A few hours later.
Gawain quietly dropped Mira off at a port near Loguetown.
He left her with a Den Den Mushi so she could contact him at any time, and enough money to get home—just enough to avoid drawing attention.
Then, without another word, he flew away.
Mira watched the dragon soaring into the sky, her face flushed with excitement. After standing there for a moment with a silly smile, she turned toward the port to book her return ticket.
As she walked, she spotted a group of workers posting a large announcement in the most prominent place by the docks:
"The First East Blue Martial Arts Tournament will be held at Raven Harbor!"
"People from all walks of life are invited! Admission for the opening session is free—first come, first served!"
Mira glanced at the poster but didn't linger.
Instead, she turned and found a ferry docked nearby, bought a ticket, and boarded the ship back to Loguetown with practiced ease.
Time flew by, and several days passed.
Though Loguetown's port still bore the scars of Gawain's rampage, business had more or less resumed.
The nobles who had once gathered for the auction had been wiped out—completely stripped by Gawain.
But they could do little more than mutter curses. None dared retaliate. They understood all too well the danger of provoking someone with that kind of power.
Daz Bonez stood at the bow of a ferry, his partner Zala beside him.
They both gazed down at the massive crater—hundreds of meters wide—that still marred the harbor. The fear in their eyes had not yet faded. Clearly, the trauma of that day still lingered.
Zala exhaled sharply.
"So... Knight Gawain's power really is this overwhelming? Are Mythical Zoans really that strong?"
Daz Bonez shook his head, his tone solemn.
"It's not the fruit that's powerful. It's him."
"Even without his ability, I don't think the outcome would've been much different."
Zala fell silent. Deep down, she agreed.
After a long pause, she finally said:
"How do we report this to the boss?"
Daz Bonez was blunt.
"We tell the truth. Facing someone of this level is beyond us. Even if the boss had come in person—"
"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing," he muttered.
Turning, Daz Bonez walked toward the cabin.
"I'll handle the report."
"Got it."
Minutes later, inside the ferry's cabin, Daz Bonez sat alone.
He pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat and hesitated before dialing.
"Boss. About the Bone-Bone Fruit... something went wrong."
He relayed the entire incident in Loguetown, from beginning to end. Every detail, large and small.
On the other end, silence lingered.
Nearly a full minute passed before Crocodile's deep, raspy voice chuckled:
"Hahaha... If your opponent could defeat someone like Hanafuda that easily, then I suppose your failure is understandable."
"However, if it really was KniyGawain, then this situation might still be salvageable."
"Not long ago, Mr. 3 returned with a rumor from East Blue."
"A martial arts tournament is going to be held in Raven Harbor—and based on our intel, that harbor is essentially Knight Gawain's territory."
Daz Bonez's eyes lit up.
"You think he's offering the Bone-Bone Fruit as the prize?"
He sounded confused.
"Why would he do something so... thankless?"
Crocodile let out a low laugh.
"Thankless?"
"On the contrary—this guy's smarter than he looks. He might even have the makings of a proper lord."
"If this model works, it could bring him steady income year after year. Don't forget—it's already been proven successful by a certain... Flamingo bastard."
His voice grew amused.
"I'd love to see the look on Doflamingo's face when he finds out Gawain has completely copied his bullfighting arena model."
Then his tone turned cold.
"Mr. 1."
"You failed the mission. It's time to redeem yourself."
"You're still in East Blue, aren't you?"
"Then go. See what this so-called tournament is really about."
"If the prize really is the Bone-Bone Fruit, bring it back."
Daz Bonez responded without hesitation:
"Yes, Boss."
"Don't disappoint me."
"Understood."
Meanwhile—
Dressrosa.
Doflamingo sat in the highest room of his castle.
The windows and doors were flung open, letting the sea breeze blow through and toss the rose-pink curtains that matched his feathered coat.
Click.
Doflamingo crossed his legs, resting his feet on the coffee table. A Den Den Mushi sat before him, the receiver crackling with a panicked voice.
Disco's shrill cry echoed from the other end:
"Boss! Help me!"
"Former Navy Admiral Zephyr showed up in Loguetown! He found out about our human trafficking operation!"
