Pirates: I Rely Only on Myself

The clash between Noah's crew and the Navy, followed by the issuance of their bounties, sent ripples through the New World's pirate community—and even shocked the Five Elders at Mary Geoise.

Mary Geoise – Between Powers

Saint Saturn's gaze was stern. "This group could very well be the same force that took away the civilians from Flevance."

Saint Ethanbaron V Nusjuro frowned. "A spatial-type Devil Fruit user? The Door-Door Fruit is with CP9, and the Teleport Fruit remains unaccounted for. It's hard to confirm."

"That doesn't matter. What's crucial is this girl." Saint Topman Warcury pointed to a photo—an image of Lillian in her blue sun form.

Saint Ethanbaron V Nusjuro ran a hand over the sword at his side. "So the Flame-Flame Fruit can create a 'sun'? Has there been any progress locating that particular fruit?"

"CP is still searching in secret, but you know as well as I do—that fruit has a mind of its own…" Saturn muttered, sounding resigned.

Ethanbaron's eyes grew serious. "We need to find that fruit and the Op-Op Fruit soon. The time is drawing near, and we must speed up that plan."

Saint Topman Warcury stroked his beard. "So far, the only confirmed members of the Shichibukai are Crocodile and Moria. CP is in talks with the bounty hunter Mihawk and the Terror Weapon Dalia, but no other suitable candidates have come up yet."

"What about Wang Zhi?" Ethanbaron raised an eyebrow.

"He declined," Warcury replied casually.

"We need CP to secure the final candidates quickly," Saturn urged. "The Shichibukai initiative is critical, though I'm also planning a certain operation. If it succeeds, we may gain another valuable Shichibukai."

"You mean that escaped slave from God Valley?"

"What do you all think of the Flame-Flame Fruit girl?" Saturn asked.

"Have CP investigate her fully. If they find any sign of her, I'll personally lead CP0 to deal with it. Though it's unlikely she'll be the new Sun, I won't risk allowing any potential threat to remain."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the garden behind the Room of Flowers, a white butterfly fluttered gently, alighting on an outstretched finger.

On the stone pedestal beside it lay several photos—each of them images of Lillian.

"..."

Elsewhere in the Grand Line – Kamabakka Kingdom

The Revolutionary Army's temporary headquarters, hidden within the Kamabakka Kingdom, had also received that day's newspaper.

"Dragon! Big news!" Ivankov sashayed into the room, her voice full of urgency.

Dragon, caught up in the logistics of securing supplies and weapons, set down his pen. "Ivankov, what's happened?"

"Take a look!"

Taking the newspaper, Dragon's eyes widened as he scanned the pages, his gaze then fixed on the bounty posters for several seconds.

After a moment, he murmured, "That's an impressive group. They're almost on par with the Emperors of the New World."

Ivankov suggested, "Dragon, should we try to contact them? From what they've done, it doesn't seem like they're a malicious organization."

Dragon considered this carefully.

"Yes, the auction on that island in the South Blue's White Mountain Kingdom was attended by underground figures. As for the Navy slaughter, I assume it was the result of a conflict between both sides."

"I agree with making contact, but we'll proceed with caution. Until we know more about them, we'll keep a low profile. Have our divisions in the Four Seas stay alert—if they spot anyone from the Hidden Order, they're to reach out discreetly."

The attention of so many powers did little to affect Noah and his crew's movements.

Thanks to the high mobility of the Noah family, they could move swiftly and discreetly. With Shiki's Float-Float Fruit and Ari's Hole-Hole Fruit, they had ample means to travel at will.

Moreover, members like Joshua with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Lillian with the Flame-Flame Fruit, Monet with the Snow-Snow Fruit, and Lilith with the Monarch Butterfly Fruit could all fly over long distances.

They also had just completed testing the Ark 001, an experimental ship powered by graphene batteries and wind turbines.

With these resources, Noah's family could maintain secrecy with ease, making it nearly impossible for outside forces to track or infiltrate them.

After their skirmish with Kuzan and Borsalino, Noah's group hadn't immediately set off again; instead, they returned to Sky Island.

In the Governor's Mansion on Lion Island

Gathered in the main hall, Noah's crew reviewed the events of their recent battle.

Noah took a sip of lemon water. "This last encounter was just a warm-up. Next time we face the Navy or World Government, things may not be as easy."

Galdino was the first to admit his shortcomings. "My Observation Haki needs serious improvement, and I need to awaken Armament Haki as soon as possible." In the last battle, though he managed to take out a good number of marines, he'd nearly been killed by Kuzan.

If not for Joshua's telepathic warning, which helped him use a wax decoy and hide himself, he might have been shattered to pieces.

Lillian also spoke up. "My stamina is still lacking. Just two hours in Sun Mode drained almost half my energy. I'll need to focus on physical training."

For the young Lillian, endurance was indeed a limiting factor in her power.

It was one of the reasons why Noah had quickly ordered a retreat after Borsalino appeared.

After all, Navy admirals were known for their ability to fight for ten days and nights without rest.

While Noah and his family could temporarily overwhelm Kuzan and Borsalino with their combined efforts, they couldn't defeat them within a few hours.

The longer the battle lasted, the more likely reinforcements from the Navy and World Government would arrive.

By that point, Lillian, Galdino, and Kuro's stamina would have dwindled, putting Noah's side at a severe disadvantage.

Noah had made the call without hesitation, having Ari transport the crew to safety.

Yet Noah didn't feel frustrated by the outcome.

His crew was still young, with boundless potential for growth.

Kuzan and Borsalino, on the other hand, were already at their peak. Unless they awakened Conqueror's Haki or fully mastered their Devil Fruits, they weren't likely to make any significant progress.

The battle had also been a humbling experience for Noah's family.

Having witnessed the world's top combatants firsthand, they now understood the gap in power between them—particularly in terms of physical strength and stamina.

Once they improved in those areas, Noah anticipated that four or five of his crew members could reach admiral-level strength.

After resting and training on Sky Island for over a month, Noah's group set sail again.

Galdino, recognizing his need for further training, chose not to join them this time. Instead, he went to train for a year at a camp in the Rum Kingdom.

Noah, along with Kuro, Ari, and others, donned disguises and used a series of wormhole jumps to reappear near the waters of White Mountain Kingdom.

This time, however, they traveled aboard the Nautilus, remaining in stealth mode as they submerged beneath the waves, their destination set for the Lost Sea in the southern reaches of the South Blue.