In the canyon carved open by a single slash in Alabasta, the ground was littered with crystals, glass-like fragments, and shimmering debris of every color.
"So that means…"
Robin lifted her head, gazing upward.
"The battlefield must have reached the Red Line… or rather, Mary Geoise itself."
Isshō's expression tightened, becoming incomparably grave.
Even though his eyes could not see, Isshō knew well the might of the World Government.
He also understood the consequences of attacking the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Frowning, he turned toward Robin.
"We should depart."
Robin nodded at once.
She trusted Don deeply, but the possibility that the battlefield had shifted to the Holy Land itself left her unsettled.
The sealing of the passage had caused the atmosphere of Fish-Man Island to change drastically.
Jinbe had already explained everything that happened during the rescue operation at Sabaody Archipelago.
"Bounty Hunter Don, is it…?"
King Neptune's expression grew heavy.
"When I left, the battle hadn't spread upward!"
Jinbe pointed upward, speaking with a stern tone.
"A world-class incident…"
Neptune repeated, face solemn.
"But this situation… may not be without benefits."
Seeing the king lost in thought, Jinbe reminded him.
"You mean…?"
Neptune froze, then suddenly understood.
"The path leading to Fish-Man Island has been blocked."
Jinbe exhaled deeply, his voice steady.
"As one of the main routes to the New World, most pirates wanting to enter the New World pass through Fish-Man Island."
"And many of those pirates cause trouble here."
"Not to mention the slave traders hiding among them."
"If the passage stays sealed, Fish-Man Island will no longer be a route for them."
"But it won't last long. Those things can't stop the strong."
The two fell silent, exchanging gazes without continuing the conversation.
"Your Majesty!"
A Fish-Man guard rushed in.
"The ship you ordered us to watch has departed. It seems they're heading for the New World."
Neptune looked at Jinbe.
"Don's ship?"
Having appeared in the newspapers several times during Don's clash with Rayleigh, his ship's unique appearance made it instantly recognizable.
"Do not interfere. Just keep an eye on them."
After Neptune spoke, he looked toward Jinbe again.
"It seems nothing can hinder their advance."
Jinbe nodded.
"As for Arlong's matter… let it end here. He has become someone Fish-Man Island can only look up to."
Neptune knew everything about Arlong—and that Don had killed him.
Even if Neptune hadn't said it, Jinbe wouldn't have acted further.
Because he couldn't.
Don's ship, the Rose Hunter, wrapped in a protective bubble, left Fish-Man Island and sailed along the deep-sea corridor.
"Hm?"
Standing on the deck, Isshō suddenly paused, turning his head sharply as he raised his cane-sword.
Clang!
An axe was deflected away by his blade.
Robin tensed at once.
"An enemy?"
"A Fish-Man."
Isshō's expression hardened. Using his Observation Haki, he sensed a shabby-looking Fish-Man lurking in the distance.
Then several more axes were thrown—cutting cleanly through the water, hurling straight toward the bubble-encased ship.
"Is he trying to break the ship's membrane?"
Isshō's blind eyes rolled upward with annoyance as his expression darkened.
Neither he nor Robin understood why a Fish-Man would attack them.
They had barely interacted with anyone since arriving.
"It must be an ability user."
Isshō tightened his grip on the hilt of his Gambler's Hot-Line, drawing the blade.
Hum!
A wave of gravity surged through the seawater toward the Fish-Man.
The culprit was Vander Decken IX, the Fish-Man who knew of Shirahoshi's power to summon Sea Kings and wished to marry her to control that power for himself.
"With such a beautiful ship… if I offer it as a wedding gift, that old Neptune definitely can't refuse"
Before he could finish his thought, a crushing gravity field distorted the seawater around him, pressing in from every direction.
As a Devil Fruit user, he could not touch seawater.
He relied solely on a thin water membrane around his body to move underwater.
Under the pressure of gravity, the membrane shattered instantly, twisting his body.
Damn it!
Fear flashed in Decken's eyes as another surge of pressure crashed down.
BOOM!
Within a sphere of compressed seawater, the Fish-Man was crushed instantly.
The Rose Hunter continued forward, Isshō sheathing his sword once more.
Boom!
Some time later, the debris blocking the Fish-Man Island exit was forcibly blown aside, creating a passage for Isshō and Robin to sail through.
Robin glanced downward at the crystalline mass sealing the enormous tunnel, then looked upward.
"Maybe… it's already over."
Nothing else was falling from above.
But huge sections of the seabed were covered in crystal-like or obsidian-like material, shimmering under the deep-sea light.
"Hm."
Isshō nodded. As for Don's current situation… even he couldn't say.
From what he knew of Don, the man would never act unless he had the confidence to escape alive.
After all, Don was extraordinarily strong.
But completely destroying Mary Geoise?
Isshō doubted it.
The World Government had existed for centuries. Their elites were many, and the Marines were still out there.
And Don was only one man.
With these thoughts swirling in their minds, Robin and Isshō slowly guided their ship upward.
…
Meanwhile, the events at Sabaody and Mary Geoise had erupted completely across the seas.
The cause was the emergency special edition issued by the World Economic Journal.
Although the incident had been broadcast through Transponder Snails, very few people had actually seen it.
There were still countless people across the seas who had no idea what had happened.
But this time, Morgans bet everything.
He printed newspapers for free and scattered them across the world at insane speed.
The result?
In mere hours, the message spread to every corner of the ocean.
Across both halves of the Grand Line and all four Blues
The news exploded.
"The Collapse of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!"
"A Strike That Pierced the Red Line!"
"President of the Hunter Guild: Don!"
Different reporters had clearly contributed to the articles.
People who hadn't known anything stared blankly the moment they opened the paper.
Or rather…
The entire world fell silent.
Everyone who saw the news was stunned beyond belief.
END OF CHAPTER
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