Marineford.
Headquarters Building. Fleet Admiral's Office.
Silver Dragon and Kizaru sat lazily on the sofa, legs propped up on the coffee table. Both looked unusually relaxed, occasionally lifting their cups for a sip of coffee, sometimes even yawning.
Their composure stood in sharp contrast to the man behind the desk.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat upright, fingers interlocked, the lenses of his frog-eye glasses reflecting a heavy light. His gaze was deep with thought. Below him, Tsuru flipped through documents, her brows knitted tightly together.
Aokiji was also present.
He leaned against the side of the sofa, his hat pulled low over his face. After personally freezing the sea during the massive tsunami, exhaustion had finally caught up to him. If one listened closely, faint snores could be heard.
The man was completely asleep.
"What exactly is Da Ivan?" Sengoku finally asked, breaking the silence. "To possess such destructive power."
At this moment, his attention had completely shifted away from the Straw Hat Pirates. They were no longer his concern.
Lucien Graves was.
A detailed report lay open on his desk, compiled by the General Staff. It meticulously analyzed the explosion's radius, shockwave, energy output, and aftermath.
Tsuru's eyes lingered on the numbers, her expression grave.
Almost at the same time, the same thought crossed both their minds.
The Ancient Weapons.
The destructive power described here was simply too abnormal.
If such a weapon were ever deployed directly at Marineford, the consequences would be beyond imagination. If the Marines truly mastered this technology, the balance of power on the seas would collapse entirely. The Four Emperors would no longer be an insurmountable threat.
This was not just a weapon.
It was a nightmare.
"Don't look at me," Silver Dragon said, spreading his hands. "I don't know either."
Sengoku and Tsuru both turned their eyes toward him.
"You know him," Sengoku said flatly.
"Same place of origin," Silver Dragon replied helplessly. "But we're not close."
Kizaru was present, so some things could be glossed over, but others could not be outright denied.
"Sky Island?" Sengoku asked slowly.
His heart sank.
Silver Dragon's background had long been investigated. Otherwise, he would never have been promoted to Admiral. But Sky Island possessing such a terrifying weapon?
"Yes."
Silver Dragon nodded without hesitation. Sky Island was convenient, and more importantly, believable.
There was no chance he would ever admit to being from another world. Only a fool would reveal everything.
This unspoken understanding hung in the air. Silver Dragon was confident the others would also keep this matter sealed away.
"What is his attitude toward the Marines?" Sengoku asked.
A clear intention surfaced in his mind.
Recruitment.
If Lucien could be brought under Marine control, perhaps Da Ivan could be researched, or even replicated.
"It's fine," Silver Dragon replied casually. "I told him to contact me if he ever can't survive on the outside."
His tone carried a trace of irritation. Sengoku was clearly fishing for information he already knew.
The old man probably understood every detail of the Sabaody incident already.
"Enough," Sengoku said, coughing lightly. "If there's nothing else, you may go rest."
"My salary," Silver Dragon added suddenly as he stood up and walked a few steps away, scratching his head before turning back.
"Go collect it yourself from the Finance Department," Sengoku snapped, his face darkening.
He wished Silver Dragon would disappear immediately.
Kizaru followed soon after, muttering curses under his breath.
This entire mission had originally been assigned to Silver Dragon alone. Instead, he had somehow been dragged into it and ended up taking a beating for no reason at all. Even now, faint bruises were still visible on his face.
Afterward, everything proceeded as expected.
The Straw Hat Pirates received increased bounties across the board.
Marine Hero Garp also returned to headquarters and was summoned into Sengoku's office, where he was loudly scolded for a full hour. The surrounding officers paid it no mind. They were already used to such scenes.
At the same time.
Far away, within a war-torn kingdom on the Grand Line.
Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
"Cheers!"
Glasses clinked together.
Ace laughed and tilted his head back, downing his drink in one go.
Across from him sat a handsome young man with short, wavy blond hair and a scar over his left eye.
Sabo.
The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
After leaving Sabaody, Ace had contacted Sabo and come here directly.
"How's Luffy doing now?" Sabo asked with a smile, clearly pleased by Ace's sudden visit.
"He's grown up," Ace said softly.
He let out a long breath, recalling the feeling Luffy had given him. This wasn't just about becoming more sensible.
Luffy's mind had matured.
His way of thinking had changed.
He was no longer the reckless, single-minded boy Ace remembered.
"Oh?" Sabo froze briefly, then his expression sharpened. "Did something happen?"
Ace nodded and told him everything Luffy had revealed about the future.
There was no need to hide it.
"Luffy wouldn't lie to us," Sabo said after a moment of silence. "And with his intelligence, he couldn't fabricate something like that."
He chose to believe without hesitation.
"It's real," Ace said firmly.
In truth, Ace found it even easier to accept.
After all, transmigration itself existed. Having been exposed to ideas beyond this world, his tolerance for the unbelievable far exceeded that of ordinary people.
"So what's your next move?" Sabo asked.
"I want Kuma to come with me," Ace replied calmly. "And I'll still go to Dressrosa. But not alone. I'll bring Marco and the others."
He took another drink, his plan already set.
If Marco's group accompanied him and he still fell into Doflamingo's hands, then it would only prove one thing.
Doflamingo was terrifying.
Ace never truly believed he would lose to Doflamingo head-on. There had to be other factors involved.
Blackbeard?
A joint scheme?
Even then, Ace was not afraid.
He knew the weakness of the Dark-Dark Fruit. His physical combat ability was no joke. He had mastered Life Return, and even without the Flame-Flame Fruit, his raw combat power placed him among the top thirty figures on the sea.
Even if he couldn't win, escaping should never have been impossible.
He was not the old Ace who valued dignity over survival.
"Alright," Sabo said simply.
Ace had always been like this, decisive and thoughtful, unlike Luffy, who acted first and thought later.
Half an hour later, Kuma arrived.
Together, they departed for the New World.
"Welcome, welcome, Fairy Tail clothing store, today's discounts…"
"Fresh apples, straight from the orchard…"
"Famous swords, don't miss your chance…"
Dressrosa buzzed with life.
Stalls lined the streets, vendors shouting enthusiastically, strange toys and laughing children passing by in a colorful blur.
Inside a quiet coffee shop.
A striking figure sat by the window.
Long purple hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore an off-the-shoulder dress, elegant and composed, appearing to be around twenty-five years old. A cup of coffee rested lightly between her fingers as she gazed out at the street.
Beside her sat a man in his thirties.
The woman was Lucien Graves.
And the man was Trafalgar Law.
This was Dressrosa.
Gender transformation.
This was one of Lucien's advantages.
If he wanted to be a man, he was a man. If he wanted to be a woman, then he could become one. Gender, after all, was merely something assigned at birth.
Perhaps it was a little perverse.
But so what?
What man didn't have a few questionable hobbies?
Stussy had already returned to the underworld. Lucien's instructions to her were simple. Keep a close eye on the Straw Hat Pirates.
As for why Lucien came to Dressrosa, the answer remained unchanged.
Doflamingo.
And Mansherry.
Lucien had his eyes on Mansherry's ability.
He intended to control her, then deliberately walk the edge of death to awaken the Saiyan near-death growth ability. As long as he survived after being beaten to the brink, his combat power would skyrocket.
The ability had limitations. It required real combat and real danger.
That only meant one thing.
From now on, he would fight.
Either he was fighting, or he was on his way to fight.
For this reason, Mansherry was crucial.
To ensure absolute safety, Lucien also planned to control Kuma.
With the Op-Op Fruit, the Heal-Heal Fruit, and the Paw-Paw Fruit, he was confident that as long as he still had a single breath left, he could be dragged back from the edge of death.
If only Senzu Beans existed.
Then he could truly cheat his way to overwhelming power.
===
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