Chapter 142: Shocking News!
The morning sun rose over the New World, casting a brilliant, golden sheen across the undulating waves. The ocean, usually a treacherous beast in this part of the Grand Line, seemed exceptionally calm today, as if resting after the chaotic storm of energy that had plagued Totto Land just days prior.
On the deck of the Vermillion Wing, the air was crisp and filled with the invigorating scent of salt and ozone.
Click.
The heavy wooden door of the captain's cabin opened slowly.
Suzaku stepped out, shielding his eyes slightly against the glare. He took a deep breath, letting the sea breeze wash over him, dispelling the lingering drowsiness of sleep. He wore a loose white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, revealing a relaxed demeanor that contrasted sharply with the violence he had orchestrated recently.
"Suzaku-sama..."
A soft, sultry voice drifted from behind him, dripping with affection and a profound, satisfied languor.
Albedo followed closely behind him. The usually meticulous Guardian Overseer of Nazarick, who always stood with the rigid posture of a perfect administrator, now moved with a liquid grace. Her black wings were slightly ruffled, and there was a flush on her cheeks that the morning wind couldn't cool. Her golden eyes, usually sharp enough to dissect a man's soul, were half-lidded and misty, filled with an obsessive adoration that bordered on worship.
She reached out, her fingers tracing the fabric of Suzaku's shirt, adjusting his collar with the intimacy of a wife tending to her husband after a long night.
The crew members on deck wisely looked away, pretending to be very busy scrubbing perfectly clean floorboards. They knew better than to interrupt the Overseer when she was in this mood—a mood that implied the "night battles" in the captain's quarters had been a resounding victory for the Succubus.
However, the peaceful, somewhat steamy morning atmosphere was shattered in an instant.
"WAAAAH...!!!"
A heart-wrenching wail exploded from the upper rigging, sounding less like a girl crying and more like an air raid siren malfunctioning.
"Have your hearts been plastered over with concrete?! You demons! You heartless monsters!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The main mast vibrated violently. Pola, the Heavy Cruiser from the Sardegna Empire, was clinging to the iron-reinforced pillar like a distressed koala. Her small fists, which possessed the strength to punch through ship armor, pounded the metal plating in a rhythmic tantrum.
"We went all the way to Totto Land! The land of sweets! The dreamland of sugar!" Pola screamed, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls. "We ate such a big cake! A cake the size of a building! And you didn't even bring a single piece back! Not one slice! Not even a strawberry!"
She looked down at Suzaku, her eyes filled with betrayal.
"Waaah... Even one bite would be fine! Just a lick of the frosting! Is that too much to ask for a growing Heavy Cruiser?!"
Suzaku rubbed his temples helplessly. The headache was immediate. He opened his mouth to explain that the cake had mostly been destroyed in the battle between Hashirama and Kaido.
But before he could speak, Pola's crying intensified, shifting from sorrow to accusation.
"And Akame confessed! She rubbed salt in the wound!"
Pola pointed a trembling finger toward the shadow of the galley.
"She said the cake there was soft and sweet! She said the cream was like clouds and the chocolate was like silk! She said it was so delicious her tongue almost melted right out of her mouth! She described the texture for ten minutes!"
"Akame!"
Suzaku's brow twitched. He turned his gaze toward the shadows near the kitchen ventilation. "You were showing off in front of Pola? That's low, even for a glutton."
There was a pause.
Then, from the shadows, a figure froze. Akame, holding a large bone of unknown origin and planning to sneak away to the crow's nest, stiffened. She slowly turned around, her red eyes darting left and right, looking for an escape route that didn't exist.
"I... didn't," she mumbled, stuffing the bone behind her back. "I was just... stating the objective facts of the mission. A report on the local cuisine is vital for future operations."
She tried to keep a straight face, but a crumb of sponge cake on her cheek betrayed her.
Suzaku chuckled, shaking his head. "Right. Objective facts. Well, your punishment for 'psychological warfare against allies' is decided."
He pointed at the kitchen.
"You are to make delicious food for Pola all day today. You will cook until she forgets about the Big Mom wedding cake. And no snacking on the ingredients."
He added a sharp glare toward the two maids who had quietly materialized behind Akame.
