Get your head straight!

"Um... does that mean there's only five people between me and Kaido?"

Hearing Skull's words, Ace pondered for a moment and then came to a surprising conclusion.

"What are you thinking about!?"

"Wait, how could Kaido give himself a number? There should be at least six people between you two..."

"So that's how it is, six people, huh."

Listening to Deuce's explanation, Ace clenched his left fist and knocked it against the palm of his right hand, showing a look of realization—he hadn't expected to miscount by one.

"All of you, shut up!"

Skull's notebook fell to the ground. He couldn't comprehend his captain's bizarre train of thought.

"Isn't that what you said? She's No.7, so above her there must be No.1-6, and then Kaido at the top. So all we have to do is defeat them all."

Even though that woman is strong, the difference in numbers isn't that big—just five or six people…"

"Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly. This is just part of the Beasts Pirates officer hierarchy. Above them are the 3 Calamities, who are the senior officers, plus Kaido's daughter and the vice-captain named Arceus. The power they have revealed on the surface is already terrifying."

Back when Skull had traveled to some ports in the New World, he'd gained more understanding of the Emperors of the Sea, unlike Ace and others, who were completely clueless about the Beasts Pirates' hierarchy.

"So we have to add five more?"

"It's not that simple! I don't know much about Red-Haired Shanks—he's relatively new among the Emperors—but as for the other three, there's Big Mom's children and Whitebeard's commanders. Those people are all monsters.

The Beasts Pirates are the most unique of the bunch. Besides their pirate crew, they also have a special religious organization within."

"The members of this religion seem kind on the surface, but if you cross their taboo, you'll understand what a madman is."

Skull had once encountered members of the Arceus Cult by chance and knew what was truly hidden behind those seemingly ordinary missionaries.

Normally, the pirate forces directly under Kaido were already unreasonable, but when their taboos were violated, the Arceus Cult members would become even more crazy. Unless their direct superiors intervened, conflicts with them ended only in death.

This violent religious group was a terror in battle.

The sheer madness in their hearts was something regular people couldn't comprehend. But it still hasn't spread too widely, so Skull only knew a little about them.

"The cult you're talking about… does it have a symbol that looks like a special ring-shaped cross?"

"Yes, it's something like… this kind of symbol. Boss Deuce, did you encounter them?"

"Yeah, I did. And… it wasn't a pleasant experience."

Recalling Lami's eerie methods, how just one touch had incapacitated him and rendered hundreds of Marines defenseless, Deuce began to understand Skull's concerns.

"So, they're even stronger than I imagined. Is that what you mean?"

"Exactly, Captain Ace. While you're strong, I still think it's too early to challenge them after just entering the New World. We should at least familiarize ourselves with the environment before taking them on."

He had joined the Spade Pirates because Ace acknowledged his dream. So, he naturally supports Ace's decision. However, knowing some of the secrets of the New World, he believed that such matters should not be rushed, and he wanted Ace to slow down a bit.

"Is anyone scared? I said it before, the so-called Emperors of the Sea are my targets. If you're regretting it, now's your chance to back out."

At this point, Ace didn't immediately make a decision. Instead, he sought the opinions of his crew members.

"No way! Captain, whatever you want to do, just go for it!"

"Exactly! Since we've boarded your ship, we're going to stick to the path all the way to the end! We've already passed through the dangers of the first half of the Grand Line, so there's no way we're backing down now!"

"Skull, what about you?"

"As expected of you, Captain Ace. Even though I don't recommend this, if you insist on challenging them, I'll stick with you to the end."

"In that case, the plan stays the same. Let's train for now."

When it came down to it, they still hadn't seen what top-tier power truly looked like. Even though some of Beasts Pirates' subordinates were incredibly strong, they couldn't comprehend just how vast the gap to the top was.

The smaller the Number, the greater the disparity. Especially the strength of the Emperors of the Sea—they are monsters that can no longer be defeated by quantity; only by improving one's own quality is there a possibility of rivalling them.

Although Ace had endured many beatings from Garp, Garp never displayed his full strength while teaching his grandson. This ignorance was precisely why Ace and his crew have such boundless courage.

On the ship, preparations for Ace's training were already underway. A target with a drawing of Whitebeard was inlaid with flame dials from Sky Island.

There were many Sky Islands in the world. The one Ace had passed through wasn't under the Beasts Pirates' rule, and the flame dials were items they had gathered during that time.

As long as the flame dials weren't overloaded, they could absorb all of Ace's flames, allowing him to train freely on the ship while also providing flames for cooking and boiling water.

...

When the coating work was completed, the Spade Pirates left Sabaody Archipelago. Meanwhile, Isuka's ship didn't immediately return but instead headed toward Kuja to deliver supplies.

Originally, this task was supposed to be handled by Olga, but she was preoccupied with preparing for Acier's 250th birthday celebration and couldn't make it.

The Marines who had been poisoned by Lami also returned to their base. The slums, not being part of the lawless areas, were places where people didn't dare attack Marines. Had it been in the lawless areas, however, those powerless Marines would undoubtedly have all ended up as corpses.

The pirates in the lawless areas were bold enough to hang "Marine Forbidden Zone" signs at their entrances, treating Marines as though they didn't exist. These arrogant outlaws had no idea of the retaliation they'd face if they truly angered the Marines.

The World Economy Newspaper continued to update on events happening at sea, shaking the thoughts of many.

In the North Blue, aboard a submarine, Penguin and Shachi received a newspaper from a News Coo, reading up on the latest events across the seas.

This was the Heart Pirates. Although Bepo was currently serving as a guard for Setsuna, Law and his crew continued their journey.

However, compared to those pirates who are in a hurry, Law's sailing speed was very slow, and he was still developing in North Blue.

"Captain Law, is the Grand Line really that dangerous?"

"Of course. It's nothing like the North Blue. Monsters are everywhere there."

"Just look at the newspaper and you will know. This girl named Lami actually managed to take down..."

"What did you say?!"

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