Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the top-floor office adorned with the plaque "Absolute Justice."
"What did you say!"
Sengoku's expression changed abruptly as he stood up sharply, staring intently at the Den Den Mushi before him. "Did Doflamingo really say that before he died?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral."
The Den Den Mushi, clutching a cigar and wearing a brown-brimmed hat, wore a gloomy expression. "That guy was in such a miserable state—only a small part of his body remained. It was clearly sliced clean in half by something extremely sharp."
"Looking across the entire first half of the Grand Line, the only one who could pull that off... would be the Blade Swordsman, right?"
A clean bisection?
This detail shattered the last shred of hope in Sengoku's heart.
"...I understand."
Sengoku sat back down, rubbing his temples as a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him.
That troublesome young man... was actually still alive?
Back when Borsalino had reported to him after the Enies Lobby incident, he had felt an inexplicable unease.
He always thought that monster—who had turned the Grand Line upside down within just a few months of setting sail—shouldn't have died so easily...
And now, that deeply buried worry had finally come true?
"Over two months without a single trace."
Sengoku spoke in a low voice. "It seems this monster has been hiding on some remote island, either training or recovering from his injuries..."
"I think we shouldn't let him rest too comfortably."
The Den Den Mushi slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "Fleet Admiral, the direction Doflamingo flew from does have a few inconspicuous islands nearby, none too far away. How about I spend a few days searching them one by one?"
"That's a good suggestion."
Sengoku nodded slightly. "I'll have nearby bases dispatch reinforcements to assist you. If you see him..."
"Ah, I understand."
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Chaton's mannerisms, chuckling. "Leave it to me. I won't be as careless as Mr. Borsalino—I'll definitely bring his corpse back to Marinefor—"
"No."
Sengoku cut him off. "What I mean is, if you see him, don't act recklessly. Notify Headquarters immediately. I'll have Kizaru rush there as soon as possible."
"Huh?"
The Den Den Mushi froze. "Fleet Admiral, have you forgotten? I was promoted to Vice Admiral candidate alongside Gion at the beginning of the year. Dealing with a pirate worth 1 billion Berries shouldn't require reinforce—"
Sengoku shook his head:
"If this were when he had just set sail, I'd trust you with it. But, Kaji... young powerhouses undergo constant transformation and growth..."
Someone who repeatedly escaped death at the hands of Admirals—after several months, could a Vice Admiral candidate really still handle him?
"Enough. Follow orders."
"...Understood."
Chaton on the other end clearly still wasn't fully convinced, but in the end, he said nothing more.
The call ended.
Sengoku rested his chin on his hands, lost in thought for a moment, before suddenly pulling out a bounty poster from the bottom left drawer.
The man in the wanted poster had short golden hair and wore a pink feather coat, spreading his arms toward the camera with an arrogant grin.
The poster was slightly yellowed and aged, yet its surface remained smooth and unwrinkled, as though it had been pressed at the very bottom for years, untouched for a long time.
"Little Rosy."
He stared at the photo on the poster and murmured under his breath, "You... can finally rest in peace now..."
That brat Xiano had killed the third Warlord of the Sea, which would undoubtedly give the entire Marine Headquarters another headache.
But at the same time, he had also fulfilled a long-cherished wish that Sengoku, as the Fleet Admiral, could never hope to achieve.
Did that mean he owed the kid a favor now?
How absurd. Sengoku remained silent for a long while.
He rolled up the wanted poster and tucked it under his arm, grabbed a bottle of wine, and headed downstairs toward the cemetery behind Marine Headquarters...
————
Kuraigana Island.
Amid the thick fog, an inconspicuous small boat docked at the shore.
A tall man wearing a wide-brimmed hat stepped ashore, finally returning to the place he knew best.
However.
Unlike his usual solitary arrivals, this time, he was followed by a nervous young girl.
Noticing the sinister figures darting swiftly through the mist, the girl shuddered and instinctively tightened her grip on her sword.
"Mr. Kuhomi."
She looked on the verge of tears, swallowing hard. "Those must be the sword-wielding baboons you mentioned... There are so many of them. Do I really have to survive three days against them before you'll officially take me as your student?"
Hearing that name, Hawkeye's face darkened instantly.
Though he had indeed been the one to suggest reversing his name in the first place.
Anyone else, especially someone seeking his swordsmanship tutelage, would have pretended not to remember and continued using his proper title.
But this girl, Tashigi, was stubbornly straightforward—she had taken it to heart.
The entire journey, she kept calling him "Kuhomi" over and over, each time igniting an inexplicable fury in him—
Where the hell was that Xiano? Come and take your follower away already!
