Chapter 50: Paradise and Beyond

The first half of the Grand Line, though known as a terrifying sea that had buried countless rookie pirates, was referred to by those in the New World as—Paradise.

Compared to the New World's climate, the harsh weather of Paradise was almost trivial. Additionally, there was a gap in enemy strength. The New World was like the ultimate coliseum for pirates, where only true powerhouses could establish themselves.

Of course, if someone's luck was truly extraordinary, they could thrive in the New World. Take Buggy, one of the future Four Emperors, for example. With his Conqueror's Haki-level luck, he managed to become an Emperor through Crocodile's Cross Guild. It was downright absurd.

However, generally speaking, only the New World's failures would scurry back to Paradise with their tails between their legs, while Paradise's failures would slink back to the four seas.

Thus, when Jake discovered that Dan was heading toward Paradise, he couldn't help but shake his head. His subordinates mocked Dan even more.

"Bounty hunters are just bounty hunters. They really can't amount to much!"

In truth, the ones saying this might not have been that strong themselves.

They couldn't handle the New World's environment, and even under Rocks's banner, death could come at any moment.

Facing the Marines, other pirates, or even their own comrades within the Rocks Pirates could lead to their demise.

The Rocks Pirates weren't a united front. Friction between executives was common, but they generally kept it in check. Their underlings, however, were a different story.

Fights among them were frequent. One moment they could be enjoying hot pot and singing, and the next, someone might draw a blade and strike. But no matter what, at least they had survived in the New World so far.

This alone was enough to make them complacent and arrogant.

"Men, set sail for Paradise!"

...

Time at sea could feel both endless and fleeting.

Most days of voyaging were monotonous and boring. However, Dan used this opportunity to train Mari and Yuriko. Of course, if others wanted to join, Dan didn't mind.

The Nightlight Pirates' ship wasn't very large, slightly bigger than the Thousand Sunny, and it wasn't made of the rare Adam Wood.

Adam Wood was extremely scarce worldwide, and in most cases, having money wasn't enough to obtain it.

Pirates navigating the New World all wished their ships could be tougher than steel. Thus, whenever rumors of Adam Wood surfaced in the black market, many would flock to buy it, making it a priceless treasure.

However, aside from Adam, there were many other durable and unique plants in the world. For example, the Eve Tree, known as the Sun Tree, had miraculous properties.

It could absorb and transmit sunlight like a luminous pearl.

Moreover, the Eve Tree's trunk was over ten thousand meters tall. It took root at the bottom of the sea, ten thousand meters deep, its massive vines binding the soil into islands. Sunlight from the sky was transmitted through its branches to the serene depths, giving the ocean floor a day-night cycle.

Dan believed that the reason merfolk didn't look as random as deep-sea fish was thanks to the Eve Tree's light, allowing them to recognize each other's appearances.

The Nightlight Pirates' ship wasn't made of Adam Wood, but it was constructed from a unique plant found in the Grand Line, harder than iron. Thus, ordinary training wouldn't damage the hull. For some exercises, Dan would freeze the sea behind the ship and have Mari and the others run on the ice.

Yuriko wasn't training in martial arts, but after eating a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, her physique surpassed Mari's. However, she lacked combat skills.

The most notable aspect of ordinary Zoan fruits was their enhancement of physical abilities. Mari hadn't been training for long, so it was natural for her to be outperformed.

However, this ignited her competitive spirit.

Both mother and daughter were highly competitive, or rather, very driven. This led to a bit of internal competition.

However, Yuriko was more mature. After motivating Mari to a certain extent, she appropriately stopped. Although she believed that she and her daughter should dedicate themselves entirely to repaying Dan for saving them from the brink of hell, she also felt sorry for Mari's relentless efforts.

In reality, Dan wouldn't send them into battle. Yuriko felt that mastering skills to serve Dan wholeheartedly, or sharing some political responsibilities like Yukiko, was where they could truly help Dan.

However, granting women such immense power was something only someone like Lord Dan could do.

Typically, women in this country couldn't even dream of education. Even wealthy families rarely allowed their daughters to study like she could. Yet Dan encouraged women to read. Even those who wanted to learn martial arts had to at least be literate.

"Dan-sama, are we returning to Wano now?" Yuriko had just washed away her fatigue in the bath, her black hair loosely draped over her shoulders, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Yes, after we make some purchases on a nearby island, we'll head back. Are you eager to return, Yuriko?" Dan planned to buy some things unavailable in Wano before heading back.

Wano had been closed off for centuries, and many things hadn't kept up with the times, especially everyday necessities, which lagged far behind the outside world.

Aside from these, Dan wanted to purchase some plant seeds. Kuri's crops were too monotonous. Many unique fruits and vegetables from the outside world weren't available in Wano. There were also plants that could grow on winter islands or barren lands like Kibi, which would be useful in the future.

They had been away from Wano for nearly two months, with most of the time spent voyaging. However, this period had yielded considerable gains.

Aside from the previously obtained Rumble-Rumble Fruit and a Bird-Bird Fruit, they had also acquired two Paramecia-type Devil Fruits.

—The Smooth-Smooth Fruit and the Bomb-Bomb Fruit.

And a meito sword called Yubashiri.

That's right, Dan's journey had taken him through Reverse Mountain and back to the East Blue. Unfortunately, he hadn't found Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit.

Now, they had crossed Reverse Mountain again and returned to the Grand Line.

...

I have decided to drop this novel