Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

"Miles, you're a little man now, you need to learn to do these things yourself."

Just kidding, Miles may not be that old.

But people in the One Piece world grow up quickly, and he's already over 1.7 meters tall.

With a 1.7-meter-tall boy and a little girl by your side, is there even a question?

Gion was also very curious. She jumped high and grabbed the edge of the skylight with one hand, climbing up as well.

Raleigh glanced at Gion but said nothing.

Holding Belo Betty in his arms, he suddenly stomped his feet on the air and used Moonwalk to rush towards the giant snail in the distance.

As the distance decreases, the giant snail's silhouette gradually grows larger.

When I looked from the hoist just now, the giant snail was clearly visible, and the human figures looked like ants.

Now that they're right next to us, we realize that these snails are as big as houses.

"Master, these snails are huge!"

Bello Betty, nestled in Raleigh's arms, poked her head out and watched the giant snails climbing.

"A powerful figure is approaching. Everyone, be on alert."

Before even reaching the giant snail, Raleigh's keen hearing picked up on the conversation between the people on the snail.

"To be able to walk on air, this must be a powerful figure from all over the world."

"Whatever, I think this powerful guy is wearing a navy uniform, so he probably won't attack us."

Listening to the chaotic yet calm conversation, these people seemed quite knowledgeable, having previously witnessed people walking on air.

Tap...tap...

Raleigh landed on the largest snail, his leather shoes making a sound against the giant snail's hard shell.

"Hello, sir. Is there anything we can do to help you?"

On the back of the giant snail were rows of sturdy seats, and the one who greeted Raleigh was a well-dressed merchant sitting in the very center.

"Hello, this is the first time we've seen such a magical creature. My apprentice and I are very curious, so we came to take a look."

Raleigh's polite attitude put the people on the snail's back at ease.

After all, this is on the Red Earth Continent, which is thousands of feet high, and these people are at most merchants who know a few ordinary moves.

When you encounter a powerful expert, you have no choice but to obey their orders.

"Rolley, you didn't even wait for me!"

Gion followed closely behind, landing on the hard snail shell, and came over, angrily calling out to Raleigh.

"My lords, let me explain this to you."

"This snail is a giant snail that lives near the red earth continent. Many years ago, our ancestors discovered them and realized that they could walk on steep mountain walls, so they intentionally bred and cultivated them."

"We discovered that this snail has two shells. By simply knocking off a small part of the outermost shell, goods can be stuffed inside for transport, and it can even traverse smooth, rocky red soil. With this skill, our ancestors specialized in trading goods across the world."

The well-dressed businessman explained.

"I see, there are such amazing creatures. I never expected that."

Raleigh handed Bello Betty to Gion and jumped over to examine the broken shell closely.

Just as the leader had said, looking down from this opening, one could see neatly stacked goods inside.

By comparing the size of the shell side-by-side, Raleigh could tell how much cargo such a giant snail could carry.

At the same time, he also keenly realized that giant snails like these could not only carry goods, but also be fitted with seats for people to ride in.

Currently, it is far more efficient than the Navy's lifts.

Although the elevator is a high-tech feature of the Navy, its technological level is not very high in a Navy that does not yet possess Vegapunk.

Currently, transportation efficiency is far less than that of utilizing a group of giant snails.

"No wonder, I never knew how those pirates returned to the seas from the Grand Line. It turns out they were these amazing creatures."

Raleigh's sudden outburst startled everyone present.

Gion also keenly perceived the key point.

That's right. Nowadays, even the navy, the dominant force at sea, has a hard time returning to the four seas, let alone the backward pirates.

Previously, the navy had not paid attention to the merchants' activities, and naturally, they had not noticed that the merchants already possessed transportation tools such as giant snails.

"Rayle, I think we should report this to headquarters."

Gion spoke anxiously, saying that the remnants of the Rocks Pirates were becoming increasingly active, and the Marines were powerless to deal with the pirates who had fled back to the four seas.

They have never understood how the pirates returned to the world, and their methods for finding the answer seem rather weak.

Now that we know how the pirates climb over obstacles, it's much easier to deal with them.

"My lords, you can't do this!"

The leader spoke up anxiously.

"No rush, Gion, let's hear what he has to say first."

Raleigh rejected Gion's offer; he was more interested in hearing what this merchant had to say.

"Marine officers, you are symbols of justice, and we can understand taking action against vicious pirates, but could you please also try to understand us?"

"Nobody wants to die if they can live. We can live happily by doing trips like this four times a year. But pirates don't care about our lives. When they find us, they don't settle things with money."

"Last year, a friend of mine, the Spender Rex family, was brutally murdered for refusing to provide pirates with giant snails to ride on. Your Navy has ample strength to fight them, while we are just defenseless civilians. In such a situation, refusing means death."

The leading merchant seemed to recall some sad past events, and even though it was inconvenient to move around on the snail's back, he still took out his handkerchief and wept bitterly.

Raleigh nodded, saying that sometimes policies and systems need to take into account the actual situation.

This was the first time Raleigh had discovered that giant snails could be used to transport people and supplies, but it is very likely that the Navy had already discovered this phenomenon long ago.

As for why this matter isn't being addressed, it's probably because there are just too many other issues involved.

After all, it's not just pirates who want to use giant snails to traverse the Red Line.

In fact, pirates are just a small minority.

Everyone knows that to reach the New World in the latter half of the Grand Line, one must travel from the Sabaody Archipelago to Fish-Man Island.

However, the Navy never considered controlling the Coated House on Sabaody Archipelago, nor did anyone think of controlling Fishman Island.

Although Raleigh didn't understand what kind of people were behind it, he could guess their true purpose.

That person, or that force, aimed to prevent the Navy from blocking the pirates' path!