Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"What did you say?! Atlas D. York has been spotted in Water 7?!"
A piece of intelligence that had been awaited for nearly a year finally arrived. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was reviewing reports in his office, looked up with a grim expression.
Ever since York's crew had massacred the nobles of the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue, the Marines had been hunting ghosts. Sengoku had dispatched Marine Hero Garp and the Great Staff Officer Tsuru to nip the newly formed Red Flag Pirates in the bud.
But when Garp and Tsuru arrived in Sorbet, the pirates had already vanished without a trace.
Months later, a report claimed a massive man matching Kaido's description was seen in Alabasta. Garp and Tsuru rushed to the Grand Line.
The result was the same. By the time their warships docked, the the Crimson Harvest Pirates were long gone.
From that point on, the crew seemingly evaporated from the face of the earth. Garp stubbornly searched the first half of the Grand Line for months, but eventually, the trail went completely cold. They had no idea York had spent the entire year hiding in the sky.
Now, with a credible sighting in Water 7, Sengoku didn't hesitate.
Time was pressing. He couldn't guarantee this wouldn't be another near-miss, but adhering to the principle of 'better to mobilize for a ghost than let a demon escape,' Sengoku immediately grabbed his Transponder Snail.
He contacted Garp's flagship.
"Idiot son!" Garp's roar echoed through the receiver the moment he heard the news. "You're finally willing to show your face! Your old man is coming to beat some sense into you!"
Somewhere in Paradise, Garp instantly abandoned the pirate crew he was currently chasing, ordering his helmsman to turn the bow directly toward Water 7.
Back in Water 7, York stood in the scrapyard beneath the bridge, shaking hands with the legendary shipwright.
Tom the Horned Turban fish-man was in his prime, though his massive, imposing physique looked much the same as it would in his later years. York recognized him instantly.
After a brief negotiation, Tom readily agreed to the commission. For Tom, shipbuilding was a sacred duty, but it was also a business. He didn't care if the client was a Marine, a merchant, or a 3-Billion-Berry pirate—if they needed a ship built, he would build it.
"The labor and design will cost you 10 million Berries," Tom stated, crossing his massive arms.
"Agreed," York smiled. "But I will provide the shipbuilding materials myself."
It wasn't that York doubted Tom's suppliers. Tom had access to excellent lumber. But York wanted the absolute best, and he had a direct procurement channel that no one else in the Blue Sea possessed.
After leaving Tom's workshop, York and Stussy ducked into a secluded alleyway. Stussy pulled a hand mirror from her coat, and the two of them stepped through the glass.
They entered the Mirror World.
Navigating the infinite corridor of reflections, Stussy pinpointed a specific mirror she had marked over a year ago. They stepped through the glass, instantly crossing tens of thousands of kilometers.
They emerged onto the wooden counter of a massive, oversized tavern.
"Yo! Ida, long time no see!" York called out.
The sudden greeting startled Ida, the giantess bartender, who was busy wiping down a mug the size of a barrel. She looked around the empty room before finally looking down at the bar top.
"York! Stussy!" Ida gasped, her eyes wide. "How did you two get here?!"
She peered out the massive window, looking for a ship, but the harbor was empty.
Stussy smiled, tapping the mirror behind the bar. "We're currently stationed in the first half of the Grand Line. We traveled here directly using my Devil Fruit ability."
"By the gods of Elbaf!" Ida exclaimed. "There's a Devil Fruit that convenient?!"
After a few brief pleasantries, York got down to business. "Is Harald around? I need to speak with him."
Ida nodded. "He's at the Royal Palace. I'll call him for you."
She pulled out a massive Transponder Snail. A short while later, the heavy tavern doors creaked open. Harald, the ruler of Elbaf, walked in.
He looked exhausted. His usually booming presence was muted, and a dark, gloomy cloud seemed to hang over his face.
"Yo, Harald. Good to see you," York greeted, acting as if he didn't notice the giant's depression.
Harald tried to force a welcoming smile, but it came out as a grimace. He sat down heavily at the bar, ordering a drink.
"What happened to you?" York asked, leaning against a giant tankard. "You look terrible."
Harald took a massive gulp of ale and let out a long, melancholic sigh that ruffled York's hair.
"It's the World Government. They've been... pushing their luck lately."
York understood instantly.
With the death of Rocks D. Xebec, the World Government's apprehension toward Elbaf had plummeted. The friendship between Rocks and Harald had been the ultimate deterrent. Now that Rocks was dead and Wang Zhi had likely sold out the crew's secrets, Elbaf had lost its strongest external ally.
Without the shadow of the world's most dangerous pirate crew backing them, the World Government no longer felt the need to treat Harald with diplomatic respect. They were squeezing the giants.
"Have you still not given up on the extravagant hope of joining the World Government?" York asked, his eyes narrowing.
Harald gripped his mug. "My goal isn't just to become an affiliated nation, York. It's to prove to the world that Elbaf isn't just a land of barbaric warriors! We are a civilized nation! We can be reasoned with!"
York let out a cold, mocking chuckle. He picked up a thimble-sized glass Ida had poured for him and took a sip.
"You're naive, Harald. The principles of the world are exactly what I told you years ago."
York looked up, his gaze piercing the giant.
"Only nations with sufficiently sharp swords are recognized as 'civilized'."
"If your sword isn't sharp enough to make them bleed, it doesn't matter if you have thousands of years of uninterrupted history. To them, you aren't a civilization. You're just a barbaric land of monsters waiting to be conquered."
Harald frowned deeply. In his heart, he knew York was right. The World Government's recent disrespect proved it. But decades of peaceful effort made it hard to let go of that final, naive fantasy.
"Forget it," Harald sighed, waving a massive hand dismissively. "I won't argue philosophy with you today. Why did you suddenly visit Elbaf?"
"Just a shopping trip," York smiled.
He gestured to Stussy. She reached into the mirror and pulled out several heavy iron chests, lining them up on the bar in front of the giant King.
CLICK. CLICK.
The chests sprang open, revealing blinding stacks of green Berries. Billions of them.
"I came to buy some shipbuilding materials," York said, his grin widening.
"I need the strongest timber in the world. I need the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam."
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