When Akainu heard the voice, his expression turned dark and tense.
Among those present, both Kizaru and Tsuru also looked visibly disturbed.
They knew that voice all too well.
"That's not just any transmission" Tsuru muttered grimly. "That's from him."
Kokuja blinked in confusion. "Vice Admiral Tsuru… who is this guy?"
Even without knowing who it was exactly, Kokuja could tell by everyone's expressions that the speaker was a serious threat.
"What are you playing at?" Akainu growled, rage simmering beneath the surface. "Don't think you can threaten the Marine by hijacking one of our ships—pirate!"
Tsuru spoke up calmly, "That voice belongs to our biggest threat at the moment… Elior, one of the Yonko."
"The Yonko… Elior?" Kokuja blinked in surprise. "He's that bold?"
"Fleet Admiral Akainu, I heard you've been promoted" Elior's voice came through the Den Den Mushi again, casual and mocking. "Congrats."
At that moment, Elior was standing aboard a captured Marine battleship. He and his crew had stumbled upon the ship while sailing and approached out of curiosity. He hadn't expected one of the Marines to be in contact with Akainu — so of course, he couldn't resist teasing him a little.
Ever since Akainu became Fleet Admiral, his temper had only grown worse.
"Congratulations, huh?"
Akainu slammed his fist on the desk, the force rattling everything around him.
"Pirate—what are you trying to pull?!"
"Tell me, Akainu… what does justice mean to you?"
Akainu scowled deeply. "Justice means the Marine. Pirates deserve nothing but eradication!"
Being questioned about justice by a pirate only fueled Akainu's rage. How dare Elior talk about justice?
Elior replied with a cold laugh. "No… the Marine isn't justice. History is always written by the victors. They define what justice is. In this world… the victor is justice."
"That's complete nonsense!" Akainu roared. "Twisting right and wrong like that—don't insult justice, you filthy pirate!"
But Elior didn't flinch. "The Celestial Dragons made themselves rulers of the world—and rewrote the laws to suit their vision. If they can define justice, then so can I. I'll reshape the world and redefine everything, including justice itself."
"You—!"
Akainu's fury was boiling over.
"This pirate is out of his mind" Kokuja muttered.
Kizaru added lazily, "Elior's not just the most arrogant of the Yonko… he's also likely the strongest. He's more dangerous to the Marine and the World Government than even the Revolutionary Army."
Tsuru nodded grimly. "At the moment, we can't touch them. We're still cleaning up after the smaller threats… but the big ones, like him? All we can do is wait—and watch."
At that moment, Elior's voice echoed once more through the line:
"Akainu… just wait. The world's going to get a lot more chaotic very soon."
And with that, he cut the line before Akainu could respond.
Akainu stared at the Den Den Mushi, helpless and seething.
After the Summit War, the World Government had tried to restore balance on the surface. But slowly, the world had begun to slip further and further out of their control. There were no direct clashes between the Yonko and the World Government — yet. But how long could that last?
—
Meanwhile, back on the Marine battleship, Elior returned to the deck.
The stunned sailors, who had collapsed under the force of his Conqueror's Haki, were beginning to regain consciousness.
Watching Elior's ship vanish over the horizon, the relieved Marines let out a breath they didn't know they'd been holding.
Elior hadn't killed them. Somehow, they were still alive.
It was like they had just walked away from death itself.
—
Two days later, Paradise.
"Picked up some new members this time?"
Shiryu smirked as he noticed the additions to the crew — including a few more women. The captain was definitely a ladies' man.
"The dashing pirate Cavendish has arrived!" announced the flamboyant newcomer, striking a pose. "I've admired him for quite some time."
As one of the original Supernovas, Cavendish's name was well-known throughout the first half of the Grand Line.
"But… Captain, who's this little girl?" Shiryu asked, glancing at the petite figure sucking on a giant lollipop.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Sugar looked completely harmless. Compared to Elior, she appeared downright innocent.
"Don't be fooled" Law spoke up. "That's Sugar — she was Doflamingo's secret weapon in controlling Dressrosa."
Despite looking like a child, Sugar was actually in her twenties. Her appearance was a side effect of her Devil Fruit.
Law turned to Elior. "Captain, did you… take her from Doflamingo?"
Elior replied casually, "She was a gift. That ability of hers? It belongs to me now."
At that moment, Law locked eyes with Elior — only to feel something unshakable take hold inside him.
Elior had activated his Absolute Command.
He had no choice.
Though Law still harbored deep hatred for Doflamingo over Rosinante's death, Elior couldn't risk that grudge interfering with his grand plan. So, he used Absolute Command on both of them — Law and Doflamingo.
In Elior's eyes, his subordinates were pawns. He had no interest in personal grudges or infighting. If Law betrayed him… well, Elior wouldn't hesitate to kill him. But thanks to Absolute Command, it wouldn't come to that.
Now both Law and Doflamingo were under his total control.
Elior truly was in a league of his own.
Despite the control, Law's demeanor didn't change.
"What kind of ability does this girl have?" Hawkins asked.
"Yeah, I'm curious too" added Urouge.
Sugar scowled as she realized everyone was staring at her like she was a lab rat.
"Why don't you go study that girl instead, you weirdos…"
At that moment, Tama was fast asleep in Reiju's arms.
"Sugar" Elior said with a smile, "Show them what you can do."
"Hmph" she huffed. "You just want to use me! You better buy me tons of candy later!"
Still pouting, Sugar stepped forward.
With a flick of her small hand, she activated the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
In a flash—and to everyone's shock—Urouge was transformed into a toy soldier.