SWNOVELXO Chapter 92: Chapter 92
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"Brigadier General Bai Yu, are we… really heading straight into the Calm Belt?"
After Bai Yu accepted the two famous swords, Koby finally asked the question lingering on everyone's mind.
Their destination was Punk Hazard—the secret laboratory island where Caesar Clown resided.
Punk Hazard was located deep in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line.
To get there from the East Blue, one had to first enter the Grand Line, and then follow the prescribed navigational routes.
There were only two viable entry points into the Grand Line.
The first was Reverse Mountain—the traditional gateway.
At its summit, seven magnetic routes diverged, representing different navigational paths through the Grand Line.
Once a route was chosen, switching between them became nearly impossible due to magnetic field lock-in.
Regardless of the chosen route, all paths would eventually converge near the Sabaody Archipelago, located at the edge of the Red Line, just before Mariejois.
There, the ships would undergo coating to travel underwater through the undersea tunnel that passes by Fish-Man Island—the only way to access the New World from the first half of the Grand Line.
The second way—far riskier—was via the Calm Belt.
This perilous sea runs parallel to the Grand Line on both sides. True to its name, no wind ever blows there, and the seas remain unnaturally still.
However, that calm comes with danger. The Calm Belt is infested with giant Sea Kings, making it nearly impassable for traditional ships.
Yet, the Navy had a solution—warships powered by internal propulsion systems and reinforced with Seastone lining on the hulls.
These ships could move without sails and avoid detection by Sea Kings.
Thus, the Calm Belt became a viable shortcut—faster than island-hopping through the Grand Line, riskier than most dared to try.
And Bai Yu had chosen it.
"To detour through the standard route now would cost too much time," Bai Yu explained.
"Our mission is to capture Caesar as fast as possible—before Doflamingo catches wind of it."
The element of surprise was critical.
If Donquixote Doflamingo became alerted and moved his pieces, things could spiral out of control.
As a former Warlord of the Sea with immense underworld influence, Doflamingo was not to be taken lightly.
Even the Four Emperors had reason to deal with him.
"That's true, but still…" Helmeppo muttered under his breath.
He'd never personally crossed the Calm Belt, but like any sailor, he'd heard the horror stories.
"You, of all people—someone with flight ability—are more anxious than the rest of us?"
Maya smirked, teasing Helmeppo.
"I—I'm worried about our fellow Navy brothers, obviously!" he replied quickly, face flushed red, offering a flimsy excuse.
"Ahahaha!"
The sight of Helmeppo's flustered expression broke the tension, and laughter echoed across the deck.
That night passed with good spirits and hearty conversation.
---
The Next Morning
At dawn, Bai Yu's crew set sail.
After cruising steadily through the night, by sunrise, their warship had reached the edge of the Calm Belt.
"Let's go! No stops—head straight toward the Red Line," Bai Yu commanded.
Following his orders, the warship changed course and entered the perilous Calm Belt.
With no wind to speak of, the crew lowered the sails.
Instead, the ship's internal propulsion system kicked in, powering the vessel forward.
While the ship moved smoothly through the silent sea, Bai Yu, Maya, and the others resumed their individual training.
"One… Two… Three…"
Bai Yu began his daily sword swing routine, his grip on the Peerless Sword (Wushuang Taidao) as firm as ever.
"Feels like the motion is smoother… and the blade's lighter."
After ten swings, Bai Yu paused in thought.
It dawned on him: his recent physical enhancements had borne fruit.
His refined body made the sword feel significantly lighter in his hands.
When using rapid swings without strict range limitations, his repetitions increased rapidly.
Driven by results, Bai Yu resumed.
"998… 999… 1000!"
Well before midday, Bai Yu had completed a thousand swings.
The familiar system notification chimed in:
[Ding! Host completed 1000 sword swings. Reward: +5% Ju Twelve Style proficiency, +5% Dragon Force proficiency]
[+5% Thunder Clap proficiency, +5% Azure Dragon: Extreme Ten Thousand Blade Scroll proficiency]
[+1% Three-Color Haki proficiency, +5% Advanced Swordsmanship proficiency]
All core techniques received a noticeable boost.
"There's still time before lunch. Let's keep going!"
Eager to maximize gains, Bai Yu gripped his sword and prepared to repeat the cycle.
---
Disruption
BOOM!
A sudden impact echoed, and the warship trembled violently.
Tap tap tap…
One of the navigators sprinted over in a panic.
"Report!"
"A massive iceberg suddenly emerged from the seafloor along our course!"
"We altered course in time, but the ship still collided with the edge!"
"ICEBERG?!" Helmeppo barked in disbelief.
"Under this blazing sun? In the middle of the sea?!"
Bai Yu, equally baffled, turned to study the report.
It was, after all, a cloudless morning with searing temperatures.
Where could an iceberg possibly come from?
"I… I don't know, sir…" the trembling officer bowed his head.
"Bow of the ship—now," Bai Yu ordered sharply.
The team rushed forward.
Sure enough, beside the ship's side, a towering iceberg loomed.
It had risen abruptly, blocking the warship's planned course. Though the helmsman had turned in time, the hull still scraped its edge.
"This… this is insane! There's really an iceberg here!" Helmeppo shouted.
BOOM!
Before the crew could process it further, another tremor hit—this one more intense.
Bai Yu, stabilizing himself, narrowed his eyes.
"…No. That's not an iceberg."
He had seen it clearly during the impact.
The so-called 'iceberg'… had moved.
It expanded—then contracted—like something alive.
"Not an iceberg?! Then what is it?!"
Helmeppo and the others stared in disbelief.
Something massive was lurking beneath the ship—something pretending to be an iceberg.
And it was no ordinary sea creature.
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