“Wow—”

  “So, where are we headi, Uncle Afar? Are we going to fight the Navy? The Rocks Pirates? Or maybe the Seven Warlords of the Sea?”

  A few days ter.

  Three or four warships slowly sailed out of Totto Land’s waters.

  Uhe fg of Fire Camity Afar, two excited youhor and Dal—ran bad forth across the deck, chattering nonstop. They had finally received permission to join a fleet on an expedition after passing Linlin and Gerd’s tests.

  “Yhnesses, please don’t get too excited...” Afar’s lips twitched as he patiently expined, “This time, our mission isn’t nearly as grand. We’re simply dealing with an ordinary pirate crew!

  “The Blood Fox Pirates invaded Baskenny Isnd, one of our territories, causing signifit damage in an attempt to seize it for themselves. We’re here to teach them a lesson!”

  In truth, a pirate crew like this didn’t really warrant Afar’s personal attention. However, with these two princes on board, each carrying a sky-high bounty, Linlin and Gerd wouldn’t have let them leave without someone like him to protect them.

  “The Blood Fox Pirates? Let me check...”

  Dal, intrigued, pulled out his prized Bounty Handbook and flipped through its pages.

  “Got it!” he excimed, sing the entry. “The Blood Fox Pirates, led by their captain Blood Fox Yasuo, carry a bounty of 235 million Berries. Some of his officers also have bounties over 50 million each!”

  “Yes, that matches our intelligence,” Afar said, folding his arms and nodding with a faint smile.

  “Only 235 million Berries?” Thor scoffed. “What’s the big deal? I thought we’d be up against someoruly impressive!”

  “Thor-sama, you shouldn’t uimate him,” Afar warned. “Word has it that Yasuo is a formidable swordsman and a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. He’s on a pletely different level from that Wolf Pack pirate you defeated so easily the other day!”

  Afar couldn’t help feeling exasperated. Thor’s baseline was simply too high. As a giant with overwhelming strength and an ironcd physique—coupled with the powers of the Logia-css Rumble-Rumble Fruit—most oppos posed no real challeo him.

  This mission was more about giving Thor and Dal experiend broadening their horizons than about fag a serious threat.

  “Great! Leave it to me!” Dal’s eyes lit up at the mention of a swordsman, eager to test his skills. “A swordsman, huh? Perfect timing for me!”

  “That’s exactly how Linlin p!” Afar replied with a chuckle.

  Soon, the two youngsters got a full taste of the New World’s harsh weather.

  In just three days of travel, the fleet endured a massive storm powerful enough to destroy the entire voy, along with sudden downpours, thuorms, hail, and t o currents. If not for the experienavigators, who anticipated the dangers and adjusted the fleet’s course in time, the oute could have been disastrous.

  Previously, they had entered simir weather during trips to Wano or Elbaf with El and others, but they had usually been on the massive airborne fortress of Atntis. The New World’s unruly ditions hadn’t left much of an impression on them—until now.

  “Afar-sama, Yhnesses, we’re approag Baskenny Isnd!”

  “Finally, we’re here?” Dal asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

  “Need some help?” Thor offered with a mischievous grin, sparks of electricity flickering around him. His powerful Mi had already locked onto the target; he could strike at any moment.

  “No way! We already agreed!” Dal shot him a sharp gre. “Don’t get involved! They’re my prey!”

  Dal was well aware of Thor’s absurd abilities. If Thor stepped in, there’d be nothi for him to do.

  “Thor-sama, you’ll have your the mission,” Afar said with a wry smile. “For now, let Dal-sama hahis one.”

  “All right, it’s all yours, Dal.” Thor shrugged and yawned. Lightning crackled around him as he vanished in a fsh, reappearing on a rge beach chair. He leaned back, pulled down an eye mask, and promptly went to sleep.

  Despite their stant bickering, Thor had fiden Dal. Over the years, the two brothers had often cshed, sometimes even physically. While Thor’s raw strength, bined with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, gave him an edge, Dal’s Traransfer Fruit—and his innate ability to glimpse the future—made him nearly untouchable.

  In fact, Thor’s occasional carelessness had almost cost him a swim when Dal nearly teleported him into the o during one of their scuffles. Of course, those antics were always met with punishment—being ed with seastone, saddled with double the training load, and denied meals.

  “ht! Uncle Afar, it looks like those guys are here for some ‘Captain Jack’s treasure’ on the isnd,” Thor mentioned casually, lifting his eye mask again.

  “What?”

  “Captain Jack? The infamous Jack the Ripper from a tury ago?”

  “His treasure is on this isnd?”

  “That expins why the Blood Fox Pirates—who’ve mao survive in the New World for so long—would suddenly provoke the Fallen Angel Pirates by attag su insignifit location!”

  Not only Afar and Dal but the entire crew was stunned. Realization dawned on them, followed by excitement as their eyes lit up. Even though the Fallen Angel Pirates were often described as “the least pirate-like pirates”—closer to the Navy in discipline, with rumors that El inteo formalize them into Totto Land’s national defense forces—treasure hunting, adventure, and bat were still timeless passions for those who sailed the seas.

  “Hmph!”

  Dal, uo tain his excitement, spread his wings and shot toward the distant isnd. In an instant, he vanished as though he had never been there at all.

  “Wait, Dal-sama!”

  Afar’s eyelid twitched as he watched Dal take off. With no other choice, he spread his own wings and gave chase. After all, these princes weren’t just the future of Totto Land—they were the future of the Lunarian race. If anything happeo them, he wouldn’t be able to face El, Linlin, or the others.

  Bleam