"What happened!?"
Sabaody Archipelago.
Before the bell of dawn could even ring, a blinding radiance suddenly took the place of the sun, flooding the entire archipelago with light as bright as day.
In an instant, everyone who was awake lifted their heads, staring toward the Red Line—the direction that now glowed like a second sun.
Above the rolling clouds and mist, an enormous monstrous bird appeared, so vast it blotted out the sky itself.
But before anyone could fully process the shock of its appearance, three equally massive voids abruptly opened across the creature's body, as if it had been pinned in place against the curtain of clouds.
From the distant heights, shrill, piercing screams echoed faintly through the sky.
"SKREEEEE—!!!"
…
…
"That sound…"
Inside the Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in Area 13.
Rayleigh, who had not slept the entire night, suddenly twitched his ear. Calculating the timing in his mind, he quickly set down his wine glass and looked toward the distant horizon outside the window.
Compared to ordinary people, his exceptionally sharp senses allowed him to clearly perceive it—
An overwhelming aura, surging through the skies far beyond Sabaody Archipelago.
"…."
Rayleigh pursed his lips in silence. As he recalled the young figure who bore such a striking resemblance to his own captain, a soft chuckle escaped him, and a relieved smile spread across his face.
"Youth really is wonderful."
…
…
Meanwhile, inside the psychic barrier created by Red.
As they watched the attack that seemed capable of piercing the heavens and blasting a colossal crater into the Red Line, the faces of the Supernovas shifted again and again.
In their eyes, the three dark silhouettes standing within the blazing light looked like towering gods, smashing invading outer demons to pieces in a world made solely of light and shadow!
That's right!
The combined attack of the Straw Hat crew's three greatest combatants had directly blown apart one of the supreme rulers of the world—the Five Elders—
Right in front of the Supernovas!
Aside from a few lingering, half-connected fragments, the shattered body looked like something that had been buried and rotting for years, violently slammed into the clouds by the sheer force of the impact.
Wait—
Didn't Vice-Captain Red repeatedly emphasize before the operation that this mission would be extremely dangerous!?
And yet the moment you start, you directly blow apart one of the enemy's strongest figures…
You call this dangerous!?
Even though they had already placed the Straw Hat Pirates' strength at an absurdly high level in their minds, the crew's actions continued to shatter their understanding.
For a moment, the Supernovas were so stunned that not a single word came out.
But before the violent shockwaves could fully dissipate, Luffy and the other two figures in the sky flashed, instantly reverting to their normal forms and swiftly diving back into the psychic barrier.
"All done, Red!"
The moment he returned, Luffy burst out laughing, proudly claiming credit.
Even though he hadn't gotten the chance to fight the World Government's powerhouses head-on, blasting one of the Five Elders away was still enough to fulfill a small part of his wish.
"OK, good work!"
Red waved a hand, sealing the opening in the psychic barrier. Then, glancing at Saint Mars, who had already been flung far into the distance, he grinned.
Knowing the Five Elders' intelligence, he wouldn't foolishly believe—as the other Supernovas did—that Luffy's trio could completely defeat a Five Elder.
After all, judging by their portrayal in the anime, the Five Elders seemed to possess some form of immortality.
But whether due to the arrogance born from that immortality, or years of pampered comfort…
Despite such absurd abilities, their defensive power was laughably lacking.
One of them—Shepherd Ju Peter, the Warrior God of Agriculture—had even been sliced into three pieces by the attacks of Dorry and Brogy.
A textbook case of high attack, massive HP, but pitiful toughness!
That said, none of this diminished how terrifying the Five Elders truly were.
Seeing the Supernovas still standing there in a daze, Red snapped his fingers, pulling everyone's attention back.
"Now's not the time to space out."
"Hurry up and notify your crews—get the coating bubbles ready."
"In a moment… we rendezvous at Fish-Man Island!"
"Yes!!!"
The Supernovas responded in unison and immediately picked up their Den Den Mushi to issue final orders.
Nearby, Luffy pulled out a white-cloaked Den Den Mushi from his jacket and dialed.
There was almost no delay—the call connected instantly.
Luffy broke into a huge grin.
"Uncle Rayleigh! We've successfully withdrawn from Mary Geoise!!!"
"Mhm." The Den Den Mushi, which had been sound asleep, suddenly showed a kindly smile. "Looks like everything went very smoothly."
