A Navy warship sailed steadily across the sea, heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
On the deck, Borsalino lay on a beach chair, golden sunglasses reflecting the bright sunlight. A lazy smile curled on his lips.
He muttered, "I wonder if little Bonney will burst into tears when she sees her dear Uncle Borsalino again."
There was no monetary reward for escorting Jewelry Bonney.
But he volunteered anyway.
Because Bartholomew Kuma was one of the few friends he genuinely cared about.
He wanted to personally bring back the person Kuma treasured most.
"Speaking of which…"
Borsalino slowly pulled a brand-new mission sheet from his pocket.
"There are quite a lot of tasks to clear this time."
He flipped to the first page.
"According to Hawk's intelligence, travel to Sleeptown and locate a Devil Fruit that can help Zephyr recover his health. Bounty… two billion berries."
He let out a soft whistle.
"That is some remarkable intel."
"But I wonder if Zephyr, who used to lecture me about relying too much on Devil Fruits, would actually eat this one."
He chuckled quietly.
"He probably will. The situation now is completely different."
If Zephyr could return to his peak strength, the impact on the Navy would be huge.
He flipped to the next pages. The sheets rustled under his fingers.
"Locate 'Big News' Morgans and have him cooperate with the Navy to control global opinion. Bounty… one billion berries."
"That albatross is definitely not easy to find."
"Hmm…"
Suddenly, Borsalino turned his head slightly. Even through his sunglasses, he seemed to feel something in the sky above the ship.
"When fortune comes knocking, you really can't stop it."
A flash of golden light burst across the deck.
The beach chair was left empty, only a faint human-shaped dent remaining.
Borsalino's body vanished.
…
A massive flying ship made of gears, cables, and an enormous hot-air balloon drifted through the sky. Dozens of trained albatrosses beat their wings tirelessly, pulling the airborne vessel.
Printed on the hull were enormous letters:
WE NEWS
This was the mobile headquarters of the World Economy News Agency.
Inside the president's office…
"Big news! This is absolutely unprecedented news!"
The man pacing back and forth looked like a giant bird. A long beak, feathers of bright white, wings instead of hands. On his head sat a black hat trimmed with red-and-white feathers. He wore a light-blue shirt, a yellow bow tie, red-and-white checkered pants, and a dramatic black cape trailing behind him.
Morgans, president of the World Economy News Agency.
His desk was piled with newspapers and intelligence reports from every corner of the world.
And every piece pointed toward a single epicenter.
The Navy.
Months ago, he was the first to sense that something had shifted.
A pressure filled with iron and blood had begun spreading from deep within the Navy.
So he went personally to the East Blue, once known as the weakest sea.
What he saw shocked even a man who made a living off chaos and disasters.
The sea was quiet.
Too quiet.
Every pirate who dared surface, regardless of bounty, was eradicated without mercy by one Marine.
Hawk.
Soon after, even bigger stories erupted.
The Navy's G-3 branch wiped out Magic Valley Town, leaving no survivors.
The Warlord Crocodile publicly executed in Alabasta.
The entire Thriller Bark region, once shrouded in fog, suddenly cleared, and Gecko Moria vanished with his crew.
And the most alarming part, according to his secret intel:
Two CP0 units mysteriously disappeared near G-3.
The entire branch was sealed shut. Not even his elite information network could obtain a single scrap from inside.
All of these pointed to one chilling truth.
The Navy, ruler of the seas, was changing.
And every secret was buried inside G-3.
"The Navy's transformation… this is the wave of a new era!"
Morgans trembled with excitement. He felt as though he was standing at the crossroads of history.
"I have to publish this immediately. The entire world needs to see this!"
At that moment, a lazy voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"Well now… President Morgans. What kind of big news are you talking about?"
"Mind sharing it with me?"
Morgans froze. Every feather on his body puffed out. He whipped around, eyes wide in horror.
Golden pinstriped suit. Relaxed posture. That sleazy grin.
Admiral Borsalino.
…
"Bruru… bruru…"
The shrill ring of a Den Den Mushi echoed through the quiet prison corridor.
Renn Hawk picked up the receiver.
"Hawk, get ready. The war is about to begin."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what happened?"
"Kuzan caught a big one. Portgas D. Ace, second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. And another mysterious Logia-type user."
Sengoku continued briskly.
"In two weeks, the Navy will publicly execute Ace at Marineford."
"One week to fully mobilize the largest force in Navy history. Another week to let Whitebeard gather every member of his fleet."
"Our objective is simple. Under the eyes of the world, eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates entirely. Captain and crew alike."
Hawk's eyes narrowed.
It did not matter that the capture deviated from his expectations. Ace being seized by Kuzan rather than another officer changed nothing.
War was inevitable.
His consciousness dipped inward.
[Justice Points Remaining: 584,598]
Over five hundred thousand. Only halfway to the one million needed to elevate his Conqueror's Haki to its highest level.
Time was running short.
He needed to accelerate his gains.
And before the war, he needed one thing.
A fierce clash with Douglas Bullet to unify all his strength.
Then a detail Sengoku mentioned resurfaced.
Kuzan had caught two people.
The other one…
He spoke calmly.
"Fleet Admiral, what Devil Fruit does the other Logia user possess?"
"Kuzan reported it as darkness."
Sengoku's voice was grave.
"An ability that can swallow anything."
Hawk closed his eyes for a moment. As expected.
The high command did not recognize Teach.
Understandable.
Before eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Marshall D. Teach hid in Whitebeard's crew as an unremarkable nobody.
Even during the canon Warlord meeting, the higher-ups had never even heard his name before Lafitte introduced him.
But Hawk knew.
This man was a disaster waiting to happen.
A descendant of the Rocks era. A predator by nature. Allowing someone like him to roam free was a recipe for catastrophe.
And since Kuzan captured him early…
Even better.
A captain and his subordinate should clearly meet the same fate.
Hawk spoke into the Den Den Mushi, voice calm, cold, and certain.
"Fleet Admiral…"
"My recommendation is to execute Teach and Ace together."