It has been six months since the battle that shook the seas between Arthur and Admiral Sakazuki. Throughout those six months, the name Art Pirates continued to echo across the world. Not because they had attacked another World Government stronghold. Nor because they had challenged another Admiral. Rather... because they had completely disappeared.
Amid the snow-covered archipelago of the North Blue, the Athena sailed peacefully. There were no cannon blasts. No pursuers. Only the cold wind blowing through the ship's sails. At the stern, Arthoria, Astrea, and Lily ran around laughing as they chased Bepo, who was pretending to be a terrifying Sea Monster.
Bepo: "GRAAAHH!! The monster is coming!"
Arthoria: "Papa! Bepo is cheating!" Arthoria burst into laughter.
Lancelot: "Ahh! Bepo lost!" Bepo immediately pretended to collapse onto the deck.
The laughter of the three children quickly filled the entire ship. Arthur, sitting casually on the ship's railing, smiled faintly as he watched the scene unfold. Robin closed the book she had been reading.
Robin: "It feels like it's been a long time since this ship was this peaceful."
Arthur: "Sometimes... peace is also part of the journey." Arthur nodded quietly.
For the past six months, they had rarely been involved in any major battles. Most of their time had been spent exploring remote islands or traveling under light disguises. They gathered information, collected treasures, and searched for something far more valuable than gold.
A few days ago, They had finally found it. An ancient underground chamber hidden deep beneath the ruins of a forgotten kingdom. At the center of the room stood a dark crimson stone several meters tall. Robin slowly brushed her fingers across its surface. Her eyes widened instantly.
Robin: "...A Poneglyph."
Arthur: "What's written on it?" Arthur examined the stone as well.
Robin: "I haven't finished translating it yet. But... I hope it contains something about the Void Century or the beginning of the World Government." Robin slowly shook her head.
However, The Poneglyph wasn't their only discovery. Inside another tightly sealed chamber, they found a stone chest. The moment its lid was opened, everyone fell silent. Inside, Rested a Devil Fruit covered in silver-white spirals mixed with deep violet. It emitted an aura unlike any ordinary Devil Fruit. Law carefully picked it up.
Hancock: "It seems... this is the Devil Fruit Arthur has been searching for me."
Monet: "Even the encyclopedia I brought doesn't have any record of this fruit."
Hancock: "Then let's keep it for now. We'll wait until Arthur and Robin finish." Everyone nodded.
This wasn't the first rare Devil Fruit they had discovered. Arthur never rushed to assign one to anyone. To him, compatibility was far more important than raw power, and whoever received a second Devil Fruit had to already possess complete mastery over their first.
That afternoon, The Athena anchored in a quiet bay. Snow began falling gently once more as Arthur stood in the middle of the deck, looking at every member of his crew.
Arthur: "Six months. You've all grown stronger, But it still isn't enough. Our next enemies, Won't be just a single Admiral."
Silence immediately fell over the deck. Every member of the crew understood exactly what their captain meant. If the World Government truly decided to make its move, Their next opponent might be the one who had remained hidden behind the Empty Throne all this time.
Arthur crossed his arms.
Arthur: "Starting today...more training. This time... Don't hold back."
Wide smiles immediately appeared across several faces. Kuina slowly drew Dojigiri, the sword inherited from her mother. Law gripped Kikoku tightly. Monet spun her twin daggers. Sabo rested his staff across his shoulder. Koala rolled her shoulders. Sugar gently wiped the barrel of the new rifle Arthur had built for her. Baby-5 smiled excitedly. Even Hancock looked eager. Only Bepo seemed slightly pale and nervous.
Six months of peace... Had been more than enough. Arthur smiled as he looked at all of them. Above the deck of the Athena, the aura surrounding every member of the Art Pirates slowly began to change. No one realized... That those six peaceful months... Had forged a pirate crew far stronger than the one that had left the battlefield against Akainu.
Arthur: "Good. Show me the results of your training."
The next morning...
The Athena, now anchored beside an uninhabited island, overlooked a landscape completely blanketed in fresh snow from the previous day's storm. The island had no kingdom. No inhabitants. Only endless pine forests covered in thin layers of snow, towering rocky cliffs, and a vast open plain large enough to serve as a training ground. For the past six months... Islands like this had become the Art Pirates' preferred training grounds.
BOOOM!!
The first explosion shattered the silence. On one side of the island... Monet suddenly disappeared from both Kuina's and Law's sight. A split second later, she appeared directly behind Kuina. The twin daggers in her hands immediately slashed toward the female swordswoman's back.
CLANG!!
Kuina: "Still too slow." Kuina spun around in one swift motion. Dojigiri intercepted both daggers as she smiled faintly.
Monet: "Really? [Swap]." Monet smiled back,
Her body disappeared once again. However... The figure that appeared this time wasn't Monet. It was Law. Kikoku was already swinging toward Kuina from the side after narrowly missing Monet. Kuina showed no surprise whatsoever.
Law: "[Room]"
The transparent sphere surrounding the battlefield expanded far wider than before, thanks to the immense physical strength granted by his Mythical Zoan. Stones, snow, and even the surrounding trees immediately came under Law's control. Before Law could activate his next technique... His body suddenly exchanged places with Monet. Kuina's sword instantly shifted toward Monet's neck.
