"Let's go shopping and walk around," Teach said. "Buy plenty of rope."
The crew nodded and split up.
To reach Skypiea, they would have to rely on the Knock-Up Stream near Jaya Island, or more precisely, the terrifying upward force it produced.
Otherwise, even with Teach's abilities, launching five pirate ships straight up ten thousand meters into the sky would be unrealistic.
The Knock-Up Stream was a rare but natural phenomenon of the Grand Line. It appeared intermittently, but certain areas experienced it more frequently. The waters near Jaya Island were one of those places.
When it erupted, even standing steadily on deck became difficult. With so many crew members aboard and limited handholds, sturdy ropes were essential.
Teach was no stranger to the Knock-Up Stream. He had encountered it more than once aboard the Moby Dick, so he understood its behavior well.
The phenomenon always followed a pattern.
First, a massive whirlpool would form within a fixed area, drawing in seawater and storing energy. Then, without warning, it would erupt, blasting a colossal column of water straight into the sky.
If a ship was positioned poorly, it would be torn apart instantly, crew and all. But if luck was on their side, the ship would be carried all the way to the White Sea, nearly seven thousand meters above.
In the Four Seas and Paradise, this was the only natural route to Skypiea, aside from flight-based Devil Fruit abilities. The New World had other methods, but they were far more dangerous.
The arrival of the Nightfall Pirates sent ripples through Mock Town.
In a place as chaotic as this, information always spread quickly. Before long, everyone knew that Teach and his crew had arrived.
Many pirates wanted to join them.
Teach rejected every attempt.
The Nightfall Pirates had no intention of expanding. Their current numbers were already close to the limit. Even with five ships, space was tight.
Unless they suffered heavy losses in the future, recruitment would not resume until they reached the New World.
Mock Town itself held little interest for them.
The gap in strength and vision was simply too large. Teach and his crew were no longer at a level where a place like Mock Town had anything worth lingering for.
Their goal was Skypiea. After that, the New World.
Most crew members stayed near the harbor, returning as soon as they finished shopping. No one wandered aimlessly through the town. Supply teams moved back and forth, carrying crates of goods onto the ships, drawing countless eyes.
They stocked heavily.
A trip to Skypiea could take several days, or even half a month. While food existed up there, many essentials were scarce compared to the sea.
Once everything was loaded, the Nightfall Pirates set sail immediately.
This surprised many observers. No drinking, no brawls, no displays of dominance. They left almost as soon as they arrived.
However, something soon felt off.
Instead of leaving Jaya Island directly, the Nightfall Pirates began circling the surrounding waters, moving back and forth as if searching for something.
That behavior quickly drew attention.
Jaya Island itself consisted of two parts. The larger portion housed Mock Town. The smaller one was home to Mont Blanc Cricket, descendant of the so-called "Great Liar," who spent his life salvaging the seabed in search of the sunken Golden City.
Four hundred years ago, a massive Knock-Up Stream had torn Jaya Island apart. The skull-shaped island lost its "head," which was blasted into the sky and became part of Skypiea. What remained were the "teeth."
What were the Nightfall Pirates searching for in these waters?
The question spread.
Before long, ships began leaving Mock Town one after another, trailing the Nightfall Pirates from a distance. No one dared get close. They relied on telescopes, careful not to provoke disaster.
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku received the report.
"The Nightfall Pirates have appeared in Mock Town," the intelligence officer said. "They're behaving strangely, circling the waters near Jaya Island."
Sengoku listened in silence.
"Observe only," he ordered. "Do not interfere. Report anything unusual immediately."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi and leaned back in his chair.
Right now, the Marines were stretched thin. Sengoku himself had barely left his office in days. To save time, he slept there whenever possible.
This exhaustion was common among high-ranking officers lately. Tired, but driven.
Sengoku frowned slightly.
He could not guess that Teach's destination was Skypiea. With the mountain of issues on his desk, his mind already felt ready to burst.
At least the Nightfall Pirates had been quiet for the past two months. That alone was a relief.
Most of the Marine heavyweights were deployed elsewhere. Sengoku remained at headquarters, alongside Zephyr, who was training the next generation, and Kong, the retired Fleet Admiral who now served largely as a stabilizing presence.
Garp, meanwhile, roamed the seas as usual, throwing cannonballs for fun and accidentally inspiring a wave of imitators. Unfortunately, most of those imitators turned out to be pirates.
Still, Marine prestige was rising.
Sengoku looked down at the intelligence in his hand. Unless something exceptional happened, he had no intention of provoking the Nightfall Pirates.
He couldn't afford to.
They were already a major force. Even if they headed to the New World, he would not try to block them outright.
But doing nothing at all was impossible.
Stability was his priority. The Marines were finally moving in a positive direction, and he did not want unforeseen chaos to disrupt that momentum.
He glanced to the side. No assistants.
Tsuru was in the North Blue, pursuing Donquixote Doflamingo.
In just three years since the Great Pirate Era began, Doflamingo had seized control of much of the North Blue underworld. Even Germa 66 had fallen to the Donquixote Family.
The speed of that expansion shocked Sengoku.
Intelligence also suggested that the underworld broker "Joker" was connected to Doflamingo, or possibly the same person. There was no sign of internal conflict, which only reinforced that conclusion.
Behind Doflamingo's rise were massive funds of unknown origin. Not millions, but billions. Tens of billions.
The Marines investigated relentlessly, but found nothing.
Teach had naturally come under suspicion. The Nightfall Pirates were absurdly wealthy, holding treasures from the Kraken Kingdom and profits from selling captured Marine warships.
But there was no evidence. None at all.
Doflamingo was too cautious. Too ruthless. Informants rarely survived long.
Worse still, Marine intelligence was understaffed. Many agents had been reassigned to internal inspections, leaving external surveillance thin.
Tsuru's latest report weighed heavily on Sengoku.
Doflamingo was growing stronger.
Not just in influence, but in combat ability. Tsuru could still pressure him, but no longer suppress him quickly. His malice had deepened, his confidence sharpened, and his methods grew more extreme.
In three months, five towns were wiped out. One unaffiliated nation erased.
The name "Heavenly Yaksha" spread fear across the North Blue. His bounty soared to 340 million Berries.
Even Tsuru's Wash-Wash Fruit struggled to affect him. His heart was too dark, too entrenched.
Threat, strength, ambition. Doflamingo lacked none of them.
And yet, Tsuru could not abandon civilians to stop him.
Sengoku sighed quietly.
"There's no one under me," he thought.
In the end, he set the documents aside.
Whatever the Nightfall Pirates were planning, it would soon become clear.
Out at sea, near Jaya Island, the Nightfall Pirates continued their strange patrol.
Teach stood on deck, eyes closed. His Observation Haki spread across the ocean, sensing subtle shifts in current and pressure.
Two hours passed.
Then he opened his eyes.
"There it is," he said, smiling. "Head northwest."
At his command, all five ships adjusted course and sailed decisively in the same direction.
Those watching from afar tensed.
Ahead, the sea suddenly twisted.
A massive whirlpool formed, expanding rapidly, its suction pulling everything toward its center.
"Captain!" a crew member shouted. "There's a huge whirlpool ahead! If we go any closer, we'll be dragged in!"
"That's exactly where we're going," Teach replied calmly. "The Knock-Up Stream is beneath it."
Before panic could spread, Baccarat laughed softly, flipping a coin between her fingers. Her eyes shimmered faintly.
"I've checked," she said cheerfully. "Our luck is at ninety-nine percent. That remaining one percent is so small it doesn't matter."
The ships sailed on.
Straight toward the heart of the whirlpool.