After bidding farewell to Rayleigh and Shakky, Red suddenly raised his hand and waved.
In an instant, a gigantic spatial wormhole burst open beneath everyone's feet—like the gaping maw of some terrifying abyssal beast, threatening to swallow them whole.
Before the Supernovas could even react, gravity seized them. Red and his companions, along with the stunned Supernovas, were dragged straight into the Hyperspace Hole.
Their vision blurred—
And suddenly, they found themselves suspended in an open sky.
Below them lay the brilliantly lit, bustling Sabaody Archipelago.
Pop—
A mysterious sphere of energy abruptly appeared, enveloping everyone and freezing them in midair.
Red let out a light chuckle."Everyone, get ready."
"The train is about to depart!!!"
A train?
What train?
The Supernovas stared blankly.
At that moment, after finishing his preparations, a faint, mystical pink glow flickered in Red's eyes as he turned his gaze toward the highest point of the Red Line.
Thanks to intelligence provided by the now–potted Saint Charlos, they possessed far more knowledge of Mary Geoise than ordinary people.
They might not be able to pinpoint its exact location—but they had a general direction.
As for Mary Geoise's security?
Laughable.
Thirteen years ago, Fisher Tiger had climbed the Red Line with his bare hands and set Mary Geoise ablaze.In the original timeline, Lafitte of the Blackbeard Pirates had mysteriously appeared in Pangaea Castle to propose a new Warlord candidate.And during the World Conference—at the height of security—Sabo and the three Revolutionary Army commanders had casually broken into the restricted zone of Pangaea Castle.
From all of that, one conclusion was obvious—
Mary Geoise's security was practically nonexistent.
So for Red, the only real concerns were how to get up the Red Line, and how to retreat safely afterward.
"From this direction… it should be about right."
With a flicker of thought, Red locked onto their course.
The next instant, under the shocked gazes of the Supernovas, their bodies were dragged along as Red propelled them diagonally upward at terrifying speed.
A strange streak of light flashed across the skies above Sabaody—then vanished, as if leaping through space itself and reappearing far, far away.
By combining Psychic Power with the Hyperspace Hole, Red had pushed travel speed to a level that even Sanji—despite his Speed-Speed Fruit—could only dream of.
In just a few breaths, the massive, towering wall of the Red Line loomed before them.
"This… this is insane, isn't it?!"
Standing inside the psychic barrier, Capone turned around, staring at Sabaody, now so distant it was barely visible.
Just ten seconds ago, they'd still been drinking in a small tavern on the island.
Everything had happened too suddenly.
At that moment, the Supernovas finally understood why the Straw Hat Pirates dared to storm Mary Geoise.
With mobility like this, they were practically unbeatable!
If they wanted to, they could hide near the Red Line, then casually pop into Mary Geoise whenever they felt like it—helping themselves to Celestial Dragon "shearing sessions."
After all, how many pirates truly aimed for the Pirate King's throne?Most were just after resources and wealth.
And what was a faster way to get rich than robbing Celestial Dragons?
They had once thought the Straw Hat Pirates were reckless—strong, yes, but arrogant enough to aim for the very top of the world, even dragging them along.
But now, a single thought surfaced in every Supernova's mind—
If we had Red's abilities… we'd be even crazier than them.
…
In the blink of an eye, Red and the others pierced through the clouds, arriving above the Red Line.
Under the cover of night, Mary Geoise's skyline glittered with countless lights, like a fallen starfield.At its heart stood Pangaea Castle, the residence of the Celestial Dragon leadership and the World Government's headquarters—solemn and majestic, like a giant guarding the holy land.
Even though—
It guarded absolutely nothing.
Step.
Ripples spread through the air as Red boldly pushed forward, bringing everyone directly into the residential district of ordinary Celestial Dragons.
They hovered as if standing on solid ground, gazing down below.
"This should be the residential area Saint Charlos mentioned," Red explained."The castles house Celestial Dragons. The smaller buildings belong to their attendants and guards."
"The main treasure vaults and racial resource stores are inside Pangaea Castle, but the residential zones have far more people who need help."
As he spoke, Red took out a camera capable of night photography and snapped several aerial shots of Mary Geoise.
If he ever met Luffy's second brother, Sabo, these panoramic images would make an excellent gift.
After finishing that, Red began issuing orders.
"According to plan—Luffy, Nami, Robin, Brook."
"You four are one team. Head straight into Pangaea Castle."
"Our intel on Pangaea Castle is extremely limited, and it's full of danger."
"So we'll need your Pickup ability, Nami."
"No problem!"
Nami smiled confidently, flashing an OK sign, her eyes sparkling as she locked onto Pangaea Castle.
In truth, ever since she'd laid eyes on Mary Geoise, her Pickup ability had been going off nonstop—like a phone bombarded with notifications on full volume.
As her strength grew, Pickup should have grown stronger too.
But—
After acquiring massive amounts of gold in Skypiea, many things once considered priceless had become… ordinary to the Straw Hats.
As a result, items that could barely be called treasures no longer triggered Pickup alerts.
Over time, the ability had fallen silent.
But that silence wasn't a bad thing.
