Chapter 58: On Choosing a Base

The Solbe Kingdom, eastern coastline.

Gazing at the ship on the horizon—its hull painted entirely in blazing crimson, with a black-and-gold dragon-shaped prow, scarlet sails, and a flame-patterned flag: the Donghai Emperor.

Jin Ni’s eyes shimmered with wonder.

“What a beautiful ship.”

Unlike the distant images she’d seen, the Donghai Emperor now loomed directly before her eyes—its sheer scale left her utterly enchanted.

Thinking that not only would she now live close to Bear, but also aboard such a magnificent vessel, Jin Ni felt even more satisfied about joining the Morning Star Pirates.

Seven, one hand on Bear, one on Jin Ni, said: “My dear crewmates, let’s go home.”

Bear, standing 6.89 meters tall, was effortlessly lifted by Seven, who was under 2.7 meters—utterly absurd, but what could you do? Seven was strong, and he could fly.

The three landed steadily on the deck.

Little Robin, dark-skinned and beaming, ran up happily: “Captain, you’re back.”

“Mm.” Seven introduced.

“Bear, Jin Ni—this little one is our intern crewmember, Nico Robin.”

“Robin, these are our new companions: Bear and Jin Ni.”

Jin Ni bent down and gently pinched Robin’s cheek; she’d seen the bounty poster and knew the girl was the sole survivor rescued by the Captain from Ohara.

So pitiful…

The thought had barely formed when Jin Ni suddenly spotted, not far off, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Robin—smiling at her.

Captain… you’re truly incredible.

Even the World Government was fooled by you.

Hearing the commotion, Mihawk and Tenghu, having waited until Seven finished introducing Robin, walked over as if prearranged.

“Mr. Bear.”

Tenghu extended his hand to shake, then awkwardly realized: Bear was too tall—he couldn’t reach.

Tenghu’s unusually warm enthusiasm made Bear uneasy: “Hello, Mr. Tenghu.”

“Hello, Mr. Mihawk.”

“Hello.” Mihawk gave a slight nod.

After the introductions, Seven first assigned rooms to Bear and Jin Ni—the ground floor of the three-story villa, the tallest level—and then waved his hand.

“Throw a banquet! Throw a banquet!”

Nothing bonded the crew better than gorging on meat and clinking bowls— if one feast wasn’t enough, have another.

There’s plenty of time ahead.

With his superb cooking, Seven quickly prepared enough food to feed forty people.

There weren’t many varieties—mostly meat. For dealing with big eaters, nothing beats meat: filling, satisfying meat.

At first, Jin Ni felt shy—after all, it was her first day aboard, and she was a girl…

But when she saw Seven devour a two-meter-long roasted fish in mere moments, she felt a surge of solidarity—and immediately dropped her pretense.

In the face of hunger, it didn’t matter anymore.

Jin Ni even wanted to challenge Barzab Seven to a eating contest—who could consume more.

As cups clinked and laughter rose, the atmosphere grew warm and familiar.

“Welcome Bear and Jin Ni to our family! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

The pirate world had a peculiar phenomenon.

Take the Morning Star Pirates: before forming the crew, Captain Barzab was alone; Vice-Captain Mihawk was alone; Tenghu was alone too.

Bear and Jin Ni were better off—at least they had each other.

In the original timeline, Nico Robin was also alone, evading the World Government’s pursuit.

Thanks to Seven’s intervention, he saved Robin’s mother from the Marines’ Holy War bombardment, making Robin the only member of the Morning Star Pirates with family.

Seven finally understood why Whitebeard took in so many sons—it was this damned world.

…

As night fell, soft lights glowed across the Donghai Emperor, making the entire ship look like a floating castle on the sea.

Bear and Jin Ni were tidying their room; Jin Ni vowed to turn it into the coziest home possible.

Robin, with her mother, browsed books in the library—the collection Seven had retrieved from the Tree of All Knowledge.

