"Fleet Admiral, do you still remember that's your junior disciple we're talking about…"
Ain shot Wright a sidelong glance, clearly unimpressed with the smirk curling on his lips.
"The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army just trashed several of our warships at Sabaody Archipelago. How are we supposed to deal with that?"
"Your disciple, and your disciple's brother… And we're talking about the strongest Paramecia-type—the Gura Gura no Mi. We can't just turn a blind eye, can we?"
"Hmph. The only reason the Gura Gura no Mi is even called that is because its previous wielder was Whitebeard."
Wright shrugged off the concern with ease.
"Sure, the Chief of Staff is powerful, but he's still got a long way to go before reaching Whitebeard's level. The fruit's destructive power is still immense, no doubt—but it's nowhere near what it was in Whitebeard's hands."
"They should be arriving at Fish-Man Island by now. With Jinbe over there, things should stay under control. Half the population's already been relocated. The island's still lively, but not nearly as bustling as it was two years ago."
Ain nodded. "There's no way the Fish-Men and Merfolk would give up their home so easily… but ever since BIG MOM started hunting down Fish-Men and Mermaids, more and more of them have migrated to the Calm Belt for safety."
"And all because she wanted the sweets from Fish-Man Island," Wright scoffed as he picked up a report from his desk. "That lunatic really went so far as to capture innocent Fish-Men? Typical pirate. Absolutely deranged."
"She even tried attacking the Fang of the Sea Beasts unit. What the hell was she thinking? Trying to fight trained Fish-Man and Mermaid units in the ocean? She must've completely lost it!"
"Just a few days ago, BIG MOM's crew even rounded up some stragglers from the island. Isn't she the one who's always going on about building a 'nation of all races living in harmony'?"
"Treating Fish-Men and Mermaids like this proves it's all just for show. Her so-called dream of unity is nothing more than a cover for her tyrannical rule. Other races? To her, they're just rare collectibles!"
"I've already dispatched Cavendish to handle the transfer of those Fish-Men and Merfolk. As the protector of Fish-Man Island, if BIG MOM refuses to hand them over peacefully, she'll have to deal with the Navy's… more persuasive methods."
Ain let out a sigh. The Four Emperors—they never did operate by any normal logic. That someone like BIG MOM, an infamous pirate, would go to such insane lengths just for sweets… it was almost comical if it weren't so dangerous.
Her past behavior had shown time and again just how unhinged she could be. But this? Picking a fight with Fish-Man Island and squaring off against Navy HQ? That was a first.
"So our next move… is to keep an eye on BIG MOM?" Ain asked, thoughtful. "Word is, another Tea Party's being arranged at Totto Land. BIG MOM's Tea Parties are major events in the New World—always drawing in some of the most powerful figures in the underground."
The Navy had poured enormous resources into dealing with Kaido's occupation of Wano—but comparatively little had been focused on the other Four Emperors, BIG MOM and Shanks.
"The Tea Party might be a point of entry," Wright mused. "But it's not exactly a reliable one."
He paused, deep in thought. The Straw Hat Pirates were headed for Fish-Man Island. Without Whitebeard's protection, the island now relied on the Navy's authority. BIG MOM wouldn't dare claim the island outright—not with the Navy watching.
And Jinbe? He'd never dream of bringing the island under BIG MOM's banner again. Without Hody Jones stirring up chaos, the Straw Hats probably wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Which meant… they had no real reason to clash with BIG MOM directly. Punk Hazard and Dressrosa were already cleansed by the Navy. If Luffy was following his original course of action…
"They'll be heading for Shanks next."
Purururu… Pururururu…
The Den Den Mushi on the desk rang.
Wright looked mildly surprised. "Hm? A direct call to me? Must be urgent."
Ain blinked. Most issues were routed through her first. For it to go straight to the Fleet Admiral… it had to be serious. Serious enough to affect the Navy's current strategic balance.
But what could it be? There hadn't been any signs of trouble lately…
Kacha.
The call connected—and both Wright and Ain's expressions immediately shifted.
The image on the Den Den Mushi transformed… into none other than Cavendish.
So this was about Fish-Man Island? The Straw Hats had barely even arrived. Hadn't been there a full day, even.
"This is Wright."
"Fleet Admiral! Those Straw Hat bastards—they just came back and they're already stirring up trouble!"
Cavendish sounded thoroughly exasperated. Understandable. As a rising star in the Navy, "White Horse" Cavendish had made a name for himself across the New World. Maybe not legendary, but feared by plenty.
And yet, the Straw Hat Pirates—silent for two whole years—returned with a bang.
And this was what they called a "low-profile" departure!?
Low-profile, his ass.
Just look at who saw them off at Sabaody—half the Archipelago descended into chaos.
Fine. Cavendish had originally planned to let them quietly pass through Fish-Man Island and head into the New World. He had a job to do, after all—one that could impact the Navy's reputation with the Four Emperors on the line.
If he failed, the Navy would lose face. And if the Navy lost face… his own popularity would crash and burn. Even if the Fleet Admiral didn't blame him, Cavendish would rather die than suffer that embarrassment.
But if he pulled it off—if he flew the Navy's flag high against BIG MOM's forces—even as a rookie Commodore, he'd skyrocket in fame.
So he hated surprises. Any wild card that could ruin the mission? A pain in the ass.
And then—of course—the Straw Hats showed up.
Cavendish tried his best to pretend they didn't exist, quietly praying they'd leave.
But nope.
They ran into old friends. Camie and Pappag, the mermaid and sea star whom Luffy saved two years ago, welcomed them warmly and gave them a tour of the island.
Turns out they never left because they believed the Straw Hats would return someday.
Oh—and as if things weren't messy enough, the crew rescued Princess Shirahoshi's pet shark on the way.
Which earned them a personal visit from King Neptune himself, to thank Luffy face-to-face.
Fine. Whatever. Cavendish could handle that.
But then the emissaries from the BIG MOM Pirates finally showed up.
Only for those two idiots—Baron Tamago and Pekoms—to skip the negotiations and go shopping.
And wouldn't you know it—they just so happened to overhear Luffy shouting something about beating all the Four Emperors…
"…So, what? They got into a fight?"
Wright raised a brow, face twitching with a bemused look. "You've got to be kidding me."
Of course they ran into each other. What else would happen?
If it were just Baron Tamago, it might've been manageable—he had a brain, after all.
But Pekoms?
That hot-headed Mink had never been one to walk away from a provocation.
And the moment he heard Luffy boasting about defeating the Four Emperors?
All hell broke loose.
BIG MOM's emissaries, clashing head-on with the Straw Hat Pirates.
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