Pickup was like a special energy—it accumulated over time, then depleted based on the value of what it retrieved.
All that dormancy…
Was for today's eruption.
Greed and desire now filled Nami's eyes.
To put it simply—
Her hands were starving for action!!!
"Excellent."
Seeing that unmistakable glint in Nami's gaze, Red smiled slightly and turned to Luffy.
"Luffy, your task is to escort Nami during the treasure hunt."
Even though Red didn't expect much—and was certain Luffy would cause trouble—
As the Straw Hats' strongest fighter, only Luffy could handle this role.
"Robin, Brook," Red continued."You'll focus on reconnaissance and help Nami choose the best routes."
"If confrontation is unavoidable, try to knock enemies unconscious or trap them in illusions."
"Understood.""Yohohoho~ Leave it to me, Red!"
Robin and Brook nodded calmly.
Under Red's guidance, Brook had already mastered soul separation.
Robin, who could place eyes anywhere within sight, and Brook, who could pass through walls as a wandering soul, formed the ultimate scouting duo.
With luck, they might even uncover historical secrets inside Pangaea Castle.
After assigning the Pangaea Castle team, Red continued briskly:
"Usopp, Chopper, Franky—you'll team up with Law and Bonney. Usopp, you're the leader."
"You'll start from the eastern residential district—free slaves while searching for Celestial Dragon treasures."
"Sanji, you'll take the other five Supernovas and start from the western side."
"That way, both teams can relocate slaves and transport large quantities of supplies."
"Law will help Usopp's team remove explosive collars."
"Sanji, you'll use Armament Haki hardening to disable collars on your side."
"It'll cost stamina, but I've stocked plenty of items inside Capone's Castle. You'll recover just fine."
"Got it!" Sanji replied immediately.
Though his team lacked even a single woman—and was full of rough men—for once, Sanji didn't mind.
Seeing everyone clear on their roles, Red nodded in satisfaction.
A surge of psychic energy erupted from him, threading through everyone like invisible strings.
Instantly, Red's voice echoed in their minds.
"Good."
"I've linked everyone mentally. If anything unexpected happens, communicate through the link."
"I'll send you directly to optimal positions using Hyperspace Hole."
"The rest is up to you."
This Mental Link was a newly developed application of Red's Psychic Power—allowing telepathic communication among linked individuals.
The technique itself wasn't complicated.
The real challenge was—
Its massive psychic energy consumption, which scaled with distance and number of participants.
Fortunately, after his system upgrade, Red no longer feared the consumption of standard Pokémon items.
He raised his hand to summon the Hyperspace Hole—
"Wait, Red."
Zoro, who hadn't heard his name during any briefing, raised his hand in confusion.
"What about me?!"
"Hm?" Red turned. "What's wrong, Zoro?"
"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?" Zoro scowled."Everyone's got a job—why don't I?!"
"Oh come on, moss-head!" Sanji scoffed."You're not expecting us to babysit you in a place this dangerous, are you?!"
"You ultimate, hopelessly lost idiot!"
"Bastard! What did you say?!"
Shing—
Steel flashed under moonlight as Zoro's blade slid free, veins bulging on his forehead.
Before things escalated, Red stepped in.
"How about this…"
"Zoro, you'll operate solo—as a special unit."
"I'll drop you somewhere at random."
"Do whatever you want."
"…Fine."
Though it felt like discrimination, being a one-man army didn't sound too bad.
With a wave of Red's hand, the Straw Hats and the Supernova Alliance vanished from the sky, beginning their assault on the Celestial Dragons' holy land.
Red himself remained aloft, watching from above—ready to support at any moment.
…
Step.
Eastern Residential District, Celestial Dragon housing.
As the Hyperspace Hole closed, Usopp's five-man squad appeared in the shadows near a wall.
"Take cover!!!" Usopp hissed.
Everyone instantly pressed against the corner, scanning the area tensely.
Moments later, Chopper—nearly popping a Rumble Ball—looked confused.
"What is it, Usopp?!""Did you spot enemies?!"
"Enemies?" Usopp shook his head solemnly."No."
"I just felt like yelling something—or it wouldn't feel like I'm the captain."
Law and Bonney: "..."
The two Supernovas exchanged glances, then looked at Franky as if asking:
Is this how the Straw Hat Pirates always operate?!
Franky laughed awkwardly and quickly said,"Usopp, Luffy might cause chaos any second."
"Time's limited—let's move!"
"Relax!" Usopp grinned wickedly, raising his right hand.
"The operation… has already begun!!!"
Humm—
A low buzzing filled the air.
Five plain wooden doors appeared at the tips of Usopp's fingers.
They burst open—
And five storm-like black shapes shot out, scattering into countless silent flying insects.
Law and Bonney's eyes widened as the tiny shadows expanded into a vast swarm, dispersing like smoke in every direction.
"This is…?" Law asked.
Usopp puffed out his chest proudly.
"My specially bred scout insects!"
"They're tiny, and their flight noise is practically zero!"
"With them as advance scouts, I'll quickly locate all the treasures and slaves in this district!"
"…!"
Watching the swarm dissolve into the night, Law murmured in awe:
"So this… is the legendary Swarm · Usopp…"
(End of Chapter)