thefictionvixens Chapter 215 Navigation in the Fog: Towards Impel Down
Chapter 215 Navigation in the Fog: Towards Impel Down
Chapter 215 Navigation in the Fog: Towards Impel Down
The thick fog of the Devil's Triangle, like an eternal curtain, concealed the battlefield that had just calmed but was now teeming with turmoil.
Under the cover of the Earl's living, dark veil, the Blackbeard Pirates' fleet sailed silently like ghosts, temporarily leaving behind the prestige of the Marine Admirals and the hostility of the Crusaders.
Inside the cabin, however, the atmosphere was not entirely one of triumphant joy, but rather permeated with a strange tension arising from the clash between the old and new eras.
Marshall D. Teach, with his black beard, looked at the black box in his hand that sealed the essence of the Heart of the Clouds.
He felt the fragile magical connection between his body and the four summoned heroic spirits, and the fat on his face twitched.
There was a mix of pride and a touch of inexplicable frustration.
These senior figures are no pushovers.
"Hahaha—the power of the Heart of the Clouds is truly extraordinary! Combined with the Earl's magic, it actually managed to pull these old guys back from the underworld!"
He grinned, but a shadow of gloom lurked deep in his eyes.
"However—these old hands are all like untamed wild dogs, completely unruly!"
The smuggling pirate Ganzi leaned against the shadows, slowly and methodically sharpening his longsword with a whetstone, making a teeth-grinding swishing sound.
He spoke in a sinister tone, his voice like a venomous snake slithering through the grass.
"Teach, don't think you can make us willingly risk our lives for you with a few crooked tricks and a few Command Seals."
"While we were risking our lives fighting at sea, establishing our reputation with blood and fire, you were probably still playing in the mud in some corner."
His tone was full of undisguised disdain and scrutiny.
If it weren't for an instinctive fear of that count, given his cunning and cruelty, he would have long ago tried to turn against his master.
He surveyed the pirate ship, which was decades removed from his own time, his eyes occasionally flashing with curiosity and greed.
Captain John then monopolized the best rum in the ship's hold, gulping it down from the barrel, the strong aroma of the liquor filling the air.
He hiccuped, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, ignoring Blackbeard's complaints and instead muttering to the eternal fog outside the window.
"This godforsaken place—it's even more baffling than my treasure map—hey, you there with the gun, and that sickly guy on horseback!"
"Don't just stand there like an idiot, go get me a few more barrels of good wine!"
He treated the place as his own makeshift tavern, ordering the crew around without a care or concern for their unpleasant expressions.
Gilbasda sat in the corner, his massive body almost filling the entire space, moving his arm that had just been frostbitten by Aokiji.
He let out a deep, thunderous groan, expressing his dissatisfaction with being frozen and his instinctive irritation with his current situation.
He had no interest in the magical instruments the counts on the ship had made.
He would occasionally tap the metal wall with his large fingers, seemingly testing its sturdiness.
His gaze swept fiercely over everyone who passed by, as if he were choosing the next target to smash.
The most out of place was Ryoma, the dragon-slaying samurai, who sat like a statue at the other end of the cabin, holding the famous sword Shusui.
His eyes were empty, devoid of any human emotion, like a shell driven by the instinct of perfect swordsmanship.
His very existence is like a cold, sharp blade drawn from its sheath.
This pure, sword-like quality, ironically, aroused the curiosity of the other villains.
"Hey, you guy from Wano Country over there," Ganzi stopped sharpening his knife and looked at Ryoma with interest.
"I heard you cut off a dragon's head? Is that true? Are the bones and treasures from that thing valuable?" He was more concerned with practical benefits.
Captain John, also drunk, sidled up to him, reeking of alcohol: "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Slaying a dragon? Sounds exciting!"
"This is way more interesting than hacking down those boring marines! Come on, tell me, isn't dragon blood incredibly nutritious? How does dragon liver taste?"
His mind was always preoccupied with pleasure and wealth.
Kilbada also cast his gaze, with a pure interest in powerful prey, a low growl escaping his throat.
However, Ryoma showed no reaction whatsoever, not even blinking, as if their conversation was nothing more than talking about thin air.
This complete disregard, ironically, made these lawless old pirates feel inexplicably stifled and bored.
They realized that this guy was perhaps older and purer than them, so pure that all that remained was the will to kill.
Rider Christopher Columbus appeared the most excited and at ease in front of the nautical chart.
