The sky outside the window had darkened, and the office lights cast a tired halo on his graying hair.
Vice Admiral Tsuru sat gracefully on the sofa, a wisp of hot steam rising from the teacup in her hand. She took a delicate sip of the specially prepared floral tea, its aroma lingering between her lips and teeth.
"Have Sakazuki stand by," her voice was as calm as a windless sea, but her eyes, which saw through the world, never left the screen. "However..."
Her gaze lingered for a moment on Kaido's wild, laughing face, her fingertips thoughtfully caressing the rim of the cup.
"To make that self-indulgent Kaido so excited, even to the point of provoking the World Government to livestream..." The reflection in the teacup subtly swayed with her movement. "I'm very curious whose secret he'll reveal."
Sengoku's gaze returned to the screen, looking at the expectant expressions of the Three Disasters behind Kaido, and the cheering pirates on Onigashima.
He subconsciously touched the thick stack of bounty posters on his desk, the topmost one displaying Kaido's ferocious face. "Information that can make even the Four Emperors care so much..." His voice gradually deepened. "I'm afraid it will stir up a new storm in this vast sea."
Urgent footsteps sounded from outside the office, and the messenger's flustered voice rang out from the door: "Report! Admiral Akainu has assembled the special operations unit!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru gently set down her teacup, the porcelain clinking crisply against the glass coffee table. She exchanged a knowing look with Sengoku; both understood that tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
The sea breeze outside the window suddenly became more urgent, as if foretelling the coming turmoil.
...
Revolutionary Army Headquarters,
The dimly lit conference room was packed with cadres, each person's eyes fixed on the projection screen. Kaido's wild and unrestrained face filled the entire display. He was holding a sake flask, drunkenly announcing that he would "randomly select a person to reveal their secret."
Dragon stood at the very front, his dark green cloak fluttering without a breeze, his eyes beneath the shadows as sharp as knives. Behind him, Sabo's forehead was already slick with cold sweat, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his pipe weapon.
"Hey, hey, this guy wouldn't really..." Koala bit her nails, her voice trembling slightly. "What if he suddenly reveals the location of our strongholds...?"
Betty slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "What a joke! We've worked so hard to..."
"Calm down." Dragon's low voice instantly silenced everyone, but his fists were already quietly clenched. "Let's see what happens first."
The air in the conference room seemed to solidify; everyone held their breath. Ivankov's large face was uncharacteristically devoid of a smile, his eyes blinking nervously; Halk's fins twitched uneasily; even Crow, usually so composed, pulled his hat brim lower.
Sabo stared intently at the screen, countless emergency plans flashing through his mind. If Kaido really let something slip, they would have to immediately relocate all their strongholds before the Marine could act...
The Revolutionary Army collectively gasped, and Koala even instinctively covered her ears. At this moment, they would rather face ten Admirals than hear Kaido's next words.
...
Inside the Coating Craftsman Bar on Sabaody Archipelago, the dim yellow light cast mottled shadows on the wooden bar.
Rayleigh sat alone at the bar, his faded red shirt open, revealing the scars of time on his chest. The rum in his hand gently swayed in the glass, the amber liquid reflecting the projection screen hanging above the bar.
"Oh? Kaido, that guy, is playing such a big game?" Rayleigh's low voice held a hint of amusement.
He narrowed his eyes; beneath his silver eyebrows, his eyes, having weathered countless storms, gleamed with sharp light. Kaido's wild and unrestrained face on the screen was exaggeratedly magnified, even the ferocious scar clearly visible.
Shakky, the bar owner, emerged from the back kitchen, wiping a glass in her hand. She leaned against the bar, exhaling a perfect smoke ring: "What? Even the legendary Pluton is interested in this?"
Rayleigh chuckled softly, tilting his head back to down the drink in his glass. His Adam's apple bobbed with the swallowing motion, and a few drops of liquor trickled down his graying beard.
"The kids of the New Era always manage to surprise people." His gaze didn't leave the screen. "But this time... it seems the tide is even more turbulent than I imagined."
Outside the window, the unique fluorescent moss of Mangrove No. 13 emitted a faint blue glow in the night. Rayleigh's gaze passed through the window, looking out at the distant, undulating sea.
He seemed to see the execution from over twenty years ago, and heard Roger's final laugh. The sea breeze then was just as salty as it was now.
"Another drink?" Shakky rattled the liquor bottle.
Rayleigh shook his head, pushing the empty glass forward. His knuckles were calloused, marks left from years of wielding a sword. "Save it for later. I just feel..." His gaze returned to the screen. "We're about to see something interesting."
In the corner of the bar, several young pirates were nervously watching the screen, completely unaware that the legendary Pirate King's First Mate was sitting nearby.
Rayleigh looked at their vibrant faces, a smile unconsciously curving his lips. The tide of the New Era was always stirred up by these young people who didn't know the immensity of the world.
On the screen, Kaido had begun watching the subsequent content of the 'Pirate King' novel. Rayleigh adjusted his posture, his back ramrod straight. At this moment, he was no longer the reclusive coating craftsman, but had transformed back into "Pluton" Rayleigh, who once dominated the seas.
...
New World, on the deck of the going merry,
The lingering glow of the sunset spilled onto the pristine deck, stretching everyone's shadows long. The aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen; Luffy was devouring a mountain of grilled meat at an astonishing speed, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, his greasy lips still stained with meat scraps.
"Hey! Luffy! Stop eating! Kaido's about to start!" Nami couldn't take it anymore, delivering a sharp rap to her Captain's rubber head. A dull thud echoed, startling Chopper, who was secretly snacking on grapes nearby, almost making him choke.
"Puwah!" Luffy's head snapped sideways from the blow, spitting out a few pieces of meat, but he immediately stretched his neck to catch and swallow them back. He puffed out his cheeks, turning his head in confusion: "Huh? Kaido?"
Nami tugged his ear, forcibly twisting his face towards the massive projection screen fixed to the mast.
On the screen, Kaido was laughing wildly with a sake flask in hand, his Conqueror's Haki seemingly radiating through the screen.
Luffy's chewing suddenly stopped, his eyes visibly sharpening. He forcefully swallowed the food in his mouth, his rubber throat making a loud "gul-lup" sound.
Four Emperors!
.....
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