"What… what is going on here!?"
Rayleigh stared wide-eyed at the now-empty bottle of Super Potion in his hand, his pupils trembling as he looked back and forth between the ordinary glass bottle and his own body.
He had assumed it was nothing more than a standard healing medicine.
Yet in that very instant, the internal injuries Roronoa Zoro had inflicted on him were completely restored under the potion's effect!
Not only that—even the lingering, deep-seated ailments he had accumulated during his years sailing beside Roger and conquering the seas had healed by more than seventy to eighty percent!
In the blink of an eye, his body was restored to pristine condition, and even his combat strength had risen noticeably—now edging closer to his peak than it had been moments before.
"So this is the healing effect of a Super Potion!"
Little Chopper, who had long expected such a reaction, proudly rubbed his nose. Then he bowed politely toward Rayleigh.
"Since your injuries are fully healed now, Rayleigh-san, I'll go rejoin my companions!"
As he spoke, Chopper's body shifted instantly, transforming into a reindeer on all fours. He stomped the ground hard with his hooves.
Boom—
With a sound like bubbles popping, his figure shot into the air. Riding successive sonic booms, he leapt across the jagged ruins, sprinting toward Luffy and Red's direction.
"That was… a Six Powers technique from the Marines, wasn't it!?"
Supporting Rayleigh at his side, Shakky murmured in disbelief as she watched Chopper's unusual departure.
Rayleigh slowly put away the empty bottle and sighed softly.
"No wonder Roger entrusted everything to the future…"
"He could see much farther than I ever could."
Looking at the young people not far away—laughing freely, brimming with vitality—Rayleigh's vision blurred for a moment as memories flooded his mind.
It felt as though he had returned to the past.
To that era…
That time that belonged to him.
...
...
Meanwhile, during the period when the Straw Hat crew's three main combatants were learning advanced Haki techniques from Rayleigh—
Inside a hidden building on the Sabaody Archipelago.
The Supernovas, who had only recently parted ways, gathered together once more.
This time, however, none of them brought subordinates or companions. Each arrived alone.
What they were about to do was simply too significant to allow too many people to know.
...
...
"So…"
Avoiding the suspicious gazes of Law and Bonney, Drake hesitated briefly before asking the group,
"You've really decided to follow that guy's orders!?"
"This isn't a trivial matter. Aren't you going to think it through a bit more?"
"Hmph."
Capone Bege, who should have been the initiator of the pirate alliance, bit down on his cigar and snorted unhappily.
"At a time like this, do we even have the luxury to hesitate?"
"Or do you think those people are just bluffing us?"
"Speaking of which, after the Straw Hat vice-captain told us to leave, why did he specifically keep you three behind?"
"Don't tell me it was one—or all—of you who led the Straw Hats here in the first place?!"
"Huh?!"
Capone's words immediately drew the attention of Apoo, Urouge, and the others.
Especially Basil Hawkins, who had been forcibly dragged into the pirate alliance the moment he arrived.
In an instant, several pairs of suspicious eyes locked onto Drake and the other two.
Though the overall situation was already set, if a traitor truly existed within the alliance, they wouldn't mind verbally tearing into them for sport.
Yet faced with their strange gazes, Drake instead wore an expression as though he had just swallowed something foul.
Considering his special status, he merely cast a deep look at Law and Bonney before turning his gaze away in silence.
For a moment, everyone simply stared each other down.
"All right~"
At that moment, Law took the initiative to break the awkward silence.
"Red did talk to us about some things—about our upcoming actions."
"But we won't be sharing the detailed plan just yet."
"That'll have to wait until we pass the first trial."
Law lifted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping across the Supernovas as he spoke calmly.
Although his bounty wasn't the highest among them, he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Among the people present… aside from Bonney—who was also highly regarded by Red and possessed an eerie ability—there was no one he couldn't handle.
"A trial, huh…"
Urouge sighed quietly.
"Using the kidnapping of a Celestial Dragon as a trial… even a Yonko crew wouldn't dare set something like that."
"So then… what exactly are you up to, you unlucky bastard?"
