"Dogs of the World Government — they have no right to live!"
Ul'dah raised his long sword, ready to strike off the heads of the three remaining agents.
"Hold on."
Ul'dah froze mid‑motion and turned in surprise. "Lord Grimm?"
Grimm stepped in front of the three captives, a sinister smile spreading beneath his fox‑shaped hood.
"Their lives are to be spared."
"Why? Why let them live, Lord Grimm?" Ul'dah asked, clearly confused.
"Because they are far too useful to kill," Grimm replied with a mysterious grin.
Ul'dah stared at his new captain. Ever since he began wearing this fox‑like attire, he seemed to have grown even more… cunning.
"They will serve as bargaining chips to win over Zephyr," Grimm chuckled.
Two hours later, the Holy Light Pirates were sailing back toward their territory.
Even Boa Hancock, who already possessed untold wealth, could not help but widen her eyes when she saw the final tally.
From her own bitter experience, she and her sisters understood better than most how wasteful and corrupt the Celestial Dragons were.
But this number revealed that what they had seen before was only the tip of the iceberg.
The fortune they had seized alone would be enough to support every man, woman, and child on Amazon Lily for an entire lifetime — and this was only the tribute collected in one single year.
"Look at this! We're rich! Filthy rich!"
Planck grabbed handfuls of gold coins from an open chest, let them slip through his fingers, then grabbed them again, unable to contain his excitement.
"I've never seen this much treasure in my entire life!"
After repeating this several times, he leaped up and shouted to the crew: "Men — let's throw a feast!"
"ROAR!"
In truth, Grimm's crew had only claimed about thirty to forty percent of the entire tribute. They had seized the portion gathered from the North Blue, West Blue, and the New World.
The tribute from the East Blue, South Blue, and the first half of the Grand Line was being transported separately by another convoy.
Even so, the sum was staggering enough to make any pirate lose his mind.
In the year 1511 of the Sea Circle Calendar, as the world approached 1512, several major events shook the seas.
First: Grimm, one of the Four Emperors, joined forces with Donquixote Doflamingo and seized at least sixty percent of the Heavenly Tribute.
Second: Using his share of the treasure as leverage, Doflamingo successfully secured a seat as the sixth member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Third: The incident currently unfolding before them.
A reckless band of treasure hunters had dared to sneak into Grimm's territory in hopes of stealing the tribute, only to be beaten nearly to death.
Rewinding two weeks earlier — shortly after Doflamingo had officially claimed his title as a Warlord.
The newspapers reported that his share of the tribute had been returned to the Celestial Dragons as part of the agreement.
Hearing the commotion outside, Grimm pulled a blanket over Violet's naked body, rose from the bed, and stepped out to investigate.
About ten kilometers from the eastern port, deep in the forest, a fierce battle was taking place.
Most of the intruders had already been captured; only their leader remained, still trading blows with Planck.
He was a towering man, bare‑chested, with thick chains seemingly fused directly into his flesh.
His hair was a deep crimson, slicked back, and he swung a massive iron chain that clashed violently against Planck's scimitar, sending sparks flying.
"A bounty of 420 million Berries, user of the Clank‑Clank Fruit, and known as the most ruthless treasure hunter in history — Mad Torrega. So you've come after my share of the tribute? You've got guts, I'll give you that!"
Recognizing his opponent, Planck flicked his blade aside to deflect the swinging chain and lunged straight for Torrega's heart.
THUD!
Less than half a meter from his target, countless new chains suddenly burst from Torrega's body, slamming into the sword and knocking it off course.
Torrega seized the chance, yanked his chains taut, and swung them like a giant whip. The impact sent Planck flying backward more than ten meters.
Planck had only been toying with him so far — otherwise, a single shot of Sea‑Prism Stone bullets would have ended the fight instantly.
But this blow still left him wincing in pain.
"Do you know what happened last time someone twice your bounty tried to invade this place? Red‑Haired Shanks and his entire crew were lucky just to escape with their lives!"
Chalalalala… "Don't try to scare me with the name of an Emperor. If you think you can kill me, then do it!"
Torrega showed no sign of fear. The more dangerous the situation became, the more wild and reckless he grew.
To have entered an Emperor's territory and held his ground this long already proved he possessed extraordinary courage and strength.
"The Red‑Hair Pirates ran for their lives, barely escaping total annihilation. As for you? You won't be so lucky. How about I cut off all four of your limbs and leave you to rot?"
Planck spat on his blade and grinned.
Chalalalala… "The more dangerous the hunt, the more fun it becomes!"
Even more chains erupted from Torrega's palms, weaving through the air.
At that exact moment, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet buried itself deep in his abdomen, tearing through skin and muscle.
"AAARGH!"
The crazed grin vanished instantly. Torrega dropped to one knee, clutching the wound, but blood poured through his fingers without stopping.
"Damn you, Caitlyn — always hiding in the shadows taking cheap shots! I finally found someone worth fighting, and you ruin the fun!" Planck complained, looking annoyed.
But when he saw Grimm walking toward them, he quickly composed himself.
"No need for you to get involved in this, Captain."
Torrega and his bound men stared up in despair as the tall figure in the white fox‑like cloak drew near.
This was Grimm — one of the Four Emperors.
"And who might this be?" Grimm asked casually.
Behind him, a translucent figure materialized into solid form — a beautiful woman dressed in tight white gear, holding a long, sleek rifle.
This was Caitlyn, the ghostly sniper who was never far from his side, and the one who had just fired the shot.
Planck glanced at her, then answered Grimm: "Captain, this fool is a treasure hunter who thought he could waltz in and steal our gold!"
"Boring." Grimm instantly lost interest. He had never even heard the name — clearly just another reckless idiot who thought he could invade an Emperor's domain.
As he turned to leave, Planck called out: "What should we do with him?"
"Send him back as a message to all the rats in the New World. Let everyone see what happens to those who dare cross us."
"Understood."
Over the next two weeks, Planck and his men dumped Torrega and his crew in a busy port town at the entrance to the New World. News quickly spread: the famous treasure hunter Mad Torrega had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Grimm.
Strangely enough, Torrega gained a reputation similar to that of Gecko Moria years earlier, after his loss to Kaido — people said he had "lost with honor."
What no one knew, however, was that he had not escaped at all. Grimm simply did not care enough to kill him.
At this point, only Emperors, their top commanders, and high‑ranking Marines above Vice Admiral were worth the effort; killing anyone lower brought no real benefit.
One month later, for reasons unknown even to himself, Torrega received an official invitation from the World Government — offering him a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
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