Time rewound to the moment when Zoro first encountered Daz Bonez.
As the battlefield erupted into chaos, the long-dormant senior agents of Baroque Works began to move into action.
A sudden bolt of lightning, shaped like a spear, entangled two Devil Fruit users.
But Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were merely one pair among the agency's senior agents. There were many far stronger than them.
In a shadowed corner of the port, a small, adorable-looking girl crouched, sketching on the ground. Without lifting her head, she spoke to the man beside her with a "3"-shaped hairstyle.
"They've found us, Mr. 3."
"Miss Goldenweek, don't be surprised. They're just a bit clever—They realized we'd set an ambush. But to bombard us so recklessly? That's just crude."
"Are you worried about civilians?" she asked.
"No. We're a criminal organization after all. But I despise acts that lack intelligence," said the current Baroque Works senior agent, Mr. 3—Galdino, as he watched the distant black smoke rising.
"I'm just irritated. Why did Miss All Sunday call nearly every senior agent together—to kill a pirate crew that doesn't even warrant our attention?
Sure, they have one member with a twenty-million Beli bounty,but I could handle that with strategy alone. We're supposed to be a covert organization; solving problems through brute force is tasteless.
And now, she's gathered too many of us… practically our entire strength!"
"But really," Miss Goldenweek said lightly, "you're just angry."
Her calm words pierced through his thoughts.
"You're angry that All Sunday dismissed our request to deal with the Demon Pirates on our own. You're angry that she ordered us to team up with Mr. 2 and Miss Doublefingerto take care of that man named Ren. And if I'm not mistaken, Mr. 1 will be joining the battle soon too.
Perhaps, in her eyes, that assassin is the real trump card to solve the problem. So you feel slighted—and now you're sulking."
". . . Marianne, sometimes you don't have to be this smart. One clever person in a duo is enough," Galdino sighed, watching her continue to paint.
"If you already understand all that, why keep painting?
I know you have an ability akin to hypnosis—controlling emotions through the colors on your palette. But I also know you hate working and only draw when you're bored during holidays. So why are you so busy now?"
"I just think All Sunday is afraid," Marianne replied softly. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have broken the rule and mobilized so many senior agents against one crew.
Normally, we each take separate missions in pairs, because we can't stand each other—before or after a mission. Bringing us together always sparks conflict. So for her to do this… it's strange."
She finished the last stroke of her brush and looked around at the countless painted circles on the ground. "That's why I think a little caution is warranted."
"Do as you please," Galdino snorted, the "3" on his head twitching.
"I'll just make sure to finish off the target before anyone else. Tell that witch All Sunday—her plan is completely wrong!"
He was furious. This mission gave no room for his intellect to shine.
Not far from their hiding place, another Baroque Works senior agent awaited orders—Mr. 2 Bon Clay, dancing elegantly in the rain.
"One, two! Step, turn, and twirl—!"
"Mr. 2—no, Bon Clay—are you an idiot?"
From the shadows, a woman with long blue hair in a tight leather suit watched him helplessly.
"I'm not an idiot, Paula," he replied with a grin, continuing his dance. "I'm a dancer! Don't you want to learn too?"
"No, thanks. I have no interest in your Okama Kenpo."
Paula shook her head, and thorns began sprouting from her palm. "I'm a thorn-human. I can make spikes pierce stone, or grow from any part of my body. Stimulate the right pressure points, and my arms get even stronger. So I don't need your fighting style."
"Is that so? Well, I didn't expect the owner of Spider Café to turn out to be Miss Doublefinger", Bon Clay chuckled, spinning gracefully. "You kept that secret well!"
"I never denied it," Paula said with a faint smile. "But I didn't expect All Sunday to awaken me now, of all times. As a sleeper agent, I could've been more useful staying undercover."
"What are you saying? I don't quite get it," Bon Clay said, stopping mid-pirouette, his heavily made-up face confused.
"I mean—it's strange," Paula mused. "It's as if she knows that this pirate crew isn't simple,and she wants to throw everything we have at them.
Think about it—before joining Baroque Works, your bounty was already 32 million Beli, right? Mine's higher—35 million.
That pair over there? One has 24 million, the other 29 million. And soon, Mr. 1—my partner—will join too, and he's worth at least 75 million.
So much power, all aimed at one crew? All of Baroque Works' strength gathered here—just to deal with a pirate captain named Demon Ren, who only has a measly 4 million bounty?
It's absurd. Who are we really up against?"
"No idea," Bon Clay said with a playful smirk."But we can't defy the boss's orders, or we'll be fired—permanently. You know what happens to traitors."
"I'm not talking about betrayal, just… curiosity."
Paula rolled her eyes flirtatiously, then sighed, remembering the man before her was an okama."I just want to see what Baroque Works' 'Utopia' really looks like. Who is the boss behind it all? And what's this grand plan truly for?"
"Who knows~" Bon Clay sang, spinning again.
At that exact moment, Paula's sharp senses flared. Two seconds later, a Billion Agent appeared. "Chief Commanders, the target has been located!"
——
Almost simultaneously.
"Damn it! Why's it raining this hard!? When are those bastards going to show!?"
Amidst the heavy downpour, a pair that looked like mother and son appeared at the port—with a strange-looking dachshund by their feet.
