"Hey! Report this immediately! Something big has happened—Tyrant Kuma has a problem!"
On the World Government's side, where they had been waiting for Kuma to report back, someone finally noticed something was wrong.
Kuma had taken far too long to complete this mission. With his strength, it should never have dragged on for this long.
After a series of procedures and checks, they confirmed an extremely dangerous piece of news.
Kuma had defected!
Inside one of the World Government's agencies, the official in charge of this matter frowned as he listened to the report.
"You're saying Tyrant Kuma is suspected of defecting? Are you stupid? We have plenty of weaknesses of his in our hands."
"That's true, but… we can't locate Kuma's position or direction, and we have no way of contacting him.
"We asked Vegapunk's side, and the response was that he doesn't know what's going on either."
The reporting agent said anxiously, "Could he have gotten scared? Being fully modified is basically the same as dying.
"Even someone as good-hearted as him would be afraid of death, wouldn't he?"
"Are you questioning the judgment of the Five Elders?"
The official said coldly, "If that's the case, you still have time to kill yourself right now."
"I'm sorry!"
The reporting agent hurriedly bowed, apologizing again and again.
"Don't waste time. Pick a few people from the list and kill them first. Make him understand what has happened!"
"But we can't contact him…"
"Idiot! Then have the World Economic Journal report it! Set off a big explosion at the church! As long as he sees it, that's enough!"
"Yes! I'll do it immediately!"
After the order was issued, the agents in charge of this matter within the World Government began to move.
Because of Kuma's position as a Warlord of the Sea, as well as the importance of the Pacifista project, the relevant measures had always been kept on standby.
At this very moment—
In a corner of the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue.
A team of masked agents found their target: the residents inside a church.
That place was where the Tyrant had once lived. Some people who cherished his memory often came here to clean it.
Later, it became a place for certain people to stay, since other places had to face heavy taxes.
They wore black suits and strange masks. They moved extremely fast, while also remaining highly covert.
"Have you confirmed it?"
The team captain looked toward an empty space. In the next second, the agent who had gone ahead to scout appeared there.
The agent wearing a flame mask said, "Confirmed. They are people who were helped by the Tyrant.
"And they were very familiar with him. Before the Tyrant left, they even saw him off.
"On the list, they are among the sequence of people with relatively close connections, though not at the highest level."
"The highest level is for the final warning. Send these people on their way first.
"Don't make it too bloody. If their faces can't be identified clearly, that will be our failure!"
The captain gave the order indifferently.
At this moment, within the black-suited agent squad, a relatively young agent hesitated and said, "…We're going to attack civilians?"
"…Are you trying to disobey orders?"
The captain's icy gaze stabbed over in the next instant, chilling like a sharp blade.
The one who had spoken lowered his head and said quietly, "I wouldn't dare. As an agent, I won't violate orders."
"This is unavoidable. For the sake of justice's outcome, sacrifices are inevitable."
The agent wearing the flame mask cut in at the right time, easing the atmosphere.
The captain stared at the person who had spoken for a long while, then seemed to offer him a way out.
"As Cipher Pol agents, you and I both need to be mentally prepared for things like this.
"If you want to blame someone, blame the Tyrant for doing something he should not have done. It is because he disappointed justice that this result has come about."
"Yes!"
All the agents nodded in unison.
"Begin the operation."
After this brief interlude, the agents rapidly approached the church.
They had no weapons. Their fingers were their weapons!
The technique known as Finger Pistol could slaughter these unarmed civilians as easily as cutting grass!
Just then—
Several people walked out of the church, men and women, old and young.
They seemed to be talking about something.
If one listened carefully, it was roughly about thanking someone for the good deeds he had once done and reminiscing about the days that person had spent in the Sorbet Kingdom.
But to the agents, none of that had any meaning.
The quiet, peaceful days would be shattered today. In their place would be a bloody purge and a devastating explosion!
Only disaster could make Tyrant Kuma realize what kind of mistaken decision he had made!
'If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for having contact with him.'
The leading agent captain's eyes were icy as he raised his finger, ready to activate Soru at any moment.
However—
Before the agent captain could truly get close, his entire body suddenly fell into a daze.
And it was not just him. The entire squad became dazed as well!
Their thoughts trembled, as if something had been taken away out of thin air.
The violent change in their minds made every agent realize something was wrong. They tried to do something, but in that brief instant, there was no time for anything!
Every fragment of memory concerning Bartholomew Kuma was erased as the Devil Fruit ability took effect.
That was the power of the Toy-Toy Fruit, the terrifying ability that had once dominated an entire kingdom!
Devil Fruit abilities had never cared about reason. This was especially true of Paramecia Devil Fruits, where overturning the laws of physics was perfectly normal.
When the ability took effect, the charging agent captain abruptly came to a stop.
