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At sea, the Wind Rider continued sailing toward Jaya Island.
"Caelan, the Log Pose is pointing to the sky... is it broken?" Nami looked anxiously at the Log Pose on her wrist, which was inexplicably pointing upward.
"The Log Pose isn't broken. The magnetic pull was taken by the island in the sky."
Robin interjected calmly, her tone carrying a trace of mystery.
"The island in the sky… could it be…?"
Nami was about to argue, but then something clicked in her memory. She instinctively looked at Caelan.
"Yes, it's proof that Sky Island really exists."
Caelan looked toward the sky and affirmed her suspicion.
"The problem now is we don't know how to get to Sky Island, and we've lost our original course to Jaya."
Nami stared at the Log Pose pointing skyward, her expression dimming.
Robin, Vivi, and Tashigi also looked worried. Without a heading, they were afraid of getting lost at sea.
"Don't worry. One of the pirate crews we defeated left behind an Eternal Pose to Jaya. We'll use that."
Caelan replied calmly and confidently.
Half of the pirates who had attacked them before were from Jaya. Several of them carried Eternal Poses.
Even if they hadn't had one for Jaya, they still had one for Alabasta. They wouldn't get lost.
"Oh, right! We'll just use theirs!"
Nami's eyes lit up as she retrieved the Eternal Pose for Jaya, breathing a sigh of relief.
Caelan always had a plan. He was reliable like that.
"So, how long until we reach Jaya?"
Caelan asked Nami casually.
"At our current speed, we'll arrive by this afternoon. Even earlier if we catch a tailwind."
Nami checked the chart and made a quick calculation before answering.
"Alright then. Let's land on Jaya Island this afternoon and take a breather."
Caelan spoke with a relaxed tone and a hint of cheer.
Upon hearing this, the women steered the Wind Rider ahead at full speed.
By afternoon, as Caelan stood on the deck, the outline of Jaya Island came into view.
…
In the reefs along Jaya's shore, the Bellamy Pirates' first mate, Sarquiss, and their fighter, Ross, lay low with telescopes, observing the ocean.
"Look! That bounty hunter's here!"
Sarquiss spotted the Wind Rider approaching and spoke excitedly.
Per Bellamy's orders, he had waited here for a whole day, and finally, Caelan had arrived.
"Vice-captain, are we really going to take him on?"
Ross's eyes flickered, his tone unsteady. He was nervous.
As a fighter in the Bellamy Pirates, he considered himself brave.
But when he thought of who they were about to face, he trembled.
This was the man who had taken down Crocodile, with overwhelming strength.
Many familiar pirate crews had tried to stop Caelan recently, and none had returned. All had been turned over to the Marines for bounty money.
"Fool. We're not the only ones. The boss has gathered several other pirate crews to help."
"There are hundreds of us. Surely we can handle one guy."
"Once this job is done, we'll follow the boss and officially join the Donquixote Family, the dominant force in the New World!"
Sarquiss looked at Ross, sighing in disappointment.
There were hundreds of elite pirates in Mock Town, and with the boss leading them, what was there to fear?
"Alright, let's do it!"
Ross finally steeled himself, convinced by the promise.
If they succeeded, he could join the Donquixote Family. That kind of opportunity was too tempting.
Just waving the Donquixote flag was enough to make most Marines hesitate. If they officially joined, it would be like sheltering under a massive tree.
Boom!
Ross fired a flare into the sky. It shot upward with a loud pop, releasing a bright flash visible across the entire island.
…
Seeing the flare, Caelan instantly sensed something was off.
"Haha. Looks like someone's waiting for us on the island."
Caelan chuckled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Before he even made a move, others were already plotting against him.
"Caelan, should we avoid this for now?"
Vivi looked at the port ahead. It was calm, but she could feel the tension and spoke with concern.
Nami, Robin, and Tashigi also looked to Caelan, waiting for his decision.
"No need. Let's land and see what tricks they've prepared."
Caelan, confident in his strength, had no intention of dodging.
As far as he was concerned, there were no real threats on the island.
The only one worth noting was Bellamy, the Spring-Spring Fruit user, and even he wasn't worth worrying about.
With Caelan's command, the Wind Rider continued closing in on the shore.
…
In the tavern at Mock Town, Jaya Island.
When the signal flare went up, the tavern—previously filled with chatter about ambushing Caelan—fell silent, then erupted with noise again.
"That Caelan's here?!"
Old pirate Orwell's face went pale. His hand trembled as he held his drink.
"You drunk coward, what are you afraid of? We're here to take him down!"
"And that Caelan's soft anyway. He rarely kills anyone."
Executioner Roshio sneered at Orwell with clear disdain.
He'd heard that every pirate who had attacked Caelan was now in a Marine base. Not a single one had died.
What was there to fear from someone that soft?
"He's not soft. Dead pirates only get 70% of their bounty. Alive, it's 100%."
"He doesn't see us as people. He sees us as straight Berry."
"I've never heard of him sparing a pirate without a bounty."
Orwell took a deep drink to calm his nerves.
He was terrified of facing Caelan, the man who treated pirates like sacks of money.
With his low bounty, he'd probably be cut down in one blow.
"Yeah! He doesn't see us as people!"
"Even Crocodile and all of Baroque Works were taken down. How can we beat him?!"
Panic spread among the other pirates. Their legs trembled as they thought about fleeing.
They'd originally planned to ambush Caelan and make a name for themselves, but now that he was actually here, they were scared stiff.
Even Roshio, who'd mocked the others earlier, was starting to shake and lose confidence.
After a moment, Roshio made up his mind.
"Let's run! There are hundreds of us. Caelan can't catch everyone!"
He shouted, looking around.
If they all scattered, Caelan wouldn't be able to catch them all. Most would get away.
The other pirates' eyes lit up at the idea and began bolting toward the exits.
The alliance meant to ambush Caelan collapsed before he even set foot on the island.
Bellamy watched the chaos unfold, fury burning inside him.
"Bastards! Try running, and I'll kill you!"
Bellamy's feet turned into springs. In an instant, he launched forward and exploded the skulls of the two fastest runners.
The rest of the pirates froze in place, terrified, and stopped moving.
"Come with me to the port! There's only one Caelan. I'll take him down myself!"
Bellamy shouted to the remaining pirates. He wasn't afraid.
He would kill Caelan and officially join the Donquixote Family.
Under Bellamy's threat, the rest of the pirates reluctantly marched toward the port.
Among them was a potbellied, toothless man who grinned broadly.
"Ze haha haha haha. Now this is getting interesting."
It was Blackbeard. He was eager to see just what kind of man Caelan was, the one who had created a vacancy among the Warlords of the Sea.
(To be continued.)
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