The Grand Line has seven standard routes.
Starting from the Twin Cape at the entrance, regardless of which route one takes, reaching the Sabaody Archipelago typically requires passing through approximately seven islands.
In terms of location, Little Garden is the second island after entering the Grand Line, while the distance between the Florian Triangle and the Sabaody Archipelago is roughly a week's voyage.
Therefore, considering factors such as log pose recording and supply replenishment, traveling from the Florian Triangle to Little Garden generally takes at least two months.
However, Maude possessed a permanent log pose for Little Garden, eliminating the need for stops to record magnetic fields along the way. Additionally, the Sleeping Forest White Steed was well-stocked with supplies.
As a result, it took Maude and his crew just under half a month to reach the waters near Little Garden.
"This part of the sea is way too... 'clean,'" murmured Nokk, the navigator of the Beautiful Pirates, as he carefully brushed his long, delicate eyelashes.
"Clean? Isn't the sea always like this?" a crewmate beside him asked, puzzled.
"That's not what I mean by 'clean.'" Nokk shook his head.
Since entering this area, they hadn't encountered even the smallest islets along their route.
It was an unusual phenomenon.
But it wasn't enough to overly concern Nokk. As a navigator, his primary focus was always on ocean currents, weather conditions, and wind direction.
Guided precisely by the eternal log pose, the Sleeping Forest White Steed maintained its course, heading straight for Little Garden.
On the deck, the rest of the Beautiful Pirates, who had no involvement in navigating, started discussing the Giant Warrior Pirates as they neared their destination.
They had originally known nothing about them.
But recent newspapers, which had turned the Giant Warrior Pirates into a trending topic, had given them a basic understanding.
According to the reports, the Giant Warrior Pirates were a brutal and aggressive crew from over a hundred years ago. They rampaged across the seas, their battle lust monstrous, attacking any living beings they encountered without reason.
Whether these claims were true or not was uncertain.
But at the very least, one thing was clear to the crew:
The former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates—Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy—were legendary monsters of terrifying strength!
"So... are we really going to face monsters like that?"
"If you have a problem with it, why don't you go talk to Maude-sama yourself?"
"Screw that!"
"Ugh, when can we finally go to Fish-Man Island? I just want to see a mermaid!"
The Beautiful Pirates were visibly dejected.
First, they had spent three monotonous months doing nothing aboard the forsaken Thriller Bark. Now, they were heading to Little Garden, where two legendary monsters awaited.
What a miserable experience.
Thankfully, once this was over, they'd be free.
When that time came, they would make sure to remind Captain Cavendish—if he ever saw Maude again, he should stay as far away as possible!
As that thought crossed their minds, the Beautiful Pirates turned to look at Cavendish.
To their dismay, Cavendish was practically glowing with battle fervor, his head tilted slightly upward, his excitement unmistakable.
It was clear—he was itching to test himself against the giant warriors.
"Wouldn't it be smarter to stay away from monsters?!"
"This isn't the Cavendish we know!"
Tears streamed down their faces.
Cavendish, however, paid no attention to his crew's despair.
His mind was solely focused on testing the results of his three months of training.
Moreover, he had convinced himself that Maude had come to Little Garden solely to claim the bounties of the two giants.
With that in mind, he planned to take care of the giants himself, ensuring Maude could claim the rewards effortlessly. It was his way of repaying a small debt of gratitude.
"Showing gratitude is just one of my many dazzling qualities."
Cavendish muttered to himself, admiring his own perfection.
At that moment, a radiant glow seemed to sparkle around him like a special effect.
From a distance, Maude shot him a strange look.
If Maude knew what Cavendish was thinking, he probably would've thrown him overboard immediately.
Stealing his kill? Not happening.
A few hours later.
The silhouette of an island emerged on the horizon.
"Finally, we're here."
Maude gazed calmly at the island ahead.
Beside him, Gaya and Philo both looked eager—Gaya, because he wanted to explore the edibility of dinosaurs, and Philo, because she was interested in researching ancient plants.
Cavendish, unsurprisingly, was even more extreme, fully prepared for battle, his fighting spirit blazing.
By contrast, the Beautiful Pirates were gripped by pure anxiety.
Even though they hadn't yet seen the entirety of Little Garden, they could already sense the looming danger.
Little Garden had two rivers leading directly into its interior—one to the east, the other to the west.
The Sleeping Forest White Steed was approaching the entrance of the eastern river.
"Captain Cavendish! There's a pirate ship spotted to the southwest!"
As the Sleeping Forest White Steed neared the eastern river, the lookout called out.
The Beautiful Pirates turned to Cavendish, awaiting his orders.
"Ignore it. Maintain speed and enter the river."
Cavendish glanced briefly at the pirate ship also heading for the eastern river and dismissed it.
In a location just one island away from the Grand Line's starting point, he doubted there were any fighters worth his attention.
Following his command, the Beautiful Pirates disregarded the other vessel.
However—
The other pirate ship did not return the favor.
"That's the Beautiful Pirates' flag."
The pirates aboard the other vessel focused intently on the Sleeping Forest White Steed in the distance.
"Wait, weren't the Beautiful Pirates wiped out by Warlord Maude? How are they here?"
"Maybe someone's impersonating them?"
"Possible."
They reached a tentative conclusion.
Impersonating the names of well-known pirate crews was a common tactic at sea. Some particularly devious pirates even carried multiple famous flags on their ship, switching them out to intimidate enemies and avoid unwanted battles.
Then, once they neared an island, they'd swap back to their original flag.
It was an easy trick with major benefits, so plenty of pirates—those who had no respect for the meaning of a flag—were more than happy to use it.
"Captain Biss, that ship pretending to be the Beautiful Pirates is also heading for this river. At our current speed, if they don't slow down, we'll collide."
"Then we'll wipe them out."
Captain Biss, a pirate with a curled mustache under his captain's hat, gave the order without hesitation.
"Aye, Captain!"
The crew sprang into action, aiming their cannons at the Sleeping Forest White Steed.
"BOOM!"
The moment the Sleeping Forest White Steed entered range, twelve cannons fired simultaneously.
The thunderous explosion echoed across the shoreline of Little Garden, drawing the attention of a group of individuals stationed there.
"Looks like two more unlucky souls have arrived."
They watched in silence.
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