Together with the team members behind him, he looked around in confusion at the church ahead, as well as the men, women, old, and young who clearly seemed to be civilians.
At this moment, the man at the church entrance seemed to notice them. As he walked over, he called out loudly, "Friends over there, what happened to you? Do you need any help?"
A group of people in suits and masks standing in the woods—no one would ignore such a sight.
It was just that the man, being warm-hearted, thought they might have run into some trouble.
But the instant his voice rang out, those people suddenly disappeared.
"Strange… Was I seeing things?"
The man scratched his head, not quite understanding what had happened.
When he turned around, he saw the church. His expression became strange again.
'Why did I come here…? Hasn't this church been abandoned for a long time…?'
No one gave him an answer. A certain terrifying change had already swept across the world.
The Cipher Pol agents who had withdrawn from the church area regrouped, looking at one another in bewilderment.
"We put on black suits and masks, so we should have been preparing to carry out an operation."
The leading captain made a judgment, then asked, "The problem is, what is our mission?"
Likewise, no one could give him an answer.
Instead, the agent wearing the flame mask said, "Surely it couldn't have been to attack civilians, right?"
Reality offered no answer, so they could only report upward.
However, when the Den Den Mushi connected and they asked their question, all they received was their superior's impatient scolding.
"What mission? You people had better stop messing around when you have nothing to do!"
The official in charge of these agents hung up the call with one slap, then sat down in his chair, wondering whether the agents under him had gone crazy.
What mission could there possibly be right now…?
In that instant, his gaze landed on a file on the desk.
It was a list, yet he had no memory of ever reading it.
'What is this…?'
The World Government official subconsciously reached out to take it. The title written on it was very concerning.
[Control of Warlord of the Sea—Tyrant—Bartholomew…]
Before he could finish reading the last part, the document in his sight was tinged with black-and-white hues and vanished at an astonishing speed.
The official, whose hand had just stretched out, froze. Then he sat back in his original position.
What was he about to do earlier…?
Oh, right. It seemed the agents were under too much pressure. Should he give them a vacation?
Things like this continued to happen throughout the World Government's agencies.
Two different forces were carrying out the same objective.
All memories and paper records related to Bartholomew Kuma were disappearing.
Of course, because the scale was so vast, this phenomenon would need to continue for some time.
And at this moment, in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise—
Saturn, dressed in a black suit, suddenly raised his head, placing a hand against his head as he frowned.
In an instant, an overwhelmingly powerful wave of Haki leaked outward, stirring up a fierce wind from level ground.
The furnishings and furniture inside the palace were blown into disarray.
Yet this was merely the aftermath of the Haki impact that had leaked out.
"A Devil Fruit ability?"
Saturn's gaze turned cold. A trace of brutality faintly appeared in his eyes.
"It concerns Tyrant Kuma?
"This method… the Paramecia-type Toy-Toy Devil Fruit?
"That Devil Fruit has only appeared in the Dressrosa incident recently… No, Kaido and Doflamingo are dead.
"The sole victor… Demon Ren!?"
Almost instantly—
He broke free from the Toy-Toy Devil Fruit's effect and judged the specific situation from the scattered clues.
The Five Elders, standing at the very pinnacle of the world, had never been mere decorations.
One had to know that Saturn's title was Warrior God of Science and Defense.
The important part was the words Warrior God!
This was not some flattering title. It was a pure description!
"Foolish brat. He actually dares interfere in the World Government's affairs using such a method."
Fury ignited in Saturn's eyes as he abruptly stood up.
The other party had no idea what kind of opponent he was fighting against. Such reckless action would only bring about destruction!
Remove his status as a Warlord of the Sea. Dispatch an Admiral to pursue him. Capture him and turn him into a slave…
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Saturn's mind.
However, just as he was truly about to carry them out, the surrounding environment suddenly darkened.
The sunlight quietly hid itself away. The sun sank into darkness. The chirping of insects and birds fell silent at this moment.
The ground beneath him turned pitch-black, as if this place were not the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, but an utterly terrifying abyss.
Saturn's eyes narrowed, and he abruptly raised his head to look at the sky.
The palace ceiling had long since ceased to obstruct anything. Only two crimson eyes, like the sun and moon, stared down at him.
Along with what flooded into his senses came a crisp clinking sound.
It was the impact of gold coins striking gold coins, their continuous ringing forming a "rainfall."
For every additional second this sound continued, the "power" gathered above Saturn's head grew heavier.
"Six billion…"
A whisper like a dream echoed within the abyss, seemingly carrying a trace of regret.
"You really are troublesome. But this ends here…"
In the next instant—
Saturn, who had originally revealed a ferocious expression and was about to transform into some kind of dark monster, fell into a daze for a brief moment.
The power gathered above his head was completely exhausted, and all the strange phenomena vanished.
Click.
The palace door was suddenly pushed open.
(End of Chapter)