A throne of lies,
But in his madness, his doom he spies.
(Chorus) Hear the thunder, the cracks of doom,
Zenka Jaygarcia, seals your tomb!
Her power shining, holy and bright,
Crushes the wicked, banishes the night! They boast of freedom, a pirate's creed,
But slavery awaits, for their wicked deed.
The World Government, a watchful eye,
Will crush their rebellion, and watch them die. The flames will rise, the oceans churn,
But Rocks's ambitions, will never burn.
Zenka's decree, a righteous blaze,
To cleanse the world, in righteous ways! (Chorus) Hear the thunder, the cracks of doom,
Zenka Jaygarcia, seal your tomb!
Her power shining, holy and bright, Crushes the wicked, banishes the night!
The voice carried across Hachinosu on a gale of thunder. Far beyond the mist, on a high deck cloaked in shadow, Fleet Admiral Kong stared at the Den Den Mushi feed in disbelief.
His voice cracked. "Is this real? Or am I hallucinating?"
Behind him, Vice Admiral Tsuru stood with arms crossed, her gaze calm and cutting. "If it's a hallucination, sir, it's one we've feared for years."
Admiral Sengoku sat aboard a command ship, binoculars resting useless in his lap. He didn't speak. For once, words would not come.
Vice-Admiral Zephyr grinned as if tasting the storm. "Why am I not surprised?." And miles away at Marineford, Garp howled with laughter, slapping the table so hard it cracked. "Bwahaha! That madwoman actually did it."
His laughter slowed. "Let's hope she leaves something behind to rebuild."
Vice-Admiral Zephyr's grin faded as well. "I respect results," he muttered. "But that one's no hero. Not even close."
Back on the ship, Cipher Pol agents flanked Charles. "Keep singing," one barked.
"Don't stop until Saint Zenka-sama touches the dock." Another agent beside the transmission snail, scribbled notes while a third adjusted dials.
"This will make a damn fine dossier entry," he muttered. "If we survive it."
Sung from a Den Den Mushi megaphone built for war, the ballad echoed through the pirate stronghold like prophecy in flame. Beneath the cliffs and towers of the outlaw city, men paused in their brawls. Bottles stopped midair. Dice rolled into silence. Some laughed. Others listened.
One of Rocks' captains muttered, "What kind of damn hymn is that?"
The mist near the shore thickened — and something stepped through. Zenka. Cloaked in black. Her eyes faintly aglow. Soul Edge was not yet drawn.
And behind her, silent and slack-faced, walked the thing that used to be Byrnndi World.
Laughter spilled from one tavern — nervous, brittle. "They sent a songbird?" barked a heavy-set pirate, flipping over a table.
"I want blood, not lullabies!" Another, lean and scarred, didn't laugh.
"That wasn't a lullaby. That was a warning."
Up near the broken bell tower, Kaido cracked his knuckles and smiled. "Finally. Something worth punching." Shiki cursed as his drink trembled in his hand. "What kind of monster makes her entrance with a choir and fog? This ain't war. This is theater."
Whitebeard leaned against a wall, silent. His eyes, half-lidded, caught the rhythm in the wind. He didn't move — but his grip on his bisento tightened. Inside the war hall, Rocks D. Xebec listened without a word. His men watched him. Waiting. He stood, slowly.
"Jaygarcia... Zenka," he said.
His voice was like grinding stone. "The girl with the sword that eats. I saw her once.
Years ago. When the sky turned black over Kuraigana. An sea overlord vanished that day. No body. No storm. Just silence."
No one laughed this time.
In the Holy Land, a cipher room full of Den Den Mushi scribes recorded everything. A CP0 agent muttered under his breath, "Operation Black Choir... still escalating."
On Marineford's training field, young recruits froze as the broadcast played. "Is that a joke?" one asked. "Not a joke," another whispered. "Who is she?"
"I don't know," the first muttered. "Some kind of secret project?"
"She doesn't look like a Vice Admiral... more like something they don't list."
"You moron! She's one of them!" The recruit blinked. "One of who?"
"CELESTIAL DRAGONS!!!"
The entire square erupted: "WHAAAT?! A CELESTIAL DRAGON?!"
One female Marine recruit tilted her head. "She's quite pretty, though."
Another recruit scoffed. "Can't be! I was stationed on Sabaody once... they're ugly as hell."
A senior officer stepped in and drove a fist into the scoffer's stomach. He folded over with a grunt. "You want to get yourself killed?!" the officer hissed. "They have ears everywhere..."
On the docks of Hachinosu, younger pirates jeered. One blew a raspberry. "Come sing me to death, then, witch!"