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Under a clear sky, on the tooth-shaped island of Jaya, lay the infamous town of Mock Town.
It was a lawless pirate haven, known for its culture of extravagant spending.
It was also a key port on one of the trade routes controlled by the Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo. In the original story, Bellamy and his crew were stationed here, managing Doflamingo's illegal underground dealings.
But with Bellamy's crew having been wiped out in the North Blue, and with the opening of Hannabal, Mock Town's revenue had taken a significant hit. Doflamingo was not pleased. He had taken the opportunity of Sengoku's summons to the Warlords to make a stop here.
He had brought one of his subordinates, Machvise, to take over the town's affairs.
Doflamingo was already on his way to Marineford for the meeting. Machvise was still in his room, fast asleep.
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Outside a tavern, at an open-air table, sat a lone figure.
He wore a strange hat and an eyepatch over his right eye. His face was long, and he was wrapped in a black cloak, giving him an air of mystery.
Van Augur was cleaning his rifle. He often operated in this area, hunting valuable targets who had just entered Paradise.
People had tried to recruit him, but because they were weaker than him, he had killed them.
'That is fate,' he thought, picking up his beloved rifle, Senriku. It had an unusually long barrel and a flared, trumpet-like muzzle.
He was from the East Blue. He had set out to sea for the chance to face off against Yasopp, the sniper of the Red-Haired Pirates.
But when he had arrived on Jaya, he had found that his Log Pose had "broken." The path forward was gone. And so, respecting the will of fate, he had stayed.
Van Augur breathed on his monocle-like scope, wiped it clean, and raised the rifle, scanning the distance.
Hm?
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He looked again.
A massive ship was falling from the sky.
Van Augur was stunned.
Could it be related to the sound of the bell a few days ago?
Forgetting about the breakfast the waitress had just brought him, he leaped from his seat and sprinted in the direction of the falling ship.
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On a diagonal line from Mock Town was the temporary base of Mont Blanc Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance.
Ever since they had heard the bell from the sky, they had been working on modifying a ship to be able to reach it.
"Man, it's hot," Masira, the captain of his own salvage crew, said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the ground.
Clouds? Is it going to rain?
He looked up, and his pupils dilated, his eyes bugging out of his head. "HEY! A SHIP! THERE'S A SHIP IN THE SKY!"
"EH??"
Everyone looked up.
The shadow of the ship grew larger and larger. The initial surprise gave way to panic, and everyone scattered.
"Look out!"
"It's... it's coming down!"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
SPLASH!
The Empress crashed into the sea, sending up a massive wave.
The members of Masira's crew were sent flying.
Even Cricket and Shoujou, who were farther away, were drenched.
"Dammit!"
"I'm gonna tear it apart!"
"Strange... how is that ship still in one piece?"
"Hey! Look! There's someone on the ship!"
As their shock began to fade, they saw a young man standing on the prow of the ship.
To fall from the sky and be completely unharmed?
Who was he?
Jin noticed them as well. The chestnut-shaped head, the ape, the orangutan... he recognized them immediately.
"Sorry about that," he called out. "Didn't mean to get you wet."
"Hey! You think a simple 'sorry' is gonna cut it??"
"That's not good enough!"
"At least try to sound like you mean it! What kind of apology is that??"
Masira and Shoujou were furious, jumping up and down in a rage.
"Alright, alright, it's fine," Cricket said, stopping them. "You just fell from the sky, didn't you, kid?"
"More or less," Jin replied.
"Did you hear the bell?" Cricket asked, his voice filled with excitement.
The bell. So they had heard it on Jaya. That was what Jin had come here to confirm.
Once the bell began to ring regularly, the existence of the sky island would go from "legend" to reality.
And to pirates, a mysterious, unknown land meant treasure. Many would risk their lives to reach it.
This would have a major impact on Skypiea, and it might even attract the attention of the World Government.
"I heard it," Jin said.
"So that means... the sky island really exists?"
Jin didn't answer directly. "If you're going to go... then good luck to you."
The reason Skypiea had remained outside the World Government's jurisdiction was that the journey there was incredibly dangerous.
You either took the normal route, with a casualty rate of over 95%.
Or you rode the Knock-Up Stream.
You either all lived, or you all died.
Cricket and his crew were more adventurers than pirates, so Jin didn't mind them going. They could finally resolve the 400-year-old conflict.
But the others...
Jin decided that he needed to take control of Jaya. Those who wanted to ride the Knock-Up Stream would gather here. He could station men here, gather intelligence. And if any pirates did manage to make it to Skypiea, he would be ready for them.
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"Who's in charge of Mock Town right now?" he asked.
"Mock Town has always been a lawless land," Cricket replied. "It's full of pirates who chose the wrong route at the start of the Grand Line, who can't go forward and can't go back. But I hear that one of the Warlords, Doflamingo, started running some illegal businesses here a few years ago."
The main part of Jaya was in the sky. When a pirate followed their Log Pose here, it would point up. To record the next magnetic field, they would have to get to the sky.
So, those who chose this route either had to buy a new Log Pose and switch routes, or they had to risk their lives trying to get to the sky.
That's why Luffy and his crew had their famous clash with Bellamy here over the nature of dreams.
"But I heard Doflamingo was here yesterday," Masira suddenly said. "He brought one of his officers to manage Mock Town."
"An officer? What's his name?"
"I think... it was Mach-something."
Mach... Jin checked the intelligence records Ai had compiled.
Machvise?
'Doflamingo has several Devil Fruits in his crew... And I still have a score to settle with him.' Jin thought, a glint in his eye.
'Sorry, Flamingo. But your family has too many ability users. If I dismantle your whole operation, I could probably get ten Devil Fruits out of it. And I'd be doing Law a favor. This is a fleece I'm definitely going to take. Not even a Celestial Dragon can save you this time.'
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Jin glanced at Cricket and his crew. "You should probably stay away from me for a while, You don't want to get caught in the crossfire."
"Eh??" They had no idea what he was talking about.
"Ai," Jin commanded, "—raise the flag. We're clearing out the trash. One of my crew members went missing in Mock Town. I need to go conduct a search."
"You got it, boss!" Ai chirped.
The black dragon flag was raised.
It billowed in the wind, a fearsome, predatory beast.
The Empress sailed along the coast toward Mock Town.
Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou watched, stunned.
"That flag..."
"Could it be...??"
A short while later, the sky above Mock Town was filled with a dense web of crackling lightning, a spectacular and terrifying sight.
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