Bonney's expression was blank.
Two Marine Captains, a Cipher Pol unit, and now a master of Observation Haki... was this really the South Blue, the so-called "Cradle of Evil"? Or had she accidentally sailed into the New World?
"Stop staring. The main coastline is blocked; we're boarding from the other side." Chrollo turned and began retreating in the opposite direction.
Bonney snapped out of her daze and led the burly fishermen after him. Their footsteps crunched through the brush, quickly alerting the searching Marines.
In the distance, Smoker's ears twitched. His sharp gaze swept over like a hawk's.
"There they are!" a Marine with binoculars shouted. "Reporting, sir! It's the Bonney Pirates, and an unknown individual in black clothes!"
"Target confirmed. Catch them!"
Zip— Zip—
Smoker and Hina vanished instantly, flickering toward the location. Tashigi struggled to keep up, clutching her sword, while the rest of the Marines raised their rifles.
"Fire!"
Bang! Boom!
Bullets flew and cannon fire erupted near the group's feet. "They found us!" Bonney roared over the din. "What now?!"
"It doesn't matter," Chrollo said calmly. "They're already here."
As he spoke, a berserk "wild man" charged out from behind the group, kicking up a gale as he lunged toward Smoker with a manic grin. "I've got the leader!"
From a nearby slope, a blonde man who looked like a classic thug slid down, winding his fist in a circle as he ran. "Dammit, don't steal my spotlight, Uvogin!"
The newcomers were Uvogin and Phinks. Simultaneously, the rest of the Troupe arrived from the town led by Pakunoda. Nobunaga and Feitan moved to intercept the rank-and-file Marines, while Pakunoda reached Chrollo's side.
"Did you get it?" Chrollo asked.
Pakunoda smiled and pulled a pure gold compass from her suit jacket. "Of course. We found it in the town's trade center. We had Kortopi create a fake to swap it out."
Chrollo took the Log Pose, his eyes lighting up slightly. "Good work." With this, they wouldn't get lost—or at least, they'd know which way was North.
"Let's keep moving."
Bonney watched the Troupe with a look of pure confusion. What is wrong with these people? Are they just going to leave those four behind to deal with the Marines? She began to wonder if joining them was a mistake.
"You're just... abandoning them?"
"Of course not. We're at the shore," Chrollo said, stopping.
Bonney looked at the empty coastline, her spirit nearly breaking. I shouldn't have trusted a stranger. This is what happens when you don't go to school!
"Where's the ship?" she hissed. "How are we supposed to travel without a ship?!"
"There is a ship~"
Chrollo raised his arm, a white cloth appearing in his hand. He tossed it high into the air. Before Bonney's disbelieving eyes, the space beneath the cloth expanded.
A gargantuan vessel materialized. It was over three hundred meters tall, and its length seemed to stretch beyond the horizon. Bonney's jaw hit the floor.
"What IS that?!"
"A ship."
"What kind of ship is that huge?! That's a floating city!" Bonney shrieked.
The Black Whale was a vessel designed to hold 200,000 people. At 2,500 meters long, calling it a floating city was an understatement.
"Believe me now? Let's board."
The boarding ramp lowered smoothly. Bonney followed Chrollo up the ramp in a daze. Are we escaping Marines or going on a luxury cruise?
---
The Marine fodder were quickly dealt with by Nobunaga and Feitan, but Uvogin and Phinks were finding their fight... irritating.
Uvogin's veins bulged with frustration. "Bastard! Stop with the parlor tricks!"
Since the fight started, he hadn't landed a single solid hit. Every time he swung, his opponent turned into white smoke, making his fists pass through nothingness. This was the type of enemy Uvogin hated most—one without a physical body.
"Dammit! Are you a gaseous lifeform like 'Ai'?! As expected of the Five Great Calamities of the Dark Continent... you're a pain!"
Smoker tilted his head, looking perplexed. "What are you talking about?"
He looked at the massive ship appearing in the distance and narrowed his eyes. "So you really are the 'Strangers' the World Government mentioned. Tell me, what country are you from? Hand over the technology for that ship!"
"What country? We're residents of Meteor City. As for the ship... it's property we took from the Kakin Empire."
"Kakin... Empire? I'll remember that name." Smoker's expression turned grim. Fleet Admiral Sengoku was right—any nation capable of building this possessed terrifying technology. A sudden, unknown Empire appearing would destabilize everything.
(If Chrollo were listening, he'd probably facepalm at the cross-world misunderstanding.)
"How many people are in this Kakin Empire?" Smoker probed.
"Who knows? Close to a million, maybe?"
Smoker was stunned.
"That doesn't matter," Uvogin growled, digging a finger into his ear. "Are we fighting or not?"
Smoker's priority shifted instantly. Capturing the intel on this "Empire" was now more important than Bonney.
"Soru!"
Crack—
The air detonated as Smoker vanished, turning into a streak of smoke. He lunged at Uvogin, his Jitte—tipped with Sea Prism Stone—slashing down like lightning!
---