Chapter 41: Sabaody Archipelago
To set foot on the Grand Line and reach this placeâfew can claim such a feat.
From the seven starting routes, choosing one, surviving the lawless horrors of this sea, battling rivals whoâve endured the same, evading Marine Headquartersâ pursuitâonly then do you arrive at the colossal continent that splits the world: the Red Line.
The midpoint connecting the first and second halves of the Grand Line, Fish-Man Island, lies
beneath the sea, directly under that continent. To reach it, you must first arrive here.And beyond that treacherous voyage? The second half of the Grand Lineâthe New World. A sea where only the strongest survive.
"âNot that I need the lecture. Been to the New World plenty~. No need to worry."
"Wait, so youâve been to Fish-Man Island andâ"
"Nah, always slipped in through the Calm Belt. First time here."
"WHAAAAAâ?! THEN WHYâD YOU SAY NOT TO WORRY?!"
The one delivering this spirited retort is none other than Queen, one of the Beast Piratesâ top executivesâa hulking man whose rotund frame belies his moniker: "The Plague."
Iâd been briefing our crewâabout a hundred strongâon the New Worldâs dangers while docking deep in the archipelago.
"Relax, I know the basics. To reach Fish-Man Island, we need to coat the ship firstâseal it with resin from the Yarukiman Mangrove roots. Takes at least three days here. So weâre stuck on this island till then."
"âMeaning weâve got three days to kill Marines and these trash-tier bounty huntersâŚ"
"Pretty much!"
I nod cheerfully toward our other top executive: King, "The Wildfire," a towering figure clad in black, wings of flame at his back. Cool as ever, he crushes the skull of a groaning bounty hunter underfoot, our wanted posters clutched in his grip.
"This islandâs a choke point. Every pirate bound for the New World has to pass through, so bounty hunters flock here. Marines tooâthereâs a base nearby. Oh, and human traffickers. But honestly? Just avoid making a scene, and the Marines wonât sniff us out."
"âWeâll kill any who do."
"Classic Kaido. âWell, yeah. If they find us, we handle it."
Our captainâKaido, "The King of Beasts"âdrops his bloodied kanabo, lifting a half-conscious bounty hunter by the scalp. Still alive? Doesnât matter. Canât risk our shipâs location leaking.
I glance at our crew. Survivors from Kise Island, plus fresh recruits. About ten originals remainâtheyâve adapted. The newbies? Still trembling in our presence. Cute.
"Half of you stay on standby. Rotate shifts daily."
"Understood."
"Yes, maâam."
"Y-yes!"
Good kids. The veterans nod easily; the rookies stammer. Adorable.
"Hey, Nue. Scout for strong recruits. This placeâs gotta have decent trash."
"Probably. But Iâd rather shop and sightsee~. Heard thereâs a human auctionâwanna check it out? âOh, and if you spot bounties, capture them. Weâll either recruit âem, cash âem in, or sell âem off. No wasting good meatâĄ."
"Right."
"Muhaha⌠Bad luck for every pirate on this island. Pray they donât cross us."
I relay orders to King and Queen: Bounties are priority. This place is crawling with themâfresh faces too. Kaido might take a liking to some. The rest? Profit.
As for the coating craftsmen? Weâve got connections. The real issue? Surviving three days here without Kaido razing the place. Me? Iâll manageâdiscreet chaos is my specialtyâĄ.
Marineford, Headquarters of the Navy
"What?! The Beast Pirates?!"
"Y-yes, sir! Reports confirm theyâre currently stationed at Sabaody ArchipelagoâŚ!!"
The room, emblazoned with the symbol of "Justice," erupted into chaos.
To the Marines tasked with maintaining order across the seas, the remnants of the Rocks Pirates were the most dangerous threat of all.
"Tch⌠So the intel about their annihilation by the Whitebeard Pirates was false⌠Or theyâve already recoveredâŚ!!"
"âRecovered, no doubt. The Beast Piratesâespecially Kaido, 'King of Beasts,' and his sworn sibling, Nueâare damn near unkillable."
"! âVice Admiral Garp!!"
"Y-youâre back!?"
As the Marine officers exchanged grim looks over the report from Sabaody, the door swung openârevealing the Navyâs hero, "Garp the Fist." His unexpected return from the frontlines drew startled glances, but Garp just grinned.
