Chapter 67 The strongest power in the East Blue

"Yes, sir."

The captain was utterly shocked.

A full-scale military mobilization—something that hadn't happened in years!

The last time was when the former Pirate King, Roger, was still alive! And now, it was happening again. Whether it was the Krieg Pirates, who claimed dominance over the East Blue, or Arlong from the Arlong Pirates, who reigned supreme, none of them ever forced such a response from Vice Admiral Nelson. In Nelson's eyes, they were nothing more than paper tigers.

But now, to deploy the entire Navy for the Straw Hat Pirates meant the whole East Blue was about to explode!

This was the strongest force in the East Blue!

"You failed to complete the mission."

After the captain left, only Eric and Nelson remained in the room.

Nelson's eyes gleamed with cold light as he stared at Eric.

"Though I didn't complete the mission, I did encounter the thousand-year dragon," Eric replied calmly, showing no fear in front of Nelson.

"What?!"

Nelson's breathing quickened, his eyes filled with wild excitement.

"Is it true? A living thousand-year dragon?"

"Of course. Though it looks like it's on the brink of death, it doesn't matter. As long as we obtain its dragon bones, we'll achieve immortality," Eric confirmed, his eyes flickering with greed at the mention of immortality. Who wouldn't want to live forever?

"Good. Let's go," Nelson said, wasting no time. He couldn't wait another second.

Forget the Straw Hats, forget Eric—if anyone dared to stand between him and eternal life, they would be as good as dead!

…

"Is this really where the thousand-year dragon is? It doesn't look like it," Nami said skeptically as the crew explored the island. They had stumbled upon some ruins after arriving, and when they accidentally fell into an underground palace, they found nothing in the murals or carvings to suggest any connection to the thousand-year dragon.

"Well… Grandpa Dragon is probably getting old and doesn't remember clearly," Abis said awkwardly, glancing at the elder dragon.

"Doesn't remember? Getting old? So, we're just wandering around aimlessly?"

Everyone turned to glare at Abis, their eyes full of suspicion.

"I… I…"

Abis felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, her face full of guilt.

"It's possible we're not on Dragon Island, but this place could still be connected. Look at this mural—doesn't it look like Warship Island?" Moonlight pointed to a faded carving on the wall. Though time had worn it down, if you looked closely, it bore a striking resemblance to Warship Island.

"Hey, you're right! That's Warship Island!"

Everyone gathered around to examine the mural and gasped in surprise.

"Why would there be a picture of Warship Island here?" Zoro asked, puzzled.

"Could it really be connected to Dragon Island?" Sanji grew excited at the thought. If he could get his hands on some dragon meat and cook it, he'd become a legendary dragon chef!

"Maybe this island is a marker that points the way to Dragon Island!" Usopp was thrilled. This was the stuff of legends—true adventure, and it was setting his blood on fire!

"Why does it look like meat to me?" Luffy said, rubbing his belly as he stared at the mural.

"… Are you serious?"

Everyone was speechless. How could he see meat in a mural of an island? Was food the only thing on his mind?

"What do you think, Moonlight?" Nami asked, turning to him. Out of everyone, Moonlight seemed the most reliable.

"I'm not sure. A single blurry mural doesn't prove much. But it's possible that the starting point is also the endpoint—maybe Dragon Island is actually Warship Island," Moonlight said, his eyes glinting with thought.

Warship Island could very well be Dragon Island. Over time, the island might have sunk into the sea, only to reappear during certain cycles, following underwater currents. But how long it would take to reemerge was anyone's guess.

"The starting point is also the endpoint?"

Everyone was confused and looked at Moonlight in bewilderment.

"It's just a theory. Why would a creature as rare as a thousand-year dragon end up on Warship Island, of all places? There are many better islands nearby. Grandpa Dragon said he was separated from his companions and stopped to rest, but why haven't they come looking for him? His story contradicts itself. My guess is that Dragon Island and Warship Island are the same place. His companions might have looked for him but left due to certain circumstances."

"That makes sense!"

Usopp immediately clapped his hands in agreement.

"Yeah, but there's no evidence to prove it," Sanji said thoughtfully. Though the idea made sense, without real proof, it remained just speculation. Besides, with Grandpa Dragon being half out of it most of the time, they were stumbling through this adventure in the dark.

"I think…" Nami was about to speak when—

BOOM!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the island, making the ground tremble violently.

"What's happening?"

Everyone was startled.

"It's the Navy!" Moonlight reacted instantly, leaping outside the palace. From there, he saw the entire island surrounded by a massive naval force.

"Damn, the Navy's already here? That was fast!"

Everyone rushed out of the palace, their faces paling as they saw the overwhelming number of Navy ships, arranged in a tight formation, locking down the entire island.

"Oh my god, is this the entire Navy?" Even Zoro, with his calm demeanor, was taken aback.

"One ship, two ships… five ships… fifty ships! And they're all warships built for combat at sea. How many soldiers do they have—eight thousand? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? We're done for!" Usopp counted the ships with trembling fingers, and by the time he finished, he collapsed to the ground in despair.

"And there's a battleship too," Sanji added, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the colossal warship looming in the center of the fleet like a sea monster.

This was the true weapon of the Navy, the one they used to dominate the seas and keep pirates in check.

"They even brought a battleship? This is way too much!" Nami exclaimed in shock. The scale of this naval operation was terrifying.

"It's Vice Admiral Nelson. To capture Grandpa Dragon and fulfill his dream of immortality, he's mobilized the entire Navy. We're up against the strongest force in the East Blue!" Abis explained, her voice trembling.