"They've shut down the auction house—I'm next!"
"We spent years building this sales network! If we lose our East Blue foothold, the entire supply chain could collapse!"
Listening to Disco's desperate plea for help, the cruel smile on Doflamingo's face deepened.
"Shh—"
"Hey, Disco. From this moment on, that auction house is yours. It has nothing to do with me anymore."
"Fufufufufufufu—!"
Disco froze for a moment before the realization hit him—Doflamingo was abandoning him.
His face turned ghostly pale in an instant.
Without the protection of the Donquixote Family, he had no hope of escaping the Navy's grasp. Imprisonment awaited him—if not the death penalty.
"Boss, no—Young Master! Please! Save me—!"
Beep—
A long, final tone echoed before the Den Den Mushi withered lifelessly before his eyes. Panic surged through Disco's heart.
With trembling hands, he hastily gathered the money around him, frantically contacting any nearby ships that could help him flee. He turned to escape—
Bang!
The door burst open.
A young and beautiful female officer stood at the entrance, flanked by a line of armed marines. Her eyes were cold and resolute.
She was Ain, a Colonel from Navy Headquarters, acting on Zephyr's direct orders.
"I am Ain of Navy HQ. You are suspected of involvement in the slave trade operations in the East Blue. You are under arrest."
Disco's legs gave out. He collapsed.
With a wave of Ain's hand, several marines stepped forward, cuffed him, and dragged him away.
Dressrosa — Royal Castle
Doflamingo ended the call. His expression darkened, and bulging veins stood out on his forehead.
"Tch... Just when I'd finally managed to stretch my hand into the East Blue."
"Knight Gawain, huh?"
He slowly picked up the newspaper on the table. The front page featured a headline about the upcoming martial arts tournament in Raven Harbor. The smirk on his face twisted into something more vicious.
"He really copied the bullfighting arena model, huh?"
"You might make money with this little stunt, Gawain, but I'll make sure you don't live long enough to spend it."
Creak—
The door opened.
Diamante, tall and thin with a red cloak draped around him, entered with a scowl.
"What's the matter, Doffy? The duel in the bullfighting arena just hit its peak! Can't this wait?"
Doflamingo didn't answer. Instead, he handed the newspaper to him.
Diamante glanced at it—and his face twisted with fury.
"Raven Harbor?! They've got a death wish! Reaching into our rice bowl?!"
The Bullfighting Arena was his pride—his masterpiece. He had built it into a world-renowned spectacle. And now someone dared to imitate it?
Unforgivable.
"I'll go there myself!"
Doflamingo shook his head.
"You're too important to the arena. You can't leave."
"Send Dellinger and Senor Pink instead. In the East Blue, no one but Knight Gawain might pose a threat to them—and we still don't know the extent of his power."
Diamante exhaled sharply and nodded.
"I'll arrange it. The Bullfighting Arena is one of our core income sources—second only to the underground arms trade. We cannot afford to lose it."
"Then let them raise hell."
"I want the East Blue to burn."
"Fufufufufufu—!"
Navy Headquarters — Marineford
Everything that happened in Loguetown had been reported back to Navy HQ through Zephyr.
Now, in the conference room, a heavy silence hung over the officers—Sengoku, Tsuru, Aokiji, and others—as they reviewed the report with grim expressions.
"He's grown this strong already? How long has it been?"
"From his emergence in the East Blue to reaching a bounty over 100 million—it's been less than six months. But defeating a Warlord of the Sea? That's unreal!"
"At this pace, he'll rival the heavyweights of the New World."
"We can't let this continue. Knight Gawain's potential is too dangerous to ignore."
As the smoke from cigars curled into the air, the voices grew louder. Soon, the room was as noisy as a marketplace.
Bang!
Sengoku slammed his palm on the table. Silence fell instantly. All eyes turned to him.
"Knight Gawain must be treated as a serious threat," Sengoku said coldly. "But don't forget—with Hanafuda's defeat, there's now a vacancy among the Seven Warlords."
"Filling that spot is a problem in itself."
"Also, we all know Hanafuda had questionable ties to Kaido. His appointment was controversial from the beginning. Now, we have a chance to replace him with a pirate of... relatively moderate behavior."