Soon

As the sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the tranquil island, the Roger Pirates come together for a rare moment of respite amidst the turbulent Era of the Rocks Pirates. They've found sanctuary on this secluded stretch of land, far from the prying eyes of their enemies, where they can let loose and revel in each other's company.

"Wahahaha!"

Captain Gol D. Roger, the legendary figure at the helm of this fearless crew, stands at the center of the festivities, his infectious laughter echoing through the air.

Surrounding him, the rest of the crew lounges on the sandy beach, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of the bonfire crackling nearby. Silvers Rayleigh, Roger's trusted right-hand man, sits beside him, and on his other side is Scooper Gaban.

"… and after Xebec arrived the marines retreated." Rayleigh informed.

"So the Marines retreated huh? I wonder what was Garp's expression, Wahahaha." Hearing the news about the Marines and the Rocks pirate's recent battle, Roger couldn't hold back his laugh.

"What are you laughing about, this is not good news for us." Rayleigh reprimanded.

"Don't be so serious Rayleigh, have some fun, laugh a little."

"You don't understand Roger, do you know what this means?" Rayleigh said sternly, "It means that Rocks are powerful enough to the point where the Navy would rather avoid an all-out war with them." he explained.

"So what! We're not scared of them, we can fight against the navy too." Scooper Gaban butted in saying.

"Oh really, let me explain, although the navy rarely deploys their entire force to deal with us. If the Navy attacks us, who's gonna fight Garp?" Rayleigh asked gazing at the drunk Scooper and Roger.

"I'll take him on, I still have to get him back for the last time." Roger declared jokingly.

"Then who's gonna fight Sengoku, or at least keep him at bay?"

"I can do that, Although I don't know if I can win." Scooper Gaban stated.

Usually, that's all we have to worry about due to the fact that the Marines, have to keep Rocks in check, so we rarely encounter Zepry and Tsuru, much less Admiral Kong. But.." Rayleigh paused, observing the expressions of Roger and Scooper.

But… although he's rarely deployed, who's gonna take on Hercule if he's tagging along with Garp and Sengoku?"

"That… You, Right?..." Scooper said uncertainly.

"Both I and Roger have fought against that monster, and although there wasn't a winner, we both felt that he was holding back, although we held back too, but who knows how much he was hiding." Rayleigh briefed.

"So while I probably can keep him occupied, imagine, Kong, Zephyr, and Tsuru also attacking us, alongside those three, not to mention… those guys."

Hearing that last part, Roger sobered up, he wasn't scared, it was just that, he finally understood what Rayleigh was saying.

"The WG," Roger spoke. "Those guys are way too hidden, it's too hard to understand them"

"That's why I can't understand how those guys managed to fight them more than half a century ago, and then retreated to live a peaceful life without the WG's pursuing them." Rayleigh mentioned.

"You're talking about Nature's Family Right? Well, their leader was said to be a literal Monster by many pirates at the time, possessing otherworldly strength." Scooper said as he realized who Rayleigh was talking about.

"They are truly successful Pirates, I hope our pirate life can have a similar resolution, after sailing the entire Seas and discovering all her secrets." Roger uttered in admiration and hope.

Well, we have to survive first" Rayleigh said, destroying the positive atmosphere Roger had built.

"Here he goes again," muttered Roger. "What is it now Rayleigh?" Scooper asked, clearly annoyed.

" After Roger rejected Xebec's invitation, he has been trying to kill us ever since, and the stronger he gets the more of a problem they become for us"

"So what do you have planned"

…

Due to its abundance of Sea Kings and windlessness, among other factors, the Calm Belt stands as a daunting obstacle for sailors seeking a shortcut passage through the Calm Belt into the Grand Line.

Yet, amidst the perilous expanse of this notorious sea, a marvel of engineering and ingenuity glides effortlessly across the surface: the Sea Trains

Upon the still waters of the Calm Belt, a sleek and streamlined train emerges from the mists, its polished metal exterior gleaming in the morning light.

With a soft hum of engines and the rhythmic clack of wheels against rails laid upon the waters, it sets off on its journey, leaving a gentle wake in its path as it navigates the serene waters.

The reason why NF is so confident that their sea trains and trails wouldn't be attacked by Sea Kings is because of one of the components they incorporated into its construction, Sea Stones.

Sea Stones is a naturally occurring but immensely rare mineral best known for its negation of Devil Fruit abilities. But Ephon knows that it has more uses than just negating devil fruit abilities.

Because Seastone so strongly resembles the sea itself, Sea Kings cannot distinguish the two.

By layering the bottom of ships and other water-based transportation that transverse the seas with Seastone, creatures that are underneath these structures will be unaware of the vessel's presence, and thus will not attack it.

That is why Ephon made the bottom of all the trains and train trails that connect the islands in the Triangle, layered with Seastones. And even on the off chance that the trains are still attacked, there are armed guards there to defend and protect them.

On one of the trains traveling towards Black Bay from a neighboring island, was a diverse group of passengers, each one eagerly anticipating the same destination: the concert of the one and only, 'Soul King Brook'.

"I can't wait, I heard that listening to him in person, makes you feel like your soul is leaving your body." an excited man uttered out loud in excitement.

"Me too, the last time, I missed his concert because of work." a well-built man said in agreement.

Even the people around the two, all nodded their heads, as they talked about the upcoming event. Some of them were even dressed in black garments with the image of a skeleton and a whale on them.

"I heard he performs on top of a giant whale."

"You mean Laboon."

The excitement permeated the air as animated conversations and infectious laughter filled the train, creating an atmosphere charged with anticipation and joy.

As for why Laboon is here, well, this has something to do with what happened about 5 years ago.

...

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