The most distinctive feature of the Sabaody Archipelago is its bubble culture—formed by the natural resin secreted from the roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove trees due to respiration. The resin expands in the air to form bubbles, which are used to power bubble cars, bubble Ferris wheels, and even build houses on bubbles.
“Evan, what did you just say?!”
At the top of a bubble membrane on the Yarukiman Mangrove, a loud and exaggerated exclamation broke the tranquility, scattering the floating bubbles.
“I’ve made myself clear,” Evan said calmly, his gaze directed towards the distant sea. The fragmented light shimmered on the water with dusk approaching, creating a glittering effect.
“This… this needs careful planning!” Crow, sweating profusely, stammered, “No matter how you look at it, you want to storm the Holy Land—that’s the domain of the Celestial Dragons…”
“You don’t need to say more, my mind is made up!” Evan said firmly. If the captured black-haired girl was indeed Robin, and he would never forgive himself if he failed to rescue her in time, leaving her to suffer at the hands of the Celestial Dragons.
Evan generally preferred a peaceful, free-spirited life, indifferent to many things in the world. But if someone touched his bottom line, he would unleash a hellish fury.
And Robin was his only bottom line in this world. All his attachment to this world stemmed from her.
He wouldn’t mind dragging the entire world down with him if anything happened to her.
“What do you need us to do?” Snow asked.
“Both of you go find a ship, one equipped with a bubble coating, and wait for me at the dock on Island 75,” Evan instructed, considering that escaping to Fish-Man Island would be the best option afterward.
“Got it!”
Snow agreed crisply.
“Hey, you two really… don’t consider the consequences!” Crow sighed helplessly, his eyes darting around before he got excited, “Heh, we just escaped Impel Down, now we’re storming the Holy Land. Thinking about it is thrilling!”
Evan shook his head, somewhat exasperated. If it weren’t for the suspicion that Robin was captured, he wouldn’t provoke the Celestial Dragons rashly.
“Chief, are you going to the Holy Land in the name of ‘Akatsuki’ or your own name?” Snow suddenly asked.
Evan looked at her, surprised. The more critical the situation, the more Snow’s wisdom and calmness shone through.
“Does it matter?” Crow asked, puzzled.
“Of course it does,” Evan nodded thoughtfully after a moment, “I’ll go in my own name. We can discuss ‘Akatsuki’ later.”
After all, ‘Akatsuki’ was still an immature concept, both in ideology and strength.
As the sun set and twilight dimmed, countless bubbles floated around the Sabaody Archipelago, reflecting light and shadow like spirits moving through the lush greenery.
It seemed like a dreamy fairy-tale world.
As twilight faded and night fell, scattered lights dotted the islands.
The Holy Land Mariejois was located atop the Red Line.
Like an ancient giant wall, the Red Line stood between heaven and earth, dividing the Grand Line and the New World.
To enter the New World, one could either travel from the Sabaody Archipelago using a coated ship, dive beneath the Red Line, or pass through Fish-Man Island.
The other method was to cross the Red Line by scaling it from the top, a route only the Marine could use, requiring them to abandon their ships.
The Red Line’s side resembled a sheer cliff. At night, it appeared as a dark, imposing wall, obscuring the stars and moon, making its height unknowable.
Climbing it was nearly impossible, daunting even for monkeys.
But for Evan, it wasn’t a challenge. He constructed invisible stairs with space blocks using almost no physical energy, easily stepping upward.
Evan ascended as if walking on flat ground, continuously advancing toward the Holy Land above.
The night was dark and windy, highlighting the cold and sharp atmosphere against the sheer cliff.
“Hmm?”
Evan suddenly frowned. His Observation Haki clearly detected unexpected activity above—a person also climbing.
“Who is it?!”
The person above also sensed Evan’s presence, their voice urgent and harsh.
Climbing the Red Line’s sheer cliff was as difficult as reaching the heavens, and with the Holy Land of the Celestial Dragons above, people were even more cautious about trespassing.
In the deep of night, a rare occurrence of two people simultaneously climbing the Red Line’s sheer cliff was unexpected and alarming. Both instinctively assumed the other was a guard or protector of the Holy Land.
In an instant, both climbers thought to strike first!
Thump!
The person above lunged down, using their weight and momentum to descend like a meteor hammer aimed at Evan rapidly.
“Hmm?”
Evan initially intended to teleport away but decided to test the other’s strength. If they were weak, he would deal with them immediately. If too strong, he would retreat and focus on rescuing Robin before being surrounded.
Seeing the attack approaching, Evan solidified the space block under his feet, his muscular body tensing with explosive power. He gathered his strength and punched upward.
“Ancient Martial Arts—Inch Extreme Collapse!”
The Inch Extreme Collapse emphasized releasing internal force, punching out waves of dark energy that were unstoppable and incredibly powerful.
The attacker above also showed no signs of weakness, punching downward with ferocity, “Fish-Man Karate—Shark Brick Fist!”
Fists clashed, evenly matched, creating a violent pressure wave.
Evan’s expression tightened as the space block beneath him shattered from the impact.
Before falling, he teleported several meters higher, reforming the space block.
The person below, surprised by Evan’s sudden disappearance, quickly stabilized themselves by embedding their hands into the cliff.
Evan noticed the person below preparing another attack and frowned.
Their techniques seemed familiar—Fish-Man Karate…
Evan suddenly remembered, his expression curious, “Are you Fisher Tiger?”
The person stopped their attack, more vigilant, “Who are you? How do you know my name?”
Evan relaxed, unexpectedly meeting the legendary Fish-Man, Fisher Tiger.
“Adventurer Fisher Tiger, leader of the Fish-Man District, a legendary figure.”
“I mean no harm. If you’ve kept up with the news, you might recognize me. I’m Evan.”
“Demon Evan!?” Fisher Tiger exclaimed, shocked to encounter the recently escaped and notorious figure.
“Why are you here?”
“If I’m not mistaken, we share the same goal.”
Evan shrugged, realizing he had an unexpected ally.
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