The sea was calm and serene.
The patrol ship advanced at a steady pace.
Kahn sat in his chair, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.
Today’s headline reported the World Government’s capture of an undercover revolutionary.
The Revolutionary Army was an incredibly powerful organization capable of toppling the World Government, seen by the government as the greatest threat.
Initially, the Revolutionary Army’s power was quite weak. But over the years, they helped impoverished countries ravaged by pirates, orchestrated the overthrow of violent regimes, and assisted residents of disaster-stricken nations. Their ranks swelled rapidly, now posing a significant headache for the World Government.
Thus, every time the World Government captured a revolutionary, they would make a grand announcement.
Kahn finished reading the detailed newspaper article and fell into deep contemplation.
Bruru Bruru!
A faint sound from a transponder snail echoed, too quiet for others to hear.
…
Inside the patrol ship’s training room, a massive barbell was being lifted repeatedly.
Naturally, it was Curls working out.
After completing a thousand reps, he switched to frog jumps, holding the barbell behind his back, training both explosive leg strength and endurance.
As time passed, sweat soaked through his navy uniform, revealing a well-coordinated and muscular physique.
On this patrol ship, Curls was undoubtedly the strongest recruit. Yet, he still felt it wasn’t enough.
The battle against the Giant Fist Pirates’ captain, Yulong, had shown him his current limits.
Although he could defeat pirates with bounties around ten million berries, he was still far from William’s level.
If he encountered William with his current strength, he wouldn’t be able to withstand his swordsmanship.
He needed to intensify his training, steadily closing the gap!
Curls’ mind was resolute. Even as his body reached its limits, he continued to push through, believing that only by breaking past these limits could he truly grow stronger.
…
Time flew by at sea, and only three days remained until the end of the recruit training period.
During this time, the patrol ship encountered several small vessels, capturing a few young pirates who sailed under the banner of “dreams” and “freedom.” These young men had barely tasted the life of piracy before being apprehended by the navy—a rather tragic fate!
Under Kahn’s repeated guidance, these young pirates were temporarily turned into deckhands. If they performed well, they could join the navy.
Currently, the patrol ship was near the edge of the East Blue, close to the Calm Belt!
The Calm Belt flanks the Grand Line, forming a zone that sandwiches the entire Grand Line.
In the Calm Belt, there are no winds or currents, leaving the sea utterly still.
Most pirate ships rely on wind power; once a sailboat enters the Calm Belt, it loses its momentum and becomes trapped.
For pirates, this area is nearly impossible to navigate safely.
However, the real danger of the Calm Belt lies in the numerous gigantic sea kings that inhabit it. These creatures are highly dangerous, and few pirates can contend with them.
It is the presence of the Calm Belt that forces pirates from the four seas to enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain.
Curls stood on the patrol ship’s deck, curiously observing the sea near the Calm Belt. The sunlight made the blue sea shimmer, and he occasionally saw fragments of shipwrecks.
These planks and wrecks likely drifted from the Calm Belt. Given the chaotic currents of the Grand Line, many pirate ships accidentally enter the Calm Belt and meet their doom.
Treasure could be found along the Calm Belt’s edge, assuming one avoided the massive sea kings.
Two marines walking across the deck chatted casually.
“There are so many shipwrecks here. Do you think there might be a Devil Fruit among them? If I could find one…”
“I don’t know about Devil Fruits, but I think ghost ships are more likely.”
“A ghost ship here? I doubt it.”
“Why not? So many ships are forever trapped in the Calm Belt. One could emerge at night and snatch your soul.”
“Haha, you’re trying to scare me!”
“I’m not! My grandfather told me stories, and didn’t you see the recent newspaper? It reported a ghost ship sighting!”
“Now that you mention it, I do feel a chill. Let’s not talk about it anymore!”
As the two marines walked away, their voices faded from Curls’ hearing.
A ghost ship, huh? Curls thought.
He had read the newspaper reports, but that ghost ship appeared in the Grand Line. It seemed unlikely to show up here.
The sea held many mysteries beyond ghost ships, and only by dispelling the fog of mystery could one uncover the truth.
For example, the rumors of ships vanishing in the Devil’s Triangle of the Grand Line were actually caused by Gecko Moria’s Thriller Bark.
Thinking of Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Curls extended his right hand, shadows swirling around it.
Every Devil Fruit is unique; no two fruits share the same ability at the same time, though similar abilities exist.
The Kage Kage no Mi can steal shadows, causing those without them to be burned by sunlight. His Shadow-Shadow Fruit, however, connects to the power of the dead, summoning their shadows as loyal soldiers.
Curls wondered which fruit was more substantial—the Shadow-Shadow Fruit or the Kage Kage no Mi?
He quickly dismissed the thought. His current strength was far too weak to consider such questions. His focus needed to be on the William Pirates, a formidable force in the East Blue.
If he hoped to confront them, he had much more training to do.
…
As dusk fell and night descended, Curls meditated in his cabin. Not assigned to night watch, he took this time to focus inward.
At midnight, the marines on duty raised an alarm, rousing the resting crew.
Curls opened his eyes, grabbed his weapon, and swiftly headed to the deck.
There, he found Kahn questioning the night watch marines.
“What’s the situation?”
“Sir, we spotted a ship in the distance, moving towards us through the fog,” reported a marine.
Kahn took a telescope and peered into the fog, confirming a ship’s silhouette growing clearer.
Given that the foggy area was part of the Calm Belt, a ship emerging from there…
“All hands, on alert!” Kahn ordered.
“Yes, sir!”
Tension gripped the patrol ship.
As time passed, the dense fog expanded, revealing a bizarre, dilapidated ship slowly approaching.
Oddly, the ship appeared severely damaged, its hull and sails in tatters, yet it sailed steadily forward!
The scene was eerie.
Suddenly, Curls’ pupils contracted. With his enhanced senses from the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he could clearly see the ship.
There was no sign of life aboard the approaching vessel.
This…
This was a ghost ship?!
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