In the early morning, Sound Pier was exceptionally lively. In addition to the Beagle, numerous large and small ships were docked alongside the pier.
The port was bustling with people, whether it was the 'Coral' executives and gang members, or the residents of nearby islands who had always received Victor's care, all spontaneously came to see Victor off. Many passing tourists curiously gathered around, seeing the scene, they thought a big star had visited Algero Town.
Victor's strategy of changing the 'Coral' image in recent days has been very successful. Scumbags like the rogue Cartman no longer dared to cause trouble in the areas under 'Coral's' jurisdiction, otherwise, they would face ruthless strikes from the executives.
The law-abiding civilians were no longer afraid, because any second-rate pirates daring to invade the surrounding islands would be immediately gathered and wiped out by the local 'Coral' executives before the Navy even moved. As for the exceptionally strong pirates, their minds were still clear enough not to provoke 'Ferocious Chains' Victor's territory.
Merchant associations in close contact with 'Coral' had obtained permission to use 'Coral's' flag. Pirates, let alone plunder, would flee at the mere sight of the crossed zipper mark on the sea from afar.
Titles full of respect such as 'Protector of the Weak' and 'Respected Mr. Victor' became more and more common.
The 'Coral' gang members' actions of helping the public rebuild Algero Town's central square and residential areas earned them another wave of goodwill.
Although the homes of the residents of Clock Tower Island were destroyed by the battle between Gecko Moria and Victor, 'Coral' paid high compensation to each household and promised to find a suitable new island for the new site of Clock Tower Island.
As for where the compensation money came from... That night, after Victor and his crew retreated from Clock Tower Island, they made a detour to Sorinalfa Island and swept away the treasure that dear Mr. Moria had traveled thousands of miles to retrieve from the West Blue.
Incidentally, the idea was proposed by Mai Hime.
In short, now Victor is a superstar, a dance star, in the eyes of the residents of the surrounding islands.
Everyone happily saw Victor off as if it were a festival. The popularity was so explosive that some clever people even set up vendor stalls outside the pier selling food, drinks, and Victor's photo albums, the latter selling surprisingly well.
Victor only took Perona (navigator), Mai Hime (guest chef), and Robin (all-around secretary) on this trip. He himself served as shipwright, helmsman, and sailor, as his Zip-Zip Fruit ability could handle most of the sailor's work.
Perona specially wore a neat short skirt and over-the-knee high boots, with a Log Pose on her wrist, looking spirited as she bid farewell to the people who came to see them off.
Bell, the red-haired female employee of Algero Town's bakery 'Simon Cheese Ring', was particularly close to Perona. At this moment, her makeup was smeared from crying, and she choked with sobs, "Pepe...You must be careful when you go out to sea, big sister can't bear to see you go...呜呜呜...Remember to send back more pictures of Lord Victor...呜呜呜..."
Perona's eyes had been red with emotion from the first half of the sentence, but upon hearing the second half, a small vein popped up on her forehead in anger. She pounced on Bell, hugging her and starting to play-fight.
On the other side, the little monkey Mim held onto Victor's clothes, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face: "Waaaah! Boss! Can't you really take me with you? I've practiced gunnery and swordsmanship so hard!"
Clansner grabbed Mim by the back of his collar and threw him to Little Jack, then whispered to Victor, who maintained an awkward smile, "Don't worry, Boss, this kid just has a childish temper, he'll settle down after a while."
Mai Hime stood by, smiling and waving in thanks to the gang members who came to see them off.
Having been in Algero Town for almost a month, Mai Hime felt that everyone had been particularly enthusiastic towards her. She had no idea that the gang members saw her as Victor's 'Boss Lady No. 1' brought back from overseas.
As for 'Boss Lady No. 2', who was wearing a black leather tight-fitting hip-hugging skirt and had an explosive figure, she was closely following Victor, looking like a personal secretary.
Although Robin was three years older than Victor, after years of fleeing for her life, she had finally found a place to settle down. Plus, Victor was an old acquaintance of her mother, Olvia, so Robin subconsciously regarded Victor as a close person.
After returning from the battle of Clock Tower Island this time, Mai Hime inadvertently revealed a key piece of information to Robin – the reason Victor engaged in a life-or-death battle with the 'Warlord of the Sea' Gecko Moria was because Gecko Moria wanted to forcibly abduct Robin, and Victor declared that Robin was his person, and no one could touch her! The two sides disagreed and clashed, which then escalated into the world-shaking 'Battle of Clock Tower Island'.
Robin, of course, knew what a 'Warlord of the Sea' represented. They were among the world's top combatants, one of the seven great pirates legally recognized by the World Government.
Everyone treated her as a cursed monster, a considerable bounty, or even a beautiful plaything. She had thought she would never hope for a miracle again. But then, a man stood up, a man who would risk his life to protect her safety even against a terrifying existence like a 'Warlord of the Sea', who represented the world's peak.
In a trance, Robin's ears seemed to echo Saul's dying words from back then – "The sea is so vast, you will surely meet companions who are willing to protect you!"
"No one in this world is ever truly alone!"
Saul, is it him? I found them, the companions who are willing to protect me!
This woman, who had not experienced 'care' since she was seven years old, who had always been abandoned and betrayed, secretly fell in love.
On the pier in front of the Beagle, Victor, dressed in a black suit, shook hands with the white-haired Windrew.
"Mr. Windrew, I'll leave West Blue to you."
"I will not fail you, Boss."
After that, Victor and his group boarded the Beagle. Perona looked at the sky and Gigggled: "Horohorohoro~ Big Brother, it's a good day to set sail!"
Victor waved his hand, all the ropes turned into zippers and moved on their own. The sails filled with wind, and the Beagle slowly sailed away from the port.
On the pier, Windrew and Clansner removed their hats and placed them over their chests, bowing slightly. The executives and gang members behind them all bowed deeply and shouted in unison:
"May your journey be prosperous! Boss (Master)!"
And so, amidst the blessings of the gang members and the cheers of the people, Victor embarked on his journey from the West Blue, where he had grown up, to the Grand Line.
The adventure begins!
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