"Came back to resupplyâbut this is a headache. I was just about to crash Whitebeard and Rogerâs little spat, and now the Beast Pirates are making a move for the New World too? The governmentâs gonna lose sleep over this one!"
"Whitebeard⌠and Roger�"
A junior Marine paled, swallowing hard. The two titans of the New World, clashing for supremacyâthis was no ordinary disturbance.
The World Government saw Roger as public enemy number one, and Whitebeardâwith his strength and influenceâwas no less a threat.
But they couldnât ignore Big Mom, carving out her own empire, or Shiki, commanding an armada of pirates.
The Navy was stretched thin. Even with powerhouses like Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, the remnants of Rocks were wreaking havoc across the Grand Line. They couldnât possibly cover every front.
So when intel suggested the Beast Pirates had been wiped out by Whitebeard, the Marines had breathed a sigh of reliefâhowever brief. Now, the threat loomed larger than ever.
Yet Garp remained unfazed, munching on rice crackers.
"Relax! If I spot âem on my way, Iâll handle it! âBesides⌠Seems the governmentâs already making moves."
"The government?! You meanâ"
"Yeah. Theyâre sending in a spy. The Beast Piratesâ movements are already hard to track, thanks to that mysterious power of Nue's. Theyâll wanna figure that out too. âNot sure how well itâll work, though! Bwahahaha!!"
"âŚIs this really a laughing matter?"
As his subordinates sighed, Garpâs boisterous laughter filled the roomâbut behind it lay sobering certainty.
The Beast Pirates were finally entering the New World.
And with them, a storm that would shake the world to its core.
âHmm~... Slave tradingâs more entertaining than I thought. Maybe Iâll buy someoneâif thereâs a cute or interesting one, that is.â
âIâm down, but... why does it have to be a cute one?â
âDuh, Queen. If someoneâs going to take care of me, Iâd rather it be someone nice to look at.â
âStop talkinâ like some sleazy guy, Vice-Captain...â
It was day one of our stay on the Sabaody Archipelago. I thought weâd start with a bit of shopping, so I brought some of the crew along to explore the island. I was a little uneasy about leaving Kaido behind, but Kingâs with him, so he should be fine... probably. Well, Iâll trust himâkinda.
Anyway, back to shopping. We casually strolled through the slave quarters, checking out the people locked in cages with collars around their necks. It kinda felt like walking through a pet store. Except... everyoneâs expressions were dead. Like, eyes empty. I get it, sure. But hey, weakness is the real problem here. If they were strong, escaping this would be a piece of cake.
ââWell? If you see anyone you like, please donât hesitate to buy. They're all in excellent health and built to last! We take pride in that, you see.â
As Queen and I wandered around, the shop owner chimed in, wringing his hands and flashing a fake, business-like smile. Yeah... physically they look alright. Mentally, though? Theyâre hanging by a thread.
âPersonally, I think the ones who still have some fight in them are more fun to break in.â
âAnd thatâs our cue. Sorry about this, boss. Nueâs got some... unique tastes.â
âHahaha... I see, I see. In that case, perhaps I can offer you a more specialized selecââ
âNah, I think Iâll just take them all. You look like youâve got plenty of cash saved up anyway. So yeahâgive me everythingâĄ.â
â...Come again?â
Ignoring the stunned shopkeeper, I casually busted open the cages and started leading the slaves out at random. Then I barked some orders at Queen and the others:
âQueen, grab anything that looks valuable, would you?â
âOoh, you got it! ALRIGHT YOU LOT!! Itâs RAIDINâ TIME, BABY~~~~~âŞâ
âYEEAAAHHH!! LADY NUEEEE!! QUEEEEEEN!!â
Queen and the crew jumped into action, looting the place like kids in a candy store. That finally snapped the shopkeeper and his staff out of their daze.
âWh-What the hell do you think youâre doing!?â
âAww, sorry~ Weâre pirates. We donât exactly plan to pay when we raid sketchy little shops like yours. I mean, if we were gonna come back or thought you were worth keeping around, maybe weâd throw some cash your way. But weâre not. So weâll be taking everything youâve got. And alsoâsorry, but go ahead and die for me, will you?âĄâ
âWhâWaitâGUAAHH!!â
And with that, I ran my trident through the shopkeeper, some staff, and even the hired guards. Just picked them off wherever they stood. Seriously, raidingâs the most fun way to shop. And hey, a store like this mustâve been raking it in, so itâs extra satisfying. Not to mention, I get to stock up on people too? Talk about efficient.
