Rosinante knew well that his biggest weakness right now was the lack of intelligence.
The so-called underworld—also known as the Dark World—was where all the shady dealings of the One Piece world took place: loan sharks, assassinations, mercenary work, smuggling, organ trafficking, and, of course, slave trading.
The profits were astronomical, but everything they did was cloaked in secrecy. Countless people despised them, coveted their wealth, and wished to wipe them off the map. That was why their hideouts were hidden so deeply—each crime lord had dozens of safehouses, changing locations like snakes shedding skin, all to avoid being rooted out.
Even with Rosinante's intelligence network, tracking down who exactly owned the Sabaody slave auction house—or which underworld emperor stood behind it—was nearly impossible. Finding their headquarters to strike directly? Even harder, when you didn't even know where the door was.
So, rather than waste time in a drawn-out hunt, Rosinante decided to toss out a lure that no one in the underworld could resist—one trillion Berries.
A trillion Berries.
Enough to make even the most composed monster tremble.
Even the World Government itself would be tempted by that kind of money.
Once this bait was thrown, the owner of the auction house—no matter how cautious—would have to come out of hiding. No one could resist a prize like that, even if they knew it was a trap.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! A trillion Berries, huh? Now that's what I call a grand gesture! Just think of how many rice crackers I could buy with that!"
A hearty, booming laugh echoed through the auction grounds. A group of Marines had arrived—leading them was a robust, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with a grin as bright as his reputation.
"Garp?" Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Didn't expect to see you here too. Tell me, are you getting involved in this mess as well?"
"Rayleigh, old friend," Garp laughed, hands on his hips. "I'm just here on duty. But you—I thought you retired! What's an old man like you doing here?"
"I am retired," Rayleigh said with a soft smile. "I'm just here to watch the show."
"Then it's fine," Garp said casually, waving it off.
Beside him, the ever-lazy and faintly sinister Borsalino—Admiral Kizaru—narrowed his eyes. "Garp-san, that's a dangerous man over there. Shouldn't we arrest him?"
"Oh? Then go ahead," Garp said, smirking. "You catch him."
Kizaru blinked. "Ehh… I'd rather not. He's kind of a legendary figure, you know."
"Then drop it," Garp replied, shrugging. "My mission's simple: keep an eye on Rosinante and make sure he doesn't harm any Celestial Dragons."
Admiral Tsuru, ever calm and composed, stepped forward. "He's right. Compared to the potential chaos of trying to arrest someone like Rayleigh, it's better to hold off. Even if we tried, it's not certain we could catch him—and if he gets angry, it could get much worse."
"I'm just an old man, really," Rayleigh said mildly, chuckling. "No need to make me sound so scary."
Rosinante turned to face Garp, his tone faintly teasing. "Garp, even you must feel it, right? A trillion Berries… that's quite the temptation."
Garp grinned. "Oh, it's tempting, all right! A trillion Berries would make anyone's heart skip a beat."
"If Vice Admiral Garp is willing to join the Grey Nation," Rosinante said smoothly, "I'll give it all to you."
Kizaru whistled. "Whew~ such generosity! Makes me wonder—if I joined the Grey Nation, would I be worth that kind of money too?"
Rosinante wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. "You? Not a chance. You'd ruin our aesthetics. We've got standards to maintain."
"Oi oi oi, that's a bit of a low blow!" Kizaru said, feigning offense.
Garp burst into booming laughter.
But his laughter soon faded, replaced by a solemn look. "Rosinante, you realize what you've done, right? A trillion Berries isn't just money—it's chaos. The entire ocean will go mad. You'll bring every outlaw and lunatic down on this island. Sabaody will drown in blood."
"I know," Rosinante said calmly. "But it's far too late to stop now. The moment that gold note worth one trillion Berries appeared, this war was set in motion. No one can stop it now."
Garp fell silent. He knew Rosinante was right.
That single note was enough to turn the whole world upside down. Greedy eyes everywhere were now blood-red with lust. They'd all come charging in—pirates, bounty hunters, underworld assassins—every last one of them.
And that was exactly what Rosinante wanted.
He was setting a trap, luring all those who dared covet the Grey Nation into one place, so he could crush them in a single, decisive strike.
Perhaps ever since Robin and Lachi were kidnapped, this war had been inevitable. Garp just hadn't expected Rosinante to be so ruthless—using such an enormous temptation as bait.
A trillion Berries wasn't just treasure. It was enough to make even pirates from the New World lose their minds.
"But," Rosinante continued evenly, "I'll limit the battlefield to the lawless zone. I'll give you an hour, Garp—one hour for the Marines to evacuate all civilians. After that, I won't be held responsible for anyone caught in the crossfire."
"You're planning to wipe out the entire slave trade?" Garp asked, his tone serious now. "You realize that kind of bait might bring out some true monsters—maybe even flip your own ship?"
Rosinante smirked. "Monsters? No. Just rats. A man like Whitebeard wouldn't move for mere money. Don't tell me the Marines are thinking of stepping in too?"
"Whitebeard might not move," Garp said gravely, "but Kaido might. And even if Whitebeard stays put, his subordinate crews might not resist the temptation."
Rosinante's eyes narrowed. "Then they'll die too. Whoever comes, we'll deal with them. How we fight—and how far this goes—that's all under our control. The Grey Nation decides how this war is fought."
He wasn't reckless.
He wasn't going to throw lives away needlessly.
His target was the filth of the underworld—the slave traders, the profiteers, the parasites of the world.
If true monsters like Kaido entered the fray, Rosinante would adapt. The Grey Nation always fought on its own terms.
Garp gave a low whistle. "Space manipulation, huh? That really is a terrifying power. Makes 'controlling the battlefield' literal."
"Vice Admiral Garp," Rosinante said lightly, "I doubt you came all this way just to chat."
Garp rubbed the back of his neck with a grin. "Heh, don't mind me. I'm just here to watch the show. You don't mind, do you?"
"Can I say I do mind?" Rosinante said flatly.
He knew this old mad dog—once Garp decided to stick around, there was no changing his mind.
"Relax," Garp said cheerfully. "I'll just sit back and enjoy the fireworks."
"Then you'd better start moving," Rosinante said coldly. "In one hour, the slave trade will be wiped off the map of this lawless zone. If you don't want Marines or civilians caught in it, get them out—now."
Kizaru gave a low whistle, his lazy grin returning. "Whew~ wiping out the entire slave market, huh? There are still Celestial Dragons there, you know."
"That's why," Rosinante said, his voice like steel, "I'm giving you time."
…