six, along with Koratt and the others, stayed behind to guard the Ark Maxim. The rest headed inland.

Sasuke paired up with Enel, while Satoru Gojo paired up with Esdeath.

A short while later, in a bar in the Sabaody Archipelago.

With his hands in his pockets and a black blindfold over his eyes, Satoru Gojo walked in through the door. His somewhat unusual appearance drew the attention of quite a few people drinking inside.

Some of them thought Satoru Gojo looked familiar, but they could not remember who he was.

Satoru Gojo ignored the others' stares and walked straight to the counter to sit down.

The proprietress asked, "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

Satoru Gojo said, "Anything is fine. I'll leave it to you."

"Certainly, sir!"

Then Satoru Gojo looked at the man sitting beside him.

The man was somewhat shabbily dressed, with white hair and a beard. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.

But Satoru Gojo knew that he was the once world-renowned vice captain of the Roger Pirates-Dark King Rayleigh.

"I never expected to run into you here, Mr. Rayleigh!"

Although he had come specifically for Rayleigh, Satoru Gojo still thought it would be better to make it seem like a "chance encounter."

"Gulp! Gulp!"

Rayleigh drained his glass, then turned to Satoru Gojo and said:

"I never expected that, after so many years, there would still be young people who remembered this old man's name!"

Even with Satoru Gojo revealing his true identity, Rayleigh showed no alarm. Such was the composure of a powerful man who had once stood at the pinnacle of the seas!

Satoru Gojo continued:

"How could anyone forget your name, Mr. Rayleigh? I wonder, have you ever thought about returning to the sea?"

"Hahaha! Returning to the sea? An old man like me can't handle all that trouble anymore. Our era has already passed! This is the era of you young people!"

Rayleigh had no intention of returning to the sea.

"What a shame. But Mr. Rayleigh, if you ever do return to the sea, you must come take a look at my ship! You're always welcome! My name is Satoru Gojo, and I'm the captain of the Jujutsu Pirates!"

In his previous life, Satoru Gojo had liked Rayleigh a great deal, and he respected him greatly now as well.

"I was wondering why you looked familiar. So you're the captain of the Jujutsu Pirates, the one who's been giving the Navy so many headaches lately!"

While Satoru Gojo and Rayleigh were talking.

The people in the bar also heard their conversation and grew restless.

They had never expected to encounter the former vice captain of Pirate King Roger, along with the recently prominent captain of the Jujutsu Pirates-White-haired Satoru Gojo-here!

White-haired was Satoru Gojo's epithet, given to him by some people because of his white hair.

Incidentally, after capturing the World Government's spies in Water 7, Satoru Gojo's bounty had jumped straight to three hundred million Beli. Esdeath's bounty was one hundred million Beli, while Sasuke's was one hundred million and one thousand Beli.

As for Enel, he had not participated in the battle at Water 7, so no bounty had been placed on him.

"That man is Dark King Rayleigh!"

"And White-haired Satoru Gojo, with a bounty of three hundred million Beli!"

Someone called out Rayleigh's and Satoru Gojo's names. The bar immediately erupted into chaos, and many people fled outside in a blind panic without even paying their tabs.

Some others did not flee, but their expressions were grave, and they broke out in cold sweats!

However, Satoru Gojo and Rayleigh were unaffected and continued drinking and chatting. Esdeath sat beside Satoru Gojo, pouring him drinks from time to time.