Chapter 127 Silence
Inazuma Island, though a small Island, is quite sizable, and its terrain is rather unique, resembling an altar.
The Island is surrounded by a flat Beach, making the entire Island easily accessible for landing.
Heading inland from the Beach, one passes through a Forest, after which the terrain abruptly rises like a high Wall.
Climbing over the high Wall reveals another Forest, and further ahead, another Wall-like rock face.
This Island has nine such Walls. Below the fifth layer, signs of life can still be seen, but from the fifth layer upwards, there are almost no green Plants or Creatures. Moreover, Lightning frequently strikes from the Sky, creating Holes in the Ground.
Furthermore, as the layers ascend, the frequency of Lightning increases. By the time one reaches the top layer, it's practically a Lightning Forest, an uninhabitable place for Humans.
In Simon's words, it's the perfect place to dispose of bodies and erase all traces. No matter what Corpse is thrown in, within half a day, not even Bone Fragments would remain.
This Island is one of the many Islands Nicholas seized from Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin.
Although the environment on the top layer is extremely harsh, the first, second, and third layers are quite fertile.
The Residents of this Island call it God-Given Island, believing it to be a gift from the gods.
The first layer is mostly Forest, the second is used for growing crops, and the third, while unsuitable for farming, has fostered a vibrant Grassland.
Due to the abundance of natural Fodder, the Residents of the Island raise many Ox and Sheep on the third layer to meet their daily needs.
For the Residents of the Island, they had initially feared that losing Whitebeard's Protection would bring a brutal ruler. However, to their surprise, aside from a magical Large Ship that arrived and stayed for a while at the beginning, no one has appeared since.
Their lives remain unchanged, much like before.
"Sometimes, there are Benefits to being in a backward place."
Simon watched the Herdsmen grazing in the distance and couldn't help but remark with a sigh.
Simon had been here for some time, and his assessment of the Island was, "This is a perfect place to retire."
"I wonder how long the Captain will need this time."
Lying on the Grassland, Simon glanced up at the thundering mountaintop and couldn't help but say.
Since the Cake Island battle, Nicholas had come to this Island for Training. The affairs of the Pirate Crew were entrusted to Bell-lin, while Simon was stationed here.
One day, on the third layer Grassland, flocks of Sheep were moving in one direction, bleating incessantly, looking quite unusual.
And in the midst of these Sheep, a Boulder was slowly rising and falling. Upon closer inspection, one would find a person beneath the Boulder, bearing its weight on his back, doing Push-ups on the Grassland, supporting himself with his hands on the Ground.
The process of physical Training is inherently monotonous and tedious. Regardless of the Method used, they are fundamentally similar.
And for Physical Fitness Training, the most crucial aspect is not the Method, but perseverance.
If one doesn't possess the innate Pervert Physical Fitness of Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, or even Whitebeard, then the best Method is consistent, relentless training.
For Simon, while a Sniper doesn't necessarily need the same Pervert Physical Fitness as those monsters, he at least needs to ensure a degree of self-preservation in close combat. Furthermore, close-quarters Gun Fighting Technique requires a good physique to execute effectively.
And he strongly agreed with Nicholas's statement: "A Sniper who can't fight is an imperfect Sniper."
...
Just when everyone expected Nicholas and his crew to rapidly expand their Force after the Cake Island battle, surprisingly, they made no significant Action at all, merely occupying a few Islands they had previously declared they would seize from Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard.
Subsequently, there were no further Actions.
On the contrary, Kaido and Big Mom began a frenzied expansion. The Big Mom Pirates, in particular, launched numerous expeditions personally led by Big Mom, with the explicit goal of acquiring Devil Fruit to rapidly bolster their Strength.
As for the Navy, aside from increasing the Bounty of every member of the Freedom Pirates, they took no further Actions. It seemed they intended to abandon the New World and let these guys run wild.
However, despite the lack of grand Actions, all Forces couldn't help but focus their attention on the Freedom Pirates. Many began to speculate about the meaning behind this apparent inactivity.
After all, Nicholas's previous astonishing feats—severely injuring Big Mom single-handedly and fighting Big Mom and Kaido simultaneously—along with the Strength demonstrated by Vistad and other Crew member, made people wonder if Nicholas was secretly plotting something once more.
Truth be told, this didn't seem surprising at all.
After all, the Freedom Pirates had become one of the most powerful Pirate Forces in the world. They already possessed the capital to stand on the Peak Stage and contend with other Pirate Crew for the Sea Emperor's throne.
Putting aside everything else, just considering the Top-Tier Strength within the Pirate Crew, the Freedom Pirates were already on par with the other major powers.
Not only did they have Nicholas, a Powerful Figure who nearly decapitated Big Mom and held his own in a two-on-one fight.
And there was Vistad, who faced Big Mom and Kaido alone in the Cake Island battle without fear, drawing the attention of the entire world.
While their mid-to-lower tier forces were still lacking, this was not a problem for a Pirate Crew with Top-Tier Powerhouse at the helm. After all, Pirates in the New World were as numerous as carp crossing a river. If they simply put out the word, countless Pirate Crew would be willing to join and serve them.
After all, a Pirate Crew under the Protection of a Powerful Figure could essentially rule the New World, unchallenged except by other top-tier Pirate Crew.
...
Just as the entire New World was focused on the Actions of the Freedom Pirates, and Public Opinion worldwide was buzzing with discussions about their next move.
The Freedom Pirates, however, entered an extremely low-profile period, as if they had gone into hiding.
This greatly surprised many Forces who had been anticipating further Actions from the Freedom Pirates.
After following and observing for a while, many people, realizing that they seemed to have no intention of expanding, gradually lost interest and turned their attention to other Forces.
After all, the Grand Line was turbulent, and every so often, a rising star would emerge, accompanied by shocking major events.
And those Legends who hadn't been heard from in a long time, no matter how resounding their Reputation once was, would eventually be forgotten as time passed.
Just like Joy Boy from centuries ago, only a small fraction of people today have even heard his name.
...
And so it was.
Time flew by, seasons changed, and in the blink of an eye, six years had passed.
Unknowingly, time moved on to June of Sea Calendar Era 1490.
Looking back at the past six years, many major events had occurred in the world, including some that caught the attention of countless Powerful Figure.
Among these events was Donquixote Homing of the Celestial Dragons abandoning his Celestial Dragons Status, taking his Family and leaving Holy Land Mary Geoise to settle in the North Blue.
And the Family of Zephyr, the current Navy Admiral, were brutally murdered by Pirates who had previously escaped Zephyr's grasp while visiting relatives at home. Enraged, Navy Admiral Zephyr directly destroyed the Pirates who killed his wife and children, along with the Island they were docked at.
Subsequently, Kong, retaining his Admiral Military Rank, transferred him to the Navy's newly established Elite Training Camp to serve as Head Instructor. It was more akin to Protection than punishment, given the awkwardness of Zephyr's Status and the Action of destroying an Island.
Thus, the Navy fell into an unprecedentedly awkward situation: its high-end Combat Power Admiral position was held only by Sengoku. Although the World Government and even Navy Marshal Kong repeatedly expressed their intention to appoint Garp as Admiral, he consistently refused.
The Navy officially entered a Mode of one Fleet Admiral and one Admiral from this point onward.
Fleet Admiral Kong:
Admiral Sengoku:
(End of Chapter)