After his remark, Urouge turned his head toward Hawkins, who was fiddling with a strange set of tarot cards beside him.
Hawkins frowned deeply, his voice filled with disbelief.
"This is far too strange!!!"
"The plan sounds completely insane, yet every single divination shows a success rate of one hundred percent!"
"That's… terrifying beyond belief!"
"Tch—what's so terrifying about that?"
Apoo, sipping his drink nearby, casually flung his overly long arm and scoffed.
"It's just fortune-telling. You don't seriously believe in that junk, do you?!"
Hawkins looked up. His expression didn't change, yet an unmistakable anger radiated from him.
"Just fortune-telling?"
He suddenly drew several tarot cards, aimed them at Apoo—then removed them one by one, leaving only two behind.
His perpetually furrowed brow twitched slightly as he murmured,
"The probability of you betraying us is forty-five percent…"
"And the probability of your death after betraying us is…"
"One hundred percent."
"I don't know what exactly you experienced in the tavern earlier, but my advice is this—"
"No one should even think about opposing the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Divination is the power granted to me by my Devil Fruit."
"And since I set sail, my divinations have had an accuracy rate of…"
"One hundred percent."
Shff—shff—shff…
Hawkins gathered all the tarot cards, shuffled them skillfully several times, and then carefully put them away.
After his words fell, everyone's gaze once again focused on Apoo.
The instability within this pirate alliance was simply too great.
That was the first thought to surface in everyone's mind.
But immediately after, another realization followed—
Even with the possibility of betrayal, the plan's success rate still stood at one hundred percent.
If Hawkins wasn't deceiving them… then the Straw Hat Pirates' methods were utterly terrifying.
After all, their ultimate target was the most dangerous place in the world—
The Celestial Dragons' treasure vault.
Even in their wildest fantasies, none of them had ever dared aim for a place like that.
As expected of the Straw Hats, who were several steps ahead of them all.
That overwhelming audacity was something they simply didn't possess.
Just as everyone's thoughts spiraled—
Bonney, the only one who didn't want to overthink things and only wanted to fulfill her promise to Red and learn Kuma's situation as soon as possible, suddenly slammed the table.
Bang!
"Hey! Weren't we here to discuss how to kidnap a Celestial Dragon?!"
"Enough with the dragging things out—are we doing this or not?!"
"As long as we act fast enough, any traitor won't even get the chance to betray us, right?!"
Woah!!!
The instant Bonney finished speaking, an uproar erupted throughout the tavern.
All the Supernovas immediately turned their attention toward her.
Capone stared at her in shock.
"So… you actually do have a brain?"
"Huh!? What the hell do you mean by that?!"
Bonney jumped to her feet angrily.
At that moment, Law spoke again.
"I agree with Bonney."
"Since there's no way back anymore, instead of hesitating over and over—"
"We should move quickly and finish what needs to be done before things change!"
"…Yeah."
Law's proposal was immediately approved by everyone present.
He was right.
Even if Apoo—or someone else—might betray the Supernova alliance according to Hawkins' divination…
As long as the plan was completed before that happened, betrayal wouldn't matter.
So then—
Bang!
What no one expected was—
Drake suddenly pulled out a document from his coat and tossed it onto the table.
"This is the intel I've gathered on the Celestial Dragons currently on the Sabaody Archipelago. We can choose a target from here."
The Supernovas: ???
"Wait—"
Apoo, who had just been treated as the prime suspect, straightened up in disbelief.
"Why the hell would you even collect something like that?!"
"And you say you're not a traitor?!"
"Don't tell me you've been colluding with the Straw Hats all along—knew they planned to kidnap a Celestial Dragon and loot their vault?!"
"Hmph."
Drake snorted disdainfully.
"The intel's right there. Use it or don't—it's your choice."
Colluding with the Straw Hats?
If he had known they were coming to Sabaody, he would've already tipped off the Marines and had the area heavily guarded!
The reason Drake collected intel on the Celestial Dragons was simple—necessity.
