In the dimly lit room, five figures sat around.
"The landscape of the underworld has changed," Finance God Nasujuro slowly spoke, his fingers lightly tapping on his scepter. "The influence of 'Golden Emperor' Tesoro—no, rather, Rhett's power has expanded too quickly... The underworld is beginning to slip from our control."
"That pirate named Rhett... is very dangerous," Science Defense God Saturn said coldly. "His ambitions go beyond the underworld. If left unchecked, he will become the second Rocks."
"Hahaha..." Legal God Warcury laughed. "Interestingly, Doflamingo seems to have reached some kind of agreement with them. That renegade Celestial Dragon has never been one to stay quiet."
"Should we eliminate him?" Environment God Mars narrowed his eyes. "CP0 can take action."
"No," Nasujuro raised his hand to stop him. "Allocate 20 billion to the Navy and let them handle it—it's time to put some pressure on Sengoku."
"Agreed."
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office
Sengoku, who had just returned from Mary Geoise, summoned the three Admirals.
"The Gorosei personally summoned me..." Sengoku's voice was hoarse. "It seems their tolerance for 'Crimson Dawn' has reached its limit."
Akainu Sakazuki crushed the teacup in his hand. "We haven't even figured out Rhett's trump card, but for the sake of justice, necessary sacrifices are inevitable."
Kizaru chimed in, "His crew—Tesoro, Enel, Moriah—each one is a monster capable of shaking the New World. To deal with them, our top-tier forces can't all be chasing him."
Kong, who had returned from Mary Geoise to check on his disciples, felt there was still something he needed to teach his student.
"Then let's remove his 'influence.' That 20 billion is meant to silence us."
After speaking, he gave a meaningful glance at his disciple.
Sengoku, the strategist, cleared his throat.
"What the Gorosei want is not the arrest of the Crimson Dawn Pirates. We must curb their development and deal a heavy blow to their operations."
Next, the Marines began their sweep, targeting Tesoro's black operations and, in the process, cleaning up most of the nobles' black industries. The nobles of the affiliated countries complained to the Gorosei about the Marines' actions.
Kong calmly replied, "Suspected of dealing with Tesoro. Better to kill by mistake than to let them go."
Taking advantage of this momentum, the Marines removed many local tumors.
They killed almost everyone they could.
The Marines, "We were just following your orders, Gorosei. You can't blame us."
Soon, news spread across the seas through the newspapers.
"Shocking: Marines Destroy Crimson Dawn Pirate Base, Justice Will Be Served."
"The Marines Are Taking Action Against the Future Pirate King."
Rhett looked at these newspapers. So, he's the Pirate King now? These headline writers are faster than expected.
Tesoro slammed the report of the Marine raid on the table. "Two of our seven underground arms trading posts in the New World have been shut down by the Marines."
"Relax, Boss Tesoro. The Marines are still giving us face."
Rhett responded indifferently.
He stood in front of the world map and finally stopped at a certain island—"Punk Hazard."
The room fell silent.
Tesoro frowned. "That World Government research base? Aren't we going to retaliate against the Marines?"
"Exactly," Rhett grinned, blood mist swirling behind him. "Why bother with the Marines? Scare them, and they'll just report upwards. Better to hit the World Government directly. If the Marines dare to touch our operations, then let the World Government pay for it. With some luck, we might even bring back a genius scientist."
On the fog-covered sea, the Oro Jackson, shrouded in thick mist, blended into the environment through light refraction.
The Crimson Dawn Pirates quietly approached.
On the deck, Rhett coldly gazed at the distant island surrounded by steel walls.
"Let's begin."
Moriah's shadows instantly expanded, swallowing the light of the entire sea. All surveillance Den Den Mushi images froze.
Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot into the sky, striking the thunder drum behind him with a roar. "Divine Judgment!"
A golden pillar of lightning descended from the heavens, accurately hitting Punk Hazard's defensive barrier. The violent explosion shook the entire island.
Moriah's shadows continued to expand.
"Dark Curtain: Shadow Strike."
In an instant, a series of powerful attacks. Amid the deafening explosions, the barrier trembled violently, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. The barrier lasted only a moment before shattering.
"Enemy attack—!"
Tesoro sneered, his golden ring flashing. The sea water surged, turning into towering golden waves.
"Golden Divine Punishment: Wave Strike!"
The guards' shouts had just begun when the golden waves crashed onto the island. Without the protection of the barrier, the steel walls crumbled like paper.
The ground suddenly turned into flowing gold, instantly trapping countless Marine soldiers. Tesoro descended on the golden waves, a scornful smile on his lips. "Gentlemen, the captain's orders: tonight, Punk Hazard... will become history."
Dozens of white figures rushed out from the depths of the island, their masked eyes cold as knives.
The tall man at the front waved his hand, and the air instantly distorted.
"CP0's highest order—annihilate the intruders!"
Before the words finished, his figure flashed in front of Tesoro.
"Finger Gun!"
Tesoro didn't dodge. Golden armor instantly covered his body.
"Clang—!"
In the explosive sound of metal collision, Tesoro took half a step back, but a ferocious smile appeared on his lips.
"Is that all you've got?"
Truly an elite, instantly using that move.
"Iron Body."
Tesoro clenched his fist, and the golden ground suddenly erupted, turning into countless spikes that pierced through the CP0 agent's body.
Blood sprayed, but the other party forcibly healed the wound with Life Return and lunged forward again.
"Annoying bug."
Tesoro snorted coldly, fully unleashing his golden domain. The ship's gold began to resonate.
On the other side, Enel was surrounded by three CP0 agents.
"Tempest Kick!"
Dozens of slashes intertwined into a net, blocking all of Enel's escape routes. Enel just picked his ear and transformed into a bolt of lightning, dissipating.
"200 Million Volts: Raijin!"
The golden thunder god descended, punching the ground and shattering it. The three CP0 agents didn't even have time to scream before turning into charcoal.