Hive Island.
In a prison at the bottom of the Skull Tower.
Even a tiny flamingo toy was flipping through a newspaper.
Flipping through it, it suddenly became furious and shredded the newspaper to pieces. Its beak opened and closed, but no sound came out.
After all, it was just a toy.
At the front edge of the New World.
On a ship floating on the sea, this was the NEO Navy's mobile headquarters.
Zephyr quietly flipped through a newspaper, then calmly closed it.
"What should we do now, Zephyr-sensei?"
Gion looked completely bewildered.
The Beasts Pirates weren't exactly easier to deal with than the Navy Headquarters, were they?
If anything, they could be considered even stronger than the Navy.
Zephyr exhaled slowly and said, "Gather all the troops."
"Ah?"
Gion froze. "Do you mIan… start a war with the Beasts Pirates?"
Wouldn't that be a suicide mission? How could there possibly be any chance of victory?
But Zephyr said, "Evacuate this sea area."
"Since Ian has already started to take action, it's time for us to leave the New World."
The time for pretense was over.
"Eh?"
Wano Country, Onigashima.
Ian received a call.
"Lord Ian, please be extremely careful,"
The voice on the other end was the gentle, pleasant Miss Stussy. "The World Government is now mobilizing every available force, preparing for an all-out battle against the Beasts Pirates."
"Furthermore, they are even contacting the great pirates of the New World, attempting to join forces to suppress you."
"Oh?"
Ian's lips curved slightly. "That is, after all, what I expected."
If the World Government did nothing, that would have been the strange thing.
It wasn't the era of the Rocks Pirates anymore.
"Anyway, please be extremely careful, Lord Ian."
Stussy reminded him earnestly.
After all, if Ian were to fail, she wouldn't survive either.
"Don't worry,"
Ian chuckled lightly. "I'll make them stop soon enough."
It was finally time to use his secret weapon.
After ending the call with Stussy, Ian immediately summoned a certain man.
"Kuma, it's your turn to act now."
Meanwhile, on the side of the World Government.
While the Navy was deploying troops, the CP system had also gone into full action, trying to make contact with the monsters of the New World.
Since the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't be found, the World Government had no choice but to focus their efforts on the Charlotte Family and the Cross Guild.
It wasn't as if they hadn't tried contacting the NEO Navy. Zephyr had weakened a bit, but he still had his Dyna Stones.
However, Zephyr was also unreachable. When they tried to contact him through the NEO Navy, they only received a single sentence in response.
He would rather see the World Government and the Beast Pirates die together.
In the end, only the Cross Guild and the Charlotte Family could be contacted.
"What's going on with the Charlotte Family and the Cross Guild?"
The Five Elders summoned the leader of CP0 to ask about their recent progress.
"Charlotte Linlin and Crocodile didn't reject our invitation," the head of CP0 reported. "Negotiations are possible, but they'll probably demand a lot."
"Then negotiate!"
The Five Elders said bluntly. "Right now, the most important thing is to eliminate Ian! Nothing else matters!"
If shedding some blood could get these two pirate groups on their side, it would be worth it.
Even if the Beast Pirates tried something, the first ones to suffer would definitely be Charlotte Linlin or Crocodile.
The Five Elders understood very clearly that the most dangerous thing now was losing focus over petty gains.
Ian couldn't be given even a moment to breathe!
Once Ian was taken down, what kind of storm could the New World pirates still stir up?
However, what the Five Elders didn't realize was that, while their negotiations were progressing smoothly, Ian had already taken the initiative to strike.
Wano Country, the coast of Onigashima.
"The target is Mariejois, the gathering place of the Celestial Dragons. It shouldn't be a problem, right, Kuma?"
Ian asked with a smile.
Kuma stood silently by his side. This gentle man's expression was somewhat somber, but he still nodded lightly.
Having been there once before, he didn't need anyone to help confirm the direction.
They could send it directly.
"Then let's get moving."
Ian laughed heartily. "Let's give the World Government a big surprise."
Kuma silently lifted the object he held in his hands.
It was a glass jar containing a purple liquid, and within the liquid floated a single stone.
A single piece of Dyna Stone.
"Hohohoho! You've really outdone yourself, Ian."
Kaido stood behind, watching with amusement. "The distance to Mariejois is calculated in tens of thousands of miles!"
"It doesn't matter," Ian chuckled softly. "For Kuma's power, it's just a single step away."
"Hohohoho!"
Kaido laughed out loud.
It was truly fascinating, wasn't it?
"Lord Ian," Kuma finally spoke, "Are we really going to do this? Even in the Celestial Dragons' gathering place, there are many innocent slaves."
He felt deep sorrow.
"This is a necessary sacrifice."
Ian said seriously. "Only then will the World Government think twice before acting recklessly."
Kuma remained silent.
He really was a gentle man.
Ian just waited quietly.
After a long while, Kuma took a deep breath. "I understand."
Then, he removed his gloves and slammed them against the glass jar containing the Dyna Stone.
"Snap!"
A faint sound echoed.
The glass jar had vanished.
"Whoa!"
Ian gazed up at the distant sky. Though it was already invisible to the naked eye, his Observation Haki could still see it off.
"Send my regards to the Celestial Dragons. Make sure they feel my passion."
The glass jar was wrapped in bubble-like air, traveling through the vast sky.
It sliced through the blue sky, pierced through dark clouds, cut across fierce winds, and passed over hail.
After a long journey across countless mountains and rivers, it finally reached above the Red Line.
Moving further ahead, it eventually arrived above the Mary Geoise.
Then, the bubble vanished, and the glass jar began to fall.
**********
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