Year 1505 of the Sea Circle Calendar
The independent kingdom of Ragna, located in the New World, became the third nation to fall under the rule of Grimm — one of the Four Emperors.
It was also the very first country to officially adopt and display the emblem of his Holy Light Pirates.
At the same time, Grimm received nearly two thousand prisoners transferred directly from Ragna's prisons.
That very night, countless captives cried out their innocence.
However, half of them — including those guilty of crimes such as illegal arms dealing, human trafficking, theft, fraud, robbery, or vandalism, none of which were originally capital offenses — were all taken away by a lich with a skeletal lower body: Kel'Thuzad.
As for Refal, Ragna's neighbor, Grimm unexpectedly left it alone for the time being. Yet everyone knew its doom was inevitable.
After all, Refal's army had been annihilated, while Ragna's military force remained fully intact.
Surprisingly, neither the Marines nor the World Government took any action in response to these events. Silence reigned, and it was terrifying.
Instead, both organizations launched a massive, large‑scale recruitment drive.
Now fully aware of the Emperors' ambitions, they needed soldiers — more capable and powerful recruits than those serving under Grimm or Big Mom.
Only in this way could the Marines hope to maintain control over the era.
---
The great river of time flowed onward.
Grimm continued traveling everywhere, "preaching" the Holy Light and expanding his territory.
Kaido grew in power by gathering strong subordinates and seeking out every ability user he could find.
Charlotte Linlin built the dream kingdom she had always desired, while relentlessly strengthening her own crew and influence.
For a time, these three cast such a massive shadow that they even seemed to outshine the Strongest Man in the World — Whitebeard.
However, Whitebeard was still a legendary figure equal in standing to the Pirate King Roger; surpassing him completely was never going to happen so easily.
It is worth noting that following the example set by Ragna, other warring nations unlucky enough to catch Grimm's attention quickly followed suit.
They surrendered immediately and handed over prisoners, pirates, and criminals to avoid destruction.
In some desperate cases, kings even sent beggars, elderly people without families, or young children into Kel'Thuzad's hands — though Grimm strictly forbade such cruelty; every child sent to him was instead taken to safety in the Sanctuary.
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Two Years Later…
The original "Three Monsters" had all grown powerful in their own distinct ways.
Meanwhile, the Marines also expanded their forces significantly through mass recruitment — though ironically, a portion of their new strength actually came from people inspired or influenced by Grimm himself.
As for Whitebeard, his focus remained on expanding his fleet… or, to put it simply, increasing the number of his "sons."
---
Year 1507 of the Sea Circle Calendar
Grimm's Reserve: 60,000 Revival Tokens.
Kel'Thuzad's Progress: The main structure of Naxxramas, specifically the Military Quarter, was now fully completed.
At the end of this year, the annual Great Pilgrimage Assembly was held — an event taking place once every twelve months.
Every nation loyal to Grimm was bound by treaty to observe this custom.
At the start of each year, all believers gathered to pray to the Holy Light, while those who refused to convert — labeled "heretics" — were handed over to the feared leader of the Scourge, Kel'Thuzad.
By now, two sayings had spread widely throughout Grimm's territories:
> "Believe in the Holy Light, and gain eternal life."
> "Reject the Holy Light, and descend straight to hell."
Even so, very few people truly believed from the bottom of their hearts.
---
"Lord Kel'Thuzad… this is Skarr speaking…"
Deep within a dark, shadowy location on a certain island in the New World, Kel'Thuzad held a Den Den Mushi receiver in his right hand while casually petting a cat with his left.
Upon seeing the face of an elderly, weather‑beaten man appear on the snail, the Lich spoke in a hoarse, rasping voice.
Hearing the name "Skarr," Kel'Thuzad paused and set the cat down. "Ah… it's the King of Amethia, isn't it?"
"I… I dare not call myself 'King' before you, Lord Kel'Thuzad…" Skarr's voice trembled uncontrollably through the line.
"The year is ending soon. All nations under Lord Grimm's rule have gathered their quota and are ready to hand them over. The total comes to exactly 2,675 individuals — I have tallied the numbers myself."
"Only… two thousand?"
Kel'Thuzad frowned slightly — though, lacking eyebrows, the expression looked somewhat strange. "Yo‑ho‑ho‑ho‑ho…" His tone dripped with dissatisfaction.
Just two years ago, even a single nation could produce one or two thousand captives easily.
Now, with over a dozen nations under his master's command — excluding Dressrosa and the Sanctuary — this was all they could gather?
"My deepest apologies, Lord Kel'Thuzad!" Skarr stammered over the Den Den Mushi.
"Thanks to Lord Grimm's teachings, people are becoming kinder and more devout to the Holy Light… And… thanks to your own reputation, Lord, law and order have improved drastically. Hardly anyone commits crimes anymore. In fact… I fear that in another two years, our prisons might be completely empty and torn down…"
"Hmph. Very well… just send them here," Kel'Thuzad dismissed the matter. Two thousand was better than nothing… but at this rate, how long would it take to finish building Naxxramas?
"Where shall we deliver them this time, Lord Kel'Thuzad?" asked Skarr.
Kel'Thuzad's research facilities were top secret, so he always chose the meeting point himself. Glancing at a map spread before him, he replied, "Let it be at Trabia."
Usually, during these "collection missions," Grimm would arrive first, and only afterward would Kel'Thuzad appear. In truth, Grimm summoned the Lich directly using his Phylactery.
Furthermore… it seemed Kel'Thuzad shared his master's affliction: he was terrible with directions and easily got lost.
Over these past two years, although Grimm had established solid bases — the Sanctuary and Dressrosa — he was never one to sit still.
One day he went to fight Kaido; the next he would test his strength against Whitebeard.
He also enjoyed teasing Katakuri, often trying to find him a good cosmetic surgeon to fix his jagged, wide mouth.
Katakuri, however, was a natural oddity. No matter how handsome or refined he looked after surgery, within a week his features would revert back to their original state.
Grimm took to comforting him: "You might be ugly, but don't worry about it. At least your taste isn't completely bad — you know enough to cover your mouth, instead of parading that ugliness around like it's some sort of 'Haki' trait!"
---
Elsewhere…
Skarr hung up the Den Den Mushi. "I shall issue the order immediately. The two thousand prisoners will be sent to Trabia as instructed."
Seconds later, several men walked into the room. They were dressed as ordinary royal guards, but were actually undercover agents of the World Government.
"Excellent work, Your Majesty. Once this is done, your kingdom will finally be liberated from the pirate's grasp."
"And… regarding what you promised earlier?" Skarr asked nervously.
"The World Government keeps its word," replied the agent confidently.
"After we eliminate these outlaws, we will help you suppress those fanatical believers and execute them as a warning to others. Every church and temple built to this 'Holy Light' will be torn down. And your nation will be admitted as a new affiliate of the World Government."
Even so, deep worry remained etched across Skarr's face. "Can you truly guarantee… that you can defeat and destroy both Grimm and Kel'Thuzad in one strike?"
It had been only two months since these agents first approached him, proposing this plan to take advantage of the gathering and wipe out Grimm and his strongest subordinate once and for all.
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