Mihawk sat in the open-air banquet hall, experimenting with the ratio of iced black tea and red wine to soften the flavor.

Tenghu sat beside the helm… steering.

No sane person would assign such duties, but Seven called it “training Mr. Tenghu’s Observation Haki.”

Captain Seven, meanwhile, retrieved the pirate world map from his cabin and searched for a suitable base.

He first eliminated the Four Seas.

Since the Loxs era, through the Three Legendary Pirates, Pirate King Roger, and the Great Pirate Era, no Emperor-level crew had ever made the Four Seas their home base.

The Four Seas were the World Government’s core territory.

Everywhere: World Government allied nations, Marine branch bases, stable shipping lanes…

All these factors combined made the Four Seas a militarily perilous choice for a base.

The Grand Line, however, was different.

Especially the latter half—the New World—with its extreme weather and chaotic magnetic fields, it was a natural fortress, nearly impossible for the Marines to invade en masse.

Meanwhile,

To reach the final island, Laugh Tale, one must collect the scattered Poneglyphs across the Grand Line and reach their designated points—nearly all these critical clues were concentrated in the Grand Line.

For any top pirate aiming for One Piece, the New World was the final stage.

In truth, Seven possessed a permanent pointer to Laugh Tale—but, well, the New World was lively, and he couldn’t afford to miss it.

After studying the New World map for a moment, Seven circled Hive Island.

Hive Island, also known as the Pirates’ Paradise.

Its most famous landmark: a fully equipped hotel shaped like a giant skull castle.

Once the base of the legendary Loxs Pirates, after their dissolution, their former crewmember Wang Zhi seized Hive Island and still holds it today.

“Wang Zhi.” Seven grinned, his pirate’s excited smile spreading: “You’re it.”

Besides its gold mines, Wang Zhi had plundered vast wealth over the years; as a high-ranking pirate, Seven naturally intended to rob a low-ranking one.

Once the Morning Star Pirates stabilized on Hive Island, they’d plan their next move: Wano.

As of now, the Morning Star Pirates’ crew configuration is as follows—

Captain, Chef, Navigator, Shipwright, Helmsman: Barzab Seven.

Vice-Captain, Helmsman: Joraul Mihawk.

Fighter, Helmsman: Tenghu Yisheng.

Priest, Doctor: Bartholomew Bear.

Intelligence Officer, Storage Clerk: Jin Ni.

Official Auxiliary Member: Gildarts Tezoro.

Intern Crewmember: Nico Robin.

With this setup, they could hold their own against the Beasts Pirates—might not defeat Kaido outright, but they wouldn’t lose.

But then again,

Wano’s current situation is complicated: the Beasts Pirates occupy Onigashima, preparing for war, while Oden—this fool—is still dancing naked in the streets of Flower Capital.

Oden’s Kozuki family, his Nine Red Scabbard Ninjas, Wano’s samurai, and allied Shumatsu family—all need Cuteo’s help to clear out.

Once Kaido and the Beasts Pirates, alongside Kurohige, physically purge Wano’s ruling class, Seven will make his heroic entrance—and pick the fruit.

Thus, seizing Wano becomes far easier.

While driving out Kaido and the Beasts Pirates, he’d crown himself Lightning General of Wano—and keep Kaido’s daughter, Yamato, as his concubine.

Then see how the old fool Kaido chooses to react.

Years later, father several fat sons with Yamato, then quietly absorb Kaido’s pirate crew—winning big.

“Hehehehe, I’m such a bad guy!”

Before his transmigration, Seven was pure-hearted—never killed anyone, never set fire in over twenty years, yet his life was a mess.

After transmigration, he was tainted by the pirate world—kept only the bare minimum of conscience, yet his life grew richer and richer.

After a moment of reflection, Seven rolled up the map and called out to Robin in the library.

“Robin, call a meeting.”

“Yes, Captain.”