Chapter 84: Before the Opening, The First Test!
Grand Line, Dinosaur Island.
A pirate flag flew high above the island, in the center of which stood a castle carved from a Tyrannosaurus skull.
Hanafuda sat in his throne-like chair, swirling a glass of blood-red wine.
His hideous wounds from the previous battle had completely healed. His gaze was fixed on the Visual Transponder Snail in front of him.
"The Tri-Force Demonstration is about to begin—brought to you live by the World Economic News Paper."
The commentator's voice came from the snail.
On the projected screen...
The majestic silhouette of Marineford was clearly visible.
"Hey... we're pirates. Why are we watching a Marine demonstration?"
Inside the castle, a pirate whispered to his companion.
"The Admiral is a Warlord, after all. Plus, remember what happened before..."
The other pirate winked. Seeing his friend's confusion, he sighed. "Just watch."
"Oh."
The pirate shrugged and turned his attention to the screen.
The camera showed the southern coast of Marineford, near the main tower.
The massive iron dome was still there, but the surrounding area was packed with countless people and formations.
Each formation flew a different flag.
"We can see the White Wing flag of the Sky Guard, and to their left, the Trident flag of the Holy Land Patrol!"
"To the right are the flags of the World Government and some national flags—likely the brave National Guards and participants from government agencies. Besides them..."
The commentator was professional, deliberately omitting the name 'CP,' which wasn't commonly known to the public.
"And finally..."
The camera panned to the largest formation, occupying most of the screen.
The first thing visible was the striking Seagull and Scales flag.
"The host of this Tri-Force Demonstration, the Symbol of Justice on the seas—the Marines!"
As the commentator spoke, the camera zoomed in.
On a high platform closest to the coastline...
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood at the top, beneath a giant clock.
Below him were many seats.
The three central seats were blue, yellow, and red.
Three figures sat there.
A slightly tanned man with curly hair and a long face, looking sleepy—'Aokiji' Kuzan.
A man in a yellow striped suit and sunglasses, looking slightly sleazy—'Kizaru' Borsalino.
A stern-faced man wearing a cap and a red suit—'Akainu' Sakazuki.
"The Three Admirals..."
Hanafuda's pirates shuddered.
The Three Admirals—the Marines' highest power, the existence most feared by pirates across the seas.
Even though their captain was a Warlord, seeing these three still made their legs weak.
Beside the Admirals sat numerous Vice Admirals.
In the front row were Zephyr, Garp (hiding some bandages), and a gentle-looking female Vice Admiral—Chief Staff Officer Tsuru.
The camera shifted again, jumping between different formations.
It paused briefly on specific participants.
"We are now showing the seeded participants selected by our reporters—of course, to maintain fairness, we won't reveal their names or abilities, but please remember their faces."
" according to President Morgans, the winner will surely be one of them!"
As the commentator's voice grew more excited...
"Admiral! Admiral!"
A subordinate burst in, interrupting Hanafuda's viewing.
Hanafuda glared at him viciously. The subordinate shuddered but spoke quickly. "Admiral, it's a reply from the 'Major Undertaker'."
He handed Hanafuda an envelope.
As Hanafuda reached for it, the subordinate continued, "Also, about the Spade Pirates... they attacked another one of our ships two days ago. We've locked down their approximate location..."
Hanafuda stood up slowly.
"The Spade Pirates..."
His massive tail swept the chair behind him into splinters. He stared at the subordinate, about to speak.
But then...
"Hm?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Hanafuda saw something on the screen.
A figure holding a cola bottle, chewing on a straw.
CRUSH!
The wine glass in Hanafuda's hand shattered, red wine spilling like blood.
His eyes turned into vertical lizard slits.
"Roy Amos."
His voice was hoarse, dripping with killing intent.
...
"I say... what's with that camera snail? It's been staring at me for a while."
Roy muttered, looking at the Visual Transponder Snail nearby.
"Because you're a Marine Supernova, Boss! A hot favorite to win!" Fal whispered beside him.
Hans, however, disagreed.
Yes—thanks to the Full-Full Fruit, he had recovered much faster than Roy expected, much to Roy's chagrin.
"Don't talk nonsense, Fal. The Boss isn't that popular. His discussion ranking is only 5th among all participants, and his win probability is roughly 50.41%."
Roy: "?"
He looked at Hans, who was holding a booklet. "50.41%?"
That's oddly specific.
"And what is that thing in your hand? Give it here!"
Roy snatched the booklet and opened it. He froze.
[Top Contenders]
[NO.1 — 'Momousagi' Gion — Marine HQ Vice Admiral — Top 3 Probability: 97.3%]
[NO.2 — 'Iron Cannon' Urban — Marine HQ Vice Admiral — Top 3 Probability: 76.4%]
[NO.3 — 'Giant Sword' Harmo — Marine HQ Giant Vice Admiral — Top 3 Probability: 51.2%]
[...]
