In the Flower Kingdom of the East Blue…
"Ha ha ha ha! It seems your king still holds quite the reputation!"
King Ba Dodhinai burst into hearty laughter after receiving the Goa Kingdom's reply.
The Goa royal family's "concession" and "ceasefire" brought him immense satisfaction.
With just one call, he had single-handedly halted the Goa Empire's war of expansion.
Surely, this would become explosive headline news across the East Blue.
The name Ba Dodhinai—and the Flaus Kingdom—would resound across the entire sea, striking fear into the hearts of other nations.
He could even become the undisputed leader of the East Blue's kingdoms.
After all, not even the World Government or Marine Headquarters had succeeded in stopping the Goa Empire's aggressive campaign.
But he had.
Ba Dodhinai's eyes glittered with ambition.
His officials bowed and offered congratulations on the surface, but inside, they were bitterly skeptical.
Did the Goa Kingdom really back down out of respect for King Ba Dodhinai?
Unlikely.
Clearly, Victor Shaw was wary of facing Germa 66's mercenary army.
If Ba Dodhinai hadn't mentioned Germa 66 so many times during the call, they all knew—Goa never would have stopped.
"You owe us payment. Whether you go to war with Goa or not is irrelevant."
The Germa 66 liaison officer stared coldly at Ba Dodhinai, voice sharp as ice.
A contract was a contract.
Once the army was deployed, Germa's price had to be paid—no exceptions.
Otherwise, the Flaus Kingdom would learn firsthand what it meant to provoke an evil science army.
"Y-yes, yes, of course! Germa will get its full hiring fee."
King Ba Dodhinai forced a smile, sweat beading at his temple.
He didn't dare offend the infamous Germa Kingdom, known for its brutal methods and soulless soldiers.
He'd only brought in Germa 66 to intimidate Goa—a hired threat, nothing more.
Now that Goa had "retreated," he wanted to avoid a full-scale war at all costs.
After all, the Goa Kingdom was no ordinary kingdom.
It was favored by the Celestial Dragons and the hometown of the Navy hero, Iron Fist Garp.
To challenge Goa would be... suicidal.
One wrong move, and the Flaus Kingdom could vanish overnight.
Cocoyasi Village – Konomi Kingdom
Back in her home village, Nami had returned and secretly passed on the news of Goa's arrival to Nojiko, Genzo, and the villagers.
She warned them to stay alert, prepare escape routes, and be ready to evacuate at any moment.
A clash between Goa's army and the Arlong Pirates was all but inevitable.
And deep within Arlong Park, a group of fishmen were already on edge.
Gathered under the command of the Sawtooth Shark Arlong, they had assembled at Colonel Nezumi's urging to prepare for battle.
"Brother Arlong… can we really trust that greedy rat to keep this hidden from the Goa Kingdom?"
"Can a weasel like Nezumi really stop the Goa army from crushing us?"
"If the Goa Kingdom takes over, will our insurance payouts get cut?"
The fishmen's faces twisted with frustration and anger.
The Goa Empire's war was threatening to destroy the peaceful lifestyle they had built.
To them, life in the self-proclaimed Dragon Empire was paradise—far more comfortable than the dark and dangerous Fishman District beneath the sea.
Six years ago, they had swept through more than 20 villages in the Konomi Kingdom, slaughtering those who resisted and forcing the survivors into submission.
From then on, every adult paid 100,000 Berries per month, and every child paid 50,000, just to be allowed to live.
The income was enormous.
In Cocoyasi Village, they even built a palace-like base modeled after the buildings of Sabaody Archipelago.
To shield themselves from the Marines, Arlong had bought protection from Colonel Nezumi.
With Nezumi's help, they had overthrown the royal family of the Konomi Kingdom and began ruling like tyrants.
They had no intention of giving up that life.
Now, they could only hope the Goa Kingdom's new rulers would stay out of their territory—just as the Konomi royal family once had.
"If the Goa Kingdom dares to come, we'll sink every last one of their warships!"
"Just like that pathetic Brigadier General Breen!"
The shark-like fishman bared his rows of sharp teeth as he laughed. Arlong showed no fear—only cold, murderous confidence.
After all, they had once slain the commander of the 77th Marine Branch without hesitation.
"We are the rulers of these waters!"
"If the Navy's rat can't stop the Goa Kingdom, then we'll wipe out those humans ourselves!"
The rest of the Arlong Pirates roared in agreement, swelling with arrogance and pride.
After six long years of easy living in Cocoyasi Village, they had grown used to treating humans as nothing but weaklings.
To them, every human in the East Blue was as spineless as the villagers they had crushed and extorted.
They could pillage, threaten, and dominate without resistance.
As the fishmen shouted and swaggered, one of their own burst into the hall, gasping for breath.
"Brother Arlong! They're here! The Goa Kingdom's fleet has arrived!"
"What?!"
All the fishmen in Arlong Park sprang to their feet, their eyes blazing with fury.
"That slimy Nezumi really failed us!"
"He's useless!"
"Brothers! With me—we'll destroy these humans!"
Arlong's shout sent a wave of bloodlust through the fishmen. They grabbed their weapons and stormed out toward the sea.
"Take the fight to the ocean! Slash their ships before they land!"
Arlong sprinted forward, barking commands.
The ocean was their domain. He wouldn't let the Goa army set foot on shore.
"Yeah!!"
"Charge!!"
The fishmen roared with excitement, no hesitation in their eyes.
To them, humans were just prey.
But before they reached the coast...
Bang!
One by one, the fishmen dropped.
"Sniper!!"
"Take cover!"
Arlong's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He hadn't even heard the shot.
Whoever the sniper was—they were lethal.
"Pull them back! Get them inside—now!"
Hatchan and Kuroobi rushed to drag the fallen into buildings for shelter.
The rest of the fishmen scattered, diving behind rocks, crates, and walls in search of safety.
A cold wave of fear swept through them.
This wasn't like fighting villagers.
The Goa Kingdom's army was on a different level.
And somewhere deep in their instincts... they remembered.
They remembered the terror of the Grand Line, of pirates more powerful than they could ever dream of.
They remembered the Marines who patrolled Fishman Island, the days when they weren't the predators—but the prey.
Out at sea, the Goa fleet had arrived.
Sniper teams were already stationed and firing in precise intervals.
One Marine loaded bullets into a black sniper rifle for Van Auger, while others rotated and supplied additional rifles.
Van Auger stood still, calm as always.
In his hand: his signature rifle, "Chiliu."
Beside him: another glittering weapon—Victor Shaw's golden sniper rifle.
And several other standard rifles lay nearby, ready for use.
"Nice shooting, Auger. You bought us time."
Victor raised a golden telescope and peered at Cocoyasi Village, a satisfied smirk on his lips.
"Nothing special. If it's in sight, I can take it down."
Van Auger spoke casually as he fired another silent shot. Even with a basic rifle, his accuracy was perfect.
But with his beloved Chiliu, he could eliminate enemies far beyond visual range.
He could shoot birds mid-flight... or pirates across islands—before they even knew where the bullet came from.