"Ugh… my stomach hurts. Forget it."
Magellan hesitated for a moment, then sadly waved away the offered cigar. His gaze shifted toward the new prisoners being forced by the guards to undergo disinfection.
"A bounty of 1,057,000,000 Berries for Katakuri… 932,000,000 Berries for Smoothie…"
Magellan clicked his tongue twice. "One after another… absolute monsters. Add up all these criminals' bounties and it's probably around fifty or sixty billion Berries, right?"
"I just did the math. It's more than that."
Shiryu of the Rain shook the report file in his hand and said calmly, "The exact number is 8.65 billion Berries."
"8.65… billion…"
Magellan was dazed for a moment.
Even though that world-shaking news had come out last week, he and Shiryu had already read that newspaper back and forth countless times.
Yet hearing that astronomical number again still filled him with shock.
"Well, they did raid the nest of a Sea Emperor."
Shiryu exhaled a puff of smoke and said faintly, "If Big Mom hadn't died, the total would've easily exceeded ten billion Berries…"
His feelings were complicated—just like when he first read that newspaper last week. Pride, amazement… and a faint hint of something like loss.
8.65 billion Berries…
He vaguely remembered, back when he and Nao were new recruits at Headquarters , interning at the G2 branch, they were assessed based on the total bounties of the pirates they defeated.
And in the very first month, didn't Nao submit a staggering total of 860 million Berries?
One person's score surpassed the combined total of everyone else. It caused a huge sensation. Throughout the history of the entire Elite Camp, no second person had ever reached such a ridiculous level.
In the blink of an eye, nearly ten years had passed. Now, with just a casual operation, the pirates Nao captured already totaled more than ten times the amount he had accumulated in a whole month back then.
As for himself…
"There's nothing to feel down about, you know?"
Magellan seemed to read the mind of his long-time partner. He patted Shiryu on the shoulder. "That's Mr. Nao we're talking about! I know that even in a place like this, you've trained hard for years, trying to keep up with him, but after all…"
He paused, then laughed. "There's always a gap between humans and gods!"
That guy… in your heart he's almost a god now, huh?
Shiryu let out a dry laugh. Thinking about it, it wasn't wrong.
To be surrounded on all sides, fight outnumbered, and still kill three Yonko within just a few hours—that wasn't something "non-human" or "monster" could describe.
Only "god" fit.
A god born from the Marine.
A god soon to stand at the very top of the world.
"I feel like he's about to return to Headquarters."
Shiryu flicked his cigarette ash and suddenly said something out of nowhere.
"Hm?"
Magellan froze, then quickly understood. He turned, staring at Shiryu with a complicated expression. "You… plan to go back?"
"Yeah. I've stayed here six or seven years. It's about time."
Shiryu slowly unsheathed the cursed blade Raiu and gazed at his beloved sword. "Just like I told you back then—my resignation, my travels around the seas, all of it was within his calculations. When he officially returns to Headquarters, there's definitely going to be a major move right after."
"Has Mr. Nao contacted you lately?"
"No."
Shiryu shook his head slightly as he wiped the blade that hadn't tasted blood in a long time. "I don't know the actual plan. But as his brother, I have to do my part."
"…"
Magellan stayed silent for a long time. He didn't try to talk him out of it—only voiced his concern. "With your current strength, you definitely can help a lot. But the truth is you've been away from the Marine for years, and you did commit crimes and lose your rank. Even if you transfer back to Headquarters, I doubt they'd give you Vice Admiral right away. You'd have to start from Rear Admiral again."
"That doesn't matter."
Shiryu sheathed the cursed blade and took a heavy drag of his cigar. "Strength is what counts."
In terms of strength, Shiryu was extremely confident.
He was probably stronger than every Vice Admiral at Headquarters by a small margin—including the veteran ones. If he had stayed in the Marine, he might already be qualified as a candidate for Admiral.
Of course, there were two exceptions.
"Alright."
Magellan nodded slightly. "This has always been your obsession. I won't stop you. I'll start preparing the paperwork tonight. That way, the moment Mr. Nao returns, you can report to Marineford immediately."
"Mm. Thanks for the trouble."
Shiryu nodded. "With our relationship, I won't bother saying thank you. Don't worry—until that day comes, I am still a member of Impel Down. I'll give it my all and stand firm for this final stretch."
"Like right now," he added, glancing at Magellan's legs, which were rubbing together unnaturally. "The disinfection procedure is already done. Leave the rest to me. If you can't hold it in, just go—I'm afraid that later you might…"
"Deal! I'll leave it to you!"
Magellan agreed without hesitation. Then, right before Shiryu's stunned eyes, he suddenly spun around and sprinted toward the end of the corridor. He skid to a stop in front of the bathroom door, kicked it open, and vanished inside.
His actions flowed as smoothly as running water—clean and seamless.
"…"
Shiryu sighed wordlessly, then turned toward the squad of guards who had already been waiting on standby. He ordered in a low voice, "Escort the new prisoners into their cells in batches. Those going to Level 6—I will personally lead the team."
"Yes, Head Jailer!"
