On the outskirts of the New World Peach Spring waters.
Dozens of enormous ships were cutting through the waves toward Peach Spring.
These vessels did not look like warships, nor were they like pirate ships.
Every ship bore a striking emblem on its sails and flags.
The emblem featured a sinister skull, but a closer look revealed the image of a seagull behind it.
Anyone familiar with pirates and Marines could tell at a glance. This emblem clearly combined the pirates' skull emblem with the Marines' seagull emblem.
Every ship was packed with figures.
They were well-trained and stood in neat ranks.
They wore matching black uniforms with the same emblem as the sails printed on their backs.
An exceptionally massive vessel led the fleet.
Three figures stood on its deck.
From left to right, they were Ain, Zephyr, and Binz.
Ain glanced at the newspaper in her hands and said to Zephyr:
"Teacher Zephyr, Peach Spring's waters are just ahead."
Zephyr looked up. Faint dark shapes were barely visible in the distance where the sea met the sky.
That should have been Peach Spring.
He turned and said to Binz, "Binz, you and Ain stay here with our troops. I'll go to Peach Spring first."
Binz immediately shook his head. "No! Teacher Zephyr, we can't let you go to Peach Spring alone."
Ain added from beside him, "Teacher Zephyr, Peach Spring is the Lott Pirates' territory. He's different from every pirate crew we've encountered before."
When the two heard Zephyr say he would go to Peach Spring alone, they both refused without a second thought.
In the past, they had always obeyed the orders of Zephyr, the commander-in-chief of the NEO Marines.
And they had always admired Zephyr's fighting strength.
They believed that under Teacher Zephyr's leadership, the NEO