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Chapter 158: Sabaody, the Supernovas Assemble
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 15:16:55 +0000 UTCChapter 158: Sabaody, the Supernovas Assemble
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In an office at the top of the fortress, with a plaque that read "Justice Shall Reign Supreme,"
"What did you say?!"
Sengoku's face changed. He shot to his feet and stared at the Transponder Snail. "Is that really what Doflamingo said before he died?"
"That's right, Fleet Admiral," the Transponder Snail, with its cigar and brown hat, said, its expression grim. "That guy was in a pathetic state, with only half his body left. He was clearly sliced in two by something extremely sharp."
"In the entire first half of the Grand Line, the only one who could have done that… would be that Tachi Swordsman, right?"
Sliced in two?
That detail put the last of Sengoku's doubts to rest.
"...I understand," Sengoku said, sitting back down and rubbing his temples. A wave of weariness suddenly washed over him.
So that troublesome young man is really still alive?
When Borsalino had reported back after the battle of Enies Lobby, he had had a nagging feeling.
He had a feeling that the monster who had turned the Grand Line upside down in just a few months after setting sail wouldn't have died so easily…
And now, his deepest fears had come true?
"He's been completely off the radar for over two months," Sengoku said in a low voice. "It seems this monster has been hiding on some remote island, training or recovering…"
"I don't think we should let him rest so peacefully," the Transponder Snail said, slowly blowing a smoke ring. "Fleet Admiral, Doflamingo flew in from a direction with a few inconspicuous islands, none of them too far. How about I spend a few days searching them one by one?"
"That's a good suggestion," Sengoku said with a slight nod. "I'll have the nearby bases send reinforcements to meet up with you. If you see him…"
"Ah, I understand," the Transponder Snail said, imitating Chaton's grin. "Leave it to me. I won't be as careless as Mr. Borsalino. I'll definitely bring his body back to Marine—"
"No," Sengoku interrupted him. "What I mean is, if you see him, do not act rashly. Report to Headquarters immediately, and I'll have Kizaru get there as soon as possible."
"Huh?"
The Transponder Snail was stunned. "Fleet Admiral, have you forgotten? Gion and I were promoted to Admiral candidates at the beginning of the year. To deal with a billion-Berry pirate, I shouldn't need reinfor—"
Sengoku shook his head. "If it were him when he had just set sail, I would have been confident in you. But, Gion, a young powerhouse is constantly evolving and growing…"
A guy who has escaped from an Admiral multiple times, after a few months, is he really someone an Admiral candidate can handle?
"Say no more. Just follow your orders."
"...I understand," Chaton on the other end said, clearly still not convinced, but he said no more.
Sengoku hung up the phone.
He rested his chin on his hands and was silent for a moment, then he pulled a wanted poster from the bottom of the left drawer.
The man in the wanted poster had short, blond hair and wore a pink feathered greatcoat. He was facing the camera with his arms spread wide, a cocky grin on his face.
The wanted poster was a little yellowed and old, but it was perfectly flat, without any creases, as if it had been at the bottom of the drawer for many years and had not been taken out.
"Little Rosi," he murmured, staring at the photo. "You… you can finally rest in peace…"
That brat, Shane, had killed a third Warlord, which was another headache for Headquarters.
But at the same time, he had also helped him to accomplish something that, in his position as Fleet Admiral, he could have never hoped to achieve.
Does that mean he owes him a favor?
How absurd. Sengoku was silent for a long, long time.
He rolled up the wanted poster, tucked it under his arm, took out a bottle of liquor, and went downstairs, heading for the cemetery behind Marineford…
————
Kuraigana Island.
In the thick fog, a small, inconspicuous boat was docked at the shore.
A slender man with a wide-brimmed hat stepped onto the shore, finally returning to the place he knew best.
But this time, instead of being alone, he was followed by a nervous-looking young woman.
When she noticed the ferocious figures flitting through the fog, she flinched and subconsciously gripped the sword in her hand.
"Mr. Yoru," she said, on the verge of tears, and swallowed hard. "Are those the sword-wielding baboons you mentioned? There are so many of them… do I really have to survive against them for three days before you'll officially take me as your student?"
Hearing that name, Hawkeye's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
To say his name backward, it was true that he had been the one to suggest it.
But anyone else who wanted to learn swordsmanship from him would have just pretended it never happened and would have continued to use his normal name.
But this girl, Tashigi, was a stubborn, hot-headed fool, and she had taken him at his word.
