A few days later, at the hidden port.
The Raikougo, idle for a long time, set sail once more.
The little secretary, Speed, reported, "Lord Kaen, the route has been determined. We will head to North Blue at the fastest possible Speed!"
Kaen nodded slightly.
He wasn't too worried about the time spent on the journey.
Being able to cross the Calm Belt, they only needed to head north, cross the Calm Belt, and they would arrive at North Blue.
Compared to ordinary ships that needed to detour around the Red Line, they were immeasurably faster.
"Depart! Depart!"
Yamato stood at the bow, shouting loudly into the sea breeze.
Because Wano Country was close to the Calm Belt, the Raikougo reached the edge of the Calm Belt in just a few days.
"So boring~"
Yamato, like a wilted puppy, lay limply on the ship's rail, complaining weakly.
Sea voyages were tedious and uneventful.
At first, Yamato, who had barely left Wano Country, was incredibly excited every day, thrilled for half a day by even a single fish leaping out of the water.
But once she became familiar with everything on the open sea, Yamato devolved from an energetic, cheerful puppy into her current 'salted fish' state.
Kozuki Hiyori, who was even younger than her, though she hadn't left Wano Country much either, had grown up on Whitebeard's ship since she was little, and thus appeared much more composed.
"One thousand four hundred ninety-eight, one thousand four hundred ninety-nine..."
Kozuki Hiyori held an ordinary good sharp sword, performing her daily, unyielding sword-swinging practice.
"One thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, two thousand!"
"Phew~"
Kozuki Hiyori sheathed her sword, letting out a long, condensed breath of white air.
Kaen, who had been quietly watching this scene, suddenly spoke, "How are you mastering Enma?"
Yes, after obtaining Enma that day, Kaen had returned it to Hiyori.
After all, he didn't need a weapon himself.
Kozuki Hiyori took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her face, a little disappointed, "It still loses control occasionally; maybe I need to wait for the right moment."
Kaen nodded understandingly; he hadn't eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run.
Demonic swords like Enma were like an M, just waiting for a powerful S to conquer them.
However, Hiyori not having a sword to use all this time wasn't ideal.
Fortunately, he happened to know the whereabouts of one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, which he could retrieve for Hiyori to use.
Anyway, Hiyori practiced Oden Two-Sword Style, so both swords would be useful then.
Just then, Speed walked over to report, "Lord Kaen, we'll officially enter the Calm Belt in about half an hour."
Upon hearing this, Yamato instantly revived, looking up and gazing into the distance.
"Calm Belt? Where is it, where is it?"
"Idiot!"
Kaen helplessly rubbed his forehead, "The Calm Belt isn't a special sight; it's just a place without wind."
As the two spoke, the omnipresent sea breeze quickly diminished until it completely vanished.
Most surprisingly, the never-ending waves also calmed down, and the sea surface became smooth as a mirror, with only the ripples left by the Raikougo cutting through the water slowly spreading out.
The clouds in the sky remained motionless, as if their positions were eternally fixed.
The Calm Belt had arrived.
"How amazing." Violet used her ability to observe the surrounding sea, exclaiming, "There really is no wind and no waves."
"Yes, this is the Calm Belt, the nightmare of traditional sailing ships."
Kaen nodded.
For ships to pass through here, they could only rely on human power or steam propulsion.
But that wasn't the most dangerous part.
Without Sea Stone inlay technology, the Sea Kings hidden below were the greatest source of danger to ships.
Splash—
A giant dark shadow silently rose from the seabed, suddenly tearing through the surface and sending a towering column of water skyward!
A hundred-meter-long Sea King with a lion's head and a fish's body appeared before everyone, opening its massive maw and lunging at the Raikougo without hesitation.
It vowed to sink the large ship before it and feast.
"A Sea King has appeared!"
Violet immediately warned, her tone surprised but without the slightest panic.
Compared to the giant Sea King before her, her companions were more deserving of the word 'monster.'
"Let me!"
Yamato snatched the task first, not waiting for Kaen to speak.
Having been idle for several days, she could finally stretch her muscles.
Yamato leaped from the deck, rushing towards the Sea King, her smooth kanabo instantly enveloped in a layer of freezing air.
"Extreme Ice Eight Trigrams!"
The tiny kanabo, carrying a howling cold wind, smashed heavily into the Sea King's massive head.
A hint of human-like disdain flashed in the Sea King's eyes as it met the attack head-on, without dodging.
Bang!
The kanabo struck the Sea King, and a surge of freezing air rushed down, instantly freezing it into an ice sculpture.
Even the sea below solidified into a thick layer of ice!
"What the! It can't even take a hit!"
Yamato landed lightly back on the deck, looking displeased.
Deep beneath the sea, looking at their companion who had died so easily above, the Sea Kings who had been preparing to join in and get a share looked at each other.
"Let's run away!"
"Okay, okay!"
Having reached a consensus, the Sea Kings turned around in unison, fleeing frantically to the deeper seabed.
On the surface.
That ice-sculpted Sea King successfully became food for Kaen and the others.
Kaen picked up a slice of sashimi with chopsticks, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth: "Mmm, delicious. Not only is it rich in fat, but it also has a wild flavor. After being frozen, the texture is even better."
That Sea King could be said to have died for a good cause.
As he enjoyed the delicacy, a sea breeze—something impossible in the Calm Belt—blew the sails of the Raikougo, carrying it towards North Blue.
As the God of Sky, how could Kaen be constrained by a mere Calm Belt?
If there was no wind, couldn't he just create some?
During the rest of the journey, perhaps due to word-of-mouth among the Sea Kings, Kaen encountered no other obstacles along the way and passed through the Calm Belt smoothly.
North Blue arrived.
Next, it was time to head to the Germa Kingdom.
But finding them wasn't easy.
The Germa Kingdom was the world's only nation without a fixed territory, a maritime country that usually operated as dozens of separate ships, only becoming a kingdom when they merged.
Fortunately, the Beasts' long-standing network of contacts wasn't for nothing.
Before coming to the New World, Doflamingo, who had long frequented North Blue, knew the whereabouts of the Germa Kingdom.
Originally, the fastest way should have been to ask Queen for contact information, but Kaen was met with his flat refusal.
"No way! And you brat, convincing Kaido to recruit that scoundrel Judge, I haven't even settled the score with you yet!"
Queen said so, then angrily hung up the phone.
After a week of sailing, with the help of Violet's ability, Kaen and his group successfully caught sight of the Germa Kingdom.
That day, Violet suddenly shouted excitedly, "I see it! About 200 kilometers north, there's the snail ship you mentioned, Kaen!"
Kaen rose from his lounge chair, a smile playing on his lips.
Finally found them.
Now, it was time to Speed up the Raikougo.
A strong gale suddenly formed from south to north, propelling the Raikougo at an astonishing Speed towards the Germa Kingdom.
Before long, a cluster of castles appeared in everyone's sight.
Beneath the castles were numerous large ships.