"As expected of Red's plan."
"Hehehe~ Red's always reliable~!"
Being praised through his partner, Luffy laughed proudly before continuing,
"But Uncle Rayleigh, according to the plan, we won't be stopping at Sabaody anymore."
"Thank you so much for all your help these past few days!"
"When I become Pirate King, I'll come back and throw a huge banquet with you!!!"
"Ahahaha~ Is that so? Then I'll really be looking forward to that day."
Although differences in timing and circumstances meant the bond between Rayleigh and the Straw Hat crew wasn't quite as deep as in the original timeline…
The help Rayleigh had given them over these three days was very real.
Without this veteran's guidance, Luffy wouldn't have mastered advanced Haki infusion so quickly, and Zoro might not have grasped the essence of attribute awakening so soon.
At parting, Luffy offered a polite farewell to the elder who had shown them such special kindness and support.
Whoosh!!!
A pale pink sphere of light shot forward once more.
At the same time, one hyperspace hole after another opened along its path, slicing through the straight trajectory of the light.
With no pursuers behind them, Red fully demonstrated the terrifying might of spatial power.
Before several of the Supernova captains even finished their calls, the outline of Sabaody Archipelago had already appeared before them.
…
…
Meanwhile, atop the wall of the Red Line.
The gigantic bird, now fully restored, beat its wings and tore itself free from the rocky crater.
Staring at the empty space below—where Red and the others had completely vanished—a sharp bolt of lightning flashed through its malevolent eyes.
"They actually got away!"
"And that ability… was it just my imagination?!"
Saint Mars exited his beast form. Standing at the edge of the crater, he gazed deeply at the ocean hidden beneath the clouds before slowly pulling out a Den Den Mushi.
Not long after…
The New World, Marine Headquarters—New Marineford.
Ring ring ring ring…
A sudden, shrill alarm shattered the early-morning silence of Marine Headquarters.
In an instant, all of Marineford plunged into chaotic emergency mode.
"What's going on?! What happened?!"
Marines hurriedly threw on their uniforms and rushed out of their barracks, shouting questions as they ran toward the assembly point.
Soon, accurate intelligence spread among the curious.
"What?! The Celestial Dragons' holy land—Mary Geoise—was attacked?!"
"And the attackers buried massive amounts of explosives underground, blowing the entire Celestial Dragon residential district to pieces?!"
"They even freed countless slaves!? Well done—!"
"Ahem… I mean… what a heinous band of criminals!!!"
"..."
"..."
Amid the noise, the Marines reached the assembly grounds.
Yet despite the vast plaza, not even one-fifth of it was filled.
There was no helping it.
The public assassination of Celestial Dragons by Zombie Blackbeard had happened only days ago, and the fleets sent in pursuit hadn't even reached their destination yet.
Most Marine officers and soldiers were still tied up in that operation…
Who could have imagined that, right as that incident began, something this catastrophic would erupt!?
Hundreds of Celestial Dragon casualties…
Without question, today would be etched into history!
All of them were witnesses to history.
Over the past eight hundred years since the World Government's founding, attacks on Celestial Dragons were not unheard of—but incidents causing double-digit casualties were exceedingly rare.
And this time?
It had reached three digits—high three digits!
For a moment, not only ordinary Marines, but even active-duty officers were consumed with curiosity.
Just who could commit such a "crime" in the Celestial Dragons' holy land!?
…
…
"As expected of your grandson, Garp!"
Inside a residence in New Marineford's housing district.
Sengoku, the retired old man, showed no intention of moving despite receiving the emergency assembly order. Instead, he cradled a cup of hot tea and sighed as he read the classified report sent to Marine high command.
Across from him sat the Marine hero, Garp, his brow deeply furrowed.
Though Mary Geoise's defenses were lax, its surveillance systems were still more than adequate—and Red and the others hadn't even tried to conceal themselves.
As a result, not long after the incident, the World Government had already identified every attacker.
Among them, Luffy—specially marked by the Five Elders and identified as the mastermind—had naturally been placed on the World Government's kill-on-sight list.
By pirate-world convention, Luffy would shoulder at least 85% of the blame.
Just as no one paid attention to the Roger Pirates after Roger's death…
This was an unspoken rule of the pirate world.
