Why does the World Government want so desperately to eliminate the Straw Hat crew?
The reasons behind it were never stated in the newspapers.
The paper only reported that, after the Straw Hat fleet briefly appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago, it sailed to Fish-Man Island and then headed for the New World.
But in truth, the situation isn't caused by the Nika fruit.
It might play a small part, but it's not the core issue.
What really drove the World Government to act so irrationally was that three Celestial Dragons were killed!
As descendants of the Creator, the Celestial Dragons—the nobles of the world—stand above all living beings.
Any attack on a Celestial Dragon triggers intervention from the Navy's highest combat force.
And this time… they were killed!
The Celestial Dragons were enraged, and that anger also drove the World Government's extreme measures.
Yet at the same time, the Celestial Dragons were fearful, and they forbade news of their deaths from appearing in the papers.
After the events in the Sabaody Archipelago reached Mariejois, the Celestial Dragons took two actions:
First, they influenced the Five Elders to arrest everyone from the Straw Hat Fleet.
Second, they ordered CP0 to deal with all participants of the auction—kill them all, leaving no survivors.
Thus, the news of the Celestial Dragons' assassination, which alone would have shaken the world, was abruptly suppressed.
This was supposed to happen… but some fish still slip through the net.
---
Dressrosa
In front of an outdoor pool at the palace.
Doflamingo sat in a lounge chair, legs crossed, smirking as he read the newspaper.
As the mastermind behind the largest auction in the Sabaody Archipelago, he already knew everything well before the news spread—almost immediately after the incident occurred.
The auctioneer who had escaped and been stunned by Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki reported the situation to him as soon as he regained consciousness.
"Hehe~ Luffy of the Straw Hat is crazier than I thought… he actually killed three Celestial Dragons!"
A man with a runny nose said with a strange smile,
"Celestial Dragons are like gods. He really killed three of them. No wonder the government wants to suppress this news—if it got out, the world would erupt into chaos."
"This group of high-ranking fools is just scared. Afraid that the pristine coat called 'god' they wear might be tarnished forever."
Doflamingo ignored the commentary.
He knew full well the activities of the Celestial Dragons. What happened when he was a child had made him far more sober than those fools living in the Holy Land.
"Fufurfur, how can something this interesting not be reported? The Straw Hat killed three Celestial Dragons and they still live in peace… When this becomes known, those without a place to vent… what kind of chaos will unfold? Truly fascinating!"
"This will skyrocket the Straw Hat's fame." Trebol frowned slightly, nose running.
"Doesn't matter. This is the reward he deserves, as long as he survives!"
"Will Morgans report it?"
"He already published something about this so-called 'Imu' in the newspaper. True or not, what wouldn't he dare do?"
Doflamingo picked up a Den Den Mushi and quickly dialed a number.
Moments later, a familiar voice answered the call.
"This is World Economics Headquarters. I'm Morgans. If you know this number and still call, it must be big news, right?"
"It's me."
"That voice… DomQuixote Doflamingo?"
"The Celestial Knights have tried to take you out… fufurfur, I'm glad you're still alive."
"They couldn't even find me! Hmph. The World Government really despises me. Do you think they can catch me easily?"
Morgans laughed in excitement.
His headquarters was an airship, able to fly anywhere at any time.
The World Government, for now at least, still had to rely on his Newsbird Group.
"About today's newspaper… I have good news for you. It depends if you want to continue stirring up the Five Elders."
"Please, tell me. I assure you, the reward will satisfy you."
"No payment necessary."
Again?!
Morgans cheered, "I like people like you! For the 'truth'! For BIG NEWS!"
The reward offer incident for all Straw Hat members, ongoing as it was, had not yet reached Fish-Man Island.
News broadcasts cannot reach that location, and reports about Fish-Man Island are always delayed.
---
Meanwhile…
Northeast of Fish-Man Island, the Marine Forest.
The underwater forest lies outside the giant bubble enclosing Fish-Man Island.
It's also known as the "ship graveyard."
Countless shipwrecks are carried here by ocean currents. When Luffy and the others arrived, the first thing they saw were numerous broken, silent ships piled together.
"Lord Luffy, this is the Sea Forest."
Fukaboshi led the way.
Passing through the bubble membrane covering the forest, they finally emerged from the sea.
"What a beautiful place~" Robin exclaimed.
The colorful forest was stunning, and outside the bubble, whales and fish could be seen swimming.
Shirahoshi bit her lip and silently floated ahead… moving away from the group.
Luffy sat on her shoulders, smiling knowingly:
"Here for a stroll, but in a bad mood?"
"Sorry, Luffy."
Shirahoshi shook her head.
Soon, they reached a tombstone.
"This is where my mother is buried," she whispered.
Robin, following behind, frowned slightly. "This is a tombstone?"
"Yes. Shirahoshi's mother died from severe injuries eight years ago," Fukaboshi explained.
"She was deeply loved by her people during her life and was called Otohime."
"Severe injuries?" Robin froze for a moment.
After a brief silence, Fukaboshi sighed and slowly recounted Otohime's story.
The story wasn't complicated.
In short, Otohime tried to coexist harmoniously with humans so that fish-men and mermaids could live freely in the seas.
She wanted to change humans' mindset and transform her group from being seen as "fish" to "humans."
She wanted equality, not hatred.
To achieve this, Otohime worked tirelessly. On one hand, she tried to convince Fish-Man Island's citizens to let go of past hatred and stop hating humans. On the other hand, she also sought to establish friendly relations with the World Government.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."