Could he really be dead, as the World Government claimed?
Impossible.
If even Tashigi didn't believe it, he certainly didn't.
So for the past two months, he had painstakingly searched every island around Enies Lobby.
Yet he found nothing.
Hawkeye finally lost patience, concluding that the brat must have secretly slipped into the New World, and gave up the search.
With the ever-persistent Tashigi in tow, he returned to Kuraigana Island.
"A promise is a promise. Though it may be too difficult for you right now, it cannot be changed."
Hawkeye glanced at her expressionlessly. "We part ways here. If you still have the strength in three days, come knock on my castle gate yourself."
With that, he strode off toward the castle without another word.
Meanwhile, the baboons, understanding his intent, gathered in greater numbers, cackling eerily as they closed in on the girl.
I'm doomed!
Tashigi's face turned pale. How could she possibly be a match for so many monsters, let alone the exceptionally large leader whose sword alone was several times bigger than her entire body...
As expected.
Did Mr. Mihawk never intend to formally accept her as his student? Was this impossible challenge just his way of making her back down?
Thud, thud, thud!
The unusually massive King Baboon had been marching at the forefront, carrying its enormous sword with menacing momentum.
But when it finally emerged from the thick fog and got close enough to see Tashigi's face clearly, its entire body trembled, and its giant sword clattered to the ground with a loud "clang."
"Groo... groo?!"
Cold sweat poured down its face as it stared wide-eyed at Tashigi, letting out frightened growls from its throat.
Hadn't she left days ago?
Why was she back again!
Thump!
The next moment, the King Baboon dropped its sword entirely and abruptly knelt, slamming its forehead against the ground as its whole body shook uncontrollably.
"Groo! Groo groo!"
While frantically kowtowing, it desperately pointed at Tashigi's face with its claws, barking urgent commands at the surrounding baboons.
"Groo?!"
"Groo groo groo?!"
The other baboons froze momentarily before seeming to realize something. They all discarded their weapons in unison, dropping to their knees and kowtowing fervently toward Tashigi.
"..."
Tashigi stood there dumbfounded, her mind completely blank.
Huh?
Wh-what in the world is going on?!
————
Meanwhile.
The Sunset was advancing at full speed through the storm.
After leaving Kuraigana Island, the ship had been sailing for seven days straight. The weather had been terrible throughout, with nearly nonstop storms and gales.
Their speed had been somewhat affected, but overall, the journey had been smooth. Upon reaching the next island indicated by the Log Pose, the Falling Stars Adventure Crew rested for half a day to replenish their supplies of food and fresh water.
After inquiring with the local residents, they learned this was the final island on this route.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would soon arrive at the endpoint of Paradise.
—Sabaody Archipelago.
The ultimate convergence point for all seven routes of the Grand Line's first half, a massive island cluster formed by 79 giant Yarukiman Mangroves.
Since it wasn't a true island, Sabaody actually lacked magnetic fields, making it a location the Log Pose couldn't point toward.
However, since the next destination for all seven routes was Fish-man Island, and Sabaody was the only island in that direction...
Combined with its enormous size—visible from great distances as a silhouette—
Unless the navigator was directionally challenged on the same godly level as Zoro, it was nearly impossible to miss.
...
Inside the ship's cabin.
Xiano was relaxing in the onboard pool, soaking comfortably in the hot water.
Ever since Nami ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, the crew never had to worry about hot water again—they could enjoy a hot spring anytime.
Unfortunately, almost everyone on board was a Devil Fruit Ability User, becoming weak and powerless when large portions of their bodies came into contact with water. Thus, most still preferred showers.
Only Xiano and the two pets came here daily for a soak.
"Hey, Nuomici..."
Xiano looked down at Salamon, who was sprawled on his chest. "I've noticed that ever since your last evolution, you've been clinging to me more and more, huh?"
Before, it used to prefer perching on Nami's head.
"Woof~!"
Nuomici whimpered pitifully. What could it do? Now that it had grown so big and looked like a dog, Nami's head wasn't a doghouse—there was no way it could still perch there.
"Woof woof woof, all you know is woof."
Xiano pinched its cheeks in annoyance. "Digimon are supposed to be able to talk very early. You're already in the Growth stage, so why can't you speak yet? Do you have to wait until you take human form?"
Hiss.
It suddenly occurred to him—if Nuomici still liked clinging to him like this after evolving into Angewomon during bath time, things might get a bit awkward.
Better break this bad habit early!