He spoke spittle flying as he advised the black-bearded man: "Admiral! According to my Starburst Banner and these—uh, magical pointers—it shows..."
"We have successfully escaped the Navy's direct tracking range! This fog-shrouded sea is a virgin territory hiding countless undiscovered islands and treasures!"
"This is a new sea route given to us by the Lord! The next land of gold is surely just ahead!"
The count, who had remained silent as a shadow himself, finally spoke slowly.
His voice completely drowned out all the noise and complaints, plunging the cabin into a chilling silence.
"Contractor, complacency is not the way to achieve hegemony. The key in your hand and these weapons that are still not under your control are just the beginning."
"To truly control them, to make them willingly tear apart powerful enemies for you, and even to summon more and more powerful beings in the future, you need to completely control this source of magic, and—more importantly, the coordinates that point to the ultimate goal."
The black-bearded man's eyes sharpened, and his arrogance vanished: "Count, what do you mean?"
"That's right, Indra. One god is enough. I can't even imagine the power that his otherworldly divinity combined with native energy can create."
The man with the black beard scratched his head: "But that guy is too powerful, even if—"
The count's expression remained unchanged: "Do you remember? The navy did indeed imprison one of our friends, none other than Indra's weakness, Arjuna the Avenger."
"The twisted divinity and overwhelming resentment contained within him are an excellent catalyst and guide, which can not only enhance your power, but may also help us find other keys."
The count's voice was like a cold, dark current.
"However, the Navy Headquarters is heavily fortified, and a direct assault would be the worst possible strategy. Even if successful, the losses would be enormous and would not outweigh the gains."
"We need a springboard, a place where we can replenish our high-quality forces, obtain core intelligence from the World Government, and perhaps even find other clues about the next war or otherworldly divinity."
His gaze, as if it were a tangible object, fell upon a location on the hanging nautical chart—Impelton, the underwater prison!
"Impedition?" Blackbeard was taken aback at first, then his eyes flashed with an even more greedy and brutal light, and the fat on his face trembled with excitement.
"Hahaha! That's right! Impeldown! It's where countless vicious criminals from all over the world and the Grand Line are imprisoned!"
"If I could release them, select and recruit them—no—kill them outright and turn them into Heroic Spirits, my fleet would expand instantly!"
"Moreover, I've long heard that there's a warden there known as Shiryu of the Rain, who is said to be an exceptional swordsman who was given a suspended death sentence for his excessive bloodlust? Such a madman is exactly the kind of combat power we need!"
More importantly, as a facility directly under the World Government that detains the most important criminals, Impel Down must contain some classified intelligence stored in its internal archives.
This was incredibly tempting for Blackbeard, who aspired to control the situation and even uncover the truth of the world.
"Target, Impelton!" The black-bearded man slammed his fist on the table, sending splinters flying, his mind made up.
"Go and turn that impregnable prison upside down! Bring out all the usable stuff! Uncover all the secrets inside! Hahahaha!!"
Meanwhile, on the edge of the Sky Island, Apayado.
The Going Merry was fully prepared to set sail, its sails billowing, brimming with power.
The Sky Island survivors gathered on the shore, looking at the group of people from Qinghai with complicated expressions.
The lights of Shandora flickered sporadically among the ruins, intertwining with the afterglow of thunder in the sky, telling the story of the tragedy that had just passed and the rebirth that followed.
The War Demon Webber, his bandages still stained with blood, stood at the front, his one arm gripping a new spear tightly.
He looked at Luffy, his eyes no longer filled with the previous extremism and despair, but instead with a settled firmness and a heavy sense of responsibility.
The dark purple scales left by the erosion of Naphtonic power on his arm had not completely faded, like the mark of some kind of curse or power.
But it seems much more stable than before, no longer spreading wildly, but instead exuding a restrained desolate atmosphere.
"Straw Hat Boy." Webber's voice was still hoarse, but steady and powerful.
"The four hundred years of waiting and hatred in Shandia, the promise between Noland and Calgara, were not completely buried because of you, but instead gained a new resonance."
"This kindness will be remembered by all Shandians, and even by the Sky Island."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the land behind him that was still occupied by Indra.
"Rest assured, while you are gone, I will protect this land where the golden bell tolls once more, and safeguard this moment of peace. At the same time—"
He raised his scaly arm, his eyes sharp.