Ever since Ace had successfully carried out a public execution-style broadcast against a Celestial Dragon, the world's balance had subtly shifted.
Everyone knew how much hatred the Celestial Dragons drew.
And once Ace shattered their so-called "invincible" aura, countless powerful figures awakened.
In just the past few months alone, there had been more Celestial Dragon attacks than one could count on two hands.
Yet very few succeeded.
Almost all attacks failed to break through the elite Six Powers-using bodyguards surrounding the Celestial Dragons.
As a result, actual injuries were rare—
And confirmed deaths numbered exactly one.
Blackbeard.
Drake had gathered this information as a precaution, fearing that one or two reckless Supernovas gathering at Sabaody might attempt an attack.
He never imagined that this defensive preparation would become the perfect catalyst for an offensive strike.
Such was the unpredictability of fate.
Strictly speaking, Drake didn't even have to share this intel.
But after listening to Red's reasoning, he found himself strangely convinced.
Throwing his life away for a Celestial Dragon who oppressed civilians…
No matter how you looked at it, that was a losing deal.
Besides, staying within the pirate alliance allowed him to obtain valuable intelligence in advance.
He firmly believed—
This wasn't cowardice.
This was conserving strength to make a greater contribution when justice and evil finally clashed.
Yes. Exactly that.
So if they were going to work with the Straw Hats anyway, why bother hiding anything?
After seeing the Celestial Dragons' atrocities, Drake even felt that being kidnapped by the Supernova alliance was far from excessive punishment.
The others eyed Drake suspiciously, but still picked up the intel to examine it.
Moments later, they were shocked.
The information was completely accurate—and extremely detailed.
It even recorded which Celestial Dragon would be where, at what time, doing exactly what.
The Supernovas looked at Drake as if to say:
And you still claim you have nothing to do with the Straw Hats?! This intel alone proves everything!
In the end—
With Hawkins' divination guiding the selection, the Supernova alliance chose their unfortunate target—
A Celestial Dragon who had appeared prominently in the original story—
Saint Charlos.
That's right.
Despite the drastic changes in the world, Saint Charlos still came to the Sabaody Archipelago during this period to attend a slave auction—
And to search for his thirteenth wife.
Perhaps fate itself decreed that he was destined to encounter the Straw Hats.
Only this time, under Red's influence, his calamity would be far harsher.
...
...
Night fell.
A moonless, windy night—perfect for murder and arson.
A short figure darted skillfully from cover to cover, eventually reaching the side of a heavily guarded luxury hotel.
Thanks to his small stature, he avoided the guards' sightlines and found the perfect hiding spot.
"I'm in position. Who's next?"
The small figure muttered softly, as if talking to himself.
The next instant, a chained door suddenly opened from within his body.
Inside—
Were a group of miniaturized Supernovas.
Law scanned the surroundings, and after confirming the environment, a mysterious smile curved his lips.
"An excellent location, Capone."
"Impressive for someone so young."
"Bastard! Say one more sarcastic word and I'll drag you all down with me!!!"
Capone's furious voice rang out.
His appearance had changed completely—his formerly rough features now plump and soft.
Like an adorable chubby child.
To give Capone greater agility and concealment, Bonney had already used her Devil Fruit ability before the operation to revert him to childhood.
That way, even if discovered by Celestial Dragon guards, he'd likely just be kicked aside as a stray child—without affecting the plan.
What no one expected…
Was that Saint Charlos' defenses would be this weak.
Perhaps they assumed that beneath the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, no one would dare attack them.
"Heh, relax—it was just a joke."
Law chuckled, calming Capone from inside his body.
But the next second, seriousness flashed through his miniature eyes.
"ROOM!!!"
The Ope-Ope Fruit activated instantly!
A spherical field—so small it was nearly invisible—burst forth from his hand and rapidly expanded.
Once it left Capone's body, it suddenly grew to its full size.
In the blink of an eye, the entire luxury hotel was enveloped within Law's ability.
"The plan is going even smoother than we expected."
Law's smile widened as he spoke again in a low voice:
"ROOM · Mes!"
(End of Chapter)