"Ram. Rem. You are not allowed to help her. No peeling potatoes, no tasting the soup. This is Akame's penance."
"Huh?" Akame's face immediately fell, looking as if the sky had collapsed. Cooking without eating was the ultimate torture for her.
However, the effect on Pola was instantaneous.
The wailing stopped abruptly, as if someone had cut the power cord.
Pola slid down the mast, sniffing loudly. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but a new light shone in them. She looked at Akame expectantly, a stream of drool uncontrollably flowing down her chin.
"Rea... Really? Anything I want?"
Akame looked at Pola's pitiful expression—the wet eyes, the trembling lip. The assassin's cold heart melted. She grabbed Pola's hand with solemn determination.
"Let's go," Akame said seriously. "I saw a Sea King earlier. We will grill super-large sea fish steaks with honey glaze. I will make you a feast that surpasses any cake."
"Yay! Akame is the best!"
The two foodies rushed into the kitchen like a whirlwind, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
Suzaku shook his head and laughed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ram and Rem tacitly following them into the kitchen anyway.
Well, Suzaku thought, they are just going to "watch." It shouldn't count as cheating.
As soon as the deck returned to a semblance of quiet, the mood shifted again.
Pedro, the jaguar Mink, approached Suzaku. His steps were measured and respectful. In his hands, he held a large roll of paper, handled with the care one would give to a newborn baby or a volatile explosive.
"Suzaku-sama."
Pedro knelt on one knee, offering the scroll. His expression was solemn, carrying the weight of his late captain Fisher Tiger and the entire Mink tribe's hopes.
"This is the rubbing of the Road Poneglyph from the Big Mom Pirates' treasure room. I secured it while you were distracting the Yonko."
The Road Poneglyph. The red stone. One of the four keys to Laugh Tale. A singular object that could drive the entire sea into a frenzy, causing wars that would burn nations to ash.
Yet, Suzaku merely glanced at it casually, as if Pedro were handing him a grocery list.
"Good work," Suzaku said lightly. "Let Albedo keep it in the Inventory. She organizes the valuables."
Pedro blinked, momentarily stunned by the lack of fanfare. Most captains would be dancing, weeping, or drinking in celebration. But Suzaku just treated it as an expected outcome.
He truly believes he is destined for the top, Pedro realized, his respect deepening. He doesn't need to celebrate steps; he only looks at the destination.
"Yes, my Lord," Pedro said.
"By the way," Suzaku looked at Pedro with genuine concern, "are your and Zepo's injuries fully healed? The Musketeers said you took some damage escaping the Chateau."
Pedro's heart warmed. To care for the subordinates more than the treasure—this was a leader worth dying for.
He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your concern, Suzaku-sama! I am already fine! The medical techniques of the Vermillion Wing are miraculous!"
Just as Pedro stood up, a flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed on the deck.
Da da da da...!
An orange figure rushed over from the navigation room, her hair flying wildly in the wind.
"Captain! Suzaku!"
It was Nami. She was running too fast, her sandals slapping against the wood. In her haste, she tripped over a coil of rope.
"Ah!"
Before she could kiss the deck, Suzaku reached out effortlessly. He caught her, wrapping his arm around her slim waist and hoisting her up.
"Slow down, Nami," Suzaku chuckled, feeling her heart pounding against his chest. "What's the rush? Did the Log Pose break?"
Nami panted in his arms, her face flushed red—partly from the run, partly from the sudden proximity. But the urgency in her eyes overrode her embarrassment.
She suddenly held up a crumpled newspaper, thrusting it into Suzaku's face.
"Captain! Look at this! It just came via the News Coo!"
Nami's finger forcefully pointed at the bold, black headline that dominated the front page. Her voice resounded across the deck, filled with a mix of terror and exhilaration.
"We're... We're in the newspaper again!!! And this time, it's bigger than ever!"
Rewind to last night.
On the other side of the world, Marineford. The sanctuary of Justice.
The atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office was oppressive. The air felt heavy and hot, as if the room were filled with solidified lava.
"BANG!"
A fist slammed heavily onto the solid oak desk, cracking the wood.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Marines stood up, his round glasses fogged with rage.
