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The ship resumed its voyage, cutting through the waves at breakneck speed as it followed the course set by the newly acquired Log Pose.
The fact that two Supernovas had targeted him on Sabaody didn't bother Arthur in the slightest.
When he had first entered the New World, he had done the same, setting his sights on the men at the very top.
It was the path one had to walk to gain wealth, power, and fame.
The only difference was that some succeeded, while others were utterly crushed.
Moria's crew had been annihilated by Shiryu. A grudge born from such a slaughter would undoubtedly fuel an unparalleled thirst for power. Moria himself would now do everything he could to grow stronger, to one day come seeking his revenge.
That was precisely what Arthur was looking forward to.
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"Did you tie up all the loose ends?" Arthur asked, his voice low. He stood at the bow, letting the sea breeze wash over him.
A hint of color had returned to his pale cheeks.
The news that the captain of the Thunder God Pirates—especially one so grievously wounded—had left the ironclad fortress of Raijin Island was a major event.
Everyone on the seas knew he must be on a mission of great importance, and it was inevitable that some would try to learn his destination.
The underworld was already buzzing with reports that his target was somewhere in the first half of the Grand Line.
In his current state, his head was a prize coveted by countless men: pirates, Marines, and bounty hunters alike. All of them wanted to be the one to take him down, whether for fame or for justice.
If their trail wasn't clean, it would become an endless headache.
"I killed a group that came sniffing around for information. Marine scouts and pirates," Shiryu said, his voice a flat, emotionless line. "However, that woman who sold us the Log Pose, Shakky… Is there a risk she will leak the Captain's whereabouts?"
The unspoken question hung in the air: 'Should I go back and kill her?'
When Shiryu killed, he didn't care if his target was a man or a woman. He cared only for the thrill of the slaughter, the unrestrained release of his desires.
"She won't..." Arthur answered with absolute certainty, slowly lying back down in his lounge chair.
Shakky and Rayleigh were clever. They knew what they were doing. And though they had once been pirates, they still operated with a certain code.
For three years, Rayleigh had repeatedly scammed bounty money from him to buy drinks, and Arthur had never retaliated. That was a kind of favor.
If Shakky were to leak his specific location now, it would mean a war with no end.
Rayleigh and Shakky were no longer active pirates. They had washed their hands of the business and would never accept a fate that involved being hunted by the Thunder God Pirates for the rest of their lives.
Even if you could never truly escape the path of a pirate, that didn't stop the two of them from enjoying their current, quiet life. They had no desire to keep running across the seas.
So for now, Arthur's trail was safe.
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Three days passed in a blur.
The New World remained quiet in Arthur's absence, and just as he had predicted, no one had found his trail. However, the Marine presence in the first half of the Grand Line had suddenly increased.
Their purpose was self-evident.
Arthur couldn't be bothered to care. All he wanted now was to get to the Drum Kingdom as quickly as possible.
According to the sea chart, the Drum Kingdom was on the fourth magnetic route, the third island from the Twin Capes.
From Sabaody, the journey would take them past Water 7, Long Ring Long Land, Jaya, and the Alabasta Kingdom.
On a map, they looked close, just a few islands apart.
In reality, a voyage across the Grand Line, even without external factors, would take at least a month or two for a Marine warship.
With outside interference, the journey could take even longer.
However, the temporary vessel that Vegapunk had designed for him was a masterpiece. It required no wind, powered instead by its own turbine engine. It didn't need to follow the magnetic fields of the sea lanes; it could cut a straight path through the ocean.
Under Shiryu's expert control, in just three days, they had bypassed Water 7 and arrived at an island Arthur had visited once before:
Long Ring Long Land.
He remembered the place because of one rather memorable character—"Silver Fox" Foxy, the user of the Paramecia-type Slow-Slow Fruit.
The Devil Fruit had its obvious drawbacks, but it was undeniably powerful.
Besides, Foxy was still young. He had plenty of room to grow. It all depended on how he developed his abilities.
Arthur had originally planned to go straight to the Drum Kingdom to avoid complications. But as they passed the island, an idea struck him. He remembered the small-time pirate he had traumatized five years ago.
The Thunder God Pirates had been established for a long time, their position in the New World as solid as a mountain. But who would ever complain about having too many subordinates?
Before, he'd never had time to develop talent—every resource went toward expanding his territory. That's why he'd recruited his original crew from the bowels of Impel Down.
But now that things had settled, he could start building a new generation of completely devoted followers.
And Silver Fox Foxy was a good candidate.
His personality was questionable, but the potential of his Devil Fruit was undeniable.
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Long Ring Long Land, also known as Long Chain Island, was shaped like a necklace. It was a collection of ten small islands arranged in a circle, normally separated by the sea. Once a year, influenced by the Aqua Laguna of Water 7, a massive low tide would occur.
For a few hours on that day, the island would return to its original, single landmass form. The nomadic tribes on the island would seize this opportunity to move to the next island in the chain.
Because of the island's elongated shape, all the animals on it were also strangely long and thin, and the inhabitants spoke with a drawn-out, slow drawl.
It was a peculiar sight. But on these seas, all sorts of strange and bizarre scenery were commonplace.
Arthur thought nothing of it.
The shuttle-shaped steel boat did not approach the island. To get too close would be to risk being discovered, and discovery meant endless trouble. They docked near a reef ten nautical miles out.
After Shiryu stopped the boat, Arthur's Observation Haki spread out, searching the entire island for Foxy's trail.
As expected, he found him, resting on a pirate ship.
"Shiryu. Go to Long Ring Long Land. Find the captain of the Foxy Pirates. He has a red nose, a split afro, and the appearance of a fox. He wears a purple fur coat. Find him and bring him to me. Do not be seen."
Shiryu, who had just been about to light a cigarette, immediately nodded. He adjusted his pilot's cap, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He leaped from the deck and shot forward, using Moonwalk to race across the sky.
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