The Oro Jackson moved like a dark promise across the currents.
Sails tight. Ropes humming. The crew worked with the focused silence of people who had already given up whatever would be lost.
On deck the air tasted of salt and oil and something tighter — the iron tang of a decision that could not be undone.
Ada stood at the prow, cloak falling in a black line. She'd already told them on Fishman Island what she would do. She had said the words aloud so that every child and old woman in the palace would hear her vow.
They will burn Marie Geoise.
Now the moment to make that vow practical had come. The preparations were clinical and unsentimental. Lists, encrypted routes, emergency names. But beneath the lists, beneath the engines and the code, emotions beat like surf against cliffs — grief, rage, cold resolve.
Down below, the crew worked without being told.
Fisher Tiger checked the cannons twice over — not because he expected resistance, but because he wanted no excuses when the time came.
Bullet and Enel reinforced the hull plating, loud and impatient, while Mihawk sat at the side rail sharpening Yoru with slow, deliberate strokes.
Lilith and Perona were in the communications cabin, surrounded by whirring den den mushi and open toolboxes. Lilith's hands moved fast, calibrating the signal nodes for a wide-band connection.
She didn't even look up when Ada entered — she just said, "Dragon's channel is open. We can patch it through the deck speakers if you want."
Ada paused. Then she said quietly, "Do it."
Lilith nodded once and flipped a switch. A few seconds later, the ship's snails blinked awake — and a voice came through.
The line crackled once. Then came the familiar deep voice — calm, restrained, but touched with tension.
"Ada. I was expecting your call."
Her tone was ice. "You heard."
"Yes." He hesitated. "They went too far this time."
Ada leaned back against the table, arms crossed. "I'm not waiting for the world to correct itself. I'm moving."
Silence followed for a few seconds. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Dragon finally spoke. "So you're serious."
"I don't threaten, Dragon. I declare."
She stepped closer to the den den mushi, her tone calm — too calm. "I will invade Marie Geoise. I'll tear down their gates, free the slaves, and bury every Celestial Dragon who dares raise their hand against another living soul."
The crew froze where they stood.
Even Bullet's grin faltered for a second.
They'd all seen Ada angry before — but never like this.
Fisher Tiger's voice was low. "You'll make the whole world your enemy."
"Then let it come," Ada said without turning. "But this time, it's not about conquest. It's about justice."
"I assume this isn't negotiation," Dragon said quietly.
"No." Her eyes narrowed. "But I'll need you."
The silence between them was heavy — a storm held in breath.
"What do you need?" he asked finally.
"Ships," Ada replied. "As many as you can spare. I'll burn their holy land to the ground — and when I do, you'll take the slaves to safety. Not one dies under their chains again."
There was a pause. Then Dragon exhaled, slow and deliberate.
"I'll arrange it. Baltigo will prepare the fleet."
"Good," Ada murmured. "You'll know when the fire starts."
The crew exchanged glances. They knew what this meant. The world's two most dangerous leaders were coordinating in the open — no secrets, no deniability.
Dragon's tone softened — just slightly.
"You're risking everything."
"I already did," she said quietly. "The moment I raised my flag."
"Dragon," Ada added, "the world will see this. All of it. I want them to watch."
He exhaled through the line. "You're calling Morgan next, aren't you?"
A faint smile curved on her lips. "You always did read ahead."
"Then I'll make sure you're not alone when they call you a monster," Dragon said. "Because this time, they'll see who made the monsters first."
The den den mushi went quiet. Ada let the silence hang for a moment before cutting the line.
—————————-
Ada stood for a long time, staring out at the endless sea through her cabin window.
Then she reached for another den den mushi.
This one smaller — sleeker.
"Connect me to Morgan."
Lilith blinked. "You're serious? He's still a nobody right now."
"Exactly," Ada said. "Nobodies are hungry."
A few clicks and whirs later, another snail lit up — smaller, scrappier, with a ridiculous hat that looked almost handmade. After a few seconds, a voice came through, breathless and ambitious.
"E–Eh? Who's calling? I'm in the middle of a column, if you're selling bounty news—"
"Big News Morgan," Ada interrupted. "A writer with too much ambition and too little fear."
The young journalist froze. "…Who's asking?"
"Ada. Nyx D. Ada."
A clatter echoed as something dropped on the other side. "THE Ada!? The First Emperor of the Sea!? What— how— why—"
Ada smiled faintly.
"I have a proposition for you."
Morgan gulped audibly. "…I'm listening."
"There's something you've always wanted, isn't there?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Truth," Ada said. "Unfiltered, unedited truth — shown to the entire world."