…
The elevator descended rapidly, the scenes of each level of hell flashing one by one. Soon, they reached the lowest floor:
Impel Down — Level 6, Eternal Hell.
"Move! Move! Hurry up! Stop dragging your feet!"
"What are you looking at?! Your cell is over here!"
The guards kicked and cursed as they forced the highest-ranking executives of the Charlotte Family into the empty cells of this floor.
Shiryu's eyes flashed slightly. After the guards finished their tasks, he personally escorted the two most important prisoners toward the end of the corridor.
Katakuri and Smoothie.
Smoothie's eyes were dull and lifeless. Her steps were mechanical. She looked like a walking corpse. Katakuri was in slightly better condition, but still weak and dispirited, head lowered, silent—nothing like the proud and imposing top officer of the Charlotte Family he once was.
"Go in. Since you two are siblings, you'll be locked up together. At least you'll have a companion."
Shiryu lit another cigar and spoke casually.
Clang.
The iron gate slid open. Shiryu was just about to chain them to the cuffs embedded in the opposite wall when suddenly a shrill, crazed laugh echoed from the neighboring cell:
"Fufufufufufu—someone else is here! Someone else is here!"
"Two unlucky idiots! One man, one woman! All sharp teeth! So ugly! So ugly! Fufufufu!"
"Unlucky idiots! Ugly freaks! Taste my booger attack!"
A sticky, yellow-brown glob shot out—not fast. Katakuri instinctively tilted his head and avoided it. A flash of anger flickered in his eyes as he snapped his head toward the neighboring cell.
His pupils narrowed slightly.
What greeted him was a wall covered with countless tally marks—written in dried blood, clearly from someone biting their finger to write. The overlapping strokes with smeared, dark stains created an eerie, chilling sight.
A prisoner with tattered clothes and filthy sunglasses was dancing madly. From his face to his neck, from arms to thighs, every exposed patch of skin was ulcerated, oozing stench—barely human in form.
Noticing Katakuri's glare, the man didn't care at all. Instead, he grinned at them, showing a mouth full of rotten yellow-black teeth.
"Can we switch rooms?"
Katakuri took a deep breath, unwilling to argue with a lunatic, and turned to Shiryu. "I don't want to share a wall with a psychopath."
"A very reasonable request."
Shiryu nodded earnestly. Katakuri thought he had agreed—until Shiryu suddenly grinned, revealing a row of clean white teeth:
"Too bad. This is Impel Down. A prisoner has no right to make requests in front of me."
"Get in."
Shiryu kicked them hard. The two staggered forward, nearly falling. He then chained them up with practiced, rough movements. With a thud, the iron gate slammed shut. Without another glance, Shiryu turned and walked away.
In the dark, silent corridor, his footsteps faded, leaving only the madman next door, still whining, laughing, and crying…
...
New World.
Somewhere far away, Nao was stroking his chin, staring thoughtfully at the Den Den Mushi that had just finished a call.
By now, it had been more than ten days since he appeared at the Tea Party.
On the night Big Mom died, he had enclosed the entirety of Whole Cake Island within a cage of lightning, knocked out everyone on the island with Conqueror's Haki, and immediately contacted the nearest branch—G5—ordering them to dispatch warships to take over the Totto Land territory.
The kingdom Big Mom built was enormous, with a population in the hundreds of thousands. Sorting out the criminals was far more troublesome than what happened in the East Blue. Nao didn't feel like wasting too much time on such matters, so the moment G5 arrived, he left Whole Cake Island.
Speaking of which—
The previous commander of the G5 Branch was Aokiji. He had since been transferred back to Headquarters as an Admiral. The acting commander now was his former deputy—Aokiji's wife, Vice Admiral Molly.
They hadn't seen each other for many years—not since the incident with the Bubble Queen, Sofia. They caught up for a while, exchanged a few words, and after parting, both left each other their contact numbers.
Just moments ago, Molly had called. She informed him that the remnants of the Charlotte Family had all been dealt with, and the surviving high-ranking members were already imprisoned in Impel Down. Waiting for them would either be execution in the future, or a life in darkness with no end.
In addition, Molly revealed—
Because of the enormous impact of the Whole Cake battle, the entire New World had fallen into chaos. Marine Headquarters had already deployed large forces to G1 and G5 to fully support Nao's upcoming actions. There was a high chance the Marines would launch simultaneous purges on the remaining pirate factions throughout the New World.
Nao didn't care much about that. Still, the Headquarters reacting so quickly saved him some effort. There were simply too many pirate groups in the New World—he didn't have the energy to sweep through them one by one like he had in the past.
Right now, he had only one target.
The Beasts Pirates—
and their captain, Kaido.
"Probably three days left…"
Putting away the Den Den Mushi, Nao continued on his journey. He carried a Log Pose given to him by Headquarters—a permanent pointer leading to the closed-off nation of Wano.
Hmm?
Suddenly, he felt something, and turned his head toward the southeast.
Dozens of kilometers away, faintly visible on the distant horizon, a massive hurricane—hundreds of meters tall—had formed over the sea, raging violently.
Under its terrifying winds, an apocalyptic ocean storm rose. A medium-sized ship happened to be passing by, caught at the edge of the storm, unable to advance or retreat.
