Shampoo Land Archipelago (2)

Sabaody Archipelago lies ahead of the red continent at the heart of the Great Route and is also known as Soap Island. By its very name, it is formed of the world’s largest mangrove tree, the Alchemilla Tree.

Its greatest feature lies in the special natural resin secreted by the tree’s roots through respiration. The resin expands in the air, forming bubbles that drift skyward. Because these bubbles are suited only to the Alchemilla Tree’s climate, any that drift beyond Sabaody’s domain will detonate as the resin can no longer exert its full power.

Bubble cars, bubble Ferris wheels, and houses built atop living bubbles… bubble culture permeates every corner of Soap Island! It is, one might say, a strange island indeed.

Most crucially, it stands at the very crossroads of the New World, drawing pirates, merchants, and bounty hunters from every corner. The most terrifying aspect of all is the presence of the world nobles—also called Celestials. Descendants of the twenty kings who forged the World Government eight hundred years earlier, they live above the law, wielding power with impunity.

To avoid breathing the same air as ordinary folk, they wear masks at all times. Should any soul dare harm a Celestial, an Admiral of the Navy Headquarters will lead an entire fleet to punish the offender.

In this world, Celestials are gods themselves—especially here in Sabaody, where they may enslave other races at whim and follow their every mood. Ordinary people without status or strength fare worse than pigs, crushed beneath the boots of both men and gods, trapped in a living hell from which escape seems impossible.

Evil, perversion, despair, and the corruption of human nature are as common as the air they breathe.

“Quick… supply the materials. We must reach Marineford at once!”

In the Sabaody sector, 60 to 69, a line of massive warships rested at anchor. Naked-eye observers saw countless Navy soldiers unloading supplies with grim, resolute expressions.

“Damn the Lion—why would he strike at Marineford so suddenly?” Ghost Spider, cigarette dangling from his lips, cursed loudly in front of the flagship.

“Now is not the time for idle talk. How long until we sail?” A stunning figure beside him parted lips as delicate as any painted on porcelain, voice tight with worry.

“Peach Rabbit, stay calm. Marineford holds Sengoku Admiral, Karp Vice Admiral, and the rest. Crane Admiral will come to no harm.” Ghost Spider flicked ash from his cigarette with absolute certainty.

“I am not worried about my sister…” Her exquisite face betrayed deep anxiety, Peach Rabbit’s heart suspended in her throat.

“You’re not afraid the bastard is involved, are you!” Ghost Spider blinked, then his expression darkened. “Everyone dies, but that man will never fall!”

“The opponent is the Lion, and he’s taken his sister. I can’t imagine what would happen if Ye were in Marineford… that…”

Violet hair drifting in the wind, Peach Rabbit lifted a slender, luminous finger to tuck a strand behind her ear, worry etching every line of her face.

“I say, you wouldn’t have fallen for that fellow, would you?” Ghost Spider’s face twisted into something sly, eyes gleaming with unmistakable curiosity.

“I…” Her pretty cheeks flushed scarlet; Peach Rabbit lowered her head, unable to meet the knowing gaze of her companion.

“Bastard, our generation’s military flower has been snatched away by that man! I can’t fathom what he’s supposed to be good for—training, training, nothing but training, ice-cold as stone. How could you possibly like him? My God!”

Ghost Spider covered his face, genuinely aggrieved, railing at the heavens.

“How can that be? Ye isn’t nearly as terrible as you describe. In fact, he’s quite gentle.” Peach Rabbit met his eyes squarely, directly refuting the insult.

“Flowers planted in cow dung.” Ghost Spider’s face darkened as he roared at the sea, sending the loading sailors into a stunned flinch.

“I’m telling the truth—he really is gentle.” Peach Rabbit grew urgent, eager to explain. “In truth, he suffers terribly every single day…”

Heart aching, she recalled the tear-streaked face from that night and unconsciously let tenderness fill her gaze.

“Forget it. The man is abominable, yes, but his heart is not entirely black.” Ghost Spider rubbed his temples. “Though I’ve been tricked by Ye more times than I can count, I still have to admit I admire the madman.”

Without warning, the entire sky detonated in a storm of air pressure. Countless gusts erupted. In the space of a heartbeat, a gale like a hammer crashed down.

The warship shuddered and began to sink beneath the roar of the wind.

“BOOM!” A cataclysmic explosion split the horizon. A streak of light fell from the sky; thick smoke boiled; a colossal red tree snapped in two, flames licking upward everywhere.

“Lion…”

The voice was familiar, now burning with absolute fury and ice-cold fury. A column of fire danced into existence.

“It’s Ye’s voice.” Peach Rabbit’s spirit jolted; her gaze shot toward regions 1 to 29, where a pillar of flame and roiling smoke already rose.

“It sounds like… could that madman be chasing the Lion?” Ghost Spider’s face drained of color. “Peach Rabbit—should we go look?”

He turned—and the spot beside him was empty. Where had Peach Rabbit vanished?

“Wait for me!” Ghost Spider shouted, charging toward the firelight with all haste.

In region 1 to 29 of Sabaody Archipelago, the landscape was ruined. Smoke and flames licked at every broken street.

“What the hell? My merchandise!”

“That bastard destroyed my goods!”

“Seize them—I’ll turn them into slaves!”

“……”

Curses and cries of shock filled the air. The district had descended into total chaos; it was a slave market and worse, the darkest corner of Sabaody where fish and serpents mingled.

The colossal red tree marked 5 now lay shattered. At its front, a disheveled figure stood amid choking dust, eyes blazing with fury.

“BOOM!” The ground split; endless clouds of ash rose and fell. Then another silhouette stepped through the haze.

“Puff… puff…” Terrifying flames roared; the dust cleared. Ye emerged, face twisted in savage fury.

“You’ve truly made me angry, boy.” Jinbei’s eyes burned crimson, white mist drifting across his chest; blocking Ye’s strike had clearly cost him.

“I only want to know where that girl is now.” Ye’s face was deathly pale, aura crackling like lightning.

“Bastards, these two wrecked my things—grab them both and I’ll rip their limbs off!”

Figures began to appear from every direction: pirates, merchants, all manner of dangerous men. They regarded Jinbei and Ye the way hunters view prey, eyes murderous.

“Get lost.” Ye turned, face blanketed in frost, golden-red eyes utterly devoid of feeling.

“Some trash, ruining my mood.” Jinbei’s gaze was just as cold, the surrounding stares too lethal to tolerate.

“Infinite Arrows.”

Flames surged; the sky turned blood-gold. Countless blades, spears, and swords rained down without mercy.

“You’re as ruthless as they say, boy. Lion Wanqi.” Jinbei sneered, swords flashing; sword qi fell like a second rain.

“So hot… so hot…”

“What… what is that…”

“Run! Run fast!”

“I know that man—he’s Navy Vice Admiral Tenbird…”

“The other… the other is the Lion…”

“Ah!” Screams tore the air. Countless bodies were skewered by golden-red blades and nailed to the ground like kebabs.

“Help!” A single scream cut short as limbs were torn away, blood spraying across the pavement.

The stench of blood and iron filled the air. Rivers ran red. Within ten thousand meters, the ground was a slaughterhouse; mangled corpses lay everywhere.

These two were demons.

These two were demons.