Xiano picked Nuomici up and set it aside, only for it to wag its tail and stick right back to him. After several failed attempts to shake it off, he finally gave up.
Probably just a dog's nature.
Once it becomes Angewomon, it'll probably turn aloof. Yeah, no need to worry...
He stretched his arms and ignored Nuomici, instead opening the system panel to glance at this month's trading market.
Hmm, same as last month—nothing worth buying. That high-quality refresh two months ago really did come at a cost, draining all his luck afterward...
Before closing the panel, Xiano skimmed the message log to check his Points.
[You sacrificed Doflamingo's severed leg and gained 3,000 Points.]
[You sacrificed Mansherry's crystal slippers and gained 200 Points.]
[You sacrificed Hawkeye Mihawk's velvet bed and gained 3,800 Points.]
"3,800 Points? Seems Hawkeye really loved that bed."
Xiano clicked his tongue in amazement.
Too bad he couldn't find any of Mihawk's old swords in the castle, and worse, he hadn't run into the man himself. After much deliberation, he'd had to settle for sacrificing that obviously expensive bed.
Original Points: 34,200. This time's total gain: 7,000. Current Points have broken through the 40,000 mark again, reaching 41,200.
Plenty to spare.
If the Points Shop refreshes next month, his streak of bad luck should be over by then, and he can finally go on a shopping spree.
Besides...
The further you go into the Grand Line, the more valuable "wool" there is to shear.
Xiano's eyes gleamed as he gazed out the porthole.
Like this last stop before entering the New World—the Sabaody Archipelago—where a particularly lucrative "sheep" was waiting...
———
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
Inside Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
The bar was hazy with smoke. Shakky, a slender cigarette dangling from her lips, lazily polished a glass while her eyes occasionally flicked toward a group in the corner engaged in heated discussion.
"Hey hey hey, who'd have thought so many Supernovas would gather at Sabaody? What a scene!"
A bald pirate gulped his liquor and slammed his palm onto the scattered bounty posters on the table, grinning widely.
"How many are there again? A full five! The highest bounty's gotta be the captain of the Nox Pirates, 'Pedro of the Trees'—heard he's from the Mink Tribe, with a bounty of 180 million Berry!"
"Those Mink Tribe folks are too few in number. Mark my words, they won't amount to much!"
A skinny pirate, flushed red from drinking, waved his hand dismissively, spittle flying.
"Actually, that Sasaki has a bounty of 170 million Berries and is said to be the strongest Master Swordsman among this generation's Supernovas. He's defeated a Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral head-on and commands a fleet of over ten ships. I'm more optimistic about him!"
"The strongest Master Swordsman?"
A nearby pirate muttered in confusion, "How does he qualify? Shouldn't that title belong to Blade Swordsman Xiano?"
"How can a dead man count!"
The skinny pirate let out a drunken hiccup. "Besides, if that man were still alive, we wouldn't even be having this pointless debate. And honestly, calling him a 'Supernova' would be downright insulting!"
That much was true.
The surrounding pirates all nodded subconsciously.
"Supernova."
This title represented the highest honor for pirates who had made it to Sabaody from the first half of the Grand Line.
But for that man, it was no different from the dirt beneath his feet.
There was no need to even mention his illustrious achievements. Just presenting his terrifying bounty of over one billion Berries would...
Make all other Supernovas seem like children playing house in comparison.
"Let's move on! The other three are strong contenders too for this generation's top Supernova!"
"First up is Pekoms! Combatant of the Nox Pirates with a 150 million Berry bounty—also their second Supernova!"
"Next is Haruta, with a 132 million Berry bounty! Wow, this wanted poster... what a pretty boy!"
"Lastly, Charlotte Galette. Her bounty is only 100 million Berries, the lowest here, but she's the daughter of the Four Emperors' BIGMOM! She chose to train alone from the first half of the Grand Line. Now that she's entering the New World, she'll probably return to her family and be given an important role!"
Five in total, all notorious pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million.
Who among them would go the farthest, becoming the brightest new star in the New World?
The pirates argued endlessly, and soon patrons from other tables joined in, turning the entire bar into a noisy uproar.
So damn loud, these idiots.
Shaki set down her glass, frowning as she prepared to lose her temper.
"Stop worrying about those fools, you morons! There's huge news!"
Bam! The bar's shutter door was flung open as a red-faced pirate staggered in. After ensuring all eyes were on him, he took a deep breath and burst into excited laughter:
"It's the Sunset... the Sunset! That Falling Stars Adventure Pirates crew that vanished over two months ago has docked at the harbor in this area!"
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and come see for yourselves!"
(End of Chapter)