[NO.8 — 'Earth Tea' Loris — Marine HQ Commodore — Top 3 Probability: 48.4%]
[NO.9 — 'Shark Cutter' Bastille — Marine HQ Commodore — Top 3 Probability: 48.2%]
[NO.10 — 'Vile Tongue' Sora — Holy Land Patrol Vice Commander — Top 3 Probability: 47.6%]
The first page listed names, and subsequent pages had detailed intel.
Just as Hans said, Roy was 5th.
[Roy Amos]
[Marine HQ Major, Disciple of 'Black Arm' Zephyr]
[Fought Warlord 'Lizard King' Hanafuda to a draw. President Morgans remains vague on details; suspected World Government propaganda hype.]
[Likes: Cola]
[Top 3 Probability — 50.41%]
"...Propaganda hype!? Who are they looking down on!?"
Roy was furious, then realized something. "Wait, where did you get this?"
Fal and the others were also confused. They had tried to gather intel but found nothing this detailed. Hans had been in the infirmary the whole time.
"From the World Economic News Paper..." Hans explained. "A patient in the next bed was a WEP reporter who got beat up for spying. I copied it while he was unconscious. Am I amazing or what..."
No one listened. They were all reading the booklet.
"Gion... number one makes sense."
Roy knew her. Momousagi (Pink Rabbit). A top-tier Vice Admiral, treated like a sister by Tsuru. A master swordswoman wielding the Meito 'Konpira.'
Most importantly—she was a prime candidate for Admiral.
Since the prize for Marines was becoming an Admiral Candidate, her ranking was justified. Roy suspected Sengoku sent her to guarantee the top spot.
Urban and Harmo were also veteran Vice Admirals.
"Almost no CP photos... Morgans still doesn't dare offend the Government too much."
Roy muttered. "I wonder if CP0 is participating?"
He remembered Kaku and Lucci, but didn't think they'd go far.
"Hm? This guy..."
One entry caught Roy's eye.
[NO.19 — Hasmod — Sky Guard White Wing Knight — Top 3 Probability: 26.3%]
He had massive wings and was covered in bandages.
"A Sky Islander? Participating with such heavy injuries?" Roy whispered.
"A small portion of the Sky Guard are Sky Islanders—and those are old injuries."
A familiar voice came from behind.
Roy turned to see Smoker and Hina approaching.
"You've been diligent. Good intel gathering."
Smoker, smoking a lethal amount of cigars as always, said deeply.
"..."
Roy glanced at the eager Hans, then signaled Fal.
The Detention Unit brothers silently gagged Hans and dragged him away before he could brag about stealing the intel.
Roy smiled. "Just a little something... Cough. What do you mean by old injuries?"
He looked past Smoker... at Hina.
He knew Smoker. If he knew intel, it was probably Hina who found it and told him.
Smoker: "..."
"According to Hina's intel, Hasmod was injured during an attack on the High West three years ago."
Hina explained. "The Sky Guard suffered heavy losses capturing the attacker, but the details were classified."
She lit a cigarette and pointed.
In the distance, among the Sky Guard formation, stood the bandaged man, holding a spear.
He seemed isolated—even his fellow Sky Guards kept their distance.
"Hina heard the attacker was also a Sky Islander. Since then, the original Sky Islanders in the Guard have been ostracized."
Hina exhaled.
"Hmph. Blaming their comrades because they couldn't beat the enemy?" Smoker sneered.
"Injured for three years and still bandaged?" Roy asked casually, then flipped through the booklet.
"Oh!"
He looked at Smoker. "Smoker, rank 31. Not bad. And Hina... rank 37. A bit lacking."
He grinned. "By the way, I'm rank 5."
Smoker & Hina: "..."
This guy is really asking for a beating.
Just as they were about to start a brawl...
RUMBLE!
A massive sound drew everyone's attention.
The giant iron wall in front of them began to lower.
Beyond it lay the sea.
But as a veteran Marine of Marineford, Roy noticed the change immediately.
Ten islands had appeared on the water.
Nine smaller ones surrounded a massive central island.
Obviously, islands don't just pop up.
"Artificial islands?"
Roy guessed.
The nine islands were numbered 1 to 9.
"Hey... Roy, Smoker..."
Hina looked at the islands thoughtfully. "Hina is curious. You drew lots this morning, right? What number did you get?"
She waved her hand. "Hina is Number 5."
"..."
Roy and Smoker understood.
"I'm Number 7."
"Number 7."
They spoke in unison.
"Everyone."
From the high platform, Sengoku spoke into a snail, his voice echoing across the coast.
"Preparations for the Tri-Force Demonstration are complete."
"I will now announce the rules."
"The assessment is divided into three stages. The first two will be held today to select the finalists. The final stage will be in three days."
"This morning, all participants drew a number."
He pointed to the artificial islands.
"The first test is simple... Go to the island corresponding to your number."
"There are boats at the dock below—or you can choose not to use them."
"Anyone who successfully lands on their island within one hour passes."
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