After descending from Sky Island, Mio found himself in a completely different sea region than where he had originally gone up. He was no longer near Demon Valley Town.
The distance from this location to Water 7, also known as the Seven Water Capital, wasn't short, but it wasn't overly far either. On average, it would take about half a month to reach it. If conditions were favorable and the pace quick, it could be reached in as little as ten days.
After confirming the direction, Mio's boat finally landed steadily on the surface of the sea.
"Master, long time no see!"
Hanba suddenly burst out from the water below, shouting excitedly as he surfaced to greet Mio.
"It's only been a few days," Mio replied with a smile and a nod, then pointed toward the horizon. "Hanba, it's your turn now. Head that way."
"Leave it to Hanba!" the creature grinned before diving back under the waves, gripping the boat from below and swiftly dragging it forward.
Back on the deck, Mio casually tossed the octopus named Baron into the sky. The octopus, able to fill itself with air, would float back up to Sky Island on its own.
Watching Baron grow smaller as it drifted upward into the clouds, Mio folded his hands behind his head and sighed.
"It's going to be a boring journey again…"
Before reaching Water 7, there wasn't much to do except train and drink aboard the ship. With a yawn, Mio stretched lazily.
He then stood up and shouted, "Warwick! Let's train!"
"Alright."
Warwick nodded, tossing aside the bottle of wine he had been holding. He stood and joined Mio on the deck for a sparring session.
And so, time passed quickly.
Seven days later, they were still some distance away from Water 7.
That morning, Mio had just bought a newspaper from a passing News Coo bird when something in the headlines caught his eye.
"Another bounty on us?"
He raised an eyebrow as he scanned the paper.
There was an updated bounty list featuring himself and the rest of his crew.
Mio's bounty had increased by 20 million, bringing it to 120 million Berries.
Erica's bounty was now 80 million,
and Warwick's had risen to 70 million, both seeing a 10 million increase.
But what surprised Mio the most were the new bounties issued for the rest of his crew.
Lilith – 87 million Berries
Kuroken – 55 million Berries
Hanba – 50 million Berries
Mio blinked in disbelief.
While it was expected that Lilith, Kuroken, and Hanba would receive bounties after encountering the Navy, he hadn't anticipated them to be this high.
Although Hanba and Kuroken's bounties were "only" 50 million, considering they weren't captains but regular crew members, these numbers were quite impressive.
Altogether, the total bounty of the Black Crow Pirates had now reached 400 million Berries, and was steadily climbing toward 500 million.
For a rookie pirate crew, this was an exceptional sum—more than enough to attract attention, especially when many veteran pirate crews at sea for years hadn't reached such numbers.
Additionally, there was another headline in the paper that directly related to Mio.
Supernova.
Yes, Mio had been officially labeled as a Supernova.
In the pirate world, the term referred to new-generation pirates who became famous before even entering the New World. Pirates such as Portgas D. Ace, Cavendish, and Monkey D. Luffy had all been supernovas of their respective eras.
And this year, Mio stood alone as the only supernova.
"Now this is interesting…" Mio chuckled as he looked at his own photo in the newspaper. After a brief moment, he crumpled it and tossed it overboard.
The title of "supernova" wasn't particularly useful. In fact, it would only draw more enemies. Once he entered the New World, countless pirates would likely come after him just for the fame of killing a supernova.
Still, the new bounties had effectively placed every member of the Black Crow Pirates under the watchful eye of the world. It was only a matter of time before powerful forces began to take notice.
Those with sharp insight would quickly realize that the Black Crow Pirates were on an elite route, and it was only natural for some of the major powers in the New World to want them as subordinates.
Mio knew that once he entered the New World, some would try to recruit him.
And if he refused, they'd probably try to eliminate him.
Not that he minded. In fact, Mio looked forward to it.
"Captain, what's that in your hand?"
Robin walked out of the cabin, rubbing her sleepy eyes, still half-asleep.
"The latest bounty updates. Go post them in the restaurant," Mio said, tossing the sheet toward her.
"Our bounties?" Robin's eyes lit up as she picked up the paper and began reading. "Captain, your bounty went up again! Erica's and Warwick's too! And even Lilith and the others!"
But after flipping through it a few more times, she frowned slightly. "Why hasn't mine changed?"
She was clearly a little disappointed. Everyone else had their bounties increased or updated, while hers remained the same. Though she knew she hadn't done much recently, she still felt left out.
Still holding the bounty sheet, Robin turned and went back into the cabin to pin it up in the dining room.
Soon, the rest of the crew began waking up.
Erica started making breakfast.
Hei Yan and Warwick were already exchanging warm-up blows on the deck.
Then, suddenly—
A cold chill swept over the ship.
Mio, who had been resting on the deck, suddenly sat upright, eyes narrowing as he looked into the distance.
"…Well, well. We've got someone interesting heading this way."
His grin widened, but there was a flicker of caution in his eyes.
"Everyone, battle stations! Hanba, stop the ship!"
In the distance, a small warship was slowly approaching.
But what made Mio's heart beat faster wasn't the ship itself—it was the man riding beside it.
Gliding over the sea on a bicycle, the ocean beneath him froze solid with every pedal forward.
The ice continued to spread ominously in their direction.
"We just got back to the Grand Line, and someone's already sent us a 'welcome gift,' huh…" Mio's voice trailed off, his tone somewhere between sarcasm and amusement.
The man on the bike was none other than Aokiji, one of the future Admirals of the Navy Headquarters. Though he wasn't officially an admiral yet, his strength had already reached that level.
Even in the New World, Aokiji's name struck fear into many pirates.
"…That's him," Robin muttered, her eyes wide as she stepped up beside Mio. She recognized Aokiji instantly—she had seen him before, back on O'Hara.
Following Mio's command, the ship came to a halt.
Erica and the others joined Mio at the bow, gazing out at the approaching warship.
Soon enough, Aokiji's frozen path brought him close.
He glanced lazily at Mio, then sighed.
"I've been looking for you for a while now. Finally found you. Looks like my vacation's over."
"Vice Admiral Aokiji! What a surprise," Mio greeted with a smirk. "I just got back from Sky Island, and here you are. What's going on? Did you hear I wasn't eating well up there and decided to bring me a gift?"
"If you consider a one-way trip to Impel Down a gift…"
Aokiji shrugged, his voice lazy and relaxed as ever. Beneath his feet, the sea crackled and froze with every word, spreading farther and farther until the entire surrounding ocean turned to solid ice.
The battle was about to begin.