“Zehahaha!
I never expected the famous Ghost Sword Lucas to know who I am!”
Teach stood at the bow of a small boat, laughing heartily as he approached.
“Blackbeard, huh?
Is that my nickname?
I like it!”
Lucas’s expression turned cold.
Teach was an out-and-out villain, and honestly, Lucas would rather not have anything to do with him.
However, there were certain things he needed Teach’s help to accomplish.
After all, once the currents of fate pushed Teach into the Whitebeard Pirates, he should still eventually obtain the Yami Yami no Mi.
With the power of the Yami Yami no Mi, Teach would be able to deprive others of their Devil Fruit powers.
That was one of Lucas’s objectives.
It was precisely because of this that he had told Nami that he would obtain any ability she wanted for her.
“A pirate who destroyed a Marine branch, a vicious major pirate with a bounty of 130 million Berries…”
“How could I possibly not know you?”
Lucas stood up and replied with a faint smile.
“Zehahaha!
How about having a drink?”
Teach appeared extremely excited.
This was his first time encountering a newcomer from the same generation who possessed such formidable strength, and the thought of recruiting Lucas had already crossed his mind.
At this point, Teach’s crew wasn’t called the Blackbeard Pirates yet.
They were still known as the Blackbeard Pirates’ predecessor, the Dark Pirates, and had even fewer members than Lucas’s Holy Sword Pirates.
There were only two of them.
Of course, the strength of those two was already formidable enough that they were not inferior to Fire Fist Ace, who was also making a name for himself across the seas with a bounty of 140 million Berries.
The group went ashore.
Lucas secretly exchanged a glance with Nami and Robin, immediately making both women more vigilant.
The two sides came together.
Teach handed Lucas a drink, and without any hesitation, Lucas took a large gulp.
“Cough!
Cough!”
After swallowing the alcohol, Lucas coughed several times.
His face reddened slightly, but he laughed.
“This stuff is strong.
I like it!”
“Zehahaha!
I like your personality even more!”
Teach laughed loudly, took a swig himself, and finally revealed his purpose.
“Lucas, come aboard my ship.
How about becoming my second-in-command?”
Lucas smiled faintly.
“What makes you think I’d agree to become your second-in-command if I offered you the same position on my ship?”
“Zehahaha!
Good!
Good!”
Teach laughed heartily and repeated the word twice.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of disappointment on his face.
He knew that someone like Lucas would be almost impossible to recruit.
They would all become figures standing upon the stage of the new era!
“It’s been seventeen years since Roger’s death.”
“Shiki escaped from Impel Down and lost both of his legs.”
“I hear Whitebeard’s stamina has declined severely, and he spends his days receiving IV treatment to maintain his health.”
“Red-Haired Shanks lost an arm in the East Blue.”
“And yet the Marines continue growing stronger.”
“The New Era…”
“The curtain has already risen.”
After letting out a sigh, Lucas slowly spoke words that shocked everyone present.
If someone like Whitebeard or Red-Haired Shanks—one of the true giants of the sea—had said these words, they undoubtedly would have sent shock waves throughout the entire world.
At that moment, every passerby nearby was stunned.
Pirates and civilians alike.
The news spread rapidly, soon sweeping across the entire sea.
“Zehahaha!
I hope we meet again on the stage of the New Era!”
After recovering from his surprise, Teach threw his head back and laughed loudly, as though releasing the ambition burning within him.
His words carried the same overwhelming confidence.
Lucas gave him a deep look before turning away.
Only after he had walked a considerable distance away with Robin and Nami did the surrounding onlookers finally recover from their shock.
…
“This Lucas kid certainly has quite the ambition.”
Whitebeard laughed heartily after hearing the news.
He showed no anger whatsoever at Lucas’s comment about his declining stamina.
The Red-Haired Emperor, Shanks, held a newspaper in his hands, his expression somewhat solemn.
“Another remarkable character has appeared.”
“He’ll definitely be someone who stirs up the seas.
I wonder, Luffy…”
“When will you set out to sea?”
The next moment, Shanks shook his head and burst out laughing.
“Enough of that.
Let’s drink!
Why worry about so many things?”
Beside him, Mihawk’s hawk-like eyes flashed with a sharp glint.
“Lucas?”
“A powerful swordsman who can unleash strength approaching that of a Great Swordsman despite being only a Sword Master…”
“Interesting.”
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood by the window with a solemn expression, gazing into the sky.
“That man’s eyes…”
“They’ve seen through everything.”
“It seems I still underestimated him.”
“In the future, his threat level may rival even Roger’s.”
“Pass down the order.”
“All Admirals, Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, and other Marine officers are to undergo rotational deployment.”
“And begin worldwide Marine recruitment!”
The entire world had been stirred into a frenzy by a single statement from Lucas.
Yet the man who had caused all of it was completely unaware of the commotion.
He was currently traveling with his two beautiful companions, carefully measuring and recording everything about the surrounding sea.
Rather than searching for the man from the original story who knew about the updraft, Lucas had chosen to work together with Nami and make their own measurements.
Based on the approximate range they had calculated, it took less than three days for Lucas to determine the location where the updraft would appear.
Standing at the bow of the ship, he stared at the enormous whirlpool ahead.
A hint of nervousness appeared in his eyes.
Is it about to begin?
Robin seemed to notice his expression.
She walked over to his side and smiled softly.
“Hehehe.
My great captain, you get nervous too?”
Tch.
Why did that sound so intimate?
Lucas glanced at Robin.
Because they were about to enter the updraft, Robin was wearing only a camisole on her upper body.
The sight of her fair skin nearly blinded Lucas.
He reached out and quickly stroked her cheek, catching a faint, fragrant scent.
“Does that mean you’re saying you’re my woman?”
Lucas looked at her with a mischievous grin.
“Hehehe.
Are you trying to win me over?”
Robin giggled.
“Don’t think you can get me with just a few Poneglyphs.”
A fragrant breeze swept past.
Her figure suddenly transformed into countless flower petals and disappeared before Lucas’s eyes.
A clone!
Looks like his training had paid off.
That Nico Robin, who spent her days doing nothing but reading books, had undergone three months of intense training.
Her strength was definitely no weaker than the Robin who reunited with the Straw Hats after the two-year timeskip in the original story.
In certain aspects, she might even surpass that version of Robin.
As for Nami, although Lucas pampered and doted on her endlessly, he had still forced her to train her body.
That way, once she obtained a Devil Fruit, she would be able to rapidly develop its abilities and unleash its full potential.
Lucas curled his lips and looked ahead.
The enormous whirlpool gradually came to a stop.
His expression immediately became serious.
“Quick.
It’s coming!”
“Hai!”
Nami responded, her expression solemn as she watched the sea ahead begin to bubble.
She quickly maneuvered the ship closer.
Although Lucas had already explained roughly what the updraft would be like and they had discussed how they would navigate through it, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat nervous now that the moment had arrived.
Lucas walked over and took her little hand.
He gave her a calm smile.
Nami instantly felt reassured.
Sky Island…
What a miracle.
I wonder what kind of shock it will bring me.
Unfortunately, although the original story had mentioned that there were other routes to reach Sky Island, it had never explained them in detail.
They had no choice but to take this dangerous route.
Just as Lucas was thinking about this, the updraft beneath them suddenly erupted with tremendous force!
BOOOOOOM!
A gigantic white column of seawater shot toward the heavens.
And the Holy Sword was instantly carried upward by the roaring current!
Straight into the sky!