The grand and magnificent Red Line splits the Grand Line into two halves, with the first half being structured by seven navigational routes that originate from the Four Seas.
These seven routes ultimately converge at the Sabaody Archipelago, marking a natural boundary.
At that point, one must either spend a great deal of time and money to apply and wait, then abandon their ship and traverse over the World Government's central territory—
Or they must pass through Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters under the sea, a path fraught with peril. Yet, every year, numerous pirates and illicit merchants still take the risk.
But no one can deny that the latter half of the Grand Line is the most dangerous and most challenging sea territory. That is the New World.
The New World is not only filled with unpredictable climates and treacherous sea conditions but also contains countless islands.
Large pirate crews often choose one or more islands to establish their bases, continuously expanding their ranks, recruiting manpower, and preparing for the final charge toward the ultimate destination of the Grand Line—Lodestar Island.
The Beasts Pirates were no exception, even though Kaido was not someone particularly fond of collective action.
Yet, thanks to the Beasts Pirates' strong expansionist drive and the structured management of Kaido's subordinates—led by the Three Calamities—their crew managed to maintain significant territorial influence in the New World, despite it being a sea filled with formidable individuals.
At this moment, a certain "raccoon dog" from the closed-off nation of samurai had come seeking allies, looking quite excited.
He was dressed in an extravagant long coat made from the finest silk, his appearance neat and dignified as he walked along the cobblestone roads of the port.
Beside him, however, was a giant man whose forehead veins bulged in frustration, his expression one of terrifying menace.
Jack, one of the Three Calamities, was doing his best to tolerate this foolish fox. If not for his comrades' repeated warnings that this guest was a distinguished visitor of Kaido, the mammoth swore he would have slaughtered this chatterbox on the spot.
Not only did he drag out his sentences with an irritating drawl, but he also constantly muttered phrases in that incomprehensible Wano country dialect.
Worse still, this "country bumpkin ambassador" kept asking about things that were common knowledge among New World pirates.
At this moment, the two had just set foot on an island located at the boundary of the Beasts Pirates' territory.
Lindemann, having already accepted his fate, emptied his mind and fully immersed himself in his role.
His mission for this trip was already complete. If he could return, that would be ideal. But if he were to die here, he would accept it without regret.
The captain of Wano's Third Division, unrestricted in his movements, had spent the past few days wandering around, exploring various towns and islands under the Beasts Pirates' watchful eyes.
"Lord Drought, isn't this island under the Beasts Pirates' control? Then why are there other pirate crews here?"
The silver-haired fox smiled and turned his head, pointing toward a massive three-masted ship docked not far away.
That ship was so enormous that it occupied nearly the entire harbor, forcing other merchant vessels to move aside.
Even the Mammoth had barely managed to find a spot to anchor.
The expressions of the Beasts Pirates darkened. They had not received any prior request for one of their allied ships to dock here.
This uninvited behemoth of a vessel did not appear to belong to the Beasts Pirates at all.
As with previous instances, this "country bumpkin" once again asked what was supposed to be common knowledge in the New World. Jack was no longer surprised.
Drought continued to remain silent. His mission certainly wasn't to act as a tour guide for this silver-haired fox.
He left the explaining to his subordinates:
"The New World is constantly seeing new pirate crews arrive. Some smaller pirate groups will choose to align themselves with a powerful pirate crew to survive."
"So, you're saying that massive ship—half the size of an island—is here to pledge allegiance to us?"
Lindemann tilted his head and continued his feigned curiosity, asking the nearby Beasts Pirates crew members.
Jack narrowed his eyes. He didn't see it that way.
While it was true that new pirate crews frequently showed up at territorial borders, either to resupply near towns or to recruit more crew members,
such groups either ended up getting absorbed by the Beasts Pirates or were swiftly eradicated.
However, a pirate ship of that scale—clearly belonging to a large crew—did not seem to be here for supplies. In Jack's eyes, it looked more like a provocation.
He listened carefully, then slowly shifted his gaze toward a noisy bar within the harbor area.
In a corner of the port, inside the spacious bar, every seat was filled.
Dozens of tables packed with rowdy patrons ensured that the bar was doing booming business.
These burly, rough-looking men, clearly not ones to be trifled with, were raising their wooden tankards and cheering loudly:
"Captain! Since we entered the New World, how many pirate crews have we crushed?"
"Hehehe, no idea! But we're unstoppable!"
A monstrous man, so tall that his head nearly touched the ceiling even while sitting, responded carefreely, raising his drink.
His face was deathly pale and gaunt—if not for his nearly 7-meter height, most people would have mistaken him for a vampire.
"That may be true, Captain, but once we finish buying supplies, we should leave immediately."
A pirate sitting at the same table took a big gulp of ale and added,
"After all, we came here for provisions. Getting into a conflict with that great pirate would be unwise."
"What are you talking about?! What does it matter if he's a great pirate? Our captain is a great pirate too!
Who isn't afraid of the name 'Moonlight'?"
The first pirate who spoke seemed displeased with his comrade's caution.
"Don't forget, even though we're only here to stock up on supplies, we are in Beasts Pirates' territory!"
A skeletal-looking pirate sitting across from the monstrous man lowered his voice in warning.
