Toku drifted across the sea like a ghost on the wind.
The awakened Suke Suke no Mi made travel effortless. No ship needed. No one saw him. He simply moved weightless, scentless, invisible until the faint lights and raucous noise of Rumble Island appeared on the horizon.
A legendary pirate paradise. A sub-island run by one of Blackbeard's captains. A neutral ground where whores, carpenters, assassins, brokers, and pirates of every stripe came together to drink, fuck, fight, and make deals. Over 12,000 pirates called it home that night laughing, gambling, whoring, and celebrating their freedom under the black flag.
Toku's invisible lips curled into a cold smile.
Things just kept getting better.
This was the perfect opportunity.
A chance to strike at Blackbeard's network… and to fulfill his promise to Doll.
He slipped onto the island unseen.
The chaos began subtly.
He poisoned drinks at the busiest bars Silent Catch mixed into rum barrels, into stew pots, into the water supply of the larger taverns. Slow-acting at first, then building.
He moved through the crowds like smoke.
Unseen hands groped asses, squeezed breasts, stole pants and underwear from sleeping pirates and placed them in the hands of rivals. A notorious assassin woke up with another man's trousers clutched in his fist. A broker found a whore's panties stuffed in his coat pocket.
Whispers turned to accusations.
Fights broke out.
Toku escalated.
He slit throats in dark alleys silent, efficient assassinations then arranged the bodies to look like they had been killed by rival crews. He started fires in warehouses. He whispered lies into ears while remaining completely invisible.
Tension exploded.
By midnight, Rumble Island had descended into all-out war.
Pirates turned on each other with cutlasses, guns, and Devil Fruit powers. Screams filled the night. Blood soaked the streets. Whores ran screaming as brothels burned. Brokers were trampled in the stampede. Assassins turned their blades on former allies.
Toku moved through the carnage like a reaper poisoning more drinks, stabbing those who tried to flee, causing just enough chaos to ensure no one could organize.
Out of 12,000+ pirates, only 400 remained standing when the sun began to rise.
They were the lucky ones… or perhaps the unlucky ones.
Horrified. Terrified. Covered in blood and ash, staring at the mountains of corpses around them, wondering what nightmare had descended upon their paradise.
Toku stood among them, still completely invisible.
He pulled out a special Den Den Mushi he had taken from a Marine earlier.
He dialed.
Vice Admiral Doll answered on the other end.
Her voice was calm, professional. "Vice Admiral Doll speaking."
Toku's voice was low, amused, invisible even over the line.
"Come collect your prize, Doll. Rumble Island is yours. 400 survivors. The rest are dead or dying. Blackbeard just lost a major outpost. No one will suspect anything if you play it right."
There was a pause.
Then Doll smirked cold, calculating, fitting her name perfectly.
"I'm on my way."
She hung up.
Toku slipped the Den Den Mushi away and looked out over the blood-soaked island.
The strings were tightening.
Blackbeard's network was bleeding.
Doll was rising.
And he remained unseen.
The monster smiled in the shadows.