"Where the hell is that massive island?!"
"I don't believe it. Sail forward! This must be one of Vegapunk's inventions—a cloaking device for islands!"
Moments later, the ship arrived at the spot where Egghead Island had once stood.
Fūzu Fū's head whipped around in disbelief, scanning every direction, searching for any trace that Egghead had ever been there.
But after a fruitless search over the ocean surface, Fūzu Fū collapsed lifelessly onto the deck, his face hollow, cursing under his breath.
"You goddamn island, disappear if you want, get invaded by pirates or robbed by an Emperor—fine!"
"But at least leave me a trace, damn it!"
"The entire island just vanished! How the hell am I supposed to track Vegapunk now?!"
Just imagining how the Five Elders might react to this news made his old chest wound ache again.
His body lost strength and fell backward with a thud, sprawled flat on the deck as he stared up at the sky, helpless.
So this is life, huh?
"Splosh!"
A CP agent burst out of the water, camera held high.
"Captain Fūzu Fū! We found something on the seafloor!"
"What?!"
Moments later, Fūzu Fū studied the photos his subordinate had taken and fell deep into thought.
"This level of precision... It's like the entire base of Egghead Island was sliced clean off. I've seen this before..."
His brain whirred at full speed, flashing through page after page of old mission files.
The Four Blues... the Grand Line... Mary Geoise... the New World...
The ruins zoomed in larger and larger on the screen.
Fūzu Fū slapped his hands together, his eyes gleaming with realization and excitement.
"Found it! This was Doflamingo's doing!"
"The situation under the water here is exactly like what happened before."
"Egghead didn't vanish—it was taken into the sky. That's why there were no signs anywhere!"
He beamed with pride.
Surely now, the Five Elders will reward me generously, right?
The two CP agents nearby nodded in agreement.
"As expected of you, Captain Fūzu Fū. You caught it from just one tiny clue."
"But Captain, even if it's in the sky, we can't reach Sky Islands! Even Aramaki vanished up there..."
"...."
That snapped Fūzu Fū out of his self-congratulatory daze. His face darkened.
He began pacing the deck restlessly, unsure what to do next.
...
Far above, in the sky.
A breeze gathered into the vague silhouette of a hooded figure.
"So it was Doflamingo..."
"Then, the disappearances of Vegapunk and Kuma—he's behind them too."
In his mind, he recalled the man he'd briefly encountered back in Loguetown. A flicker of wariness passed through his eyes.
This man was none other than the leader of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon.
He had been waiting in the Kamabakka Kingdom for Kuma's return, preparing to set out and build a new nation.
But right as they were about to depart, Kuma never came back.
When he tried to contact Vegapunk, he found that Vegapunk had also mysteriously gone missing.
So, Dragon had come here to Egghead to investigate in person.
But with nothing to show for it, all he could do was swallow his concern and vanish into the wind.
...
Below, after a long internal struggle, Fūzu Fū, unable to come up with any alternatives, finally steeled himself and took out the Den Den Mushi to make a call.
...
Pangaea Castle, Room of Authority.
"Sigh…"
Saturn let out a heavy sigh after hanging up the call, tinged with a trace of regret.
"Hm? What is it, Saturn?"
The Five Elder with the slicked-back hair looked puzzled. Just a phone call—why the disappointment?
"Crown Bright Island was attacked. Spandam and everyone else are missing."
"According to CP's final transmission, Doflamingo is responsible."
"I've already ordered someone to take control of Enies Lobby."
Saturn looked up at the dazzling ceiling patterns, regret deepening in his heart.
"If only that fool Homing hadn't messed things up—or if we had just shown a little mercy to the Homing family…"
"Doflamingo could've stayed in the Holy Land."
"With his talents, he might've helped us protect Imu-sama."
"..."
The others showed little reaction to Doflamingo causing yet another incident.
Compared to the chaos he'd stirred up in the past...
One base and CP9? That's nothing.
Silence settled in the room.
Glub glub glub!
The Den Den Mushi blinked, displaying Fūzu Fū's face. The five Elders immediately sharpened their focus.
Ever since they lost contact, Vegapunk's whereabouts and the status of Egghead had weighed heavily on their minds.
Saturn reached out to answer the call again.
"What? The entire Egghead Island is gone? Not a single trace of Vegapunk?"
The other four simultaneously furrowed their brows.
"You're certain it was Doflamingo?!"
"Get back here. Now!"
CRACK!!
Saturn crushed the Den Den Mushi into a pulpy mess with one hand.
Dangerous auras radiated from each of the Five Elders, though tightly restrained around their bodies.
Crack crack crack!
The table in front of them buckled under the pressure and splintered into pieces.
Swallowing their fury, the five began discussing their response to Doflamingo.
"Inform the Navy—wipe out everything bearing the Donquixote symbol!"
"Weapons shops, hotels, even his damn underground bounties!"
"Mobilize the God's Knights. Strike the last known coordinates Aramaki provided!"
"Make sure Doflamingo's so-called independent nation crumbles to nothing!"
For Vegapunk and Egghead to fall into Doflamingo's hands...
That was something the Five Elders absolutely could not tolerate.
If they could just pin down Doflamingo's location, Saturn would've left the Holy Land himself already.
...
On the Sky Island, Queen Otohime was a far cry from her once-glorious self.
Her soft golden hair was greasy and limp, plastered to her scalp.
Gently, she laid down her son Manboshi, who had finally fallen asleep after much coaxing.
Eyes red and brimming with anxiety, she carefully dialed the Den Den Mushi to contact Neptune.
Glub glub glub…
The call went through, but there was no answer.
"Neptune...what's going on in Fishman Island?!"
Clutching her aching chest, Otohime murmured in a trembling, choked voice.
On the other end of the line...
A golden Den Den Mushi lay nestled in Neptune's thick chest hair.
Beside it, Neptune's half-torn corpse lay among the ruins, his eyes wide open in death.
As for the one responsible—Arlong—his situation was no better.
His once-mighty body had shriveled to five meters tall, slumped in a pool of blood and gore.
His face was wrinkled and gaunt, hair streaked with white—marked by the ravages of age.
"What… what the hell have I done?!"
Arlong covered his face, consumed by anguish.
The memories of his rampage flooded back one by one.
That indescribable, overwhelming strength...
The pleasure of biting off Neptune's tail...
The euphoria of devouring sea beast flesh...
The countless innocent fishmen who died in his wake...
He—he had attacked his own people!
"Urgh!!"
Arlong let out a dry, agonized retch.
But in that crazed state, he had already burned through all the nutrients he'd devoured to fuel his frenzy.
All that came up was two mouthfuls of bloody, foul-smelling saliva.
"A-Arlong-aniki… are you okay?!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg