Clack! Clack! Clack!
Foresia — the last of the twelve nations that once flew the banner of the Holy Light Pirates under Grimm.
The fate that had befallen the other eleven had finally caught up to them today, turning the entire city into a ghost town.
Of course, most of the civilians had already been evacuated by Grimm.
Once these cities were completely emptied, Jaina would open portals again to send the people back to rebuild their homes.
Since their kings refused to accept Grimm as their ruler, they could go to hell along with their rotten systems of exploitation and slavery!
Grimm summoned his ship from his system inventory and set sail. His new destination: Bynbruce.
For several days afterward, headlines across the world's newspapers were dominated by Grimm's name:
> "The Great Pirate, Tirion D. Grimm, Purges Twelve Nations Under His Rule. Motive Unknown. Casualties Estimated at 2 Million."
>
> "Grimm's Reign of Violence Draws Heavy Marine Response. Fierce Battle Against Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Sakazuki. Vice Admiral Sakazuki Killed in Action."
>
> "Admiral Zephyr Returns to Front Lines to Lead Marine Guerrilla Force."
One shocking report after another sent waves of panic and astonishment across the seas.
Grimm was clearly still alive. And his ruthless act of wiping out entire nations was something even the other Four Emperors would never dare to do.
But the news that truly stunned everyone was the death of Sakazuki. Those in the know understood that Sakazuki was far more than just a Vice Admiral — he was a top candidate for Admiral, destined to be promoted the moment Sengoku became Fleet Admiral.
Now that a future Admiral had been killed, no one could predict how the Marines would respond next.
"Boring."
Grimm glanced at the day's paper, scoffed, and tossed it into the sea. The claim that he had slaughtered everyone in those twelve nations was pure nonsense — a story crafted to paint him as a monster.
If the truth were told — that he had only taken revenge on the royal families who betrayed him — it would make perfect sense.
But by keeping the motive vague, people were left guessing: Was it a whim? Did he covet their resources? Or something else?
The unknown always sparks curiosity. Especially among pirates, the world had already branded Grimm with one word: Cruel.
Not that he cared. He had been labeled "cruel" ever since his days as a Pirate Hunter in the North Blue.
Besides… hadn't the Straw Hat Crew also been branded "cruel" by the Marines? Eustass Kid himself had once shouted: "Straw Hat Luffy — just as ruthless as the rumors say!"
If they were considered cruel… then what did that make him?
But what was this about Zephyr forming a guerrilla unit?
Meanwhile, aboard the Flamingo in the first half of the Grand Line…
"Doflamingo…"
Diamante — codenamed Square, a towering figure even larger than Doflamingo himself — stepped into the captain's quarters.
"Grimm, one of the Four Emperors, has destroyed nations that were our main supply routes in the New World. Our funds are running dangerously low…"
"Hmmm…"
Doflamingo, wearing a black suit with cropped trousers, lay back in his chair. He had hung his pink feather‑coat on the wall beside him.
He lowered the newspaper he had been reading, and Diamante could clearly see Grimm's name splashed across the front page.
"That murdering bastard…" Doflamingo rubbed his forehead.
His underground empire relied entirely on arms trafficking — profiting from war and conflict. But Grimm had been constantly intervening in wars, stopping them before they could escalate.
He was literally cutting off Doflamingo's source of income!
To control the underworld, you needed connections — and money. But thanks to Grimm, no one was buying weapons anymore. The Donquixote Family was facing a financial crisis.
"We use it," Doflamingo said after a moment's thought. "We use it as the key to making our name resound throughout the criminal underworld of the Grand Line."
Diamante tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he understood. "Oh? That Paramecia‑type Devil Fruit? I don't know exactly what powers it grants, but as a fellow user, I can sense its immense value. It must be worth at least 300,000,000 Berries. I was saving it for Law, to help with his condition…"
"Fufufufu… We've collected plenty of Devil Fruits. There will be other chances to save Law. But I have no intention of parting with something this precious."
"So… it's just for show? To grab attention?"
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford…
"Zephyr, are you sure you won't reconsider?"
Kong had lost count of how many times he had asked this question in the past few days, hoping that Zephyr — now fully awake — would return to his post as Admiral.
"Stop asking. Not in the state I'm in… I can never hold that rank again."
Zephyr could barely maintain his sanity. The crimson veins crawling across his right arm were a constant reminder of the thing inside him — something that had turned him into a monster, a beast sleeping within, ready to rampage the moment it woke.
Thankfully, the sedative Dr. Vegapunk had given him worked perfectly.
Yet the raw power of the Demon Hand was undeniable. Even in his restrained state, Zephyr felt as strong as he had in his prime.
The only limitation was that he could no longer freely wield the Blood Aura ability.
Kong had pleaded with him repeatedly, but Zephyr refused every time. Forming a guerrilla unit was the only contribution he was willing — or able — to make.
Knock, knock!
"Come in!" Kong called out.
A man in a white lab coat, with the emblem of the Science and Technology Department pinned to his chest, entered the office.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Dr. Vegapunk has submitted a formal request. He wishes to travel to the island of Bynbruce in the New World to retrieve old research data and experimental records."
"Huh?"
Both Kong and Zephyr froze in surprise.
"Bynbruce?" Kong took the document and squinted at it. "What is that place?"
"It was one of the secret laboratory islands used by Dr. Vegapunk before he joined the World Government and established our Science Unit," the scientist explained.
"Large amounts of confidential data are stored there. He now wishes to recover them."
"Hasn't it been ten years since Vegapunk joined the Government?" Zephyr asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"If he wanted those materials, why didn't he go for them years ago?"
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