"I haven't even gone looking for them, and yet they've already come for me. Deep Pool's ambition really is something."
Daniel knew a fair bit about Deep Pool. They were one of Victoria's militant separatist groups, mostly operating out of the Shire County region. For Deep Pool to be interested in Cut City at this stage, there could only be one reason: Talulah. For the red dragon leading Deep Pool, Talulah—another red dragon—was clearly one too many. Victoria didn't need two red dragons competing for the throne.
Especially with Daniel's intervention, Talulah hadn't vanished into the shadows or been taken by Rhodes Island. Instead, she remained active in Cut City, frequently making public appearances. Even without seeking her out specifically, anyone paying attention to the news or reading the papers would have seen her.
"The Shire Incident, Iron Duke Wellington... what a troublesome affair."
Bringing up Deep Pool naturally led to thoughts of the Shire County. A Rhodes Island elite operator had died there. It was also what had driven people like Bagpipe, Quercus, and Reed to join Rhodes Island. Daniel had been investigating the region for a while now. But the more he uncovered, the more complicated things seemed. The Shire Incident had far-reaching implications—so much so that even he didn't have a perfect solution.
"How should we handle this?" W asked, watching Daniel, who had gone quiet.
"I've understood the situation. I'll leave him to you. Oh, and get ready. We can begin the operation now. Start spreading the word."
"Finally making our move? Got it."
W grinned broadly, clearly thrilled. She waved to her subordinates to drag the Deep Pool spy away, then practically skipped off.
"Declaring war on Scar Market? You've got to be kidding."
"Supposedly, he demanded that Scar Market rescind all bounties within three days, or face consequences. Warned anyone who didn't want to be collateral to leave immediately."
"Is he insane? Doesn't he know who backs Scar Market?"
"I heard this is all because of that infected city—the one with the highest bounty."
"And you're all still chatting? Scar Market just posted a new mission: eliminate the invaders. Big rewards for every kill."
"Rewards are great and all, but only if you're alive to enjoy them. I'm gonna lay low for a bit."
As Daniel's open declaration, issued through W, spread through the underworld of Terra, it stirred up a storm across the continent. The message was clear: rescind all bounties on Talulah, FrostNova, and other former Reunion leaders—or face destruction.
Of course, Daniel knew Scar Market would never comply. They'd been operating for years, and they'd posted bounties on bigger names before—even Grand Dukes. Their code of conduct was their foundation; breaking it for one demand would be unthinkable.
To counter the threat, Scar Market not only dispatched high-level executives to personally oversee the city's defense, but also spent a fortune hiring powerful mercenary groups.
Many mercs jumped at the high-paying opportunity, believing Scar Market invincible. Others chose caution, withdrawing from the city and watching from afar to see how things would play out.
"He declared war on Scar Market. I can't decide if that's ignorance or courage. Heddley, what's your take?"
In Victoria, inside the conference room of the Shard Tower, Theresis sat at the head of the table, speaking more to himself than anyone else before directing the question to Heddley beside him.
"Unless they wipe out whoever's backing Scar Market as well, it won't make a difference. That place could pop up anywhere."
As a mercenary based in Kazdel, Heddley knew Scar Market well. It was a relatively small mobile city—more like a town. For the Sarkaz, destroying it was trivial. With the right plan, even Heddley himself could manage it.
But as he had said, unless the true powers behind it were destroyed, Scar Market could be rebuilt anywhere. It was merely a middleman. All they needed was a building—any village would do.
"A city that doesn't discriminate against the Infected, even treats the Sarkaz fairly... I'd really like to see it someday."
Because so many Sarkaz had settled in Cut City, Theresis was very well-informed about it. No one truly knew how many of Cut City's Sarkaz were loyal to him—even some of W's mercenaries might be.
That's why in the original storyline, W infiltrated Victoria alone—she couldn't fully trust her troops.
"General, once our plan succeeds, Kazdel could become a place like that."
A Sarkaz soldier spoke up.
"I heard Bortokastet is there. How fascinating. A man who betrayed the Sarkaz, then betrayed Ursus. I'd love to meet him."
"They're allied with Rhodes Island. To think they made Ursus compromise... combined with the Demon King, the Victorian red dragon, and that ruthless bastard... it's shaping up to be a real mess."
"He's a fake. Shapeshifter, you better watch your mouth."
"Whether fake or not isn't for you—or me—to decide."
"Enough. Show some respect in front of the general."
"Haha. Oh right—wasn't that other Sarkaz there too? This really is getting interesting."
"You—"
"Silence."
Theresis's voice immediately silenced the two bickering Sarkaz.
"Regardless of the details, if they can destroy Scar Market, it'll still be good for both the Sarkaz and Kazdel. Heddley, you're familiar with the place. I want you to go observe."
"Understood."
"Just the two of us? Isn't that a bit few?"
About two kilometers east of Scar Market's mobile town, Daniel and W stepped through a golden portal.
"There's no need. This is just a show of power."
For Daniel, destroying Scar Market was easy. But the declaration of war had another purpose: to demonstrate his strength to Terra's nations.
