Several days later, aboard Sakazuki's warship.
Karol approached, a fresh intelligence report in hand.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, the latest intel just came in."
Sakazuki casually blocked one of Barrett's attacks, then flipped him to the deck with a powerful throw.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
As the two sparred, Karol glanced at the report and began:
"Hale Nock really took a beating this time. He got hammered by an enraged Big Mom and Golden Lion—lost two-thirds of his territory."
"But those two are just too powerful. They scared the hell out of everyone."
"Somehow, Hale Nock managed to strike deals with other pirates. A bunch of new-generation crews jumped in to help. In the end, he had to cough up a mountain of treasure to settle things down."
"Now, he's left with just two-thirds of his original turf. The rest—those border islands destroyed in the fighting—plus a chunk of his underground operations, shipping, and weapons businesses, all got carved up and handed out to the new generation."
"It's basically become a buffer zone between the three major powers."
"The old three-way standoff in the New World is over. The up-and-coming pirates took the opportunity to band together and seize the center. There's going to be no shortage of chaos from here on out."
"In short—a perfect result."
Sakazuki raised a hand, signaling Barrett to pause.
"Not bad. Keep working on your Haki."
He turned to Karol, a thin smile on his lips.
"Chaos is exactly what we want. Pirates in turmoil are much easier to control. There won't be any big problems for now."
"Right now, the whole world's got its eyes on Roger. The Roger Pirates' goal is clear as day—the legendary final island."
"Oh, by the way—what's the latest on Dragon?"
Karol replied, "According to HQ, Rear Admiral Dragon's currently on leave."
Sakazuki let out a low chuckle. "On leave, huh..."
"And the scholars?"
Karol answered, "Most of them slipped away. I'm guessing Rear Admiral Dragon helped hide them. If we'd managed to catch them all back on Jaya, it'd be a different story. Now, it'll be a lot tougher. Plenty of folks have been stirred up to help hide them—or even fight back. We've already had some Marines take casualties."
After a moment of silence, Sakazuki took a deep breath.
"Keep up the surveillance. Later, prepare some aged single sheets of paper—make them look old. Find a way to let them 'accidentally' discover them."
"And have Enel track and mark their magnetic fields. Sometimes, Observation Haki isn't reliable, but to his eyes, magnetic fields shine like beacons."
Back in the original story, Enel used electromagnetic fields to monitor his entire kingdom. Now, with Vegapunk's training, he'd only gotten stronger.
Sakazuki thought for a moment, then added, "If you happen to run into Dragon, be careful. Don't get exposed. Tell Enel—never take off that Observation-blocking suit, not even for a second."
Karol nodded. "Anything else?"
Sakazuki said, "On the new wanted posters—if you see any pirates with a 'D' in their name, let me know right away."
"That's all. Get to it."
"Yes, sir."
———
Grand Line—Drum Kingdom, Snow Island.
Snow Island sat on the edge of Drum Kingdom's waters, sparsely populated, one of its lesser-known holdings.
Amid swirling snow and towering mushrooms, a burly child crouched in a corner, staring at the dim light above.
His thoughts drifted far away. To that nightmarish laboratory... to the monstrous maw that devoured him and his two sisters... to the madman's wild, cackling laughter...
Hatred surged, and he slammed his fist into the ground. After several deep breaths, he forced himself calm. Revenge had already been taken.
He remembered the madman's dying words. Glancing at his own hands—if that lunatic wasn't lying...
He could possess more than one Devil Fruit.
The terrifying price? His two sisters' souls, now fused with his own.
But he couldn't risk everything just yet. He needed to find that fruit first...
He reached for an old newspaper beside him. On the cover: Hale Nock.
This was from years ago. In the calculations of young Marshall D. Teach, only a kingpin like Hale Nock, who commanded vast underworld forces in the New World, might have access to that fruit.
The one described in the encyclopedia as the most malevolent of all...
"I have to set sail!"
If he truly could wield multiple fruits... then the Munch-Munch Fruit—the one the dead mad scientist had possessed—had to be found, and brought under his control...
———
Several months later.
Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Kong puffed on a cigar as he worked through a mountain of paperwork.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Garp strode in, chewing on a donut.
"Ha ha ha ha! Fleet Admiral, I'm taking another vacation!"
Kong's face darkened. The pen in his hand snapped clean in two.
Snap!
He slammed it down on the desk.
"You bastard! How many times is this now?! Garp! Do you even want this job anymore?!"
Garp scratched his head. "Ha ha ha! Aren't Sengoku and Sakazuki still here? Besides, it's about my boy—haven't heard from Dragon in ages. I gotta go find him."
Kong snorted. "What's going on with him, anyway? Dragon's been acting strange—disappearing for months at a time. You're his father, don't you know anything?"
Garp replied, "I just found out myself. It's totally unacceptable. Don't worry, once I find that brat, I'll give him a good thrashing. Anyway, that's settled—I'm off on vacation! Ha ha ha ha!"
With that, he hurried out the door.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Kong watched him go, shaking his head in weary resignation. He opened a drawer, pulled out a fresh pen, and dove back into his endless paperwork...
———
North Blue—a kingdom at the edge of the world.
No Marines. No pirates. No government oversight. The people here smiled and chatted with each other, the very picture of peace and tranquility.
But the instant Dragon set foot on this island, his heart trembled.
The price of this peace...
Was that you could barely find a single whole person on the entire island.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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