"Ooooh~"
He was met with a chorus of boos.
"Hehehehehe, don't worry about it.
We've received word that Kaido is currently in Whitebeard's territory.
Besides, this island is at the very edge of their domain—
The high-ranking officers of the Beasts Pirates normally wouldn't show up here!"
The monstrous man, addressed as "Captain," reassured his crewmates with an eerie grin.
Unlike his terrifying and gloomy appearance, his speech and demeanor were extraordinarily cheerful.
Skillfully shifting the topic, he asked, "Absalom, have you eaten the loot I gave you?"
The frail young man, disliked by his companions, pulled out a strangely shaped fruit from his chest. "Not yet, Captain. Is this really okay? A Devil Fruit is worth a hundred million."
"Besides…" The man called Absalom always had an expression filled with self-doubt. "Giving this fruit to someone stronger would be better than giving it to me…"
"Heh hihihihi." The captain, who looked like a demon, laughed. Two horns protruded from his forehead, and he adjusted his bat-shaped collar. "Precisely because you lack the strength to protect yourself, I deliberately left the fruit for you!"
"Hahahaha, exactly! Where else could you find such a great captain, Absalom?" An old pirate, holding a wine cup, placed his arm around the frail young man's shoulder. "Your arms aren't even as thick as my wrist. You can't even lift a sword properly!"
The frail young man seemed somewhat tempted. He lifted his head and looked at his captain, who was dressed in gothic-style clothing. "If I eat this fruit, I'll be able to lift a sword?"
The notorious great pirate known as Moonlight was amused. "Heh hihihi, though I don't know what ability this Devil Fruit holds, most fruits, if developed well, won't be bad."
"It's definitely better than you being useless now, right? Give it a try?" The old pirate encouraged him.
Hearing the commotion not far away, Jack fearlessly strode forward. If some pirates dared to encroach on their territory, he had no problem stretching his muscles a little.
And he needed to vent some emotions.
The giant man moved forward slowly, and with each step, his body grew larger. Thick fur spread from his body, gradually draping over him.
His form became increasingly inhuman. A flexible, elongated trunk extended from the top of the steel mask he never removed.
Along with it, two enormous curved tusks grew out, like two sharp scimitars guarding his body.
A pirate wearing a horned helmet spoke with a sense of superiority as he introduced the scene to a wide-eyed "country bumpkin fox."
"Drought-sama has eaten a super-rare Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit—the Mammoth Fruit."
Lindemann frowned. Devil Fruit users were not uncommon in Marine Headquarters, but prehistoric beasts of this Ancient Zoan type were something he had never seen before.
He had previously browsed a classified book in Marine Headquarters that only officers were authorized to read. It contained records of no fewer than a hundred strange and bizarre Devil Fruits, detailing their types, colors, and shapes.
Among the Zoan types, there was indeed mention of the ultra-rare Ancient Zoan category.
Lindemann's mind raced. He had originally planned to create chaos to escape. Although he had heard reinforcements were on the way, in a situation where there were no Marine ships to receive him on this island, exposing his identity rashly would make escape difficult for the meticulous officer.
Furthermore, he didn't know the true combat strength of the prehistoric beast before him.
After thinking it through, the fox decided to wait and observe the opponent's strength before making a move.
"Hm?" A crew member of the Mammoth Fleet pulled out a telescope from his waist and examined the flag hoisted on the enemy's mast.
Although their captain had already decided to stir up trouble, gathering intelligence was still the responsibility of the crew.
"Lord Jack! That's the Terror Grand Fleet, which has been making waves lately!"
"I'll show them what true terror is."
Drought, who had fully transformed into a giant mammoth, swung his long trunk with immense force, smashing it against the bar's wooden doors—
"Boom!"
The prehistoric beast displayed its terrifying physical strength. With a single strike, it sent half of the wall flying.
Inside the bar, pirates who had been eagerly watching their comrade eat the Devil Fruit, practically live-streaming the event, froze in place.
Following behind Jack, the silver-haired fox waved a sleeve to clear the dust and examined the weakling in front of him.
The fox's ice-blue pupils suddenly widened. He noticed that the frail young man was holding a perfectly intact Devil Fruit.
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was a precious item that even the nobility might not easily obtain.
Most pirates and civilians, when faced with an unknown Devil Fruit, would adopt a "might as well try, it won't get me pregnant" mentality, gambling on the hope of obtaining a powerful ability.
However, there were also a few who had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and purposefully sought specific abilities.
As the world's largest military organization, Marine Headquarters naturally possessed copies of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and even had specialists tasked with identifying fruits sent to Headquarters from various locations.
These fruits would be used as military rewards, bestowed upon elite marines dedicated to the cause of justice.
Devil Fruits were rare, and as a result, the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia itself was a classified document.
Marine Headquarters had strict regulations—only officers of a certain rank were allowed to access key materials such as the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and Haki training manuals.
And having only recently been promoted to officer rank, the Silver-Haired Fox certainly hadn't wasted his chance to study those files.
He stared blankly at the Devil Fruit in the pirate's hand.
A thought surfaced in Lindemann's mind:
Maybe… he could still salvage this situation?
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