A voice she did not recognize, paired with words she could not immediately understand.
Question marks practically appeared over Charlotte Linlin's head. She subconsciously glanced at the Den Den Mushi in her hand.
Den Den Mushi generally mimicked the features of the person speaking on the other end. What she saw was… black hair, crimson eyes, and a purple gourd earring.
Charlotte Linlin: "???"
It felt slightly familiar, but not because she recognized the face. Rather—
"Demon Ren!?"
Perospero roared out the receiver's identity, his voice filled with fury and disbelief. "Why are you the one answering that Den Den Mushi?!"
"Because it's a trophy."
On the other end, Ren lowered his head and looked at the remnants of a pretzel by his feet. "If you want it, I can deliver your little brother's keepsake to you."
His tone was calm, as if he were casually talking about what he had eaten today.
Yet the content made the veins on Perospero's forehead bulge.
"Where is Katakuri?!"
Charlotte Linlin cut in roughly, her voice turning incomparably cold.
"Dead. Don't worry, though. He passed peacefully."
Ren's tone remained flat. "If you really want to see him, then that works out nicely. I was planning to send you on your way too.
"Whole Cake Island would make a fine coffin. Burying you there might be perfect.
"So—don't run around. I'm coming to find you."
Beep—!
A piercing busy tone replaced the call.
In the next instant, Big Mom let out a shrill roar of rage, and all of Whole Cake Island trembled beneath the wrath of a Yonko.
A short while later, Perospero stumbled out of Mama's palace with an ugly expression, practically crawling as he fled.
"Assemble! Assemble! Go summon the ministers! Something huge has happened!"
Wano, Onigashima.
Sorrowful sobs echoed through the cavern. A group of trembling Beasts Pirates members stood outside the entrance, yet not a single one dared to go in.
That was because the examples who had gone before them were all lying far away on the ground.
"Is Mr. Kaido still crying?"
"He should be. Right now, it's probably his drunken weeping phase."
"Then who's going to report—"
"You want to be the sixteenth?"
"But…"
The Beasts Pirates members discussed their superior's orders in terror.
But soon, they no longer had to agonize over it. A violent gale descended together with a black shadow from the sky.
"Useless trash! Move!"
King, transformed into a pteranodon, swept his wings and sent them flying away. Then he returned to human form and strode inside.
Deep within the cavern, Kaido sat on a stone throne with a wine gourd in hand, weeping bitterly. Ever since he discovered that Wano had been forcibly opened, he had been grieving as if someone had stolen his wife.
Because the internal balance of Wano had been shattered. Large numbers of Wano citizens were risking their lives to go out to sea, while resistance forces had begun rising again.
Kurozumi Orochi's death had directly shaken the people inside Wano.
Some of them seemed to be planning to reclaim control of Wano for the people of Wano.
And because the country's seas had now connected with the outside, Onigashima had also been battered by ocean currents, causing many buildings to collapse.
In short, problems were piling up one after another. The key issue was that he still could not find that damned bastard!
"Damn it! Why am I so unlucky?! If I'd known this would happen, I would've killed him back in Dressrosa!"
Kaido wept while gulping down wine, the aura around him growing more and more violent.
But after King arrived, he temporarily stopped drinking.
"Mr. Kaido, the situation has been dealt with for now."
King glanced at the massive wine gourd, then said, "Big Mom called again. She invited you to attend her tea party."
"What does that old hag keep insisting I go there for?"
Kaido's bull-like eyes widened, and he was extremely furious. "Does she think I can't stand on my own in this great era?!"
"Uh… it should be because something big has happened."
King fell silent for a moment. He felt that Mr. Kaido was probably remembering the past.
He changed the subject and said, "The World Government seems to be preparing to take action. If Whitebeard's forces are wiped out, it will create a series of consequences.
"Big Mom wants to reach some sort of understanding with you on that matter. That's what her side said."
"Not going!"
"They also said that they would invite Ren to appear—or make him appear voluntarily."
"I'm going!"
Kaido suddenly sat upright, his bull-like eyes widening. "But how did she find that bastard?"
"He showed a bit of his tail during the Marineford War, though I think it may have been deliberate.
"But Big Mom's side seems very confident. They probably won't fail."
When King said this, his tone was somewhat uncertain.
After all, he had personally witnessed just how abnormal that man Ren was. He was absolutely not someone who could be described as an ordinary character.
"…"
Kaido pondered for a moment, then said, "Let me think about it."
Marine Headquarters.
Kuzan sat on the sofa in his room, staring blankly out the window.
The sunlight was soft and warm. For an island that had suffered so much damage and could sink into the sea at any moment, it was a rare moment of peace.
Many Marine officers who had submitted their resignation letters were also enjoying their final moments as Marines.
For them, once they left, it would be very difficult to return.
Yes.
After the Marineford War, a large number of Marines resigned because they could no longer accept what had happened.
For them, the justice in their hearts had not even had time to find a new direction before it was brutally trampled under the foot of power.
Not everyone could bear that and keep going.
