New World —
Former Marine G1 Base, now the Supreme Commander's Office at Marine Headquarters!
A message about the Kamui Pirates lay on the desk.
Akainu Sakazuki sat in his chair, biting down hard on the cigar in his mouth, taking a deep drag.
He exhaled a heavy cloud of smoke.
With his right hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down.
But after a while, it didn't help. Unable to resist, he grabbed the report in front of him once again.
He clenched his teeth and cursed furiously.
"Kamui Pirates! It's them again!!"
"Kronos! Kronos! Kronos! This guy just never stops, does he?!"
Shouting Kronos' name three times, Akainu's fury surged even more.
"Sakazuki, the Kingdom of Brisbane is an allied nation under the World Government."
"This time is different from the incident on Fish-Man Island involving Kronos. After all, Fish-Man Island is not a member state of the World Government — we had no reason to intervene."
"But Brisbane is different! The Kamui Pirates tore down our flag, overthrew the local government, and replaced it with their own pirate flag!"
"This is intolerable! A direct provocation against the authority of the World Government!"
"If we let them continue this arrogance, it'll severely undermine the prestige of the World Government!"
The speaker was a tall man wearing a strange mask, standing calmly in front of Sakazuki.
"Isn't this something the Marines should handle?"
Hearing that, Akainu narrowed his eyes and glared at the masked man.
"Hmph! Easy for you to say!"
"After the Battle of Marineford, we suffered massive losses. Manpower, weapons, even repair crews — we're short on everything!"
"The world isn't peaceful anymore. Where are we supposed to find the strength and resources to handle them?!"
The more Akainu spoke, the angrier he became. He slammed the Kamui Pirates' report back onto the table and crushed the cigar into the ashtray.
His palm turned into molten lava, instantly reducing the cigar to ashes.
Fuming, Akainu yelled at the masked man.
"Why don't you go ask CP0 to do it?!"
Despite Akainu's raging tone, the masked man remained emotionless.
Still calm, cold, and detached.
"Sakazuki, even if you're the acting Fleet Admiral now, don't get too arrogant."
"We only protect the Celestial Dragons. That's our mission — everything else is irrelevant to us."
"Besides, this isn't our decision. The order came from above."
Hearing that, Akainu's expression darkened.
He gritted his teeth and glared at the masked man.
"...The Five Elders?"
Red Line — Holy Land Mariejois, Inner Sanctuary
At the summit of the Red Line, within the sanctuary of the Holy Land Mariejois, the Five Elders were gathered, reviewing bounty posters and intelligence reports spread across the table.
These five men were the highest authority in the world — the Gorosei.
"The world is spiraling into chaos."
"Whether it's pirates, the Revolutionary Army, rogue nations, or the hidden underground forces — everyone is making their move."
"Especially that insane bastard who threw the world into disarray the moment he showed up!"
One of the bald elders gripped the scabbard of his long sword and angrily tapped it against a bounty notice on the table.
The target: Kronos, with a bounty of 3.355 billion Berries!
"The world order, which had only just stabilized, is in turmoil again because of this one man!"
"And his strength is anything but ordinary. Based on his performance during the Summit War, he can already rival those monsters — the Four Emperors!"
"He didn't stop after Marineford — he went straight to Fish-Man Island and claimed it as his territory."
"Now, he's attacking even the allied nations of the World Government."
"He's a serious problem!"
"We can't let him continue unchecked. If we do, that person might not be pleased."
Upon hearing that, the elder with long, pale blond hair turned to the others.
"I've sent CP0 to speak with the Marines. We're hoping they can place some restrictions on this Kronos."
"But judging from the Marines' current state, they probably don't have the manpower to deal with him…"
Another elder, this one with a cane and flat hat, added slowly.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Then the mustached elder broke the silence.
"We can't leave everything to the Marines. We need to act too — and get rid of this man, Kronos, before he becomes a real threat!"
The other four elders didn't respond, but their silence signaled agreement.
After a moment, the mustached elder spoke again.
"Speaking of which… the time should be about right. He should be arriving now."
Right after he spoke, a knock came at the door to the main hall.
The guards opened it immediately.
A man cloaked head-to-toe stepped inside.
Facing the Five Elders — the most powerful figures in the world — he didn't kneel, didn't speak. He simply sat down calmly on the sofa across from them.
The Five Elders didn't seem surprised. The bald elder holding the sword was the first to speak.
"What are you doing here? You should know, by your very nature, you're opposed to us."
The cloaked man didn't react to the accusation. Instead, he slowly spoke as he removed the hood over his head.
"I'm here…"
"…to talk about the state of this chaotic world."
As he finished his sentence, the hood came off, revealing the face hidden beneath.
It was none other than Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors — and something far more mysterious...
Zero.
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