At the edge of the Calm Belt, aboard Garp's flagship, the Dog-Head No.
"Bogard!" Garp's voice exploded across the bridge like suppressed thunder, instantly drowning out the waves and wind.
This Hero of the Marines, famed for his boisterous manner, showed none of his usual laughter or bluster. His face was iron-hard with solemnity, suppressed fury and urgency burning deep in his eyes.
"Change course! Cut straight across the Calm Belt to Mary Geoise!" His orders were categorical, every word bursting from his chest. "And signal Mary Geoise-clear the port! Clear the lift platform leading straight to the top of the Red Line! I want to get through as fast as possible!"
The order made his adjutant Bogard's pupils contract. At the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku, who had just connected to ask what was happening, cried out in astonishment.
"Garp! Have you lost your mind?! The Calm Belt is a nest of Sea Kings! You can't have Mary Geoise's port and lift platform cleared just on your personal say-so! What exactly..." Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, filled with disbelief and profound concern.
But Garp turned a deaf ear to the calls. Having given his instructions, he strode straight to the warship's signature dog-head bow. Ignoring Bogard's hesitant expression and Sengoku's increasingly anxious questions, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, like an old monk meditating-or a volcano holding back terrifying energy.
Only the cloak marked "Justice" on his shoulders snapped in the sea breeze.
Watching his old commanding officer, Bogard already understood how serious this was. He stopped hesitating, nodded firmly to the communications officer, and took the helm himself. The massive warship carved a sharp arc and resolutely headed into the Calm Belt, a place ordinary sailors considered certain death.
Over the