"I will continue to coexist with this power, control it, and master it, until Indra no longer poses a threat to this land, until we achieve a new life that cannot be trampled upon!"
Luffy rarely showed such a serious expression. He pressed down hard on his straw hat, obscuring part of his eyes.
He then looked up, revealing a radiant smile that seemed to dispel all gloom.
"Okay! It's a deal! Webber, you're going to protect this place, including Uncle Calgara's share!"
"Once we've beaten Blackbeard and retrieved that important thing, we'll come back and defeat Indra!"
"When the time comes, you must treat us to all the specialties of the Sky Island! If you miss even one, I won't agree!" Just as everyone was preparing to set sail at this hopeful and promised farewell moment.
"Oh, it seems we're in luck, having caught up with a lively farewell ceremony? I hope we haven't disturbed your enjoyment."
A playful and uniquely magnetic voice suddenly rang out on the deck of the Going Merry.
It was as if they had been there from the very beginning.
Two figures appeared silently at the ship's side, as if they had emerged from the gap between sunlight and shadow!
It was none other than Crocodile, who had disappeared along with Enel, and Tescatlipoca!
"Tescatlipoca!" Nami screamed in terror, her face turning pale, and she almost dropped her Clima-Tact.
Usopp swiftly hid behind Zoro's broad back, revealing only his two trembling eyes.
Zoro and Sanji entered their strongest battle-ready state almost instantly.
Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, ready to unleash his three-sword style.
The ground beneath Sanji's feet cracked slightly, and the intense heat of Diable Jambe began to rise as he coldly stared at the uninvited guest.
Although Karna made no obvious move, his aura became as scorching and oppressive as the midday sun. The Sun Wheel Spear slightly adjusted its angle and locked onto Tescatlipok, clearly regarding him as the greatest threat.
"What did you go and do?" Robin asked calmly, clearly knowing some of the truth.
Crocodile leisurely took out a new cigar, lit it, and slowly exhaled a thick white smoke ring.
"What? When did we become forbidden from boarding this ship? It wasn't like this back in Alabasta."
Tescatlipoca, on the other hand, acted more casually, even walking onto the boat with great interest, as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.
He still had that same smile on his face: "Relax, everyone."
Luffy frowned, put his hands on his hips, stared at them, and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction and doubt.
"Hey, God Uncle! I heard from the red-haired guy and Ace that you're going to destroy that soul on Skypiea!"
Is it true?
"Hmph," Crocodile snorted, puffing on his cigar.
"Fool, haven't you realized yet? He's using his power to activate the Tear of the Clouds. If it weren't for him, Indra would have already wiped out the Sky Island's consciousness."
"Listen, Straw Hat Boy. Our goal, at least for now, remains the same."
"Marshall D. Teach, and what he possessed that did not belong to him."
He shrugged, adopting an indifferent posture, but didn't move an inch.
"Of course, if your little boat no longer welcomes us, we can leave now and find other transportation. Nicole Robin, let's go."
His words were full of probing, clearly indicating that he believed the Straw Hat crew's route was the same as his.
Tescatlipoca added as appropriate.
"Besides, with me having been through this, I might be able to offer some minor advice or small conveniences when you encounter some—well, unusual troubles—in the future."
The Straw Hat crew exchanged glances, their eyes shifting back and forth between Crocodile, Tescat Ripperca, and Luffy.
Nami and Usopp looked utterly horrified, Zoro and Sanji were filled with distrust, while Ace and Karna were lost in deeper thought.
They weighed the risks and benefits of traveling with these two mysterious individuals.
In the end, all eyes were on Luffy.
Luffy stared at Crocodile for a few seconds, then tilted his head to look at Tescat Riboka, who had an amused expression on his face.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, patted his straw hat, and burst into laughter.
"Hehehe! Whatever you want! We already agreed on this! Come on up!"
And so, with typical Luffy-like thinking, Tescalipoka leaned against the mast with a smile.
Golden Lion and Roger were not surprised by Luffy's choice at all, and even went up to Tescat Riboka again to talk to him in a very familiar manner.
Nami and Usopp nearly fainted. Zoro clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword, but his eyes remained alert. Sanji clicked his tongue, but acquiesced to his captain's decision.
Ace and Karna exchanged a glance, both understanding that this journey would be even more unpredictable.
Luffy roared towards the sky, "Let's go! Let's chase Blackbeard!"