For nearly a month, Bacardi Maude had stood guard over the Sabaody Archipelago like an insurmountable fortress, dashing the hopes of pirate crews who had struggled tirelessly to reach this final stop before the New World.
Any infamous pirate of considerable strength, no matter where they set foot upon arrival at Sabaody, would be instantly gunned down by the feared "Phantom Sniper" of legend.
Even those who attempted to land under the cover of darkness could not escape the ever-present gaze looming over the archipelago like the sun and moon.
To call Maude's actions ruthless would not be an exaggeration.
With the media fanning the flames, his infamy had spread across the first half of the Grand Line like wildfire.
But that reputation was only feared by pirates.
To the residents of Sabaody Archipelago, Maude was more reliable than the Marines in maintaining order.
Thanks to his presence and actions, the archipelago had entered an unprecedented era of peace.
One of the most visible changes was the surge in tourism!
Even Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters beneath the sea, had reaped the benefits of Maude's efforts.
With the number of powerful pirates drastically reduced and the protection of Whitebeard's flag, the island's security had improved significantly.
A handful of bold merfolk and fish-men had begun visiting Sabaody with increasing frequency.
These changes were all direct results of Maude's "Gatekeeper Plan."
Both Sabaody and Fish-Man Island were beneficiaries.
The ones who suffered, without a doubt, were the pirates.
Even the Marines stationed at Sabaody weren't having an easy time.
After all, as Maude's contributions to the archipelago were praised, comparisons with the stationed Marines became inevitable, casting them in an unfavorable light.
Yet, what could they do? They certainly couldn't ask this formidable force to leave. In the end, all they could do was swallow their frustrations in silence.
Today, under a blazing sun, a sizeable pirate ship approached the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago.
The ship's prow was shaped like a massive bronze fist, a distinctive feature.
The pirate flag hoisted on the mast bore a skull encircled by four bronze fists.
Clearly, the captain of this crew was someone who revered brute strength.
"Phantom Sniper? The Gatekeeper of the New World?"
At the ship's bow, a towering three-meter-tall muscle-bound man sneered at the sight of Sabaody, his face full of disdain.
This man was Norris, captain of the Iron Fist Pirates.
He had once been an obscure nobody—until the day he stumbled upon the Copper-Copper Fruit.
After eating the Copper-Copper Fruit, his ordinary life underwent a dramatic transformation.
The fruit's power rendered his body impervious to blades and bullets, and even cannon fire proved ineffective against him.
In less than six months, his bounty skyrocketed from 12 million to 130 million, more than a tenfold increase.
His smooth sailing had inflated his ego.
Even knowing that a monster guarding Sabaody had barred pirates from entry, he remained utterly unfazed.
"I'm a Copper-Copper Fruit user! Not even cannon fire can harm me—what can some lousy sniper do?"
Norris smirked, flexing his arm as veins bulged under his metallic skin.
His crew, witnessing their captain's unshakable confidence, grew fervent, chanting his name.
To them, if their captain could emerge unscathed from a Marine bombardment, then the so-called Phantom Sniper was nothing to fear.
Reaching Fish-Man Island was as good as guaranteed.
The thought excited them even further.
"Hahaha!!! Celebrate now, boys! Once we reach Fish-Man Island, I'll reward each of you with a mermaid!"
Basking in the cheers of his crew, Norris spread his arms wide, laughing wildly as his bronze-hued physique gleamed under the sunlight.
"Oooohhh!!!"
His crew erupted with even greater enthusiasm, faces flushed with excitement.
But just as their ship neared one of Sabaody's mangrove islands—
Norris' laughter abruptly ceased.
His men, mid-cheer, suddenly froze in shock as a crimson mist erupted from the back of their captain's skull.
A heartbeat later, before they could even process what had happened, Norris' hulking body collapsed backward with a heavy thud.
"C-Captain Norris?!"
Their eyes widened in horror at the bullet wound in his forehead, still oozing blood.
A frigid chill crept up the spines of every crew member.
"H-How…?"
"The captain… wasn't he supposed to be invulnerable?!"
Panic set in as their disbelief turned to sheer terror at the sight of their fallen leader.
Several members even collapsed to their knees.
Norris' sudden death shattered their illusions.
Bacardi Maude was not a foe that could be judged by conventional logic!
But even though they had finally grasped this truth—it was already too late.
The bullets from afar showed no signs of stopping.
Ten minutes later.
A squad of Marines hurried to the shore.
At the front stood a burly middle-aged man with half of one eyebrow missing—Marine Headquarters' Commodore Franks Aiden.
Ever since Maude had begun hunting down pirates, Aiden, as the officer in charge of Sabaody's Marine base, had been under immense pressure.
To prove the Marines' competence to the residents, he had made it a policy to intercept any pirate ships approaching Sabaody—whether they docked in lawless areas or not.
And this time was no exception.
Upon learning of the Iron Fist Pirates' arrival, Aiden had assembled his men at top speed.
"Prepare for battle!"
With his eyes locked on the pirate ship barely dozens of meters away, Aiden drew his longsword, determination flashing in his gaze.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines accompanying the squad were brimming with fighting spirit, drawing their blades and readying their rifles.
However, the mast ship of the Iron Fist Pirates, anchored not far away, was eerily silent—like a ghost ship with not a single sign of movement.
"…Could it have happened again?"
Aiden's face twitched.
Realizing the possibility, he disregarded the potential threat of Norris the Copper Fist, a notorious pirate with a 130-million-beri bounty, and immediately executed Moonwalk, propelling himself into the air.
Then—
He saw the deck, littered with corpses.
Maude had beaten him to it again...
"Damn it!!!"
Still midair, Aiden hurled his sword in frustration.
The Marines below saw this scene and immediately understood, a wave of bitter disappointment washing over them.
Meanwhile—
At Grove 13, in the clearing outside Shakky's Rip-off Bar—
Maude rose from his Shadow Throne, stretched lazily, and murmured to himself, "What a great day… not only did I reap a bountiful harvest…"
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon a newspaper resting on the Shadow Throne.
The front page featured an article on the Straw Hat Pirates.
Alongside it were two bounty posters.
One was for Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, with a bounty of 30 million beri.
The other was for Usopp, the Straw Hat Pirates' sniper, with a bounty of 20 million beri.
In the East Blue, where the average bounty was a mere 3 million, receiving an initial bounty of 30 million and 20 million, respectively, was—according to the Marines—not particularly high, yet still unprecedented.
"So, it's finally begun…"
A faint smile surfaced on Maude's otherwise stern face.
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