New World, Waters Near Moroni Island
Three Marine warships cut through the waves, their white sails bearing the seagull-and-scales insignia of justice.
On the flagship's deck, Admiral Finn sat with a fishing rod in hand, the line trailing lazily into the dark blue water below. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, as though he were on a pleasure cruise rather than a military operation.
A few paces behind him, his secretary Hina worked through a stack of administrative documents, sorting them efficiently while keeping one eye on her commanding officer.
Nearby, Commodore Vergo leaned against the railing, methodically working his way through a box of grilled skewers. A small smudge of sauce adorned his left cheek, though he seemed entirely unaware of it.
Vergo had originally been stationed at G-7. When Finn was promoted to Admiral and returned to Headquarters, he'd brought Vergo along. It would have been awkward to leave him at G-7 under Gion's command, after all. The man was a spy, and Finn preferred keeping him where he could be watched closely.
Not that Vergo knew he'd been compromised.
The Commodore had been eager to follow Finn to Headquarters anyway, seeing it as an opportunity to advance his career and gather better intelligence. He'd even earned a promotion to Commodore in the process.
Finn's fishing rod suddenly jerked. His eyes lit up, and with a smooth motion, he yanked upward, pulling a large sea fish from the depths. The thin line held despite the weight, and the fish sailed through the air, landing with a wet slap on the deck near Vergo's feet.
Vergo set down his skewers without complaint, drew a dagger from his belt, and crouched to dispatch the fish with a single precise stab. Then he began untangling the hook and line with practiced efficiency.
He'd done this many times before.
"Admiral," Vergo said as he worked, "what are we doing on Moroni Island this time?"
"Catching someone," Finn replied without turning around.
"Who?" Vergo's hands paused for the briefest moment, his mind racing.
As far as he knew, his young master Donquixote Doflamingo was currently on Moroni Island. Could Finn be planning to capture Doffy?
If so, he'd need to find a way to send warning immediately.
Finn's lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes remained on the water.
According to Marine intelligence, he was well aware of Doflamingo's presence on Moroni. But the Warlord candidate wasn't the target this time. As long as Doffy kept his head down and didn't cause major problems, the Marines were content to ignore him. And Doflamingo, for his part, seemed to have learned his lesson from their previous encounter. He rarely provoked the Marines these days.
This time, Finn was after one of Doflamingo's associates.
"Blood Torrent Craster," Finn said calmly.
"The pirate with a five-hundred-sixty-million-berry bounty?" Vergo asked after a moment's hesitation. "The one they call the most vicious rookie?"
"He's not a rookie anymore," Finn corrected.
"Why are we going after him now?" Vergo continued, his tone carefully casual. "And why are you handling it personally, Admiral?"
It was a fair question. Blood Torrent Craster was dangerous, certainly. He'd defeated a Vice Admiral in combat and led the massacre at the Spring Queen Island Marine Base. But based on that alone, he didn't seem like someone who required an Admiral's direct intervention.
Finn's mind drifted back to the conversation he'd had a few days ago in the Fleet Admiral's office.
Flashback: Fleet Admiral's Office, Several Days Prior
Two matters had been discussed during that meeting with Sengoku and Kong.
The first had been about Finn's Admiral title, or more specifically, his codename.
Finn had been genuinely surprised when Kong brought it up.
In the original timeline, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino had all adopted the neat naming convention: color plus animal. Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru. Red Dog, Blue Pheasant, Yellow Monkey.
But in this era, Admirals didn't seem to follow such strict conventions. Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr had far more casual monikers. They certainly didn't match any particular pattern.
And during the months since his promotion, no one had mentioned a codename. Finn was still just "the Violent Tiger," and Marine personnel typically addressed him as "Admiral Finn" or simply "Admiral."
So the sudden interest in formal titles had caught him off guard.
Still, seeing how enthusiastic Kong and Sengoku were about the idea, Finn hadn't wanted to dampen their spirits. He'd told them to come up with a few suitable options, and when he returned from this mission, he'd pick one and be done with it.
The second matter had been Blood Torrent Craster.
Finn had never heard of the man in the original timeline, but that wasn't surprising. The seas were full of powerful pirates, countless ambitious captains rising and falling like waves. It was impossible to know them all.
According to Marine intelligence, Craster was a formidable pirate who'd ridden the first wave of the Great Pirate Era.
He was thirty-eight years old now, born in the South Blue. In 1500, the year of Roger's execution, he'd set sail under his own flag, joining the tide of ambition sweeping across the world.
At first, he'd been unremarkable. But after entering the first half of the Grand Line, he'd stumbled upon a Devil Fruit by pure chance: the Paramecia-type Blood-Blood Fruit.
Everything had changed after that.
The Blood-Blood Fruit was devastatingly powerful. In combat, if an opponent suffered even the smallest wound, if even a single drop of blood was spilled, Craster could seize control of it. He could forcibly drain every drop of blood from a person's body, killing them instantly.
That was how the Vice Admiral on Spring Queen Island had died. His corpse had looked like dried leather, completely desiccated.