Of course, the scum within the Marines did not care.
But among the elites who had taken part in the Marineford War, how many were truly scum?
People without spirit or conviction could not possess much strength in the first place.
For Kuzan, the sunlight today was also very pleasant. Normally, no matter what, he would have taken a proper rest for a while.
But now, he could not do that.
Even after putting on his green sleeping mask, the news he had received in Sengoku's office still surfaced in his mind.
Or rather, the mission he would have to face next.
After the Marineford War ended in failure, Fleet Admiral Sengoku took all responsibility. At least, that was how it appeared to the outside world.
Dereliction of duty demanded a price, and naturally, that price could only be paid by the Fleet Admiral.
"I have reached that age already. Stepping down is only natural.
"What I hope for now is that you will replace me and ascend to the position of Fleet Admiral. Many people in the upper ranks support you.
"But now… you need to make a choice."
At that time, Sengoku had said those words and given Kuzan a file—or rather, a recorded list.
The content inside was very simple. It was a general overview of the Whitebeard Pirates' sphere of influence.
It included civilian islands, bases, supply points, and more. Altogether, it covered more than half the islands in the New World.
And the order was to purge every living being there!
Kuzan's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Even under the sunlight, he felt as if he had been plunged into the depths of the sea, an oppressive pressure leaving him suffocated.
His mind uncontrollably recalled that one sentence.
The sentence those resigning Marines had been murmuring.
The Marines who submit beneath the World Government will never obtain the justice in their hearts!
"How ruthless, Ren."
Kuzan took a deep breath and forced himself to dispel the chill in his heart.
But he knew it was meaningless. Even if he himself did not waver, that sentence had already played its role.
No one knew how many Marines had chosen to leave the Marines and give up sacrificing themselves for justice because the justice in their hearts had shattered.
Perhaps in the past, they would have upheld justice.
But now… how were they supposed to devote themselves to it?
The justice they upheld, the sacrifices they made for it, could be overturned by a single word from the Celestial Dragons!
To put it harshly, he was not as unmoved as he appeared either.
At the very least, when he saw this mission delivered to him, Kuzan truly felt a bone-deep chill.
He asked himself honestly.
Could he really strike down civilians?
Even if those people were civilians of Non-Member Nations. Even if their protector was Whitebeard.
Could he really carry out an indiscriminate massacre that ignored the elderly, women, and children?
There was no answer. Only intense resistance filled his heart.
But Kuzan did not know whether he should refuse, because he understood very clearly why Sengoku had spoken of the Fleet Admiral position before handing this information to him.
"A screening, is it?"
Kuzan clenched his fist and silently looked out the window.
Either he obeyed, using the completion of this mission to express his loyalty to the Five Elders.
Or he disobeyed, followed his heart, and lost the Five Elders' approval.
On that point, he imagined Akainu would act faster than him, and far more viciously.
As for himself…
Perhaps it was precisely because Ren had seen this that he had said Kuzan could never become Fleet Admiral.
For a time, Kuzan sank into a dilemma.
After hanging up Big Mom's call, Ren did not stay idle.
He had not been joking. Next, he truly intended to make a trip to Totto Land and begin his post-Marineford War plan.
There were two possible branches. One was Big Mom's death. The other was her escape and alliance with Kaido.
Either contingency was within what he allowed.
Of course, that was not the only thing he had to do. There were still some matters that needed to be arranged in advance.
The Judgment prepared to set sail. After Ren finished laying out his plan, he returned to his room and dialed a Den Den Mushi.
Buru~ Buru~
Kacha.
"What a rare guest. I thought I would only get to communicate with that black-bellied young lady."
Stussy's voice rang out, seemingly carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
"You'd be the happiest if I never contacted you, wouldn't you?"
Ren shrugged, then said, "I intend to begin that plan."
"You're serious?"
On the other end of the receiver, Stussy's eyes changed slightly, and she subconsciously sat up straight. "Interfering in the succession of the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters—and in that way?"
"I've even kidnapped Celestial Dragons. What does something like this count for?"
Ren sneered. "What I need to confirm now is whether the Cipher Pol Agency's pieces inside the Marines can be used by you."
"That will be difficult. I'm only an operative in Cipher Pol, not one of its managers."
At that point, Stussy changed direction. "But I am a member of CP0, after all. I do have ways to interfere with lower-level agencies.
"But if I do that, I can't guarantee my identity will remain intact.
"The pieces buried inside the Marines are fundamentally there to monitor the Marines from within, to prevent that violent institution from going out of control.
"For example, there are such pieces and eyes beside Kuzan."
"You don't need that identity anymore. After this matter is over, you can go on vacation. What comes next is my war."
Ren's tone was firm. "Start preparing for things on that side. Framing someone is not easy.
"For the Golden Den Den Mushi to take effect, it needs to go through a complicated process. The Angels' radio wave technology can ensure that there are no problems with the Den Den Mushi link.
"I also have additional forces that can help the incident proceed. What I need from you is operational security for one of the links."
(End of Chapter)