âHmm... Iâll take this one, and that one... The rest of you can go. Iâve got no use for you.â
âHuh...?â
âW-Weâre allowed to escape...?â
âYup, sure are. So, yâknow, feel free to thank me later?â
I grabbed the ones I wanted and left the rest. If theyâre smart, theyâll find the keys and run. Consider this my good deed for the day. Heh. Iâm actually kinda nice, huh? Itâs not just slavesâI help people from time to time, let them owe me one. That can be fun too. So yeah, Iâm not above lending a hand to strangers here and there.
...Of course, sometimes I help just to kill or torture them later for kicks. Thatâs fun too. I just do what I want. Sure, I try not to go too farâthings can get messyâbut as long as itâs fun, who cares?
âAlright, you guys are my bag carriers now~! So! With all this money, how about we hit up a fancy restaurant and party it up?!â
âThatâs our Nue!!âAlright boys, LETâS GO WILD ON THE WAY BACK~~~~~âŞâ
âHELL YEAH!! LADY NUEEEEâS THE BEST~~~~~!!â
Queen and his guys really knew how to pump up the crowd. Most of Queenâs old crew from back in the day are gone now, but anytime he gets new ones, they catch his vibe fast. Itâs pretty hilarious.
Kingâs crew, though... theyâre way more brutal. Which, honestly, is a different kind of fun. They all enjoy being pirates in their own wayâand thatâs what matters.
And just like that, our first day on Sabaody ended with a little shopping and a good olâ feast.
âDay two on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Pirates who make it to this island are generally strong contenders whoâve crossed the first half of the Grand Line. A lot of them are pretty big names. While bounties over 100 million berries arenât exactly common, itâs not unusual to see pirates whose bounties come close.
âGyaaaaahhh!!â
âPlease, stop it already!!â
âH-Help meâŚ!!â
âI was expecting a little more from them, to be honest⌠I sighed as I watched the pirates writhing in pain under torture. I turned to King, who was overseeing the men handling the interrogations.
âHeyyy, King? How many of them have joined up so far~?â
âWeâve recruited about twenty. The ones who resisted and are being tortured now? Around ten times that.â
âSo theyâre all spineless after all, huh? Kaido said the same thing, you know. âThese weaklings think they can survive the New World? Donât make me laugh!!!â âThen he killed the one guy who looked like he had some potential.â
â...Which is exactly why I keep asking him to go easy on the boozeâŚâ
âWell, weâve got time to kill until the coatingâs done, and honestly, Kaidoâs showing some restraint. Normally heâd go wild and probably blow up a third of our seventy-nine mangroves by now.â
ââŚCanât you tell him to hold back?â
âIf itâs about the recruits, sure, I could say something⌠but I mean, if someoneâs really good, Kaido wonât kill them even when heâs drunk, right? As for the mangroves⌠yeah, I donât really care. Mmm, nomâŚâ
Leaning back on a beach chair we stole earlier, I snacked on some food while watching the torture session like it was a show, chatting with King about how recruitment had gone so far. Honestly, it wasnât looking great. The pirates here on Sabaody tend to have strong egos, and not many are quick to agree to anything.
Sure, some of them cave and become underlings once theyâre beaten bloodyâbut those guys are spineless. Neither Kaido nor I care for the weak. On the flip side, the ones with real strength tend to have real resolve, and a day or two of torture isnât enough to break them.
So in the end, I donât think weâll get that many new crew members during our three-day stay. âThere are a few who seem promising, but we wonât know for sure until we set sail with them. They might just die right away, after all.