All this time, it had been "Mr. Yoru, Mr. Yoru," and every time he heard it, a nameless rage would bubble up inside him—
Where in the world is that Shane?! Can't you just come and get your follower?!
Are you really dead, as the World Government announced?
Impossible.
Tashigi didn't believe it, and he certainly didn't.
So for the past two months, he had painstakingly traveled all over, searching every island around Enies Lobby.
But still, nothing.
Hawkeye had finally lost his patience, concluding that the brat must have secretly gone to the New World, and he had given up his search.
With Tashigi, who he couldn't seem to shake, he had returned to Kuraigana Island.
"A promise is a promise. I know it's very difficult for you right now, but it's not something that can be changed," Hawkeye said, glancing at her, his face impassive. "We'll part ways here. If you still have the strength in three days, then come and knock on my castle door."
With that, he strode toward the castle without a second thought.
And the baboons, who had understood his meaning, also began to gather, their numbers growing, and they began to surround her with strange cackles.
I'm doomed!
Tashigi's face was pale. How could she possibly be a match for so many monsters? And the one in the lead was especially large, with a sword that was several times bigger than her…
Of course.
Mr. Mihawk doesn't really want to take me as his student. He's just using this impossible challenge to make me give up.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
The especially large baboon king, who had been striding forward with his giant sword on his shoulder, suddenly stopped.
When it finally broke through the thick fog and got a clear look at Tashigi's face, its entire body trembled, and the giant sword in its hand fell to the ground with a clang.
"ROAR… ROAR?!"
A cold sweat broke out on its forehead. It stared at Tashigi, a terrified growl in its throat.
Didn't she leave a few days ago?
How is she back?!
THUMP!
In the next moment, the baboon king dropped its giant sword and fell to its knees, its forehead hitting the ground with a thud, its entire body trembling.
"ROAR! ROAR, ROAR!"
It frantically kowtowed, pointing a paw at Tashigi's face and screeching at the surrounding baboons.
"ROAR?!"
"ROAR, ROAR, ROAR?!"
The other baboons were taken aback for a moment, and then, as if they had suddenly realized something, they all dropped their weapons, fell to their knees, and began to frantically kowtow to Tashigi.
"..."
Tashigi stood there, dazed, her mind a complete blank.
Huh?
W-What is going on?!
————
Meanwhile, The Curtain Call was sailing at full speed through a storm.
After leaving Kuraigana Island, the ship had been at sea for seven days. The weather had been bad for the past few days, and they had been sailing through a storm almost the entire time.
Their speed had been affected, but they had still made good time. After reaching the next island on the Log Pose's course, the Curtain Call Adventurers had rested for half a day and had resupplied.
From the locals, they had learned that this was the last island on this route.
If all went well, they would soon reach the end of Paradise.
—The Sabaody Archipelago.
The final meeting point of the seven routes in the first half of the Grand Line, a giant archipelago made up of 79 massive Yarukiman Mangrove trees.
Because it wasn't a real island, Sabaody actually had no magnetic field and could not be pointed to by a Log Pose.
But because the next stop on all seven routes was Fish-Man Island, and Sabaody was the only island in that direction, and because it was so massive that you could see it from a great distance, unless your navigator was a directionally challenged god like Zoro, it was hard to miss.
…
In the cabin, Shane was comfortably soaking in the ship's pool.
Ever since Nami had eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, they had never had to worry about hot water again, and they could have a hot spring whenever they wanted.
Unfortunately, almost everyone on the ship was a Devil Fruit user, and prolonged contact with water made them weak, so the others mostly preferred to shower.
Only Shane and the two pets came here to bathe every day.
"I'm telling you, you little mochi-ball…"
Shane said, looking down at the Salamon that was lying on his chest. "I've noticed that since you evolved this time, you've been clinging to me more and more."
Before, you always preferred to sit on Nami's head.
"Woof~!"
The little mochi-like creature whined. What could it do? It was so big now, and it was a dog. Nami's head wasn't a dog bed. How could it possibly fit?
"Woof, woof, woof. All you do is woof,"
Shane said, pinching its cheek. "Digimon are supposed to be able to talk from a very early age. You're already a Rookie, and you still can't talk? Do you have to turn into a human first?"
Hiss.
He suddenly remembered that if it turned into an Angewomon and still liked to lie on his chest when he was bathing, that would be a bit of a problem.
I have to break this bad habit as soon as possible!
Shane picked up the little mochi-like creature and put it to the side, but it just wagged its tail and clung to him again. After several tries, he gave up.
