At The Peak of One Piece

Finally, the end of the month arrived. The new recruits were about to set sail for their practical assessment, and it was also time for Victor to fulfill his agreement with Shakky. He prepared to head to Sabaody Archipelago. 

This time, he would go alone—no ship needed. He planned to use Geppo (Moon Walk) to fly there. 

After morning drills, Victor returned to the seaside cabin with the two girls. After informing them of his trip to Sabaody, he removed his weighted gear and took off across the sea with Geppo. 

"I'm so jealous of Victor. I really want to fly too!" Wendy sighed, watching his figure disappear into the distance. 

Rebecca was equally envious, but Victor had warned her that her current physique wasn't ready for such training. 

Once we enter the elite camp this year, I'll teach you, he had promised. 

"Wendy, we'll learn it in the elite camp! I'll master Geppo as fast as possible!" Rebecca said dreamily. 

Wendy nodded eagerly in agreement. 

--- 

Victor landed on Sabaody Archipelago via Geppo, touching down in the Marine base at Grove 60. 

He decided to rest first and recover his stamina. This was no place to let his guard down—who knew what could happen He wasn't one to gamble, and time wasn't pressing anyway. 

Once rested, he sought out Ben to check for any leads. 

Like last time, Ben wasn't at his residence. Victor tipped a servant some Berries to fetch him, and before long, Ben arrived at the bar where Victor waited. 

Spotting Victor, Ben dismissed the servant and approached with a smile. 

"Mr. Victor, you're here. Is this about the Eternal Black Gold?"

Victor poured him a drink and nodded. 

"I'm about to set sail soon. Wanted to see if there were any leads to verify during the voyage." 

Ben's expression turned apologetic. "I do have some clues… but the Eternal Black Gold itself remains elusive."

Victor's eyes gleamed. "No problem. Any lead is a good start. What do you have?" 

Ben leaned in. "The most recent sighting was a year ago. A crew called the Pet Pirates raided a small kingdom's treasury. After they left, a piece of Eternal Black Gold vanished. Most suspect they took it—though it's possible it disappeared earlier." 

Victor absorbed the info. It wasn't definitive, but he hadn't expected instant results. 

"Any trace of the Pet Pirates since then?"

Ben shook his head. "They vanished completely. Some say their ship was sabotaged by the kingdom's soldiers and sank. Others claim they were betrayed by rival pirates. All rumors, nothing solid."

Victor sighed inwardly. The Grand Line was unpredictable—anything could happen. Still, the disappointment lingered. 

"Keep digging. Do you need more funds?" 

He wanted to maintain ties with informants like Ben. Shakky's intel might be sharper, but her connections were riskier to engage with too often. 

"I'm good for now, but I'll keep searching!" Ben assured him, recognizing Victor's sincerity. 

With no concrete leads, Victor dismissed Ben and headed to Shakky's bar. A month had passed—she should have answers. 

--- 

Victor arrived at Grove 20 and strode straight into Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. His Observation Haki confirmed only Shakky was present—no customers, no Rayleigh. 

The door creaked open. Shakky glanced up, cigarette in hand, and exhaled a slow stream of smoke as she recognized him. 

"You're early. I expected you tomorrow." 

Her tone was lighter now, no longer as guarded after Rayleigh's input. 

"Can't come tomorrow. Figured I'd check in early—hope the info's ready." Victor replied, smiling. 

Shakky wordlessly poured him a drink. 

"Relax. The intel's here whenever you are. Drink first, then we'll talk." 

Victor eyed the glass. "This isn't another 20-million-Berry 'special,' is it?" 

Shakky smirked. "On the house. What, scared?"

Without hesitation, Victor took a sip and waited. 

Shakky's playful demeanor faded. 

"The Pet Pirates have your Eternal Black Gold." 

Victor feigned surprise. "I've heard rumors linking them to it, but nothing confirmed. Your source is reliable?"

Inside, he already trusted it. Both Ben and Shakky pointing to the same crew Too coincidental to dismiss. 

"Eyewitness confirmation. No doubt." Shakky stated firmly. 

'Does she have a surveillance-type Devil Fruit user?' Victor wondered, impressed by her network. 

"Knowing they have it doesn't help if they've disappeared. Any leads on their location?" 

Shakky took a drag from her cigarette. 

"They're lying low in a kingdom they plan to rob—same MO as last time. Quiet infiltration, then strike."

Shakky didn't immediately reveal the location. First offering an explanation, she handed Victor a slip of paper. 

Victor unfolded it - just an island name written neatly. Without comment, he pocketed the note, downed his drink in one gulp, gave Shakky a slight bow, and exited the bar. 

Instead of returning to the Marine base, Victor cut through Grove 30 to reach the shoreline at Grove 40. No one dared harass him along the way - his reputation on Sabaody preceded him. Regular visitors to the archipelago all recognized the formidable Marine. 

Finding a secluded spot, Victor launched himself skyward using Geppo. Grove 40 offered the most direct path back to Marine Headquarters. Mission accomplished, it was time to return. 

The sun hung halfway below the horizon when Victor's feet touched down outside the seaside cabin. Pausing, he turned to admire the breathtaking sunset. 

'Beneath this beauty, how much ugliness unfolds?' The thought struck him. 'Yet time's ocean will swallow it all eventually.' 

An unreadable light flickered in Victor's eyes until Rebecca and Wendy's voices snapped him from his reverie. 

With night falling, investigating Shakky's lead would have to wait. Tomorrow aboard ship - surely they'd have proper navigational charts. 

Forgoing his usual sea king hunt to return faster, Victor found himself unusually reluctant to enter the water after his philosophical moment. Dinner became a simple affair - wild boar Rebecca hunted from the forest, the most palatable meat available. 

"Victor, any news?" Rebecca asked between bites, having noticed his subdued mood. 

"Location confirmed," Victor nodded, his expression brightening slightly. "Once retrieved, we can upgrade all our weapons." 

"That's good... but you seem troubled. Is it heavily guarded?" 

"Strength unknown, but likely no match for me," Victor shook his head. "Just... remembered my parents." 

Rebecca fell silent at this, her eyes softening with quiet understanding. Wendy had already finished eating and departed - she didn't stay overnight. 

---

If you can, support me on pa treon:

Pa treon. com/ RightTranslations (No spaces)

Up to 50 chapters ahead.

You can also support by leaving a review