Sailing through the Second Ocean waters known as the Green Mouth Sea were eight pirate ships, each of different size and design.

Leading this fleet were the two galleons belonging to Captain Bonnflammé of the Templar Pirates and Admiral Grace of the Alzabe. These two galleons were so large that they almost blocked sight of the six brigantines travelling behind them, each of which was still large in its own right.

Up front, directly behind the galleons, were the Redflower Pirates sailing on the Armageddon to the right, and Captain Lionheart’s crew sailing to the left. There was a decent amount of space between them, but these two ships had a firm alliance. Perhaps the strongest alliance out of all the ships.

Then, following behind them, were the remaining four ships, belonging to pirates of varying crews.

Captain Oak of the Alzabe Pirates.

Captain Bullseye of the Trueshot Pirates.

Captain Blind of the Trueshot Pirates.

Captain Leonard of the Templars.

Each of these ships flew their flags by the stern, letting anyone who spotted them know who was a part of this expedition.

The creatures of the deep didn’t dare attack them, nor did the navy. It was impossible for them to put together a fleet that could rival such manpower in such a short amount of time. After all, the expedition had roughly 700 pirates across the entire fleet.

Any navy sailors who spotted this expedition were given orders to turn tail and sail away. The pirates would surely have enough ranged capability to take them down from afar without even having to worry about performing any boarding manoeuvres.

...

As Captain Roseus stood at the helm of his ship with Dawn by his side, they solemnly stared up at the moon and watched as the sun set.

Today was the day that the gates to the Third Ocean would open up. And they could already see these gates.

The gates that opened the pathway to the Third Ocean did not follow the laws of physics. Ahead of them, where the waters turned green, there was a giant stationary wave that resembled a solid wall. This wall was made of the water itself and rose in a way that created a ring shape around the entire Third Ocean. If a ship tried to sail directly into it, the vessel would be torn apart by the water.

However, dispersed throughout the giant green wall of water were numerous different entrance points. These were specific areas of the wall where the waters were parted, allowing ships to pass through. There were many of these areas, some of which were much harder to discover than others.

Ahead of them was the entrance that Admiral Grace and the Templars had claimed to discover. It was a route opened by the Emperor of the Halo Empire himself, but he had tried to hide it so that no one else could pass the waters so easily.

The pathway could only be discovered by certain navigators. The water would not part or undergo any changes once the gates opened. However, those with certain skills could spot an area in the water that could be directly sailed through without facing the damage that would usually come with sailing into the wall of water.

If the navigator made a mistake, then the ships would inevitably face damage. Luckily, Admiral Grace and Captain Bonnflammé had already tested this path.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

As they approached the towering wall of water, the skies suddenly turned darker, and the sound of a bell ringing echoed throughout the entirety of the Second Ocean.

At this moment, each of the ships in the fleet fell into a strict formation. They lined themselves up one by one and would sail through a specific point in the water one at a time.

Far to the left of the wall, a separate entrance opened up. One where the opening was much clearer and could be sailed through without having to use any skills or treasures. Unfortunately, that opening would lead to a path to the Third Ocean that was much more difficult.

From the helm of his ship, Roseus tried to see if he could watch the ships in front of him sailing through the gate. If he couldn’t see, he would listen to make sure there weren’t any cries of pain or agony. This would let him know that their efforts had failed.

As he was staring out at the ship in front of him, a figure appeared on the quarterdeck of said ship, looking back at him.

This figure was dressed in a white buttoned shirt with straight black pants. His hair was gold and curly, and his face was young and handsome. He looked like a statue depicting philosophers of ancient times.

The man was Captain Lionheart, and he saluted Captain Roseus, a man whom he deemed a great ally. They had done battle together and had even shared treasure with one another.

Roseus saluted back towards the man and watched as the Lionheart ship approached the giant wall of green water that towered a hundred metres above the surface of the sea.

There was quite a large distance between the two ships, which gave the Armageddon a bit of time before it followed Lionheart through the gate.

As Roseus watched the Lionheart ship submerge itself into the water without being destroyed, he couldn’t help but be fascinated by how this route was discovered.

There were indeed no screams or sounds of terror. This meant that the safe route was real. It had been found!

The Armageddon was next to sail through.

Roseus and the Redflower Pirates held tightly onto the railings, expecting to be thrown about and drenched by the water as they sailed through the wall. However, their ship somehow remained almost completely dry as they entered. It was as though a tunnel was being carved out for them, making it impossible for the water to splash onto them.

After a minute of sailing, they emerged from the other side of the wall.

On the other side, two more walls rose on either side of them, creating a straight path towards a far distant location.

The ships that had sailed ahead fell into a new formation as they continued down this pathway.

Roseus watched this and rejoiced.

Everything was going well...