On the vast sea, it was unusually calm, especially in the Grand Line, where such calm was rare, happening perhaps once every hundred days.
This should have been a rare rest day, but the Spade Pirates didn't have that intention or atmosphere.
Everyone lay on the deck like salted fish, like fish out of water.
Clearly, they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days.
Strangely, the Spade Pirates' formation was complex. They included Longarm Tribe members, fish-men, and even cooks, which were rare in other pirate crews. But they didn't have a navigator.
Good navigators were rare throughout the Grand Line. Most were monopolized by the Marines. It's no wonder Arlong, Shiki, and others all coveted Nami. Even among the New World navigators, Nami's navigational talent was the strongest.
So, naturally, even a powerful Admiral like Shiki wanted Nami.
And unfortunately, the Spade Pirates didn't even have a navigator, let alone a good one.
Their navigation was entirely led by a crew member nicknamed "Teacher," who was just an amateur who had read a few books on navigation. If their strength hadn't been so great, they wouldn't have been able to travel so far after entering the Grand Line.
They didn't know any Haki, and no one had eaten a Devil Fruit. But don't forget, before entering the Grand Line, Zoro and Sanji were already strong enough to rival Arlong. Someone like Ace could easily defeat Arlong.
And Ace's crew, after Ace was recruited, became one of the forty-three pirate crews under the Whitebeard Pirates. Clearly, they were no pushovers. Each of them was a formidable warrior who could rival Zoro or Sanji—of course, there might be a few idiots among them.
This pirate crew was almost a replica of the Straw Hat Pirates, their ship filled with a happy atmosphere—if they hadn't been desperately fleeing to this place, it should have been.
"I say, Captain, wouldn't it be easier to just crush that little girl? Why keep running? Capture that little girl, and then... you know. She'll have to submit, whether she wants to or not." A man lay weakly on the railing, rather short, with a somewhat protruding chin. His body was flushed red. He was a Scorpionfish Fish-man named Revos. Besides his sharp teeth, he had several spines like those of a Peking opera general on his body. Spines were also visible on his short-sleeved arms. Clearly, his combat power was very strong.
And the captain who could subdue such a fish-man must have been incredibly strong, just use a little logic.
"You insensitive fool, shut up!" a tall man with blue hair scolded.
He was vaguely the first mate of the ship, one of the few reliable people on board, and the ship's doctor, second only to the navigator in importance. So, when he spoke, the fish-man fell silent.
They were being chased by a group of Marines and had fled here, almost losing their way. In the Grand Line, without a permanent Log Pose, if you only have a partially completed Log Pose, it will always point to a small island.
This is why they were chased by the Marines and fled the island, losing their way. Their Log Pose currently recorded the location of their last island, but they were already tens of thousands of miles away from that island.
Going back was impossible. They could only grit their teeth and continue drifting forward without a Log Pose.
The worst part was that they were being followed by a female Marine who was trying to arrest Ace, someone who had a soft spot for Ace but couldn't bring herself to kill him.
Otherwise, they could have wiped out the Marines behind them and slowly drifted forward.
"Yos! Decided!" Ace suddenly jumped down from the mast. The entire ship shook twice. Everyone lying on the deck was jolted awake.
"Let's raid Isuka's warship and find her Log Pose."
Isuka was the female Marine who had been chasing Ace.
"Captain, you finally got it!" The others' faces showed great joy. Clearly, they only had this option left, with their ammunition and supplies exhausted.
And it was the safest option, because Isuka was always following them, a very conspicuous target.
But doing this would mean the end of the captain's future happiness. The ship's doctor, Masked Deuce, showed a wry smile. He could guarantee that Ace's "decision" certainly didn't include these things. But...
He was the captain, after all.
All the Spade Pirates were invigorated. Although they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a day, they would soon have food and rum!
Suddenly, a huge dark shadow slowly enveloped them.
When they turned around, a ship as tall as a mountain, being pulled by two serpents, was already in front of them.
Gulps...
All the Spade Pirates swallowed their saliva, looking at the two sea kings that lowered their heads to examine them, subconsciously tensing their bodies.
"Hey, that's the Kuja Pirates!" The ship's doctor, Masked Deuce, whispered. He was the one who paid most attention to the news on the ship, so he knew the Kuja Pirates were a Shichibukai. The characteristic serpents were unmistakable.
"It's a Shichibukai!"
Everyone on the Spade Pirates' ship showed excited expressions, some even eager to try. Regardless, after Ace obtained the Devil Fruit, he was invited to become one of the Shichibukai. Although he had the advantage of a Logia Devil Fruit, the Spade Pirates' considerable strength was also the reason Ace could become a Shichibukai.
In two or three years, he could even fight evenly with Jinbe.
The two sea serpents examined them for a moment before retreating. The bow of the Perfume Serpent was slowly filled with Amazonian warriors drawing their bows and arrows.
Their powerful aura filled the air as they aimed their arrows at everyone on the Spade Pirates' ship.
"Whoa, this pressure isn't something ordinary people can handle." 'Teacher' Mihar, holding a musket, adjusted his hat and whispered.
"No, I should say, as expected of one of the Shichibukai!" The Scorpionfish Fish-man, Wallace, had an eager look on his face. Although the bow of the Perfume Serpent was high, he could jump up to it in one go!
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