"Reporting, Yas... no, reporting, Lord Azure Thunder! Ahead are the waters of Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom, East Blue!"
Aboard an unremarkable standard-issue warship, a Marine major reported to the white-clad figure standing at the bow, gazing into the distance, his eyes burning with an almost worshipful fervor.
Yas did not turn around.
He simply felt the sea breeze blowing toward him in silence.
This wind was entirely different from the wind of the New World.
The wind of the New World always carried the scent of blood, gun smoke, and sulfur, violent and chaotic, like a giant beast roaring without rest.
But the wind of the East Blue was warm and moist, carrying a faint saltiness and the scent of sunshine. It brushed gently against his cheeks, like... his mother's touch in his memories.
Ten years...
Yas murmured softly to himself in his heart.
His ice-blue eyes, which had witnessed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, seen gods fall, and reflected the birth and death of the universe, now stirred with a ripple even he did not notice.
This was where his life in this world had begun.
"All... all hands, attention! Unidentified vessel spotted ahead! It's... it's flying a pirate flag!"
The lookout's panicked voice spread to every corner through the ship's broadcast system, interrupting Yas's thoughts.
Yas frowned slightly. The trace of warmth that had just surfaced vanished instantly, replaced by his usual coldness and impatience.
East Blue? Pirates?
The combination of those two terms struck him as inexplicably ridiculous.
"What are you panicking for?" The major who had reported earlier immediately roared into the communicator. "Take a good look! We're Marines! Order them to stop at once for inspection!"
"Y-yes!"
Soon, intimidated by the Marine warship, a crudely built little boat painted with a