Everything the crew does is charged to the captain.
And Luffy had successfully taken on an enormous black pot, becoming the next generation's ultimate scapegoat.
"This is troublesome~"
Garp sighed heavily.
If it had been just one or two Celestial Dragons, he might have laughed heartily and bragged along with Sengoku.
But over a hundred lives…
The implications were simply too massive.
Even Garp couldn't predict how the World Government would act once their fury peaked.
If not for Garp's unique prestige within the Marines—transcending rank—he himself might have ended up on that kill list.
This time, merely excluding Garp from the operation against the Straw Hats was already a courtesy granted in recognition of his standing.
Sensing something off in his old partner's expression, Sengoku paused.
Then he set down his tea and tossed the report toward Garp.
The prematurely retired old man smiled faintly.
"Relax, Garp."
"According to the Marines' latest intelligence, everyone involved in the incident has already departed from Sabaody Archipelago and descended into the sea."
"By now, they might even be seeing the light of the Sunlight Tree Eve."
"As long as they stay in Fish-Man Island and don't come out, neither the Marines nor the World Government has the nerve to send forces into the deep sea to hunt down a few pirate crews."
"The only order the Marines received was to guard the entrance to the New World."
"I have to admit… this was an attack with courage, strategy, and overwhelming strength!"
"That's right—look at whose grandson he is!"
Hearing Sengoku's words, Garp's expression instantly brightened, and he resumed his usual shameless boasting.
Seeing his old friend return to normal, Sengoku smiled once more.
As for hunting down the criminals who attacked Mary Geoise?
Sorry—this retired old man was already doing a great service just keeping an eye on Marine insiders suspected of ties to the criminals.
He had neither the time nor the energy to deal with anything beyond that.
Let those who should worry about it do the worrying!
…
…
Bang!!!
The brand-new Fleet Admiral's desk—barely three days into its tenure—was split clean in two by a blazing fist.
"Why did no one detect the Straw Hat Pirates' movements?!"
"You actually let them stroll onto the Red Line just like that?!"
Furious, Akainu clenched a cigar between his teeth and roared at the Marines responsible for guarding the Red Line.
As the stairway for mortals to reach the holy land, the Red Line around Mary Geoise had long been under strict Marine and World Government surveillance.
But…
"Fleet Admiral Akainu…" A Marine officer swallowed hard and reported nervously.
"The problem wasn't with our alarm systems."
"According to intelligence from the Five Elders, the Straw Hat Pirates' vice-captain, Red, appears to possess an ability that allows high-speed movement through the air!"
"In other words…"
"They didn't reach Mary Geoise by climbing the Red Line at all—they flew directly from Sabaody Archipelago to the top."
"And they used the same method to leave."
"Red?!"
Akainu's brow furrowed deeply as he etched the name of the man whose title differed from his own by just one word into his memory.
Then he raised his head again, suppressing his fury.
"What about that massive explosion?!"
"Why did Mary Geoise suffer a large-scale explosion after the invaders had already left, causing so many casualties?"
"Well…"
Several officers exchanged looks. In the end, the same one stepped forward to explain—this time with clear confusion and helplessness in his voice.
"It was the World Government's armory."
The Marine said,
"The invaders somehow obtained intelligence on Mary Geoise and discovered the World Government's armory hidden in a concealed area…"
"They also found the underground channels normally used to make slaves pull road ribbons, and used them to distribute all the armory's ammunition throughout the Celestial Dragons' residential district…"
"And then, the explosion happened."
"What?!"
Akainu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Mary Geoise was destroyed by the World Government's own ammunition!?
Which meant that if the invaders hadn't found the armory's location, the Celestial Dragons' casualties wouldn't have been nearly so severe.
Eight hundred years of stockpiled ammunition—used against their own people.
It was utterly absurd!
And judging by the timing in the reports, the invaders had gone straight for the armory the moment they entered the holy land…
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough time to distribute the explosives throughout the castle district.
But still—
Even he, the Fleet Admiral, didn't know the armory's exact location…
So how could a group of intruders find it with such precision?!
At that moment, the same doubt flickered in Akainu's eyes as in the officers opposite him.
And an unspoken thought rose in his mind—
That within the World Government's upper ranks…
Someone had betrayed the Celestial Dragons!
(End of Chapter)