It's probably just a dog's nature.
When it becomes an Angewomon, it will probably become more aloof. Mmm, no need to worry…
He spread his arms and ignored the little mochi-like creature, opening the system panel and browsing this month's marketplace.
Mmm, just like last month, nothing good. It seems that high-quality refresh from two months ago didn't come without a price. I have to pay for it with my future luck…
Before closing the panel, Shane glanced at the information stream and checked his points.
[You have sacrificed Doflamingo's severed leg and received 3000 points.]
[You have sacrificed Mansherry's crystal shoes and received 200 points.]
[You have sacrificed Dracule Mihawk's velvet bed and received 3800 points.]
"3800 points. It seems Hawkeye really loves his bed,"
Shane said with a click of his tongue.
It was a shame. He hadn't found any of Hawkeye's old swords in the castle, and he had been unlucky enough not to run into the man himself. After a long comparison, he could only sacrifice this very valuable-looking bed.
His previous balance was 34,200 points. This time, he had gained a total of 7000 points, bringing his remaining points back over the forty-thousand mark, to 41,200.
Very comfortable.
The next time the shop refreshed, his bad luck should have run its course, and then he could go on a good shopping spree.
And besides…
The further they went in the Grand Line, the more valuable the wool would become.
A flicker of light appeared in Shane's eyes, and he looked out the porthole.
For example, the last stop before the New World, the Sabaody Archipelago, had a very valuable sheep…
————
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
In Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, the air was thick with smoke. Shakky, a long, slender cigarette between her lips, was lazily wiping a glass, her gaze occasionally darting to the group of people who were heatedly discussing something in a corner.
"Hey, hey, hey, so there are this many Supernovas gathered in Sabaody now? It's really lively!"
a bald pirate said, taking a swig of his drink and slapping a stack of wanted posters on the table. He grinned. "How many are there in total? A full five! The one with the highest bounty is the captain of the Nox Pirates, 'Pedro of the Treetops.' I hear he's a Mink. A bounty of 180 million Berries!"
"Those Minks, there are too few of them. I don't think they'll amount to much!"
Another, skinny pirate, his face flushed with drink, waved his hand dismissively. "But that Sasaki, with a bounty of 170 million, I hear he's the strongest swordsman of this generation of Supernovas! He's defeated a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral head-on, and he has a large fleet of over ten ships! I'm betting on him!"
"The strongest swordsman?"
a pirate beside him asked, puzzled. "Does he really deserve that title? Shouldn't it be that Tachi Swordsman, Shane?"
"A dead man doesn't count!"
The skinny pirate burped. "And besides, if that man were still alive, what would be the point of us arguing? And can you really even call him a Supernova? That would be an insult to him!"
That was true.
The circle of pirates all subconsciously nodded.
"Supernova."
For the pirates who had made it to Sabaody in the first half of the Grand Line, this title was the highest honor.
But for that man, it was no different from the dirt under his feet.
Not to mention his impressive achievements, just his terrifying bounty of a billion Berries, when you put it out there…
The other Supernovas, in front of him, were like children playing a game.
"Keep going! Keep going! The other three are also very competitive! The strongest Supernova of this generation!"
"First, Pekoms! A combatant of the Nox Pirates, with a bounty of 150 million Berries! He's also the second Supernova of the Nox Pirates!"
"Then there's Haruta, with a bounty of 132 million Berries! Whoa, this wanted poster, what a handsome little boy!"
"And the last one, Charlotte Galette, with a bounty of only 100 million, the lowest of the bunch. But she's the daughter of the Emperor, Big Mom! She chose to start her journey from the first half of the Grand Line on her own. When she goes to the New World this time, she'll probably be welcomed back into the family and given a high position!"
A total of five people, all great pirates with bounties of over a hundred million.
Who would go the furthest? Who would become the brightest star after entering the New World?
The pirates argued endlessly, and the guests at the other tables were also drawn into the discussion, and the whole bar was filled with a boisterous din.
So noisy, these guys.
Shakky put down her glass and frowned, about to lose her temper.
"Forget about those guys, you idiots! There's big news!"
BOOM! The saloon doors were suddenly thrown open, and a red-faced pirate stumbled in. When his comrades all looked at him, he took a deep breath and then laughed, his face full of excitement. "It's The Curtain Call… The Curtain Call! The Curtain Call Pirates, who have been missing for over two months, have docked at the port in this area!"
"What are you standing around for?! Let's go and see!"
