Foosha Village.
In Makino's bar, the afternoon sun was warm and gentle.
Garp was holding a massive mug, chugging rum, a signature boisterous smile on his face.
Across from him, Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan, was practically slumped over the table, looking like a drained salted fish.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
Garp suddenly burst into deafening laughter, the liquor in his mug sloshing out.
"Three minutes, huh!"
He slapped the table, laughing so hard tears almost came to his eyes.
"Kuzan! You're something else! To last three minutes! Truly impressive!"
"..."
Kuzan lifted his eyelids, his lazy face filled with a sense of utter despair.
He didn't even have the energy to complain now.
That white-haired guy named Uchiha Madara was a monster among monsters.
His proud Ice-Ice Fruit ability was as ridiculous as a child playing in water in front of that guy.
Truth-Seeking Orb.
Genjutsu.
And that invisible, eerie attack.
Every single one was terrifyingly difficult to deal with.
Three minutes... he was lucky to have even survived!
"Oh dear..." Kuzan weakly scratched his messy curly hair, "If it were Mr. Garp, you could definitely last longer, right?"
"Not necessarily."
Garp's laughter abruptly stopped. He picked up his mug, drained the remaining liquor, his expression becoming incredibly serious for the first time.
"Against a monster of that caliber, even an old man like me probably wouldn't fare well."
He slammed the mug heavily onto the table.
"Now, Sengoku is probably going to have such a headache he won't be able to sleep."
Creating a world out of thin air.
And even stuffing a monster of god-tier fighting ability into it as a BOSS.
That kid named White Night, his ability had completely exceeded the scope of all their understanding.
Kuzan nodded in agreement.
Unable to comprehend, unable to contend, and even unable to figure out the other party's objective.
That was what was truly hair-raising.
"Oh, right."
Garp seemed to remember something, leaning forward, his eyes shining as he stared at Kuzan.
"Have you entered any other dungeons? You must have gained something, right?"
"Quick! Show it to this old man!"
"..."
At the mention of that, Kuzan's already listless face instantly sagged even more.
He scratched his head, his gaze wandering, looking as if he found it difficult to speak.
"What?" Garp urged impatiently, "Is there something you're ashamed of?"
"That's not it..." Kuzan sighed, a resigned expression on his face.
Under Garp's curious and urging gaze, he slowly pulled something out from his embrace.
Then, he gently placed it on the table.
It was a... completely pink, with a large heart-shaped gem embedded at the top, and a pair of small white wings... magic wand.
"..."
The air in the entire bar froze at that instant.
Even Makino, who was wiping glasses, stopped her movements.
Garp's eyes were wide, staring intently at the extremely girlish item on the table, his expression a sight to behold.
A full three seconds passed.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Laughter ten times more unrestrained than before, exploded!
Garp was laughing so hard he was practically sprawled on the table, pounding on it, letting out a pig-like roar of laughter!
"Wh-what in the world is this?! BWAHAHAHA!"
Kuzan's face had completely darkened.
He buried his head in his arms, squeezing out a sentence through clenched teeth in an almost inaudible voice.
"Don't ask."
"If you ask, it's from a dungeon called 'Magical Girl'..."
"This is a long-range attack weapon."
"Really."
...Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral's office.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it made the air feel viscous.
Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha, held a newly printed document in his hand, his expression terribly grave.
This was a report from Admiral Aokiji.
"Tsuru!"
Sengoku handed the document to Tsuru, the Grand Staff Officer, who was sitting nearby, a hint of undetectable fatigue in his voice.
"It seems we still underestimated that fellow."
Marine Headquarters Grand Staff Officer, Tsuru, slowly put down her teacup, her aged face showing no ripples of emotion.
"At least we gained a lot of useful intelligence, didn't we?"
Tsuru flipped through the document, her face still calm.
"From the results, the abilities he displayed are not much different from what we understand as 'gods'."
"Resurrection of the dead, immortality, manipulation of time."
"Kuzan only lasted three minutes in the intermediate dungeon."
"It's hard to imagine how terrifying the person who created all this must be."
"But from the results, it's not too bad."
Her voice was always so calm, carrying a power that could soothe people's hearts.
"At least, we, the Marine, discovered him first, not those lawless pirates."
Sengoku gave a bitter smile, returning to his seat, hands clasped under his chin.
"That's true..."
His gaze was gloomy.
"But, Tsuru, how could a person of this caliber remain unknown on the Grand Line forever?"
"One day, he will be discovered by others!"
"At that time, those lawless pirates, the Four Emperors... if they knew about such a place..."
Sengoku's words trailed off, but the consequences had already made the temperature in the entire office drop by several degrees.
A place that could grant immortality, and even revive the dead.
What a fatal temptation this was for those monsters who stood at the pinnacle of the world, yet still couldn't escape birth, aging, sickness, and death!
Tsuru quietly read through the document. Kuzan's description of Uchiha Madara in the report caused a slight ripple in her normally placid eyes.
"Since we can't deal with him."
Tsuru suddenly spoke, interrupting Sengoku's worries.
"Then let's get ahead of them."
Sengoku looked up at his most trusted comrade, his eyes filled with questions.
Tsuru's lips curved into an extremely faint smile, and her eyes, which had seen through the vicissitudes of the world, gleamed with wisdom.
"Since we can't do anything about him, then let's simply change our approach."
"Before others discover his value, we must become his biggest customer!"
"Become his biggest customer?"
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku rubbed his throbbing temples, leaning back in his chair, his usually stern, square face now etched with fatigue and indecision.
He looked at his resourceful old comrade, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
Only after becoming Fleet Admiral did he realize how difficult this position truly was.
The Celestial Dragons, those high and mighty figures in the World Government, kept a tight leash on the Marine's budget, scrutinizing every expenditure repeatedly, fearing that the Marine's power would exceed their control, fearing that they would raise a mad dog that would bite its master.
Meanwhile, outside, the Great Pirate Era was escalating, and the Four Emperors were like four insurmountable mountains, suffocating the entire world.
Now, a White Night, completely incomprehensible and immeasurable by normal standards, had appeared.