The Ark Maxim finally returned to the blue sea. Noir stood at the bow of the ship and took a deep breath.

"This is the smell, "

Noir savored the sea breeze. It had been a while.

Visiting Skypiea felt like a dream. Now that he was back in the Blue Sea, it felt somewhat surreal.

On this journey, Noir had gained a combatant and a musician, along with a high-capacity power source.

Compared to other pirate crews, this lineup was still small, but it was at least well-rounded.

Although the Maxim wasn't as large as before, it was still bigger than an average pirate ship with many rooms.

Aside from bedrooms, Conis had her own pink music room, and Robin had a study filled with books.

Noir and Wyper often spent time in the training room, where Noir taught Wyper Busoshoku Haki.

Wyper's fighting style was eclectic, but his main attack methods involved impact dials and burn bazookas, making him a weapon master of sorts.

However, Noir wanted him to change his tactics, as Wyper's combat talent lay more in his physical strength.

Noir had personally tested Wyper's secret weapon, the Reject Dial, which was ten times more powerful than the Impact Dial and had considerable recoil.

After using it, Noir's arm felt numb, but Wyper's physique could withstand the backlash.

Given Wyper's physical strength, Noir mainly taught him Busoshoku Haki, and Wyper didn't disappoint, quickly sensing Haki.

However, using it in combat would take more time and training.

Noir also didn't forget teaching him Observation Haki, but Wyper's progress there was slower.

After putting Wyper through his paces, Noir practiced his swordsmanship on the deck.

His dark gold talent surpassed his expectations, making his swordsmanship progress rapidly.

Even just carrying a sword deepened his understanding of swordsmanship.

After a day of training, it was time for dinner.

Everyone was amazed by Conis's cooking.

Noir was once again grateful for inviting Conis on board.

After dinner, Conis, holding Su, asked curiously, "Brother Noir, what's our next island like?"

Noir calculated the distance and said, "Our next destination should be Water 7, a world-famous shipbuilding island."

Wyper, satisfied from the meal, patted his stomach and said, "The most famous shipbuilding island in the Blue Sea? Are we going to improve the Maxim?"

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Noir nodded. "Since we're going there, might as well make some upgrades. It won't cost us much."

When they left Skypiea, Noir had taken almost all the gold and materials, so they were quite wealthy now.

Repairing the ship could be like giving the Maxim a makeover.

The most notable things in Water 7 were the CP9 agents.

Noir looked at Wyper, pondering.

The government and Marine's Six Powers would be perfect for Wyper to train with.

When they got there, he'd find a way to get the Six Powers.

As for Conis, he'd find a way to get her a Devil Fruit for self-defense, which would be good.

He also thought of Bell-mère and Nojiko in East Blue. It'd be great to get them a Devil Fruit, preferably a Logia type.

That way, even if he wasn't around, he'd be less worried given East Blue's average combat strength.

And Nami? She's tough; she should be fine.

They leisurely spent a few days on the ship, but with more people on board, chaos was inevitable.

"Hey, what the.."

Early one morning, a loud cry echoed from the Maxim.

Noir crawled out of his warm bed and looked at the Log Pose on his wrist in dismay, shouting, "I clearly set the course before going to sleep!"

"Why are we going back?"

"Where are we?!"

Noir's shout echoed through the ship. Wyper, with his sharp hairstyle, walked out groggily.

A tuft of red hair drooped over his forehead as he yawned, asking, "What's wrong? It's so early…"

Noir held his head and pointed to the Log Pose, saying, "Our ship is going the wrong way."

Wyper walked outside, puzzled. "That's impossible. I watched over the night. Everything was fine."

Robin came over, with Conis half-asleep, holding her waist. Robin explained to Wyper, "This is the Grand Line. The weather here is very unpredictable. This kind of situation, although rare, isn't impossible."

Conis, half-awake, asked, "So…where are we now?"

Noir's heightened weather sense gave him a bad feeling.

"Don't you all find it a bit strange?"

Wyper thought for a moment and said, "It seems like the sea breeze is gone."

The Maxim fell silent.

Robin broke the silence, hesitantly saying, "We…might have entered the Calm Belt."

"The Calm Belt? The Grand Line has such a sea?" Wyper asked, intrigued.

Noir sighed, "Entering the Calm Belt means we'll have to use the wind dials to get out."

Luckily, their ship was the Maxim, capable of flight and propulsion, so navigating the Calm Belt wasn't an issue.

Robin seemed to know what Noir was thinking and said, "The wind dials are running low."

Noir's eye twitched, forcing a smile. "Then we'll fly out! Tell Enel to prepare!"

Wyper climbed up the ladder from the engine room, saying, "He said the Maxim's flight system was just used yesterday and needs some time."

Hearing this, Noir remembered his whim to have the ship fly yesterday…

Unlike the completed Ark Maxim years later, this version could only fly limited distances in a short period.

"Never mind." Noir reluctantly sat on the cloud-covered deck, saying, "We'll just have to wait for the flight system to recover."

Robin shrugged. "We have no choice. But the Calm Belt isn't likely to let us stay here peacefully."

Noir was about to respond when several massive presences rapidly approached from beneath the ship.

Noir's face darkened, saying, "Speak of the devil!"

Moments later, the Maxim was lifted into the air by a giant beast, causing massive waves around them.

Several hundred-meter-long sea beasts emerged from the water, one of the Calm Belt's greatest dangers, the Sea Kings.

Seeing the ferocious Sea Kings, Wyper wasn't scared. Instead, his dark face showed excitement!

"The Blue Sea is really interesting!"

Noir shook his head, gripping his sword, ready to deal with the giant fish, but his Observation Haki brought worse news.

In the distance, ship silhouettes appeared, first one, then two, five, ten…

A fleet of ships bearing blue and white flags with the Marine's emblem!

What shocked Noir even more was the lazy man with an eyepatch on the leading warship!