Every Marine who witnessed the scene froze in shock.
Then their expressions twisted into horror.
"The Vice Admiral… he's… dead?"
"Hurry! Run!"
"Send this to Marine Headquarters!"
"That bounty hunter is a monster!"
Almost instantly, their will to fight collapsed. No one wanted to remain here a second longer.
Even the Vice Admiral hadn't been able to withstand Yuno—what chance did they have?
Vice Admiral Onigumo's strength was well known. To these Marines, seeing him cut down so swiftly was unthinkable.
The saying "a crushing defeat" had never felt more real.
They had arrived swiftly, and now they retreated just as quickly…
Yuno himself was surprised. He had only intended to seriously injure Onigumo—he hadn't expected to kill him outright.
He had underestimated the explosive power of that strike.
Still, Yuno did not pursue the fleeing Marines. Not out of mercy, but because the strain from his earlier burst had pushed his body to its limits.
Pain pulsed through him—a mixture of the backlash from his instantaneous burst of speed and the exhaustion of battle.
"Hah… tell Doflamingo I hope he doesn't turn down my proposal again. Next time, it won't just be him—it'll be the end of the entire Donquixote Family."
"Oh… and don't forget the billion-Berry ransom."
Straightening up, Yuno shot Diamante a cold glance, then turned and left.
First, he needed somewhere to recover.
Diamante finally let out a shaky breath.
The pressure Yuno radiated had been suffocating. Even without being on the receiving end of that last strike, the sheer force of it had rattled his soul.
This level of power was something he'd only seen from great pirates of the New World—those with bounties over a billion.
Even the Young Master could not match it.
Marineford – A Day Later
Inside Marine Headquarters, a meeting of the highest-ranking officers was underway when a brigadier general burst into the room.
"Report to the Fleet Admiral! Urgent news from the North Blue!"
The officer swallowed hard before continuing:
"A bounty hunter known as Quincy engaged one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo—on Baviljiang Island. Doflamingo was defeated!"
Shock rippled through the room.
Before anyone could fully process that, the officer's voice grew heavier:
"Shortly after, Vice Admiral Onigumo—who had been dispatched to the area—engaged the Quincy. He was killed in action. The rest of his unit withdrew without casualties."
"What?!"
Vice Admiral Doberman shot to his feet, his expression dark.
Even the admirals looked grim.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's brow furrowed.
"I want a full report—every detail."
Minutes later, after reading the transmission, Sengoku slammed the folder onto the table.
"Put all other matters aside. This takes priority."
Several Days Later – Worldwide Headlines
Newsbirds spread the story across every ocean: the East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, North Blue, the first half of the Grand Line, and even the New World.
The front page read:
North Blue Shock!
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo, was defeated by a North Blue bounty hunter known as the Quincy! On the same day, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo was slain in battle while pursuing this dangerous criminal."
Along with it came a newly issued bounty poster — a figure in a black-and-white mask, thunder crackling behind him.
The notice read:
"Quincy" — name unknown.
Possesses superhuman elemental abilities combining lightning and fire.
Bounty: 188,880,000 berries.
This individual is considered extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.
The news shook the world.
Who was this mysterious Quincy?
And why would he openly target both the Navy and the Seven Warlords of the Sea?
The New World — Second Half of the Grand Line
A massive whale-shaped ship sailed steadily across the open sea.
This was the Moby Dick, flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, captained by the world's strongest man — Edward Newgate, "Whitebeard."
On deck, a lively banquet was underway, filled with laughter and the clinking of sake cups.
Suddenly, Fourth Division Captain Thatch, holding a fresh newspaper, froze mid-bite. His eyes scanned the page, growing wider with every line, until he abruptly stood up.
"That guy Doflamigo… defeated in the Four Seas?!"
His voice carried over the chatter, instantly silencing the deck.
Dozens of curious eyes turned toward him.
Third Division Captain Jozu, his body glinting faintly like a diamond, leaned forward.
"Thatch, is that for real?"
Thatch handed over the newspaper.
Jozu read aloud:
"'Quincy,' name unknown… user of a superhuman elemental fruit… bounty at 188.88 million berries?!"
Gasps echoed among the younger crew members.
"Nearly two hundred million on a first bounty? That's never happened before!"
Off to the side, Marshall D. Teach smiled his usual harmless grin — but his eyes gleamed for a split second when he read "elemental fruit."
Elemental fruit, eh? Not bad… but still nothing compared to Pops' Tremor-Tremor Fruit…
First Division Commander Marco chuckled.
"Heh… guess the Shichibukai aren't all that scary after all."
Whitebeard, towering and broad-shouldered, took a long swig of sake before glancing at the bounty poster. His deep laugh rumbled like distant thunder.
"Gurararara! Wearing a mask, huh? Is he some big-shot pirate… or just an upstart?"
Marco shrugged with a grin.
"If he heads into the Grand Line, we'll find out soon enough. The New World's gonna get noisy."
Whitebeard's smile grew, exuding his overwhelming presence.
"Noise or not… it's still just a pirate's game. Gurarara! Since Roger's death and the Golden Lion's disappearance, there are few left in this age worth my attention."
His words were arrogant, but they rang true — the title of "World's Strongest Man" was no empty boast.
Elsewhere — Wano Country
In his fortress, Kaido of the Hundred Beasts crushed a newspaper in his massive hand, his expression dark.
"Doflamingo… you'd better deliver what I want on time. If you don't—"
He tipped back an entire jug of sake in one gulp.
"—I'll come to you myself."
Across the seas, other pirates and shadowy figures of the Underworld read the same news — each with their own silent, calculating reaction.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.