CLANG!
Monet leaned back just enough for the blade to slice nothing but air before jumping several meters backward. Her eyes shifted between Kuina and Law.
Monet: "Your teamwork has improved."
Law: "Six months isn't exactly a short training period." Law smiled faintly as white light enveloped his body. Moments later... He transformed into a majestic unicorn centaur.
Monet: "Mythical Zoan... Horse-Horse Fruit, Model: Unicorn. Show me everything you've got."
Law's speed increased dramatically. Meanwhile... Monet vanished once more through teleportation. Attacks came from two directions. Kuina and Law. Constant position swaps. Unpredictable coordination. Neither of them gave Monet a moment to breathe. Yet... Monet only smiled wider.
Monet: "Good. In that case... I won't hold back either." Her body immediately began transforming as she activated her Nine-Tailed Fox Hybrid Form.
WHOOSH!!
Monet disappeared again. The next instant... Dozens of slashes erupted across the battlefield.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Steel collided without pause. Law was forced to teleport repeatedly to avoid the relentless attacks. He continued using the Ope-Ope Fruit to disrupt the rhythm of the battle. Kuina pressed forward nonstop, and even whenever Monet created distance, flying sword slashes continued chasing after her. Despite fighting two opponents simultaneously... Monet continued matching both of them. Watching from afar, Arthur slowly nodded.
Arthur: "They're making good progress."
On the opposite side of the island... Another explosion echoed.
BABOOOM!!
Sabo burst through a cloud of snow. His body had transformed. Golden-brown fur covered him completely. A long tail swayed behind him. A black staff rested firmly in both hands. Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: The Monkey King.
Sabo: "Again!" He laughed loudly as the Spark-Spark Fruit amplified the destructive power flowing through his staff.
Koala: "[Soshark: Gorogawara Seiken]." High above... Koala spread her silver-white wings. Her Hippogriff claws descended from above.
Baby-5: "Pay attention to your teammate's intentions. And take full advantage of every opening they create."
Baby-5 charged straight ahead. Her blue-and-golden butterfly wings radiated a soft glow. Mythical Zoan... Butterfly-Butterfly Fruit, Model: Fairy Queen. Glittering fairy dust scattered through the air with every flap of her wings, further reducing visibility as it mixed with the dense mist created by her Mist-Mist Fruit. Koala dived from above and Sabo attacked from the front. One high and One low. Their coordination was nearly flawless, But Baby-5 didn't retreat. Instead... She accelerated.
DUAK!!
Her elbow slammed into Sabo's staff with enough force to crack the frozen ground beneath them. Almost simultaneously... Koala reached her from above. Baby-5 twisted her body. Her Armament Haki-coated kick collided directly against the Hippogriff's claws.
BOOM!!
The resulting shockwave scattered snow across the battlefield. Even while fighting two opponents alone... Baby-5 continued smiling.
Baby-5: "You're finally making me get serious."
Sabo: "That was only the warm-up." Sabo chuckled.
Koala: "Let's use that combination, Sabo." The three of them disappeared once more amid another flurry of violent clashes.
Not far away... Robin sat calmly beneath a snow-covered pine tree. Spread out before her were copies of the newly discovered Poneglyph. However... There wasn't only one Robin. Two. Five. Ten. A dozen Robins filled the surrounding area. Some held books while discussing different interpretations. Others wrote down translation notes. Several compared ancient symbols side by side. The original Robin smiled faintly.
Robin: "Multitasking really does make everything easier." She quietly sipped a cup of hot coffee.
At the same time... Sugar stood atop a rocky cliff several hundred meters away. She took a deep breath. A pair of Gryphon wings spread across her back. The long rifle in her hands looked nothing like the flintlocks commonly seen throughout the seas. An anti-materiel sniper rifle... Barrett M82. A weapon Arthur had personally built for Sugar.
Robin: "The wind changed." Robin didn't even look up.
Sugar: "I know."
Robin: "Then try hitting the flower bouquet I'm holding over there." Robin continued reading without looking away.
Sugar gently squeezed the trigger. A Haki-coated armor-piercing round shot through the air.
WHOOSH!!
The Robin holding the bouquet immediately reacted, leaping sideways while coating her body in Armament Haki to withstand the explosion caused by Sugar's shot. Their training was simple. Robin trained her ability to defend while simultaneously controlling multiple bodies. Sugar trained her accuracy under constantly changing conditions. Neither of them stopped... Even while Robin continued translating the Poneglyph.
Along the shoreline... White clouds circled around Hancock. The Cloud-Cloud Fruit formed dozens of floating platforms above the sea. Bepo leaped from one cloud to another while dodging incoming attacks. Hancock launched a spear of lightning from her hand.
Hancock: "When navigating at sea...Don't just watch sky. Watch the waves. Watch the wind. Feel the temperature. And watch the position of the sun."
Bepo: "Navigation is part of combat training too?" Bepo landed on one foot but nearly lost his balance, making him look even paler.
Hancock: "A great navigator doesn't just know where the ship should sail. They also need to be capable of winning the battle."
Bepo: "I understand!" Bepo answered with a weak smile.