"A pirate ship?"
Even from several kilometers away, Nao could see the skull flag flying on the mast. He immediately lost all interest in helping.
Just as he was about to move on, his Observation Haki swept over the ship—
and he suddenly sensed a familiar aura on the deck.
"…Strange. Why would that person be here?"
Nao raised an eyebrow, but stopped immediately. In a flash of azure-blue lightning, he darted toward the storm at full speed.
Since there was someone he knew aboard, he couldn't just let the pirate ship be destroyed.
...
On the vast sea, violent winds churned the clouds.
The people on the deck were already soaked from the crashing waves.
These people looked nothing like ordinary pirates. Each wore a gray robe and bore a cross on their chest. They looked more like religious clergy than lawless marauders.
"Cap— no, Captain! We can't stay here any longer!"
The gray-robed helmsman cried out desperately:
"The storm's getting worse! We can't hold out! Let everyone take shelter inside the cabin! At least then we might have a chance to survive!"
The young captain was tall and slender, with flowing blond hair. Six distinctive vertical marks lined his forehead, and a black cross was tattooed on his throat.
Everything about his features—from his eyes to his expression—held a cold, unsettling aura.
His name was Basil Hawkins, from the North Blue, and he had just turned twenty this year.
"Don't panic."
Listening to his subordinate's screams, Hawkins' eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained calm as ever.
"Let me perform a reading first. We'll act based on what the result says."
No… things were this dire, and he still wanted to do a divination?!
The gray-robed middle-aged man looked like he was about to cry, but seeing that Hawkins had already begun calmly drawing his tarot cards, he could no longer bring himself to object.
After all, this was the captain's usual behavior. Those veteran crew members who had followed Hawkins since their voyage from the North Blue years ago were already used to it.
Dozens of ornate tarot cards floated silently before Hawkins, forming a mysterious and intricate array. As his fingertips moved lightly, the cards continuously shifted—flipping, rearranging, changing orientation.
"Hiding inside the cabin… death rate: twenty percent."
He murmured softly as the divination pattern appeared on the card faces. His voice was deep and ethereal, as though drifting from within clouds.
"Abandoning ship and jumping into the sea… death rate: fifteen percent."
"Doing nothing… death rate: zero percent."
...
His voice stopped for a moment, and a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes. Even he could not understand such a result.
The other crew members were even more unconvinced. One officer finally couldn't hold it in:
"Captain—sir—this time the reading must be wrong! Please, stop forcing it. Let's all just hide inside the cabin!"
"There have indeed been failed readings before."
Hawkins shook his head slightly, still cold as ice. "But probabilities this extreme—if they were wrong, they would be too obvious. The Goddess of Divination never engages in such meaningless jokes."
Bzzzt!
At that moment, from above the storm clouds came the faint ringing of a blade.
A vast, majestic wave of milky-white sword energy suddenly descended. Before everyone's wide, disbelieving eyes, it effortlessly cleaved the monstrous hurricane in two.
The storm stopped instantly. In almost the blink of an eye, the sea returned to calm.
The thick clouds above parted as well, drifting to both sides. Warm sunlight poured through the gap, spilling across the ocean once more.
"Hey—hey—HEY, there has to be a limit to jokes like this…"
"He actually cut the hurricane in half with one sword strike…"
"That… that kind of slash… can a human really do something like that…?"
Everyone on the ship was stunned stupid. Many hung their mouths open wide enough to swallow several ostrich eggs.
Even Hawkins stood frozen for a long time before he finally recovered, dazedly lifting his head toward the sky.
Whoosh!
With a sharp sound slicing through the air, a streak of azure lightning shot toward them and landed on the bow of the ship. Thunderlight burst apart, stirring a violent gust.
A few pirates standing nearby were caught off guard, screamed, and were blown directly off the deck—shattering the railings and plunging into the sea.
"Help!"
"Someone help us!"
They struggled to surface, shouting at their crewmates on deck.
But at this moment, no one on the deck had the mind to care about them. They stared at the descending figure like facing a deadly enemy, raising their weapons in panic.
"Foolish."
The newcomer frowned slightly and lifted a finger. In the next instant, all the pirates felt a flash of blue in their vision.
Then—they looked down in horror to see their weapons shattered, broken into fragments that glittered like slivers of silver as they fell to the deck.
"C-captain!"
Weaponless, they instinctively stepped back, trembling as they looked to Hawkins.
"No need to panic."
After a brief moment of shock, Hawkins had returned to his usual calm. His fingers shifted, eyes lowering to the new tarot pattern that had appeared.
"Combat: defeat rate—one hundred percent."
"Escape: success rate—zero percent."
"Defense: evasion rate—zero percent."
...
Just as expected.
As one would think… truly fitting for that legendary man.
Hawkins took a deep breath, swiftly gathered his tarot cards, then bowed slightly. Placing his right hand over his chest, he respectfully saluted Nao.
"It is an honor to meet you, my lord. I am Basil Hawkins, captain of this ship. Please allow me to represent all my crew in expressing our deepest gratitude for saving our lives."
...
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