I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Crocus was on the deck of Sig’s pirate ship at this moment, and asked Sig next to him.

The first half of the Grand Line offers seven routes to choose from, and once a route is selected, it cannot be changed; you can only follow the route until you reach the Sabaody Archipelago.

But there are exceptions.

Chapter 154 Island of All Things

The Grand Line is not a level-based adventure game with fixed levels, nor is it only about pirates.

Civilians, merchants, bounty hunters, and sailors also live on this sea.

The exception is the permanent pointer.

If you have a permanent pointer to an island, you can ignore the seven magnetic field lines and head straight for that island.

In theory, if you had a permanent pointer to all the islands on the Grand Line, you could reach any island, as long as you could survive the unpredictable weather on the Grand Line.

This is a feat that even world governments cannot accomplish.

Sieg does indeed possess a permanent pointer to Alabasta, allowing him to disregard the seven routes and head directly to Alabasta.

But he doesn't plan to use it at the moment.

The appointment with the sand crocodile was for a month later, and Sieg felt it would be safer to go only after being fully prepared...

The route that Sieg chose was an exception among exceptions.

"We have chosen the route to Wanwu Island."

Stussy glanced at the recorder on his wrist and said something to the person beside him.

"Oh? You chose this route? It seems you're quite wealthy, Sig. Are you planning to buy nautical charts and permanent compasses around the Devil's Triangle?"

"When I saw you shout 'anotherpiece' in the newspaper before, I thought you were just making it up... It seems you really did obtain the Celestial Dragons' treasure."

Crocus exclaimed in admiration.

"It seems I made the right choice by boarding your ship."

Wanwu Island, or Wanwu Commercial Island, is actually a commercial island and one of the commercial hubs in the first half of the Grand Line.

Merchant ships from all over the world usually gather here to exchange goods and services, making it one of the largest markets in the first half of the Grand Line, where all kinds of goods from all over the world converge.

That's why it's called the "Island of Everything," or the "Island of Everything Commerce," where you can buy anything.

This so-called "all things" also includes the many permanent markers along the Grand Line.

The Grand Line is not an easy route. If pirates encounter insurmountable obstacles and find it difficult to reach the next island, in addition to fighting to the death, they can also buy permanent pointers to other islands here and repeatedly jump to another route.

It is one of the seven initial islands that Reverse Mountain leads to, and can be said to be the last peaceful stop for rookie pirates entering the Grand Line.

That's what they say, but this route wasn't actually designed for pirates.

It also has another name.

The Golden Road by Sea.

This is a trade route controlled by the navy, with many naval branch fortresses along the way. It can be said that the navy has carved out a relatively safe commercial route.

The naval branch of the Grand Line is not on the same level as the Four Seas Branch.

However, this is a safe route for businessmen.

For pirates, it's a path to death.

Pirates with a brain would usually stop at the Isle of All Things and wouldn't continue down this trade route.

The existence of the Island of All Things, like Laboon the whale and the Log Pose, is one of the essential facts that new pirates entering the Grand Line must know.

In addition to the log posts that lead to the other six routes, some wealthier pirates also prepare a permanent log post that leads to the Isle of Everything as an escape route to change course.

"A solution for the wealthy?"

Sieg paused, then tentatively asked:

"Are permanent pointers expensive?"

"I haven't been to the Grand Line for many years, so I really don't know what the price of this thing is now."

Crocus did not doubt it, but went on to explain:

"The price of permanent pointers varies from island to island. Permanent pointers on some special islands are so rare that they are practically priceless."

"But for you, Sig, this is just a drop in the ocean."

Sieg's heart skipped a beat.

He doesn't actually have much money on him right now.

The bandits' previous funds mainly came from the treasure left behind by the Bursam Pirates, as well as a reward given by Kaya's parents when they were in Syrob Village.

But that's about it.

Sieg had about two hundred men under his command, and with this money, they could barely keep sailing.

However, if there are any major moves, such as wanting to purchase permanent pointers or similar items, then they will be somewhat stretched thin.