âWeâve got a Log Pose for the New World now, and weâre gathering intel⌠but man, we really need more capable crewmates. Isnât there some top-tier talent just lying around somewhere~?â
ââŚIf there were, lifeâd be a whole lot easierâŚâ
âWororororo!! Hey, you guys!! Get over here for a second!!â
âHm? What is it, Kaido?â
âSomething wrong, Kaido-san?â
As King and I exchanged a noncommittal glance, Kaido suddenly yelled from the ship, waving for us to come over. He sounded way too cheerful. Wasnât he drinking again? That was the last I saw of him. We headed overâand the second I laid eyes on who was with him, my heart jumped in my chest. I couldnât let it show on my face, but I was stunned. Keeping my expression neutral, I tilted my head and asked innocently,
ââŚHmm? Whoâs the lovely lady over there?â
âWororororo!! Listen up, Nue!! This lady here says sheâs gonna give us turf in the New World!!â
âUfufu⥠Thatâs right. To be precise, if you let us fly your flag and offer protection, weâll pay you a cut in funds and supplies. Thatâs the deal.â
ââOoh, that sounds like a pretty sweet arrangement! So, who are you, exactly?â
I smiled, bright and sweet, as I asked for her name. She wore a white hat over wavy blonde hair cut to a medium length. Tall and slender, with a gorgeous figure hidden beneath a red dressâshe was a stunner. I noticed the Beast Pirates, Queen included, were all staring at her with hearts in their eyes. âNot that I could blame them. She was beautiful. Though if weâre talking cuteness? Iâve still got her beat. She turned to me with a charming smile and said,
ââIâm Stussy. I manage one of the pleasure districts on an island in the New Worldââ
She introduced herself to both me and King, flashing that sweet smile of hers. âŚBut all I could think was:
Oh come onâthereâs no way sheâs not a spy or something!! I mean, maybe back in the day, sureâbut now Stussyâs totally working for the government!!
There exists a government intelligence agency known as "CPâCipher Pol."
CP1 through CP8 are standard departmentsâessentially ordinary spies conducting intelligence operations around the world. However, once you reach "CP9," it becomes a far more dangerous organization, one that is authorized to eliminate anyone deemed inconvenient or uncooperative by the government. Its members have mastered the superhuman martial arts technique known as âRokushiki,â which even Marine Headquarters officers use.
And then thereâs "CP0"âa group directly under the Celestial Dragons. Known as the most powerful intelligence agency in the world, they bypass even the Navy when carrying out their missions, making them a particularly troublesome bunch⌠So then, where exactly does she fall on that scale?
âSo, in short, you want the Beasts Pirates to protect your island⌠and in exchange, youâll offer it up as our territory and provide various resources?â
âYes. In the New World, the Navy's influence is limited. Most people either form their own militias or live under the protection of pirate crews. Iâm sure a renowned pirate crew like yours is well aware of that already.â
âHmm~~~ well, I get what youâre saying, but~~~âŚâ
âDo you have any concerns? Iâll be happy to answer as many questions as needed. If thereâs any uncertainty between us, Iâd like to clear it up as much as possibleâfor the sake of a good relationship going forward. âĄâ
I mean⌠âconcernsâ is putting it mildlyâsheâs a spy, you know? That alone makes this a huge pain to deal with⌠And Kaido seems all for it, too. Same with Queen and the other underlings. Jeez⌠even with such a cute girl in front of them, theyâre all swooning over a pretty face. Useless subordinates. At least Kingâs got his head on straightâhe shot her a sharp glare and said:
ââŚI donât trust it. Why ask us for something like this⌠when you havenât even made it into the New World yet? There are plenty of other pirate crews you couldâve gone to.â
Yes! Exactlyâgo, King! Say more! I canât ask anything suspicious since I already know what sheâs about, so you go ahead and dig into her! As I cheered him on in my head, Stussy remained seated with perfect posture, a gentle smile still on her face.
âThatâs a fair question⌠but many pirates in the New World are quite tyrannical. The Golden Lion Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates demand outrageous compensation. The Whitebeard Pirates, meanwhile, disapprove of our town dealing in contraband. And the Roger Pirates arenât interested in holding territory at all. Our options are limited⌠We need the protection of a well-known crew to keep the place safe. Thatâs why I was hoping the infamous Beasts Pirates might be willing to lend us your flag.â
âWeâre pretty tyrannical ourselves, though? We totally go on rampages, you know?â
âWell, you are pirates. A little chaos is to be expectedâand Iâm fine with that. Besides⌠I do like a man whoâs a bit wild. âĄâ
âUOOOH~~~!! Thatâs freakinâ awesome~~~!!â
My men are getting all fired up. I mean, thatâs fine and all, but~~~⌠she really doesnât get it, does she? Our Kaido goes way harder than sheâs imagining. Like, not just doubleâmore like a hundred times worse. Sure, he might hold back from wrecking the major facilities, but everything else? No promises. Does she really understand what sheâs signing up forâŚ? I mean, if itâs a trap, itâd be an easy one to springâbut something about it feels off for a trap. Itâs too subtle. Maybe sheâs just here to gather intel or stir things up behind the scenes? She doesnât look strong enough to take down Kaido or us, but she doesnât seem weak, either⌠Ughhh, what do I even doâŚ? It is interesting, sureâbut should we really accept this?
