"A letter?" Most of the people present looked puzzled.
A vice admiral took the envelope and, after reading it, his expression instantly twisted into fury.
"Outrageous! How dare he?!" he roared, his face a mix of disbelief and indignation.
"What happened?" another vice admiral asked.
"Yeah, come on, read it out loud," another urged.
"See for yourselves! This is infuriating!" the vice admiral growled, tossing the letter toward the table.
Another vice admiral caught it and unfolded it, reading aloud:
"To the esteemed Fleet Admiral of the Navy,
I am Donquixote Rosinante, Captain of the Gray Kingdom Pirates. I have always cherished peace. However, recent reports from the Navy have severely damaged my reputation. I believe this is due to a lack of communication between us, which has led to many misunderstandings.
In the spirit of mutual understanding, I shall soon be delivering a grand gift to Navy Headquarters. Given your renowned wisdom, I trust you will not take this goodwill gesture lightly."
"Rosinante… what is this supposed to mean? Is he declaring war on Navy Headquarters?" the vice admiral who had read the letter said in shock.
Everyone in the room had been through their fair share of storms, and they immediately picked up on the underlying message. A pirate sending a "gift" to Navy HQ? And delivering it personally? This wasn't just provocation—it was a declaration of war.
"Hmph! Childish games! You think the Navy's afraid of him? This is Navy Headquarters! If he dares to come, we'll crush him!" another vice admiral spat.
"Rosinante!" Sakazuki growled, his entire body brimming with fury. His arms once again transformed into searing magma.
"Rosinante isn't bluffing," Kuzan said lazily, but there was a chill in his voice. "He really can send a gift—straight to us—even from thousands of miles away."
"This letter appeared on my desk yesterday morning," said Steel Bone Kong coldly. "And not a single soul in all of Navy HQ noticed how it got there. To Rosinante, it's as if Headquarters is completely unguarded!"
This admission was a massive blow to the Navy's pride. The Fleet Admiral's office—the very nerve center of naval command—was protected by elite guards twenty-four hours a day and filled with top-secret intelligence. Yet someone had waltzed in and left a note on the Admiral's desk without making a sound.
If word of this got out, it would make a laughingstock of the entire Navy.
"Is Rosinante's stealth really that terrifying? He got into Navy HQ and nobody noticed?" a vice admiral asked.
"Probably not Rosinante himself," Kuzan replied. "He was badly wounded after the last fight—likely still recovering. The delivery was made by someone else."
"Could it be… Bins?" Sengoku asked solemnly.
Aside from Rosinante, only Bins' Hole-Hole Fruit could accomplish something like this.
"Bins, Rosinante's subordinate, has the ability to open spatial wormholes over long distances," Tsuru explained. "We don't know the exact range, but the fact that he was able to deliver the letter into Navy HQ, undetected, means he can theoretically send troops here at any time—and we'd have no way to defend against it. If used strategically, the Hole-Hole Fruit is a terrifying ability."
"Starting today, Navy Headquarters will enter a full-alert state," Steel Bone Kong declared. "And notify all regional branches to bolster their defenses."
"Yes, sir!" the admirals and vice admirals responded in unison, all brimming with anger, itching for Rosinante and his crew to show their faces so they could tear them apart—especially those eyeing the now-limited admiral seats. This could be their last chance to prove themselves.
…
On the other side of the sky, Rosinante had returned to Skypiea and was focused on healing. The wounds he suffered in the last battle were serious. Just when he had recovered from his last injuries, now he was bedridden again. Naturally, he was feeling frustrated.
Robin observed him silently, a flicker of confusion and curiosity occasionally flashing across her face.
After being relocated to Skypiea, the scholars of Ohara had eagerly thrown themselves into studying the Poneglyph that had been lifted to the sky along with Shandora's ruins.
Upon arriving at Birka, Rosinante had immediately dispatched his five great battle squads to conquer all the sky islands. The half of Jaya Island containing the legendary City of Gold had been their first target.
However, the Shandia warriors on Angel Island gave the Gray Nation a fair amount of trouble.
The Second Division was tasked with suppressing them, and thanks to the overwhelming strength of Ralemann, they eventually prevailed.
After securing Angel Island, Rosinante gave the sacred Golden Bell of Shandora to the Shandia people, earning their full allegiance. Many of their children would go on to join the ranks of the Bloodsworn Guard reserves—names like Weber and Laqi among them.
Robin had originally planned to join the Ohara scholars in studying the Poneglyph, but Olivia had forbidden it. Instead, she asked Rosinante to train her.
Olivia understood that after the Ohara incident, none of them could ever return to a normal life. The World Government and Navy would always hunt them. The adults could hide in Skypiea and do their research, but Robin was different—she was still young and would one day have to return to the Blue Sea. She needed to be able to protect herself. That's why Olivia wanted Rosinante to train her.
Rosinante agreed, enrolling Robin in the training program of the Bloodsworn Guard's reserves. When he had time, he trained her personally.
Robin, of course, knew Rosinante had sent a letter to Navy HQ via Bins.
She had read it too—every flowery, sarcastic word.
But to Robin, the letter boiled down to just one line: I'm coming to hit you. Just letting you know in advance.
Yet after delivering the message, there was no follow-up. The Bloodsworn Guard continued their training as usual, completely indifferent to the whole incident.
No grand gesture. No looming invasion.
It was like being ready for the main act of a play, only for the curtain never to rise.
If this were modern times, Robin thought, some nerd would be yelling: "I took off my pants for this?!"
Robin was confused—and a little annoyed.
"Rosinante-nii, didn't you declare war on the Navy?" Robin finally asked. "Aren't we supposed to attack next?"
"Who said sending a declaration means we're attacking right away?" Rosinante replied with a grin.
Robin blinked, momentarily stunned.
"The Navy knows Bins' ability now. And with that letter mysteriously appearing on the Fleet Admiral's desk—the most secure place in all of Navy HQ—they're probably on high alert right now. Let them panic. Let them lose sleep. That tension might be more agonizing than an actual war," Rosinante chuckled.
"You're so sly, Rosinante-nii! Are you waiting until they lower their guard before we strike?" Robin asked, eyes wide with admiration and suspicion.
"This isn't sly. It's strategy," Rosinante said with a smirk. "I'm showing them that I can choose any time I want to hit them—and they'll never know when or where. They can never let their guard down. This… is an open and honest stratagem."