After nearly an entire day of wandering and playing, night had already fallen over Sicily Island.
The four Marines regrouped as agreed. At first, Tsuru had stayed beside Monkey D. Garp, but along the way she had quietly separated to investigate on her own.
Even so, they had set a meeting time in advance, and Garp, despite his carefree nature, did not forget it.
"That was exhilarating!" Garp laughed loudly. "This Expo is incredible. But I have no rivals at all. These pirates are too weak. I win every time. Looks like I've earned a new title… King of Games! Hahaha!"
Tokikake stood nearby, forcing a smile while sighing inwardly.
Who would dare win against you?
Garp was the Hero of the Marines. If someone actually defeated him and triggered his temper, who knew what would happen? Losing a few Berries was a small price to pay for safety. Even the Nightfall Pirates had clearly chosen to cooperate with his antics.
Compared to Garp's triumphant streak, Tokikake's situation was the complete opposite.
"Hmm?" Garp suddenly turned, noticing something off. "Tokikake, where are your clothes? Why did you change? Trying to blend in with pirates? That's a good idea. I should've done that too."
"Pfft!" Gion burst out laughing. "Vice Admiral Garp, you didn't hear? News already spread across the Expo. A certain ugly Marine lost everything at the casino. Not only did he end up in his underwear, he even owes two hundred million Berries. Those clothes? The casino gave them to him."
Tokikake's face stiffened.
The worst part was not the debt. It was the fact that he had become famous for it.
He used to be known as the "Little Prince of the Casino" back at Sabaody Archipelago, yet here he had been completely crushed.
His luck had been abysmal. So bad that even he suspected foul play, though his Observation Haki detected nothing.
Now the entire world might know.
Tokikake felt his future grow dim.
Their conversation soon shifted back to business.
Garp had gathered nothing of value. Gion had followed Tsuru. As for Tokikake… no one even asked.
By now, the Expo had entered its evening phase.
While the exhibition district remained lively, the crowds had thinned slightly as attention shifted toward the central palace.
The auction was about to begin.
Only qualified participants could enter. Either one had to represent a recognized force or possess at least one hundred million Berries.
Even then, space was limited.
With over a hundred thousand pirates present on the island, most were filtered out. Still, that did not stop them from watching.
Large screens had been set up throughout the exhibition area, broadcasting the auction through Visual Den Den Mushi.
Even those outside could witness the spectacle.
Tsuru spoke calmly as they walked.
"Several pirates have gone missing in recent days. Some were found alive, others dead. The killers were never identified."
"No clues?" Tokikake asked.
"They were attacked by people they trusted," Tsuru replied. "But that is unlikely to be the truth. More likely… someone was impersonating them."
Her gaze flickered slightly.
She already had a suspicion.
"And the island is still this calm?" Garp scratched his head.
"The number of victims is small compared to the total population," Tsuru explained. "And pirates prefer not to escalate matters, especially on territory controlled by the Nightfall Pirates."
Garp suddenly turned to Tokikake.
"Don't you have that pig fruit? Can't you get information from dreams?"
"It's not a pig!" Tokikake protested weakly. "It's the Mythical Zoan, Baku form. And it only works on sleeping targets. No one's asleep right now."
"Same thing," Garp said dismissively.
"Not the same at all…"
Soon, they arrived at the grand palace.
The place was packed.
Major forces had already taken their seats. Powerful pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million could only stand.
Underworld figures were present as well.
At the center, sitting calmly above all others, was Marshall D. Teach, the Dark Emperor.
The moment carried weight.
Then suddenly, a roar shattered the atmosphere.
"Teach! You must give us an explanation!"
The entire venue fell silent.
All eyes turned toward the speaker.
"Isn't that Gluttony McGinley? Captain of the Gluttony Pirates!"
A pirate with a bounty of 430 million Berries.
Brave… or suicidal.
Teach remained seated, expression unreadable, yet his presence alone pressed down on the entire hall.
Then, slowly, he stood.
"Speak," he said calmly.
The pressure alone nearly broke McGinley's resolve.
"I… I mean no offense," he stammered. "But my vice-captain was murdered. We came to your Expo, Teach-sama. You must give us justice!"
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Disappearances had indeed been happening.
Then McGinley dropped another bomb.
"The Whitebeard Pirates… and the Flying Pirates have suffered losses too!"
The hall erupted.
Members of the Whitebeard Pirates stiffened immediately.
"What?" Fossa roared, grabbing a subordinate.
Two of their men were missing.
On the other side, the Flying Pirates remained indifferent.
Their structure was far less sentimental.
"Speak!" Fossa demanded, fury rising.
McGinley swallowed. "I will… but guarantee my safety first."
"No one will touch you," Fossa declared.
McGinley nodded, then pointed directly across the hall.
"The culprit… is Marine Hero Garp!"
An uproar exploded.
Even Garp blinked in confusion.
Gion immediately stepped forward. "That's nonsense. Vice Admiral Garp has been in the exhibition area all day."
"Marine testimony is worthless," McGinley shot back.
Yet among the crowd, some had already seen through the lie.
Garp would never resort to such methods.
And more importantly… he had no need to.
Teach watched silently, as if observing a poorly written play.
"Teach-sama, you believe me, right?" McGinley pressed.
Teach's lips curved slightly.
"Evidence?" he asked.
McGinley quickly produced a Projection Den Den Mushi.
An image appeared.
A man resembling Garp entered a room, killed a pirate, and left.
The resemblance was perfect.
For a moment, doubt spread.
Then someone scoffed.
"If that were really Garp, no one could've recorded him."
Realization dawned on many.
The flaw was too obvious.
Teach's patience finally ran out.
"There are two things I hate," he said softly. "Being threatened… and being fooled."
Before anyone could react, a dark gem shot forward from his body, transforming midair into a sharp spike.
Boom!
McGinley was sent flying, barely blocking with Haki.
Shock rippled through the hall.
That was not even Teach's main attack.
"You're still acting?" Teach said coldly. "You can deceive Observation Haki… but not mine."
The pirate's body trembled.
Teach's voice turned mocking.
"From the start, I saw the blood on your hands."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
"Fufufufu…"
The voice changed.
The body began to shift.
"Very well," the figure said. "No point hiding anymore."
Before everyone's eyes, "McGinley" transformed.
"I am a user of the Mythical Zoan, Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox."
Gasps spread instantly.
Then…
They saw her true form.
Catarina Devon.
A heavily made-up, grotesque woman.
The entire hall froze.
Then, almost in unison—
Vomiting sounds erupted.
"My eyes!"
"This is a nightmare!"
The gap between expectation and reality was too extreme.
Devon, however, remained completely unfazed.
"A living me is far more valuable than a corpse," she said smoothly. "And don't worry. I didn't kill your men."
Her gaze flicked toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
"They're alive. Sleeping peacefully somewhere safe."
The tension eased slightly.
But the atmosphere had already changed.
The Festival of Darkness had revealed its first true shadow.