Golden Lion Shiki cursed fiercely in his heart.
Go to hell!
Is it really Garp, you old bastard, who gets to say something like that?
With this great deity sitting here, who dares to disobey?
"Oh my, how reliable, Mr. Garp."
Kizaru adjusted his tinted sunglasses and spoke in his characteristic, drawn-out tone.
"Mr. Bai Ye's rules are the Marine's rules. I completely agree with this proposal."
"I have no objection."
Dragon nodded as well.
For him, this was entirely a good thing.
With this big shot holding the fort, he even considered moving the Revolutionary headquarters here, especially since, as his hometown, it possessed a deep civilian foundation.
"Very well."
White Night extended a second finger, and his calm voice sounded once more.
"Now then, the second rule."
Instantly, everyone's attention was firmly captured again.
Kizaru, Dragon, and even Golden Lion, who was slumped on the ground begging for his life, all pricked up their ears.
They all understood that every word White Night spoke next could relate to their future destiny, and even the direction the entire world would take.
White Night's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Kizaru's face, which looked somewhat sly.
"Starting today, my 'business' will only be open at a fixed time every week."
"The entry time for the instance will be uniformly changed to—Thursday—of every week."
"Only this one day."
As the words fell, a strange silence descended upon the reef.
Only one day... every week?
"Hey, White Night kid, why is that?"
Garp had gotten used to wandering into the instance whenever he had nothing better to do these past few days; how was he supposed to live without the instance on those other days?
After a moment of silence, White Night said faintly.
"Because, Crazy Thursday."
Crazy... Thursday?
What is that?
Garp scratched his grizzled crew cut, his face filled with capital question marks.
He recognized every word of the phrase, but put together, it felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.
Beside him, a gleam flashed in Kizaru's eyes beneath his lenses. He immediately stepped forward, using his signature sly tone to perfectly express a sense of sudden, admiring realization.
"So that's it! I see! Truly worthy of Mr. Bai Ye!"
"Setting the time on this specific day must hold some profound meaning that we mortals cannot grasp, right? It's simply too esoteric, too terrifying!"
Dragon and Golden Lion's eyes twitched, and they cursed simultaneously in their hearts.
Sycophant!
White Night glanced at Kizaru, who was acting like an overly dramatic fool, and offered no explanation.
I hate this world where nobody understands me.
*Cough cough!*
He cleared his throat twice.
"In summary, these are the rules."
"Every Thursday, Foosha Village. No waiting for latecomers."
"That concludes today. You may all leave now."
...Meanwhile.
The headquarters of the World Economy News Agency had gone completely mad.
Morgans, the president, was puffing on a cigar, flapping his wings against the table, and roaring furiously at the trembling employees in front of him.
"Print! Give me full power and print!"
"Start up every printing press we have! If it's not enough, go buy more! Go steal them!"
"This is news that can change the era! This is the truth that will make the entire world tremble!"
He held up the newly developed photo, looking utterly frantic.
The background of the photo was the azure sky of the East Blue, but hanging above the sky was an absurdly gigantic "moon" composed of seawater and islands!
And below the photograph, Marine Hero Garp, Admiral Kizaru, and Revolutionary Army Leader Dragon, three powerhouses standing at the world's apex, wore stiff expressions and humble postures, as if they were worshipping something.
Another photo was a close-up of that man.
He sat on the reef, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes as calm as an abyss, as if all things in the world were mere playthings in his hand.
"A Deity Descends Upon the East Blue!"
"Golden Lion Brutally Crushed, Three Top Powerhouses Kneel in Worship!"
Morgans looked at the headline, so excited that his entire body of feathers trembled.
He could already see what kind of violent tsunami the entire ocean would face when this newspaper covered every corner of the world!
"Fly! Fly!"
"My children! Go tell this world that a new 'God' has been born!"
Following his command, countless News Birds flew out from the headquarters, blotting out the sky, carrying this newspaper—enough to overturn everyone's understanding—flying toward the Grand Line, toward the Four Seas, toward the New World, and toward... Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's Office at Marineford.
Sengoku the Buddha was rubbing his temples, looking exhausted.
The mountain of documents piled on his desk was nearly enough to drown him.
"Sigh..."
Sengoku sighed, picked up the teacup beside him, only to find it empty.
His pet goat beside him was leisurely munching on documents, making "crunch, crunch" sounds that only increased his irritation.
"The fleet led by Gion and the others should be arriving at Foosha Village in the East Blue soon."
Sengoku glanced at the nautical chart on the wall.
"Hopefully... we can obtain something useful from that man named White Night."
Just then, a knock sounded on the office door.
"Come in."
A Marine Colonel rushed in, looking panicked, holding the latest newspaper.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! The... the latest newspaper!"
Sengoku frowned, slightly displeased by his subordinate's lack of composure.
"What kind of behavior is this, rushing around in a panic!"
He took the newspaper and casually asked, "Did pirates cause trouble somewhere again?"
However, the moment his gaze fell upon the front-page headline, his entire body froze.
The massive, black, shocking headline struck his eyes like a heavy sledgehammer!
[A Deity Descends Upon the East Blue! Golden Lion Brutally Crushed, Three Top Powerhouses Kneel in Worship!]
Sengoku's breathing stopped at that moment.
"A Deity... Descends?"
His vision slowly tracked downward, landing on the photograph that occupied the entire page, a picture that could only be described as utterly absurd.
What was that?
A... moon?
A gigantic sphere composed of seawater, dirt, and rock was illogically suspended above the East Blue!
Sengoku's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He adjusted his glasses, forcing himself to continue looking down.
And at the bottom of the photo: Garp, Kizaru, Dragon... A marine hero, a Marine's greatest military force, and the world's most wicked criminal.
These three men, who should have been mortal enemies, now stood there in a posture bordering on humility, as if looking up at something.
A burst of uncontrollable fury and horror erupted from the depths of his heart!
This image was more shocking than any words could convey!
It was like the loudest slap, harshly striking the face of the World Government and the flag of the Marine's "Absolute Justice"!
"Morgans... that scoundrel..."
Sengoku closed his eyes. He could imagine the terrifying, monstrous waves that would be stirred up when this newspaper spread to every corner of the world.
The balance that the Marine and the World Government had barely managed to maintain until now would be completely shattered today!
He violently grabbed the den den mushi beside him and dialed with all his strength.
"Connect me to Kizaru! Immediately! Now!"