After that massacre, Craster had charged into the New World with unstoppable momentum.
Currently, the New World was dominated by Whitebeard, with Charlotte Linlin as the second major power. Kaido had gone quiet, seemingly lying low. There was no stable Four Emperors structure yet, just chaos. Countless pirate crews of varying strength fought for territory and resources in a brutal free-for-all.
And Craster, leveraging his personal strength and the tyrannical power of the Blood-Blood Fruit, had carved out his own territory. He'd established a foothold among the chaos.
Then the Seven Warlords of the Sea initiative had been announced.
For reasons known only to him, Craster had decided he wanted to become a Warlord. Perhaps he'd realized his own limitations in the New World. Perhaps he needed a few years to grow stronger before he could challenge Whitebeard or Linlin. Perhaps he saw the Warlord position as a chance to consolidate power and recover.
Whatever his reasoning, he'd submitted a formal application to the World Government.
And coincidentally, his goals aligned perfectly with what the Government wanted from the Warlords. The Government hoped to use pirates to eliminate other pirates, and Craster's ambitions guaranteed he'd continue hunting rival crews.
Combined with his strength and growing reputation, the World Government had deemed him an ideal candidate. They'd accepted his application.
If things had proceeded as planned, Craster would soon become the first official member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But Fleet Admiral Kong had gotten wind of it.
The Marines and the World Government had very different priorities when it came to selecting Warlords. Craster was obviously dangerous. If he was allowed several years to grow under Government protection, he could become a genuine threat.
More importantly, the Marines had a blood debt with him. Allowing him to become a Warlord would be an insult to every Marine who'd died on Spring Queen Island.
So Kong had made a decision: send Finn to kill Craster before the official Warlord appointment could be finalized. Eliminate him as a candidate and send a message to the World Government.
The strategy was based on Finn's own proposal from the original Warlord planning meeting, the contingency plan for controlling who could join the system.
Finn had accepted the mission without hesitation.
The first Warlord seat belonged to Smoker. Until the White Hunter was ready, Finn wasn't going to let anyone else claim that title.
Present
Finn's thoughts returned to the present. He smiled faintly at Vergo's question. "Because Craster wants to become one of the Seven Warlords."
As a Commodore, Vergo was permitted to attend some meetings but barred from others. Clearly, the detailed discussions about Warlord policy fell into the latter category.
He looked confused. "Admiral, I don't understand."
"Our Marine strongly opposes the Warlord system," Finn said, his tone almost conversational. "You understand that much, right?"
"Of course," Vergo replied with rehearsed conviction. "As servants of justice, how could we allow piracy to be legalized?"
If I didn't know you were a traitor, I might actually believe that, Finn thought wryly.
Out loud, he continued, "But ultimately, we couldn't stop the Warlord plan from being implemented. So we allowed it to pass. However, that doesn't mean we're powerless." He reeled in his line slowly, checking the bait. "Every policy has countermeasures. We still have plenty of ways to control the Warlord organization. And one of our rules is simple: if you don't have the Marine's approval, even if the World Government agrees to make you a Warlord, we'll find a way to disrupt it."
"Like this time?" Vergo asked, understanding beginning to dawn.
"Exactly like this time," Finn confirmed. "The World Government agreed to make Craster a Warlord. Our Marine decided he was unsuitable. So I'm here to eliminate him." His smile widened slightly. "No matter how powerful the World Government is, if they want to appoint a dead man or an Impel Down prisoner as a Warlord, they're welcome to try. We'll even applaud the effort."
Vergo felt a chill run down his spine.
He'd contacted Doflamingo recently and learned that his young master was also pursuing a Warlord position, working through his extensive connections within the World Government to smooth the path.
But if what Admiral Finn was saying was true, those connections meant nothing. Even if the World Government opened the door, you still couldn't walk through it. Because if you didn't have the Marine's consent, they'd kill you before you could claim the title.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea wasn't a privilege. It was a target painted on your back.
He needed to warn Doffy. Immediately.
"Won't this anger the World Government?" Vergo asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.
"The World Government?" Finn's smile turned cold. "Ever since I became Admiral, the relationship between the Marines and the Government has been... strained."
It was true. Kong and Sengoku had clashed violently with the Five Elders over Finn's promotion. The dispute had escalated to the point where Kong had threatened to resign, and Sengoku had hinted at a mass walkout of senior officers. The Five Elders had eventually backed down.
Finn had gotten his Admiral rank. But from that moment forward, a deep rift had opened between the Marines and the World Government.
"Besides," Finn added, casting his line back into the water, "we're operating within the rules. It's perfectly natural for the Marine to hunt pirates, isn't it? As long as we move quickly, the World Government won't have grounds to complain."
Vergo nodded slowly, his mind already racing through how to relay this information to Doflamingo without exposing himself.
Behind them, Hina continued working through her documents, occasionally glancing up at the horizon.
The waters near Moroni Island were growing closer.
And somewhere on that island, Blood Torrent Craster had no idea what was coming for him.
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