The entrance to the New World.
The weather was clear, with white clouds rolling across the azure sky as the Freewill sailed slowly across the calm seas.
On the third floor, Allen stepped out of the captain's cabin with a cigar clamped between his teeth. He stood by the balcony railing, gazing out at the vast ocean as the oncoming sea breeze ruffled his black hair.
A week had passed since they left Fish-Man Island. Two days ago, they had arrived at one of the gateway islands to the New World, Lidderchid Island.
It was an unremarkable uninhabited island. Allen and his crew rested there for a day before continuing their journey.
According to their previously planned route, they were currently on their way to Punk Hazard and were expected to arrive in about four days.
Nothing major had happened during this time, allowing them to enjoy a rare, peaceful week.
Although everyone had initially entered the New World with great excitement, they ended up not seeing a single trace of pirates or Marines.
After a week, everyone's enthusiasm had mostly worn off, leaving them to pass the time by drinking and playing cards.
However, while nothing new had happened on their ship, the outside world had undergone earth-shattering changes in just this short week.
One of those changes involved the Warlords of the Sea.
Following the end of the Summit War, the deceased Teach and the missing Jinbe were both stripped of their Warlord titles.
Taking their places were Buggy the Clown, who had escaped from Impel Down with Luffy and recruited a massive number of prisoners, and the recently emerged Weevil, who claimed to be Whitebeard Jr.
To be honest, even though he had anticipated it, Allen couldn't help but feel a bit surprised when he saw Buggy's name.
That guy had barely shown his face during the Summit War, constantly hovering at the edges of the battlefield, and his strength was pitifully weak.
Just because he had reeled in a large number of Impel Down prisoners, he ended up being selected by the World Government.
Among the Warlords, Buggy was probably the most bizarre one in history.
As for Weevil, the last time Allen saw a report about him was right when they first entered the New World.
He had attacked Whitebeard's territory, caused a massive uproar, and even sunk two Marine warships sent to capture him.
Yet, in less than a week, when Allen saw the news about him again yesterday, the man had suddenly transformed into a Warlord of the Sea.
The World Government's speed seemed much faster than he had expected, likely because they were in a hurry to pave the way for the Marines' plan to enter the New World.
Aside from the changes to the Warlords, quite a few other things had happened around the world.
The final outcome of the Summit War had already spread across the seas. Teach's death and the God Valley Incident from years ago had also caused quite a stir under the combined hype of the World Government and the World Economy News Paper.
The chaos caused by Whitebeard's death was much greater than he had imagined.
The remnants of the Blackbeard Pirates and the major prisoners brought out of Impel Down were also causing trouble everywhere...
While lost in thought, Allen walked around the ship's superstructure and arrived at the rear deck.
Nami was sitting on a lounge chair reading the newspaper. Wearing a fresh green camisole and light yellow shorts, she gave off the vibe of a cute girl next door.
Unfortunately, that was just an illusion before one got beaten up.
"How is it today? Did anything major happen?"
Allen placed a hand on Nami's head before walking over to a nearby chair and sitting down.
Nami shrank her neck back, quickly shook her head to smooth out her hair, then split the newspaper into two sections and handed one to Allen.
"I haven't finished reading yet, but you can look at this part first. The recent news is getting more and more ridiculous. Even a guy like Buggy managed to become a Warlord of the Sea."
"Oh, speaking of major events, the report says that Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku has submitted his resignation and recommended Admiral Aokiji to be the new Fleet Admiral."
"However, the higher-ups in the World Government favor Akainu. Rumor has it that the two are preparing to settle the matter with a duel. The Marines are probably arguing endlessly internally by now."
As Nami spoke, she couldn't help but recall their previous encounter with Aokiji.
They were nearly wiped out by him back then; thankfully, they managed to escape with their lives.
"They've already reached the stage of selecting a new Fleet Admiral? That was fast."
Allen furrowed his brow slightly. For the sake of the Artificial Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon Fruit left behind by Vegapunk, they had plotted a course for Punk Hazard the moment they entered the New World.
If Akainu and Aokiji went there to duel for ten days and ten nights, wouldn't they run right into them in a few days?
Tsk, what a pain.
The closer one got to obtaining something they desperately wanted, the more likely unexpected accidents were to occur.
In psychology, this was known as...
He didn't know the exact term, but that was roughly how Allen felt right now.
'I hope nothing goes wrong when the time comes. Even if we do happen to run into them, infiltrating the laboratory shouldn't be too difficult with my abilities,' Allen thought to himself as he leaned back and unfolded the newspaper, ready to read.
Just then.
"Boss! Someone's looking for you on the Transponder Snail! It's Doflamingo!"
Buchi's voice suddenly rang out from inside the ship's cabin. Allen turned his head in confusion, only to see Buchi running out with a Transponder Snail and tossing it down to him from the upper floor.
Clack!
Allen caught the Transponder Snail, picked up the receiver, and spoke.
"It's me. What is it?"
"Fuffuffuffu... I have some good news for you. Regarding the item you commissioned me to find earlier, the whereabouts of the Dark-Dark Fruit have been discovered."
On the other end of the Transponder Snail, Doflamingo got straight to the point.
"That fast?"
Hearing this, Allen was immediately overjoyed. Suppressing his inner excitement, his gaze sharpened as he lowered his voice.
"Where is it? Is the information reliable?"
"Well, I don't know if it's reliable or not. However, even if I didn't tell you, you would find out in a couple of days anyway. After all, the organizers will definitely invite you too."
The Transponder Snail continued to speak. Under Allen's frowning, confused gaze, Doflamingo chuckled softly.
"Have you ever heard of the Pirate Expo?"
"The Pirate Expo?"
Nami, who had been paying attention to their conversation, suddenly spoke up, asking with great interest.
"Is that the pirate festival held once every few years?"
"Fuffuffuffu... That's right. It's a pirate festival planned by the 'Master of Festivities' Festa, funded by the Loan Shark King Du Feld, and co-hosted by various underground factions."
"The Donquixote Family, possessing both the status of a Warlord of the Sea and an underground syndicate, will naturally participate as well. We manage to reap immense profits and influence from it every single time."
The Transponder Snail, sporting red sunglasses, curled its lips into a smirk, mimicking Doflamingo's teasing smile.
"Of course, none of that matters to you. What matters is the grand prize of this Pirate Expo. According to insider information, it just so happens to be the exact thing you're looking for—the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit!"
"I understand. What's the time and location?"
Allen pressed for details.
"This year's Pirate Expo will be held in a week at [Water Park Vini Island]. Within the next couple of days, one of the organizers, the Shipping Magnate, should be sending you an invitation letter and an Eternal Pose."
Doflamingo explained the time, location, and how to get there, before finally chuckling.
"I'll see you then. Fuffuffuffu."
"See you then."
Click.
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up as he put down the receiver and hung up the Transponder Snail.
If it was being held next week, their trip to Punk Hazard would be delayed. However, in comparison, the Dark-Dark Fruit was clearly much more appealing to him.
The matter of the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit would just have to be put on hold. After all, once he had the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he could simply steal whatever abilities he wanted.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a genuine Azure Dragon Fruit for Sanji and Gin in the future.
Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit, the powerful Logia fruits of the Three Admirals...