Just as Sieg was having some troubles, a remark from Crocus caught his attention.

“Sig, I know that you, like Roger, are the kind of person who cannot be bound by rules and regulations.”

"But if you get to the Island of Everything, it's better to restrain yourself."

Crocus hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Mr. Crocus, are you looking down on our captain?"

A bald man emerged from the crowd, patted his chest, and said:

"The backer of Wanwu Trading Island is said to be a big shot that even the Navy turns a blind eye to. Ordinary pirates don't dare to make a move here, but what does that have to do with our boss, Sig?"

"If you dare to mess with our boss, even the navy won't be able to stop you."

Crocus paused slightly, but still said:

"I'm not talking about the forces behind the Island of All Things."

"This island of all things is rich in goods and has a developed market, which occasionally attracts Celestial Dragons."

Crocus couldn't help but recall the news incident that Sieg had caused before.

"This golden sea route has a large number of naval branch fortresses. If the Celestial Dragons are attacked, they will be surrounded by a massive naval fleet immediately."

“Sigurd, I know you are powerful enough to potentially break through these naval fleets, but…”

Crocus's gaze fell on Laboon, a whale as large as an island, on the sea surface beside the pirate ship.

“Lab is too big; it can’t escape the Navy’s attack… If that happens, then Lab and I will have to say goodbye to you, Sig, in advance.”

Crocus said this.

Another Celestial Dragon...

"Alright, for Crocus's sake, even if we encounter a Celestial Dragon, I will spare his life."

Sieg responded readily on the surface.

He couldn't help but think to himself: Who would deliberately provoke a Celestial Dragon? He's not some naive fool.

The Goa Kingdom did it only to protect itself.

If the Celestial Dragons were to be attacked again along the Grand Line, they wouldn't be as lucky as last time, as the unreliable Garp would be the one to intervene.

As they chatted, the world suddenly darkened.

Sig looked up and saw endless black clouds looming overhead in the distance.

Just moments ago the sky was clear and blue, but now dark clouds are gathering overhead, and a terrifying storm is about to strike.

Not only was there a storm, but the distant sea was also surging with waves, with giant waves tens of meters high layer upon layer.

Chapter 155 Voyage Inside the Whale's Belly

The weather and ocean currents along the Grand Line are highly variable; it's quite normal for the sky to be clear one minute and overcast the next.

"We were unlucky; we ran into a rare storm right after we set off."

Stussy's expression was somewhat serious.

The storm came too fast, and the ship, a regular three-masted sailing vessel, was unable to avoid it.

Within a minute, the ship would be completely engulfed by the storm.

Faced with this storm at sea, all the bandits looked tense.

On the deck, there were only a few people, including Ah Long, and they all looked relatively calm.

When the fishman Arlong saw the storm, he not only remained calm, but even slightly raised his chin, smiled, and revealed a set of sharp teeth.

"It was indeed a very powerful storm, enough to destroy most human ships."

"However, this is not a major challenge for us fish-men. We can get through it safely by diving to a depth of a few hundred meters in the sea."

Most sea storms do indeed have difficulty reaching depths of several hundred meters below the surface.

However, Arlong, the fishman, is not the only one capable of diving.

"Sig, there's no time to explain. Let the ship go inside Laboon's belly!"

Amidst the howling winds, the pirate ship was already tossed about in the storm, and Crocus called out Laboon's name.

Immediately afterwards, Laboon, who had been following the pirate ship, suddenly opened his gaping maw like an abyss.

Immediately, the expressions of the bandits on the deck changed drastically.

Despite its seemingly docile nature, Laboon has two rows of sharp, serrated teeth in its mouth, each one much larger than a pirate ship.

Before Sig and the others could react, Rab opened his mouth and a powerful suction force erupted, causing a surging current of seawater to rush into Rab's mouth.

In just over ten seconds, the pirate ship was swallowed up by Laboon.

The light suddenly dimmed, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Even the thunder outside was barely audible.

In the darkness, Sig and the others could only sense that the ship beneath their feet was still being carried by a swift current.