Next Bonus, 100!!
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"Achoo! Damn, it's freezing... This doesn't make any sense. Isn't it still summer?!"
G-5 Base.
Residents of the small town hugged their arms and shivered as a biting wind swept in from the sea, carrying the scent of frost.
"What is going on?"
"It feels like winter just arrived in a heartbeat! This is insane!"
"Does anyone have a coat? I'm freezing to death here!"
"The sky is clear, there's no storm... so where is this chill coming from?"
"Hey! Look at the ocean! It's... it's solid!"
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
The cold snap had arrived without warning. The unnatural weather shift left the citizens of the islands surrounding Dressrosa trembling in shock.
But the true horror lay beyond the shore. The entire ocean had frozen over.
"How... how can this be?"
Pirate crews sailing the New World stared blankly from their decks. One moment, they were navigating the waves; the next, their ships were locked in an endless white wasteland of ice. It had happened in the blink of an eye.
A vast expanse of the ocean had been transformed into a continent of ice.
BOOM!
Suddenly—
A flash of light erupted on the horizon, piercing the clouds with the intensity of a thousand thunderstorms.
"What was that?"
Pirates and merchant sailors alike watched, their pupils dilating in terror.
The ice shook. The earth trembled.
A subtle vibration rippled through the air, visible to the naked eye as a distortion in the atmosphere. It expanded rapidly, evolving into a gale-force wind that screamed across the frozen sea.
"A volcanic eruption? An earthquake?"
"Since when do volcanoes freeze the ocean?!"
Panic set in. The temperature plummeted further. The undulating waves, frozen mid-motion, looked like jagged mountain ranges of blue crystal. The flash of light, the sudden tremor—it was an omen of catastrophe.
—————————
Mary Geoise.
In the Room of Authority, Saint Marcus Mars hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"Shiki and Loki have returned. The battle with the Marines has begun."
Saint Topman Warcury nodded grimly. "Have Shamrock and his team prepare immediately. They must support the Marines. To ensure this incident never sees the light of day, everyone who was on Dressrosa at the time must be erased."
"Agreed."
Just then—
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion rocked the Holy Land. Flames and thick black smoke billowed into the sky, triggering the blaring of alarms.
"What?!"
"What is happening?"
The Five Elders stood, stunned.
Even the Celestial Dragons within the Holy Land were shaken. This was Mary Geoise—the center of the world. An explosion here was inconceivable.
An accident?
Or an attack?
Moments later, Shamrock arrived, his expression dark as he briefed the Elders.
"It was Saint Killingham!"
"No... it was a fake. An imposter posing as Saint Killingham broke into the Room of Flowers. The God's Knights discovered him!"
"What?!"
The Five Elders were aghast.
"A fake?"
"Yes. We suspect the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit."
The blood drained from the Elders' faces. A heavy silence descended on the room.
The Paramecia-type Clone-Clone Fruit. The ability to perfectly mimic the appearance, physique, and voice of anyone the user touches. There is no time limit to the transformation.
In the hands of an infiltrator, it was a terrifying weapon—allowing them to exercise the authority of world leaders and hide the seeds of subversion in plain sight.
And this "Saint Killingham" had returned... and he had touched them.
"Where is he?" Warcury demanded.
"Escaped!" Shamrock gritted his teeth. "He possesses a teleportation ability similar to ours! He vanished before we could secure him."
It was a trap. A premeditated operation. The enemy had never intended to hand over the real Saint Killingham; they had sent a duplicate to infiltrate their inner sanctum.
They had been played.
Did King Riku know?
It didn't matter. Whether he knew or not, the Five Elders and Shamrock now harbored a murderous hatred for him. They could not be wrong; therefore, the fault lay entirely with Riku and the others.
This was the tragedy of those who surrendered. Damned if they did, damned if they didn't.
But the critical question remained: Why send a Clone-Clone Fruit user? What was their objective?
Was it... for Lord Imu?
A chill of genuine fear ran down the Elders' spines. If that imposter had managed to touch the Great Imu...
"Mobilize CP0. Find Him."
"Shamrock, deal with Dressrosa first. Leave no survivors."
Shamrock bowed. "Understood."
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Onboard the Empress.
The Training Hall.
"That was... way too close!"
Bon Clay teleported onto the deck, drenched in cold sweat. For someone of his strength to forcibly infiltrate the Room of Flowers was a suicide mission.
"Are you hurt?"
Jin appeared before him.
Bon Clay stood tall—fit and muscular, yet wearing his signature eccentric makeup, false eyelashes, and that eternal, wide grin. He wore his swan ballet outfit, the pink coat emblazoned with "Bon Kurei" on the back, complete with swan wings.
He was an okama. Yet, in the grand tapestry of history, he had displayed a brand of masculinity that put most men to shame.
In Alabasta, moved by the bond between Luffy and his crew, he had orchestrated a diversion, disguising himself as the Straw Hats to draw the Marines away, willingly accepting capture.
In Impel Down, upon learning Luffy was breaking in to save Ace, he had joined the fray without hesitation.
And in the end, at the Gates of Justice, he had chosen sacrifice again—staying behind disguised as Magellan to open the gates for his escaping friends.
Twice he had sacrificed himself for friendship.
He bet his life on his friends' dreams, offering everything he had for the sake of a bond.
Ordinarily, an okama might be looked down upon. But Bon Clay's actions commanded respect from anyone with a pulse.
How many people would risk their lives for a hopeless cause?
How many would walk through fire for the word "friend"?
He was a hot-blooded man who defined friendship with his very life. In that regard, he was infinitely superior to the likes of Oden.
Baroque Works really was a gathering of hidden talents. Together, a mess; scattered, they were stars.
"This one... did not fail you!"
Bon Clay winked one eye while keeping the other wide open. He slapped his face, shifting seamlessly between the visages of the Five Elders, Shamrock, and the God's Knights.
"Excellent work," Jin said, patting him on the shoulder. "Rest now."
Jin had known from the start that the Five Elders and the World Government would never honor their deal.
The "Saint Killingham" that Law had handed over was Bon Clay in disguise. The real Killingham was still imprisoned in the carrier.
Jin hadn't killed Killingham immediately for three reasons.
First, he wanted to study the secrets of the "immortal body."
Second, there was a connection between Killingham and Imu. That connection made Killingham dangerous—not just to Jin, but to Imu as well.
Third, as long as Killingham was alive, he was a bargaining chip.
"For your own safety," Jin said gravely, "you are not to leave the ship from now on. With the World Government's reach, it's only a matter of time before they identify you. The Bounty Hunters' Guild will issue a notice expelling you to distance us from the fallout. Do you have any objections?"
Bon Clay shook his head, his smile unwavering.
"One may stray from the path of a man, one may stray from the path of a woman, but there is no straying from the path of a HUMAN! As long as we walk the path of friendship, that is the true way!"
Sending Bon Clay to rest, Jin fell into thought. The Clone-Clone Fruit, used correctly, was a strategic nuke.
Blackbeard had used Catarina Devon—a Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox user—to touch Saint Saturn. That move was one of the catalysts for Imu eventually killing Saturn.
The Nine-Tailed Fox also granted transformation abilities.
Bon Clay might not have reached the Room of Flowers, but he had touched the Five Elders. The mission was a resounding success.
Jin turned his gaze toward the New World.
The howling wind carried the scent of war.
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