The Earthquake Shakes The Mountains, And The Mountains And Rivers Are Beautiful Through The Ages.

A month later, the Dawn set sail again, but this time without Nami and the others. Arías found the younger crew members to be more of a burden, making it difficult for him to accomplish his goals.

On board were just five people: Arías, Hancock, Yamato, Hiyori, and Salome, along with thirty-five elite female warriors from Nine Snake Island. These warriors, chosen after a rigorous competition, were skilled fighters Arías intended to use as the foundation of his intelligence network.

The ship's first stop was the Sabaody Archipelago, where Arías met with Shakky. With her assistance, he opened a café in Sabaody to serve as a front for his operations.

Navigating through the deep sea to the New World required a certain level of self-protection, especially for the female warriors who would be stationed there, as danger could strike at any moment.

"Leticia, I'm entrusting this to you," Arías said in the capital of the Kingdom of Prodence, handing a small box to a young woman.

Inside the box was a Devil Fruit, a reward for Leticia. She, like the other Nine Snake warriors, now understood the true nature of the Snake Sisters' abilities and the extraordinary power of Devil Fruits. Recognizing its value, Leticia knelt on one knee, pledging her loyalty. "Master She Ji, Master Arías, I promise to establish a flawless intelligence network here!"

Arías had purchased the Zoan Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Rabbit from Shanks. He also provided Leticia with a substantial amount of money to aid in setting up the network. Since this location was near Dressrosa, he was wary of potential interference from Doflamingo.

Next, the Dawn headed to the familiar island of St. Runzoa in North Blue, where the ship had been built. The island's power dynamics were straightforward, dominated by the shipyard. Arías bought a plot of land and opened a tavern, leaving five female warriors to manage it. He handed a sealed bag to Lisa, the leader of the group, with specific instructions for an upcoming delivery.

Arías continued his journey through South Blue, West Blue, and East Blue, leaving a team of five in each sea, equipped with Den Den Mushi for real-time communication.

Before departing East Blue, he instructed Paji, the head of the region's intelligence network, to locate Sixis Island, where the Mera Mera no Mi was said to be hidden.

As Arías prepared to leave East Blue after a brief stop in Loguetown, something caught his attention. He suddenly ordered Salome to anchor the ship at a nearby island. "Let's take a break here," he said.

Hancock and the others didn't question his decision, while Yamato and Hiyori happily went ashore to explore.

Arías, sitting alone in the cabin, pondered, "Why has Doflamingo suddenly come to East Blue?" The tracker he had planted in Doflamingo's clothes indicated his presence in the region. This was puzzling—wasn't Doflamingo supposed to be heading to the underground world? Why East Blue? Was Archibald also in East Blue?

Closing his eyes and crossing his legs, Arías focused his mind on controlling the puppet he had left in North Blue. The puppet, which had been standing silently on the ship's deck, suddenly opened its eyes, a mysterious gleam in them.

Nearby, the Monet sisters were training diligently. Both had shown remarkable talent, achieving Qi sense just two weeks earlier and progressing rapidly since then. Monet was mastering the Phantom Body Barrier, while Sugar had discovered a natural affinity for talismans. In just half a month, she had learned to create a basic disaster-repelling talisman, which could dispel evil spirits within a certain radius. This discovery sparked new ideas in Arías's mind.

He guided the ship to St. Runzoa, where he left the Monet sisters to guard it, while he ventured onto the island alone. The sisters had become accustomed to this routine, maintaining the ship's order and practicing daily under Arías's guidance.

The puppet rarely spoke, except to provide training. However, it would occasionally hunt large sea beasts or visit nearby islands to purchase new kitchen equipment, beds, and other necessities for the sisters. To Monet and Sugar, the man who had saved them was taciturn but kind, and they were determined to repay him with their loyalty.

On the island, the puppet entered a tavern, a recent establishment managed by Lisa and her team. Despite its short existence, the tavern was thriving, partly due to the charm and beauty of the five female warriors running it.

"Welcome! What would you like to drink?" Lisa greeted the puppet with a warm smile, her demeanor both inviting and professional.

The puppet approached Lisa quietly, its movements unusual enough to catch her attention. Recognizing the ghost walk technique, a signature of Master Arías, Lisa remained composed.

"I'll have your finest wine," the puppet requested, then whispered, "I'm here to retrieve something."

Without turning around, Lisa responded, "The earth shakes the mountains, and the mountains and rivers are as beautiful as ever."

The puppet replied, "The door faces the sea, and the river flows for ten thousand years."

After confirming the code, Lisa retrieved a small bag from under the counter and handed it, along with a bottle of wine, to the puppet.

The puppet nodded and departed, returning to the ship without incident. Once on board, Arías opened the capsule to reveal two wooden boxes containing Devil Fruits.

He approached the Monet sisters, who had just finished their training. Sugar looked up at Arías with wide, curious eyes. "Do you have any orders, sir?"

Arías placed the two Devil Fruits before them. "These are Devil Fruits. If you eat them, you'll gain extraordinary abilities, but you'll lose the ability to swim. Do you wish to eat them?"

Monet considered for a moment before replying, "If you need us to eat them, we will. If not, we won't. We're here to serve you."

Sugar nodded in agreement with her sister, echoing her loyalty.

Satisfied with their dedication, Arías presented the fruits to them. "Then eat."

He handed one to Monet, a Zoan-type insect fruit in butterfly form, and the other to Sugar, a Paramecia-type paper fruit.