Soon, everyone returned to the port to meet up.
"So, did anyone find anything?" Ryuen asked once they regrouped.
"It's a really run-down town. Barely any buildings are still standing. Looks like there was some kind of big war here," Hogg said first.
"Yeah, I found signs of fighting too," Kuina added coldly.
"This doesn't look like a fight between strong warriors. It seems more like a battle between armies. But I don't get it—no matter who won, why did everyone leave?" Robin said, still trying to figure things out based on what she saw.
"I... I found something. I picked up a diary," Reina said bravely, and then pulled out a notebook.
Everyone looked at her at once.
Ryuen took the diary from her hands and started flipping through it. Nami and Robin leaned in to read with him.
The diary looked pretty old—the pages had turned yellow, but the writing was still clear.
Ryuen carefully read through it, hoping to find some clues.
As he read further, his expression grew more and more serious. In the end, he closed the book and let out a deep sigh.
"This island is called Rainveil Island. This journal records what once happened in this town," Ryuen said slowly. "According to the journal, this place used to be very lively, but later got caught up in a fight between pirates and the Marines."
When they heard it was destroyed by a battle, everyone's expressions changed.
They all knew how destructive those fights could be. If this place really got caught up in a war between pirates and the Marines, then it made sense why it was now nothing but ruins.
"Does the journal say where the people went?" Daisy asked curiously.
"The people moved out on their own. Because the island is close to the Red Line, pirates coming up from Fishman Island would often pass by. At first, their arrival helped the local economy, but over time, the constant fighting between pirates and Marines caused more and more damage.
In the final battle, both sides brought a large number of people, and the whole town was destroyed. The people couldn't take it anymore, so they all left." Ryuen explained what was written in the journal.
Everyone fell silent.
They had been to many places and had seen this kind of thing before. In the end, it was always the regular people who suffered the most in wars between pirates and the Marines.
"So, what should we do now?" Nojiko asked.
Ryuen thought for a moment, then said, "Let's stay here for the night. Tomorrow we'll look around the rest of the island. But be careful—this place feels strange. There might still be hidden dangers."
Everyone nodded. They agreed to spend the night in the ruined town, staying alert for any threats around them.
While the Dream Exploration Crew was landing on this island...
On the other side of the New World entrance, near Punk Hazard, more than ten pirate crews were gathered.
They looked like they were waiting for something.
"What's going on? Why haven't they shown up yet?"
"Based on the info we got, they should be here by now..."
"Don't tell me something happened to them. They came up from the bottom of the sea, after all..."
"Don't forget, Nami is the best navigator in the world. There's no way anything happened to them!"
"Then why haven't they shown up..."
These pirate crews had actually come early to wait for the Dream Exploration Crew. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt
They admired and looked up to them. They wanted to join as soon as the crew entered the New World—but now, the Dream Exploration Crew still hadn't shown up.
Everyone was getting nervous. Even though they trusted Nami's sailing skills, the ocean was full of giant sea monsters, after all.
The captains of the pirate crews were all gathered on one ship, trying to figure out what to do.
They didn't believe anything bad had happened. They were diehard fans of the Dream Exploration Crew and had complete faith in them.
"So what now?" one captain asked.
"I think maybe the seniors found out we were waiting here, so they changed their route to avoid us," another captain said.
"No way! So we've just been waiting here for nothing?" someone asked.
"Not necessarily. Maybe they have other plans," another captain replied.
"Ahhh~ They're so cool. I love how they don't care about fame or attention!"
"Should we go look for them?" someone suggested.
"No, that's too risky. This area is close to the Red Line, which is Marine territory. If we run into a strong enemy or a sea monster, our ships could be wrecked," someone else argued.
"Then should we just keep waiting here?" a captain asked, clearly worried.
"No, let's head to another island and wait there. I'm sure now that they've reached the New World, they'll show up in the news soon. Once we see where they are, we can go find them!" another captain suggested.
"That's all we can do. Let's just hope they show up soon," someone said with a sigh.
"This really is the best choice right now. I agree too!"
"Since everyone agrees, let's get moving!"
After they finished talking, a dozen or so captains returned to their pirate ships. Not long after, those ships turned around and headed off in the same direction.
And after they left, several Marine warships showed up.
"Admiral Aokiji, you're disobeying orders right now... Are you really okay with this?" a Marine Rear Admiral asked with a worried look.
"Rear Admiral Kasso, if I remember right, didn't you also leave the Celestial Dragons' control and join Marine HQ because of the Dream Exploration Team?" Aokiji asked from his deck chair without even lifting his eye mask.
"Yes, Admiral Aokiji... but what does that have to do with this mission?" Kasso asked, confused.
But Aokiji didn't reply. In fact, a moment later, the sound of him snoring quietly could be heard.
For a moment, the Marines all looked at each other, unsure what to say...
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