The Black Glory stopped at the edge of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh stood by the shore, calmly watching the horizon.
"I'm here!" Mio called out, rushing from the island and waving toward Erica and the others aboard the ship.
"Where's Kizaru?" Rayleigh asked with a hint of surprise. He had expected Mio to escape, but not this quickly. Not much time had passed since the admiral's appearance.
"Shook him off," Mio replied with a casual grin. He had originally planned to rob some treasures from the Celestial Dragons who had arrived at Sabaody, but once Kizaru showed up, that idea was shelved.
"I see." Rayleigh nodded, not pressing for more details. Instead, he shifted the subject. "You're heading to Fishman Island now, right?"
"Ah, that's right." Mio nodded. "Fishman Island is said to be beautiful. We should definitely visit it. Besides, it's the only path to the New World, isn't it?"
"Good luck. The New World is filled with dangers," Rayleigh said thoughtfully. He, like Roger, had once ventured into the unknown and helped open the Great Pirate Era. In his eyes, the Black Crow Pirates were sprouts of a new era.
He just didn't know how far this crew could go.
"We're not afraid of danger." Mio smiled as he leapt aboard the Black Glory, waving at Rayleigh. "Rayleigh, see you next time."
"Goodbye," Rayleigh replied with a smile, waving in return.
But at that moment—
Warships appeared in the distance, breaking the calm.
Without warning, they fired shells directly at the Black Glory.
"Erica!" Mio shouted.
In an instant, Erica leaped high into the air. With a fierce expression, she drew both swords and slashed out two arcs of sword energy.
Boom!
The twin slashes tore through the air and struck one of the warships. The power was immense—the sea surface split, and the ship was cleaved in half, erupting into a violent explosion.
At the same time, Warwick burst back onto the deck from beneath the sea. The coating bubble had begun to envelop the Black Glory, expanding until it sealed the entire vessel.
"My lord, the buoyancy bag has been removed," Warwick reported calmly.
"Good. Then let's set off—toward the New World." Mio grinned and raised his arm in command.
With that, the Black Glory began to dive into the sea, sinking toward the deep.
Fishman Island.
Located 10,000 meters under the sea.
The Black Glory was now fully submerged. Unlike sailing on the surface where wind powered the ship, here under the sea, movement relied on ocean currents.
But for Mio, it was even easier—he had Hanba.
Using Hanba's power, the ship could move in any direction without depending on currents or wind.
For ordinary pirates, diving to the New World was always risky. If the bubble membrane burst during descent, there was no hope of survival. Sea Kings and underwater pressure posed constant threats.
But none of that concerned Mio and his crew.
Inside the ship, Robin marveled at the view outside. "Is this the Yarchiman Mangrove…?"
It wasn't the trees themselves, but the colossal roots below them. These roots stretched deep into the ocean floor, forming an underwater marvel.
"What a spectacular sight," Erica murmured, looking upward. "The deeper we dive, the more unreal it feels. Like entering a different world."
Fish of all kinds swam by the ship, some brushing against the bubble, while others darted playfully through the sea currents.
Suddenly—
"It's a Sea King!" Robin exclaimed, pointing toward one of the enormous tree roots.
Coiled around it was a massive sea snake, its body thick and long, watching the Black Glory intently with its massive eyes.
There was hunger in that gaze—an intent to devour.
But in front of the ship floated the massive, demon-like form of the drought beast Hanba.
The Sea King hesitated.
Mio sat cross-legged on the deck, calmly staring at the Sea King.
"Get lost."
A powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him.
The force swept through the sea.
Fear entered the Sea King's eyes immediately. Its body twisted, and it fled with a panicked splash, disappearing into the distant shadows of the deep.
The Black Glory continued its descent.
The sea grew darker and quieter.
Eventually, it became so dim that even the light seemed to vanish.
"There shouldn't be anything else of note for now," Mio said. "Go ahead and do what you all want."
"In that case, I'll go train," Hei Yan replied and disappeared below deck.
The rest of the crew split up to handle their own business.
Though the early part of the dive offered vibrant scenery, the deeper they went, the darker and duller it became.
Mio remained on deck, sitting with a bottle of whiskey. From time to time, he took a sip, his eyes fixed on the darkening deep, lost in thought.
As Rayleigh had said, the New World was dangerous. But to Mio, it wasn't just about danger.
It was about trouble.
Trouble from the increasing fame of the Black Crow Pirates.
Their reputation would attract many: rival pirates eager to make a name by defeating them, others simply curious about their strength, and even some who hoped to recruit them.
Troublesome, yes—but also beneficial.
If the Black Crow Pirates showed overwhelming power, they would not only fend off these threats but also gain the respect and admiration of others.
Still, some threats weren't just annoyances.
There were genuine dangers—like Kaido.
And then there were Pokken and Saya, names Mio had learned from Gion and through his own information gathering.
Before heading to Fishman Island, he'd gathered what intel he could.
They were both candidates for the title of Four Emperors—monsters among pirates.
Saya possessed the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Beast Model—a rare and terrifying Devil Fruit. In her transformed state, she was known simply as the demon of the sea.
Pokken, on the other hand, wielded the Explosion Fruit. Details about its powers were scarce, but the name alone suggested a devastating ability.
Both Pokken and Saya were notorious for aggressively recruiting promising new pirate crews in the New World. Almost every rising crew was approached.
Most accepted.
Those who refused either joined other emperors—or were destroyed.
Very few managed to survive on their own.
There was no doubt the Black Crow Pirates would receive an invitation.
But Mio had no intention of bowing his head to anyone.
"Mythical Beast Devil Fruit…" Mio muttered.
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Such excellent genes…"