As I mulled it over, Queen suddenly spoke up:
âIâm all for it, Nue! We get a base of operations in the New World before even setting foot in itâwhat could be better?!â
âWell, yeah, getting a whole islandâs a big win, for sure.â
Itâs trueâif weâre going to operate in the New World, territory is essential. Still⌠is it really smart to make our first base a place that clearly has something shady going on? âŚWell, we can always move our headquarters later, so maybe itâs fine, but stillâŚ
ââŚEven soââ
âHmm? What is it? I mean, I am still a little suspicious myselfââ
âI just didnât expect the infamous âDemon Beastâ Nue whoâs been causing such a stir⌠to be such an adorably sweet girl. ⥠Youâre way cuter in person than you are on your wanted poster.â
âEh? R-Really? Ehehe~~~⥠Thatâs kinda embarrassing~⥠But you seem nice, too, so maybe itâs all good~⥠Oh! You can just call me Nue~âĄâ
âYOU FELL FOR IT THAT EASILY?!â
"âŚâŚâŚâŚ"
Oh boy. Never mind my subordinates chiming inâKingâs got this expression on his face thatâs hard to describe. Hey, hey, come on, it was just a joke. Iâm not actually saying I trust her or anything. I was just genuinely happy to be complimented, thatâs all⌠really. Still, Kaidoâs clearly into it, and honestly, it does sound interesting. So maybe it wouldnât hurt to cautiously go along with it and see how things play out.
âWorororoâŚ!! If weâre getting an island out of this, then itâs a damn sweet deal!! Alright, Iâll accept your proposal!!â
â! Thank you so much, Kaido⥠With this, our town will flourish even moreâĄâ
âWorororo!! Donât mention it!! As long as weâre getting gold and goods out of it, Iâm all for it!! Youâre a fine woman, thatâs for damn sure!!â
Stussy laughed cheerfully as Kaido accepted her offer with booming enthusiasm. Her reaction was just ambiguous enoughânot overly fawning, but clearly pleased the deal had gone through. Hmm⌠well, whatever. As long as she actually delivers on what she promised, thatâs fine. In fact, we might even be able to use her in return. And if something does happenâ
âBut if you betray usâI'll slaughter you and everyone on that island of yours.â
â! âŚOf course. If I betray you, that would be the natural consequence, wouldnât it?â
Kaido leaned down with a terrifying glare, his expression a brutal threat. It was the kind of intimidation that would make an average person crumble and spill everything on the spot. When Kaido says heâll do something, he means it. If she really is a spy and CP0, then even if she flees to Mariejois, Kaido would launch an attack just to hunt her down. Thatâs the kind of dangerous beast he is.
But Stussyâcredit where itâs dueâbarely showed a hint of fear. She flinched for just a second before calmly nodding and declaring that betrayal would, of course, warrant such punishment. That tiny bit of surprise could easily be chalked up to the harshness of his words. If she hadnât reacted at all, that wouldâve been suspicious in its own way. Whether Kaido picks up on that or not, who knowsâbut her answer seemed to satisfy him, because the next moment, he burst into laughter again.
ââŚWorororo!! Good enough!! Alright, drink with us tonight, Stussy!! Weâre celebrating the beginning of our deal!!â
ââŚYes, of course. Iâd be delighted.â
Kaido roared with joy, and Stussy accepted his invitation with a smileâbut I canât help thinking: rest in peace, lady. Dealing with Kaido is no easy task. And no one knows that better than me, whoâs been putting up with him for years. Not that I mindâif anything, I enjoy the chaos. But this is shaping up to be really interesting. If it turns out sheâs secretly working with someone Kaido hatesâand I mean really hatesâthen forget sour moods, he might go on a rampage big enough to wipe a whole island off the map.
âWhich means, Iâm in too.
âYeaaah!! In that case, letâs drink, drink, drink!! Time for a drinking contest!â
âOh my, Nue likes her liquor too?â
âOf course I do!! Câmon, Stussy~! Drink my booze!â
I poured her a full glass with a grin. Still, someone as elegant and refined as her really doesnât fit in at the center of a rowdy pirate crew like ours. âWell, in any case, Kaido and I⌠weâre not the type of people you can steer.
Let her figure that out the hard way.
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