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New World—Risky Red.
It could no longer truly be called one of the three. Years ago, before the dawn of the Great Age of Pirates, before either had become kings, it was here that Arthur and Roger had clashed.
They had unleashed their power without restraint, and the sheer aftershocks of their battle had shattered the island into fragments, leaving behind a place of legend.
Now, after nearly seven years, the broken landmass had resurfaced, forming a collection of irregular, jagged archipelagoes.
Of the original three islands, Raijin Island had been claimed by the Thunder God Pirates and forged into their impregnable fortress—a place from which no trespasser returned.
Risky Red was a shattered ruin.
That left only Mystoria Island to serve as a temporary refuge and supply point for the rookies just entering the New World.
The once-whole island was now a collection of barren rocks. It had no natural resources, and its climate was dangerously unstable. No pirate crew had ever bothered to claim it.
"Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma. "Hawkeye" Mihawk. "Sir Crocodile." "Heavenly Yaksha" Doflamingo. And with them, Gecko Moria and the treasure hunter, Mad Treasure.
A conspiracy of monsters.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! Moria, you actually had the balls to enter the New World again? Aren't you worried that pathetic crew of yours will get picked off one by one?"
They were gathered in a makeshift wooden cabin, seated around a crude round table. Doflamingo, however, was perched on top of the table itself, his posture the very picture of flamboyant arrogance.
"Don't think you can do whatever you please just because you're hiding behind the Thunder God Pirates," Moria snarled, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"You haven't earned your place in the New World with your own strength. What right do you have to talk?"
"Hiding behind them...?" Doflamingo's smile grew even wider, though the veins on his forehead pulsed with anger.
In his mind, strategy, intelligence, favors, even luck—they were all just another form of strength.
"Cut the crap. Why did you call us all here, Moria? I've got a treasure map I still need to dig up," Mad Treasure said, waving an impatient hand.
The gazes of the other Supernovas all turned to the grotesque Moria, wondering what he was plotting.
Only Crocodile and Doflamingo, their eyes glinting, seemed to have an inkling.
"Kishishishishishishi!" Moria stood up, his massive, six-meter-tall frame nearly bursting through the roof of the cabin. He looked down on them from on high.
"We all met in the first half of the Grand Line, so I thought I'd call you here..."
"Things haven't been going so well for you in the New World, have they? You all know the terrifying power of those monsters at the top. They're not something a normal person can stand against."
"But there's only one way to get wealth, status, and fame here—and that is to kill one of the emperors. And right now, a perfect opportunity is sitting right in front of us."
Moria's expression was fanatical, his words a mad sermon. But no one showed any interest.
The New World was vast, but it could only accommodate four emperors. To challenge those four was a fate that every pirate who entered these waters had to face.
Either you were driven out, you bent the knee and joined one of their fleets, or... you conquered them.
"You're talking about an alliance, aren't you? I don't have time to play make-believe with you lot. I came to the New World for one reason and one reason only: to take Whitebeard's head," Crocodile said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
He stood up with a sneer and pushed his way out the door.
He was a man of both courage and cunning, but for some reason, whenever he faced Whitebeard, he lost all control of his emotions. No one knew why.
"Fuffuffuffu! I think I know what you're getting at," Doflamingo said with a playful glint in his eye, his fingers twitching as if pulling invisible strings.
"The opportunity you're talking about... it's to take advantage of the injured Thunder Emperor, isn't it?"
"That joke almost made me die of laughter. Can a rabbit really kill a wounded tiger? Fuffuffuffuffu!" Doflamingo covered his eyes with his hand and let out a wild, cackling laugh. It was a long time before he stopped.
"I won't tell the Thunder God Pirates' commanders about this little meeting of yours. But count me out. Because... I'd like to live a few more years."
With that, Doflamingo became the second to leave.
He had been cooperating with the Thunder God Pirates for three years. Was he loyal? Absolutely not. He had not been conquered by Arthur's spirit, not like those other Commanders who believed Arthur was the only one in this new era who could truly reach the top.
But to ask him to make a move against the Thunder God Pirates? He had to be dreaming.
Setting aside Arthur himself, the terrifying strength of his commanders alone was enough to send a chill down Doflamingo's spine.
Especially the First Division Commander, Shiryu. In the past three years, just to satisfy his bloodlust, he had completely annihilated an entire island that was planning to ally with Big Mom.
Tens of thousands of people... mowed down like grass.
A star of slaughter like that was even more terrifying than the Thunder Emperor himself.
All the dirty work of the Thunder God Pirates was handled by Shiryu. His capacity for cruelty was beyond imagination.
But what terrified Doflamingo the most was Shiryu... he never saw killing as a sin. To him, it was as natural as eating when you're hungry.
"Becoming a new emperor will not achieve my goals."
After Doflamingo left, the silent Kuma finally spoke. "The world is not changed by power."
And with that, he too was gone. No one knew what he meant.
Moria's face began to change. One by one, they were refusing his offer to team up against Arthur. How much longer would they have to survive in the cracks?
Just then, Mad Treasure suddenly burst out laughing.
"Jararararara! Now that sounds interesting! The process is sure to be a thrill, right? I'll say this in advance: the Thunder Emperor's golden ship is mine."
"A pleasure doing business with you," Moria said, his eyes lighting up. He turned to the one man who had yet to speak, the one who had not yet given his answer—Hawkeye.
"An uninteresting plan," Mihawk said, his arms crossed, his voice cold.
"Compared to Thunder Emperor, his subordinate, Shiryu, is more interesting to me."
"But before that, I have to go to Merveille in the first half of the Grand Line to find someone."
"Merveille? The territory of the Golden Lion Shiki?" Moria's expression changed. He had never imagined that Mihawk would be so bold as to challenge a legend by himself.
The Golden Lion Shiki had not only developed his Float-Float Fruit to a terrifying degree, he was also currently recognized as the greatest swordsman on the seas.
Mihawk's purpose in challenging him was self-evident...
For a man of the sword, there was only one goal for setting out to sea—the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman.
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In the end, only two men remained on Risky Red Island: Gecko Moria and Mad Treasure.
They had formed an official alliance.
"I have reliable intelligence," Moria said. "Thunder Emperor and his First Division Commander, Shiryu, have boarded a ship. Their destination is the first half of the Grand Line..."
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