Whether for a country or an individual, showing power appropriately could prevent trouble. Just like with nukes—people feared what was public more than what was hidden.
Ursus wasn't suitable as a warning. He had no current conflicts with most nations. So, Scar Market would be the sacrificial chicken to scare the monkeys.
"I didn't think they'd show up too. This is getting interesting. Wait here a sec."
Just as W was about to say something else, she glanced at her communicator, smiled knowingly, and ran off in a particular direction.
"Explosions, huh... one of those Devil Fruits would really suit her."
Watching her run, Daniel thought of an explosive-type Devil Fruit. In the One Piece world, there were two he recalled: Mr. 5's Bomb-Bomb Fruit, and the one held by one of Doflamingo's subordinates.
Given W's Originium Arts, the second one fit better—it let the user cause anything they touched to explode. W's ability, which let her detonate Originium constructs, was very similar, though the scope of her explosions would widen with that power.
"You two came all the way out here. Theresis must really trust you, huh?"
On a mountain about three kilometers from Scar Market, W emerged from the trees.
"You're here? So you're the one carrying out the operation."
Seeing her, Heddley narrowed his eyes.
"No, I'm just here to watch. But you two—do you have something you want to tell me?"
Her smile faded. Anyone who knew W well understood: she was dangerous when she smiled—but even more so when she didn't.
"What's going on with Her Highness?"
Before they could answer, W shot the question out. Both Heddley and Ines flinched. Ines even reached for her weapon.
"That's no way to treat me. Did you think I'd attack you?"
W smiled again, watching Ines.
"You didn't attack...?"
Ines looked at her in shock.
Of course they knew about Theresa's situation. They had kept it from W because they knew exactly what she would do if she found out. Back when Theresa had died, W had gone to terrifying lengths for revenge. They didn't want her throwing her life away now.
The three of them had an odd dynamic—constantly at odds, always threatening to kill each other for bounty money, occasionally even fighting—but in truth, they trusted each other deeply. Like a bizarre family.
"How did you even find out?"
Heddley was baffled. This was supposed to be a top secret.
"I have my sources. But now I want to know—where do you stand?"
Theresa's revival and her presence beside Theresis would sway many Sarkaz to switch allegiances.
"You tell me," Heddley shot back.
"It doesn't matter. Theresis won't win this time. If Amiya's in danger, someone's going to kill him without a second thought."
W had seen Daniel's attitude toward Amiya firsthand. And truth be told, she didn't really doubt Heddley and Ines's loyalties.
Theresa's revival might sway some Sarkaz—but for others, it would only strengthen their opposition. Among the Sarkaz, death was sacred, and resurrection was taboo. The idea of Theresa returning and siding with Theresis was unthinkable to them.
W's group especially knew: if that were truly Theresa, she would never stand with Theresis.
Even Theresis himself, after discovering what the Penitent One had done, nearly killed the man on the spot. He had held back only for the sake of the bigger picture.
"You trust him that much?"
"You two came here on Theresis's orders to scout, right? Well then, why not see for yourselves?"
"This is Heddley and Ines."
"So it's you. Looks like Theresis is keeping a close eye on things. I suppose I'll have to make a trip there myself and bring Her Highness back."
Daniel was very curious about what Theresis was doing in Victoria. For a master politician to gamble the future of the Sarkaz on one move—it was unthinkable. Unless he was certain of victory, or had some other plan.
"It's time," W said suddenly.
"Is it? Then I suppose it's showtime. Let's do a little 'carpet bombing.'"
Reminded by her words, Daniel turned his attention back to the task at hand. With a wave of his hand, a golden portal opened, unleashing a torrent of modern weaponry: missiles, rockets, tanks, artillery, Titan mechs, Peacekeepers—you name it.
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Explosions engulfed the entire Scar Market town in an instant. The mercenaries, fully prepared for battle, were obliterated before they could even react. Those who survived the initial blast were wiped out seconds later. Few even had time to scream.
The bombardment lasted over half an hour. When it finally ended, there was nothing left of the mobile town—only a giant crater over a thousand meters wide, scorched black by fire and ash.
The sudden display of power left the watching mercenaries dumbfounded. Many silently thanked their instincts for not accepting the job.
"Modern warfare really is satisfying."
Though Daniel had access to vast technologies, he rarely used them in warfare—too destructive. But this time, he hadn't held back.
He had given three days' notice specifically to allow people time to evacuate. And since Scar Market was full of mercenaries—not civilians—there was no reason to hold back.
"Let's go. Next stop: Columbia."
Nodding at Heddley and Ines, Daniel opened another golden portal and stepped through with W. Today's assault wasn't his only move. His clones across the continent had simultaneously taken down Scar Market's leadership.
His destination now was Columbia—to personally deal with Volvort Kochinski.
"Try not to die. It'll all be over soon."
Through the closing golden portal, W waved cheerfully to the stunned Heddley and Ines. She had been just as shocked at first—but she recovered fast.
"This is..."
As the portal closed, the two stood in silence, completely speechless. What had just happened was far beyond anything they had imagined.
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