The newspaper, rushed out by the "News King" Morgans, had not yet been officially released to the public, but a copy had already appeared at Marineford with the fastest speed possible.
Under his seagull hat, thick veins throbbed on Sengoku's forehead. His usually wise and profound eyes now held only shock, anger, and utter disbelief.
"Madness! This world has gone completely mad!" Sengoku roared, crumpling a report in his hand. "First he kidnaps a Tenryuubito, now this?! Does he want to turn the entire world upside down before lunch?!"
Beside the desk, a goat leisurely nibbled on the corner of a confidential document marked "Top Secret," completely oblivious to its owner's rage.
"Hmph~ That hateful Suzaku Brat. He let me go again!"
A gruff voice came from the sofa.
Marine Hero Garp sat there. However, unlike the usual Garp who constantly stuffed rice crackers (senbei) into his mouth and laughed off threats, the current Garp was terrifyingly serious. The crackers lay untouched in the bag. His eyes were shadowed, sharp as flint.
"Sengoku," Garp said, his voice low. "This isn't a game anymore. The Rocks era... no, something worse is coming. Let me go."
The Garp who used to only think about avoiding work and breaking records for eating donuts actually volunteered.
"Garp! Shut up!" Sengoku roared back, though his voice lacked its usual bite. He was stressed beyond measure.
He turned to look at the other side of the room, at the only person who could possibly maintain calm in this storm.
"Tsuru! What do you think? Is this report accurate?"
Marineford's Great Staff Officer, Tsuru, was sitting quietly. She held a cup of hot tea, her expression the only one among the three that remained outwardly calm.
But her slightly furrowed brows and the half-beat slower action of blowing on her tea than usual revealed her inner turmoil.
She put down her teacup with a soft clink. She picked up the newspaper, her gaze moving back and forth between the two high-resolution photos that occupied the entire front page.
"Morgans doesn't lie about pictures, Sengoku," Tsuru said softly. "He exaggerates headlines, but he doesn't forge photographs like this."
Her finger traced the first photo.
With a collapsed Biscuit Castle in the background, amidst smoke and fire, stood a man in dark red armor with a waterfall of spiky black hair. He held a giant flame fan (Gunbai) in one hand and a scythe in the other, facing the massive, terrifying form of Charlotte Linlin head-on.
They looked like equals. No, the man looked... bored.
The text description in the newspaper was full of Morgans' dramatic flair:
"The might of a Yonko, is that all there is to it? Mysterious newcomer 'Uchiha Madara' clashes head-on with BIG MOM, completely unharmed!"
What made Sengoku's heart twitch even more was the small line of text below it, a rumor that could destabilize the political landscape of the New World:
"...According to eyewitnesses, not only did BIG MOM not get angry after the clash, but she publicly proposed a marriage alliance! The Yonko wishes to marry off her daughters to this Suzaku Pirates executive to secure his bloodline!"
"This is an attempt to win them over! It's a sign of weakness!" Sengoku hissed through gritted teeth. "That crazy woman Charlotte Linlin actually showed weakness to another pirate crew! She recognizes them as a threat she'd rather marry than fight!"
Tsuru ignored Sengoku's complaints. Her finger slowly slid to the other photo.
This was the one that made the blood run cold.
It was a scene capable of suffocating any viewer.
A towering, majestic wooden giant—a golem of impossible size—filled the frame. Its wooden arm was extended, the muscles of the wood defined and powerful.
Beneath its hand, pinned firmly to the cracked earth like a captured lizard, was a majestic blue giant dragon.
Kaido of the Hundred Beasts. The Strongest Creature in the World.
He was being pressed into the dirt.
The dynamic sense of frantic pounding could be felt even through the paper. You could almost hear the sound of the dragon roaring in pain and the ground shaking from the impact.
The headline printed in bold, blood-red ink was arrogant to the extreme. It was a declaration of war against the status quo.
"AN ERA CHANGES! 'YONKO' DEFEATED?"
"THE STRONGEST CREATURE, SUPPRESSED!"
"Suzaku Pirates Adds Another Mysterious Strongman! 'Hashirama Senju' Becomes a God in One Battle!"
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