Having made his decision, Roy no longer hesitated.
Stella brought over the nautical chart and planned the next leg of the voyage, Ark Maxim set sail once more.
Three days later, Roy and Hawk Eyes were sparring on the deck.
"Clang!"
As their twin swords clashed, Roy and Hawk Eyes stopped simultaneously.
Roy took the towel from Pea, wiped the sweat off his body, exhaled a breath of stale air, and had a satisfied smile on his face.
"I still can't break through your defenses, Mihawk. Your swordsmanship seems to have advanced even further."
"You're not bad either. Your control over strength and swordsmanship is more precise. Reaching the level of Great Swordsman must have elevated your strength to another level!"
Hawk Eyes sheathed his Black Blade Yoru, and, recalling the sparring session, nodded slightly.
"Yes!"
Roy raised the ' Red Rock ' in his hand, gathered his strength slightly, and casually swung the sword at the sea.
"Buzz!"
A crescent-shaped slash, hundreds of meters long, flew out, instantly splitting the sea in two and creating a chasm hundreds of meters long.
Roy looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
Wow! Boss is getting more and more outrageous!
Savi stood on the watchtower, dumbfounded. Bullet and the others, hearing this, immediately gathered around.
Seconds later, the chasm on the sea surface slowly closed, stirring up a sky full of waves.
Enel and Pea lay on the side of the ship, their eyes filled with admiration. Charon was even more excited and secretly resolved to train harder to become stronger as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Golden Lion, who had already returned to headquarters, was receiving treatment from his subordinates.
Seeing the injuries on the Golden Lion's body, the medical staff didn't dare to breathe and could only speed up their work, but their hearts were filled with shock.
Who on earth could have injured the Admiral to such an extent?
Whitebeard? Roger? Or is it the Marine Admiral coming out?
Various speculations churned in their minds.
Seeing that the wound had been bandaged, Golden Lion waved to dismiss the medical staff. Once everyone had left, Golden Lion's face instantly darkened.
"Damn brat!"
The Golden Lion roared in a low voice, its eyes burning with flames of anger and humiliation.
Roy, Bullet, Hawk Eyes, Tesoro —these faces flashed through his mind. This unexpected defeat was an utter disgrace to him.
"Messenger!"
The messenger, who was trying to keep a low profile, stepped forward trembling upon hearing the Golden Lion's shout.
"Admiral-sama!"
"Get me the information on the Roy Pirates with all your might! Where they went, who they contacted—I need to know everything!"
"Also, tell those medical personnel to keep their mouths shut and not to announce my injuries."
"Finally, tell all those idiots down here to behave themselves, hold onto their current territory, and not let anyone cause me any more trouble!"
"Yes, Lord Shiki!"
After announcing the order, the Golden Lion, panting heavily, calmed down slightly due to the sharp pain in his chest.
He knew that this serious injury would take time to recover, and that his forces needed to be consolidated and strengthened.
But this matter will definitely not end here!
" Roy... Bullet... Just you wait, once I recover, I'll tear you all to pieces!"
The Golden Lion crushed the cigar in his hand, his eyes flashing with cold light.
The Marine Headquarters, upon learning of the situation, also concealed the news, the reason for which remains unknown.
Meanwhile, in the Ark Maxim.
Roy and the others were unaware of the Golden Lion's rage and the subsequent arrangements; the group continued their training as planned.
Roy!
Stella's voice pulled him out of his meditative state, the steam on his body slowly dissipated, and his flushed skin returned to normal.
Is there a problem?
"Oh! No, not at all," Stella, taking out the nautical chart and pointing to the Log Pose in her hand.
"However, we are about to reach 'Crystal' Island, which, according to intelligence, is a buffer zone between several major pirate forces in the New World,"
"Recently, there have been reports that several Supernovas pirate crews with bounties over 100 million have entered that area, seemingly to fight over something, and several clashes have broken out."
"Furthermore, witnesses reported seeing an unidentified fleet patrolling the area, which did not appear to be a pirate force."
" Supernovas? Buffer zone?"
"Sounds like a place where I can stretch my legs. Hopefully, those so-called Supernovas can put in some effort." Bullet grinned, clearly showing some interest in the island.
Tesoro, however, was more concerned about another aspect. "An unidentified fleet? Could they be people from the World Government? Or... spies from other forces?"
"Uncertain, the information is too vague." Stella shook her head.
Roy tapped his fingers lightly on the gunwale as he pondered.
That's how the New World is; what seems like a calm voyage often hides turbulent undercurrents.
They have just experienced a great battle with the Golden Lion, and although their strength has improved, they are not in perfect condition.
However, it's unlikely that any top figures there would pose a threat to them.
"Maintain course, full speed ahead, let's see what secrets this island holds that attract so many people."
Roy stopped tapping his fingers and gave the instruction.
"Clear!"
Stella returned to the wheelhouse, and the ship immediately accelerated.
The Ark Maxim cuts through the waves and heads at full speed toward " Crystal Island," where the Log Pose.
Half a day later, the outline of an island gradually became clear.
True to its name, Crystal Island truly reflects a rainbow of colors when viewed from afar.
The island's main body appears to be composed of some kind of special crystalline mineral, shimmering with a dreamlike luster under the sunlight.
The waters surrounding the island were exceptionally clear, and one could vaguely see the colorful coral reefs stretching underwater.
"Wow! How beautiful!" Savi, Enel, and Pea exclaimed from the bow of the ship. Even Stella and Hawk Eyes, who were well-traveled, showed a hint of surprise in their eyes. The scenery of this island was indeed unique.
" Crystal Island is said to be primarily mined by a special type of crystal called ' Rainbow Crystal,' which is hard, brightly colored, and a favorite decorative material among many nobles and the wealthy."
Stella flipped through the intelligence booklet and introduced it,
"Because of these resources, this area has become a buffer zone that several major powers are unwilling to easily relinquish, but also cannot occupy alone. It has been jointly managed by several local chambers of commerce and several major pirate crews for many years."
" Rainbow Crystal?"
"That sounds like it's worth a lot of money!"
The symbol of Beli immediately appeared in Tesoro's eyes.
Bullet, however, was more concerned with what might attract the pirates to steal it.
"The attraction of Supernovas and unidentified fleets is probably not just due to these pretty rocks, is it?"
Roy's Observation Haki spread outwards towards the island like invisible tentacles.
The island's port city is quite large, and at this moment, one can indeed sense several rather powerful auras mixed together, each carrying obvious vigilance and hostility.
At the same time, he also sensed two familiar presences on the island.
"Interesting!" Roy withdrew his Observation Haki, a playful look on his face.