Morgan blinked, his hands trembling over his notebook. "You mean—"
"I'm going to invade Marie Geoise," Ada said flatly. "And you're going to show it. Live. Every second."
The den den mushi blinked nervously, as if even it could feel the weight of those words.
Morgan stammered. "T-The Holy Land!? You can't— they'll—"
"They'll do nothing but watch," Ada cut in. "You wanted the story of a lifetime, didn't you? This is the one the world will remember long after your ink dries."
There was a sharp intake of breath from the other end. "I… I don't understand. You want to leak—"
"I want you to broadcast it," Ada said. Her tone didn't change — steady, level, absolute. "Live. Every channel, every line, every paper. I want the world to see the truth. The slaves. The cages. The banners those monsters hide behind."
Morgan's voice trembled. "That's suicide! The World Government will—"
"Offer you a story no one else has," she cut in. "They'll threaten you. They'll hunt you. But you'll have seen what no one else has ever dared to show. And when it's done, you'll have the truth — the one story that will change everything."
There was a pause — a heartbeat of silence.
Then Morgan said quietly, "You really mean this."
"Yes," Ada said. "You want to be the man who reshaped the news? This is your chance. The first broadcast will be from Fishman Island — then from Marie Geoise itself."
Lilith leaned closer and whispered, "He's biting."
Ada then said. "I'll give you the time. But if you want the first chapter of the new age… you'll be ready when the fire starts."
Morgan swallowed, his eyes wide with manic excitement. "You're mad… absolutely mad…"
"Perhaps," Ada murmured, "but madness is just clarity that frightens the blind."
Morgan's tone shifted, excitement creeping into his fear. "You'll have your broadcast. I'll route through pirate networks and underground channels. They won't be able to shut it down in time."
"Good," Ada said. "Prepare your lenses. When the storm starts, I want the world watching."
She ended the call and looked back at her crew. None of them spoke.
Even Bullet, who normally mocked everything, looked at her with something close to awe.
"Three days," Ada said finally, her voice carrying across the deck. "We strike in three days. Dragon will move his ships through the Red Line. Morgan will have the broadcast ready."
She turned to each of them in turn.
"Fisher Tiger you lead the rescue teams. Every life we can save, we save."
"Lilith maintain communication with Dragon's fleet and Morgan's feed."
"Mihawk, Bullet, Enel — you'll form the vanguard. No one touches the evacuation routes."
"Perona stay behind the line. Protect the young and the wounded. If anyone falls, you bring them back."
Perona saluted, her tiny ghosts circling around her. "I'll do it. I'll keep them safe."
Ada's tone softened slightly. "Good. No one else dies because of them."
She looked to the two women standing at the edge of the deck — Okiku and Hiyori, side by side. The lantern light caught the determination in one's eyes and the worry in the other's.
"Okiku," Ada said, "you'll help Fisher Tiger with the rescues. You know how to calm frightened people — and how to fight if needed."
Okiku bowed, hand on her katana. "I understand. I will not let fear rule me. Those people… they'll see hope before this is done."
Ada nodded, then turned to the younger woman. "Hiyori, you'll stay with Perona. I trust you to help keep the wounded steady."
Hiyori hesitated, her fingers clutching the edge of her kimono. "Ada… are you really going to fight the gods?"
Ada's eyes softened — just for a heartbeat. "No," she said quietly. "I'm going to remind them they're not gods at all."
Fisher Tiger spoke again, his voice rough with emotion. "I've seen what humans call justice. I've seen them break children for money. If you're really going to tear down their throne… I'll stand beside you."
Ada nodded once. "Then prepare yourself. Once we rise, there's no turning back."
The crew went to work immediately. The deck filled with movement again — but this time, it wasn't the tense quiet from before. It was purpose. A storm was forming, and every one of them could feel it in their bones.
From the helm, Enel laughed — low and eager. "The gods above are about to meet the thunder below."
Bullet cracked his knuckles. "About damn time."
Mihawk sheathed Yoru with a soft click. "If we draw our blades at the Red Line… the age itself may change."
Okiku checked her blade, steady and silent. "Then let the age remember who struck first."
Hiyori stood beside Perona, her eyes wide but burning with courage. "We'll protect them," she whispered. "Even if the world trembles."
Ada stood still for a moment, eyes lifted toward the faint glow in the distance — the Red Line, far beyond the clouds.
Her jaw tightened.
Her voice came quiet but hard as steel.
"They thought Fishman Island was just a trophy. An Island to plunder. Let them learn what happens when you touch what's mine."
No one answered. They didn't need to. The sea itself seemed to tremble.
And as the Oro Jackson sailed into the night, its black flag caught the light of the moon — a silent omen that the age of gods and slaves was about to end.