One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Having made his decision, Roy no longer hesitated.

Stella brought over the nautical chart and planned the next voyage, and Ark Proverbs set sail again.

Three days later, Roy and Hawkeye were practicing their swordsmanship on the deck.

"Clang!"

As their twin swords clashed, Roy and Hawkeye 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 sword seems to have advanced even further."

"You're not bad either. Your control over strength and swordsmanship is even more precise. Reaching the level of a great swordsman must have elevated your strength to another level!"

Hawkeye sheathed his black sword, Night, 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 observation deck, dumbfounded. Barrett and the others, hearing this, immediately gathered around.

A few 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 the main camp, 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 this extent?

Whitebeard? Roger? Or is it a full-scale invasion by the Navy Admirals?

Various speculations churned in their minds.

Looking at the bandaged wound, Golden Lion waved to dismiss the medical staff. Once everyone had left, Golden Lion's expression instantly darkened.

"Damn brat!"

The golden lion roared in a low voice, its eyes burning with anger and humiliation.

Roy, Barrett, Hawkeye, Tezoro—these faces flashed through his mind. This unexpected defeat was an absolute 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 all the information you need about the Roy Pirates! Where they went, who they contacted—I need to know everything!"

"Also, tell those medical staff to keep their mouths shut and not to announce my injuries."

"Finally, tell those idiots down there 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...Barrett...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 Navy Headquarters, upon learning of the situation, also concealed the news, the reason for which remains unknown.

Meanwhile, in the Ark Maxims.

Roy and the others were unaware of the Golden Lion's rage and the subsequent arrangements, and the group continued their training as usual.

"Roy!"

Stella's voice pulled him out of his meditative state, the steam on his body slowly dissipated, and his red skin returned to normal.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh! No, not at all," Stella said, taking out the nautical chart and pointing to the recording pointer in her hand.

"However, we are about to reach 'Crystal' Island. According to intelligence, it is a buffer zone for several major pirate forces in the New World."

"Recently, there have been reports that several Supernova pirate crews with bounties over 100 million have entered that area, seemingly to fight over something, and several clashes have broken out."

"In addition, witnesses have reported that an unidentified fleet was patrolling the area, which does not appear to be a pirate force."

"Supernova? Buffer zone?"

"Sounds like a place where I can stretch my legs. Hopefully, those so-called supernovas can put in some effort." Barrett grinned, clearly showing some interest in the island.

Tesoro, however, was more concerned about another aspect: "An unidentified fleet? Could they be from the World Government? Or... spies from other factions?"

"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. Although their strength has improved, they are not in perfect condition.

However, it's unlikely that any top figures would appear there who could threaten them.

"Maintain course, full speed ahead, let's see what secrets the 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 Proverb cuts through the waves and heads at full speed toward "Crystal Isle," where the time pointer is pointing.

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 main body of the island appears to be composed of some kind of special crystal mineral, shimmering with a dreamlike luster in the sunlight.

The waters surrounding the island are exceptionally clear, and you can vaguely see the colorful coral reefs stretching underwater.

"Wow! How beautiful!" Savi, Enel, and Pea exclaimed, perched on the bow of the boat. Even the well-traveled Stella and Hawkeye showed a hint of surprise in their eyes. The scenery of this island was indeed unique.

"Crystal Island is said to be mainly mined by a special type of crystal called 'Rainbow Crystal,' which is hard and colorful, and is a favorite decorative material of many nobles and the wealthy."

Stella flipped through the intelligence booklet and introduced it,

"Because of these resources, this place has become a buffer zone that several major powers are unwilling to give up easily, but cannot occupy alone. It has been jointly managed by several local chambers of commerce and several major pirate groups for many years."

"Rainbow crystal?"

"That sounds like it's worth a lot of money!"

The symbol of Pele immediately appeared in Tezzolo's eyes.

Barrett, on the other hand, was more concerned with what might attract the pirates to fight over it.

"The attraction of supernovae 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.