This was Mr. 4's team.
Mr. 4, real name Babe, was a massive, round man. Fat, powerful, but painfully slow to react. His weapon—a four-ton baseball bat—could strike with four hundred pounds of force.
The dog at his feet was Lassoo, a cannon that had eaten the Mutt-Mutt Fruit, Model: Dachshund.
The "mother" was Miss Merry Christmas, real name Dorothy, a short-tempered old woman who swore at the slightest irritation. Despite their contrast in personality, their teamwork was perfect.
They had been assigned by All Sunday to capture Jewelry Bonney, a pirate with a bounty of 21.1 million Beli.
Dorothy didn't take the mission seriously—she alone was worth over ten million. Her partner Babe's bounty was only 3.2 million, but the real threat was Lassoo's explosive shells, launched with perfect coordination from Babe's bat. A slow but deadly mobile cannon.
Still, they had one major flaw—mobility. Once in position, they couldn't easily move.
But Dorothy's Mole-Mole Fruit power perfectly covered that weakness. She could dig vast underground tunnels and set traps,while her claws and brute strength made her terrifying in close combat.
A perfect setup for a "capture alive" mission.
At least, until Ren's strategy upended everything.
The explosion at the port had gone off twenty seconds earlier. As the two agents and their dog spotted the pirate ship docked ahead,a fiery streak suddenly rose into the sky.
"A… meteor?" Babe blinked. The next instant, the blazing star came crashing straight toward them!
"MOVE!" Dorothy screamed, stomping the ground. The hollowed earth beneath them collapsed, dropping them underground just as the fireball struck.
BOOM—!
The explosion lit up the stormy sky, a blazing inferno swallowing the ruins. A fiery shockwave rippled outward,and from within it, Nojiko, clad in flame armor, emerged.
"Whatever your reason for rebelling," she said coolly, "from this moment on—your opponent is me."
And above—her sister.
Without a sound, the thunderclouds thickened, dark and heavy as if they'd always been part of the sky. Weather Egg: Child of Thunder had been unleashed.
Floating above the port, Nami reveled in the thrill of flight. Her Magical Clima-Tact had been heavily enchanted—including the indispensable Riptide Enchantment.
Even Zoro, who disliked relying on gadgets, had paid Ren for a Riptide enchantment on his cross-blade knife. And Nami was no different.
Now, she was executing Ren's command: Crush these two Devil Fruit users.
Bolts of golden lightning flickered within the storm clouds. Normally, it would be an indiscriminate lightning storm, but after studying Weatheria's science—and a mysterious notebook that read like her own thoughts—Nami had mastered precision control of her attacks.
Once the hatched Weather Egg became a massive black thundercloud, she could direct the lightning through her Clima-Tact with pinpoint accuracy.
"Now—let's make this a sisters' battle!"
Nami prepared to sync with her sister's assault.
Below, the two agents and their dachshund had no idea of the danger.
"That fiery freak! I'll burn you alive! Go, Babe!" Dorothy shrieked.
At her command, Babe slowly swung his massive bat, as Lassoo fired an explosive baseball. The ball flew through the air—only to detonate mid-flight from a burst of flame.
Nojiko raised an eyebrow.
"Such tricks won't work on me. But tell me—why are you attacking us?"
Her tone was calm, almost confused, as if she hadn't been the one to strike first.
In truth, it was part of Ren's plan—a minor but crucial psychological ploy.
"You're spouting nonsense! Killing you is our mission!" Dorothy snarled, transforming into a half-human, half-mole hybrid. The ground split as she burrowed beneath, preparing to strike from below.
She'd entangle the fire-wreathed woman aboveand open a path for Babe's killing blow. And with this torrential rain—even the heavens seemed to favor her.
Crack!
Babe swung again and again, his explosive shells roaring through the air—but each one burst against Nojiko's fiery defense.
Still, the man didn't hurry. He never did. He knew Dorothy would soon create an opening.
Yet the next moment—as he swung once more, and Dorothy rose beneath her target—the world lit up.
Golden lightning flooded the street, each bolt as thick as a tree trunk, divine wrath crashing down from the heavens.
"Thunder?" Babe murmured, looking up—and saw a dragon of pure lightning descend upon him.
BOOM!
The light arrived before the sound.The thunderclap struck Babe dead-on,and the searing arcs of energy forced Dorothyto retreat back into the ground—even brushing against it would be fatal.
Only Nojiko stood unharmed,the lightning dissipating a meter before her.She crouched beside a tunnel opening,thrusting her flaming gauntlet into it.
Flame Jet—Maximum Output!
BOOM!
A torrent of fire roared through the tunnels,blazing through every passage the mole woman had dug. Dozens of fiery eruptions burst from the ground in seconds.
At the same time,Nami swung her staff—and a second lightning blade split the air.
Fire pillars and golden lightning intertwined,turning the entire mole's domain into a blazing inferno.
When the thunder and flames finally faded, Dorothy lay half-dead by a charred tunnel mouth,her body blackened and smoking.
Her partner Babe had already collapsed, eyes rolled back. He'd barely survived the first strike—but the second had ended any hope of resistance.
Even a monster of endurance couldn't withstand such divine fury from sky and flame.
(End of Chapter)