"Believe it or not—give me three seconds, and I'll have you kneeling and calling me Daddy. Trash."
The moment those words left his mouth, the eyes hidden behind Saint Charlia's sunglasses narrowed to slits, murderous intent practically spilling out.
Just like every Celestial Dragon who had ever been insulted, her reaction was almost reflexive—absolute arrogance born of habit. She raised the exquisitely decorated, specially made pistol in her hand without the slightest hesitation.
At the same time, Enel across from her bared a savage grin and slowly lifted his index finger. Dazzling arcs of lightning danced wildly at his fingertip, crackling as they gathered, ready to erupt at any moment.
The air froze.A single spark would be enough to ignite everything.
"Bang!"
A sharp gunshot rang out first.
In the split second before Saint Charlia could fully pull the trigger—just as Enel's lightning was about to explode—
Only a visible ripple distorted the air where they had stood.
Kuma and Enel… vanished from the spot.
The bullet tore through empty space and slammed into the bench behind them, leaving behind a charred, smoking bullet hole.
Saint Charlia stood there with the gun still raised, frozen in place. Behind her sunglasses, her gaze was filled with confusion.
The guards behind her exchanged stunned looks—they hadn't seen how those two people disappeared at all.
At the same time—Sabaody Archipelago, Mangrove Area 55.
"Buzz."
The air rippled once more, and Kuma and Enel reappeared out of thin air.
Enel was still holding his raised finger. Lightning crackled twice at his fingertip before slowly fading away.
He blinked, first taking in the completely different surroundings—the towering mangrove trees, the large numbered marking—then turned to look at the utterly calm Kuma beside him.
The next second, it hit him.
"AAAAH! YOU DAMN BIG BASTARD!!!"Enel instantly pointed his golden staff straight at Kuma's nose—though it didn't quite reach.
"What the hell did you just do?! Who told you to slap this god away?!I was this close to letting that ignorant woman experience divine punishment!You dare interrupt this god's judgment?!"
Faced with Enel's furious outburst, Kuma remained steady as ever, explaining patiently,
"That Celestial Dragon—Saint Charlia—is a critical 'fuse.'"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Straw Hat Luffy is the son of Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the grandson of the Marine hero Garp.Given his personality, once he arrives at Sabaody, there's a very high probability that he will clash with that Celestial Dragon."
"We need a more 'appropriate' reason to intervene—rather than being the ones to directly provoke a conflict with a Celestial Dragon.Letting Straw Hat ignite the fuse first, and then stepping in afterward, is far more suitable."
Enel frowned deeply, his expression full of irritation.
"Reason my ass! Since when do you need a damn reason to fight?You see someone you don't like, you walk up and beat them—simple! That's how a god does things!Kill that woman first, then go deal with Straw Hat and his crew—same difference!"
Watching Enel's completely brain-off, charge-first mindset, Kuma—well aware of his temperament—shifted his approach and reframed his words in a way more likely to appeal to this so-called "god."
"That's not quite it. In everyone's eyes, Celestial Dragons are beings of supreme status—everyone fears them.If the Straw Hat crew clashes with them, the entire Sabaody Archipelago will instantly fall into chaos."
As he spoke, Kuma calmly fixed his gaze on Enel, his tone carrying a subtle, guiding persuasion.
"And then—amid that 'chaos'—you descend like thunder itself, displaying divine might.When everyone is already terrified of the Celestial Dragon, you kill her."
"In that moment, your 'divine authority' and your 'untouchable presence' will be displayed in the most perfect, most shocking way possible.Let everyone see it clearly—what are Celestial Dragons worth?You, Enel, are the true god. This is the consequence of angering a god."
"But the god himself did not seek conflict—rather, his majesty simply cannot be defiled."
Sure enough, the moment the argument touched on his "divine authority" and "perfect presentation," Enel's attitude subtly shifted.
He licked his lips, imagination running wild—picturing the scene where he killed a Celestial Dragon feared by all, and the crowd's terror transforming into even deeper awe toward him.
A surge of secret satisfaction welled up inside him, and he couldn't quite suppress the curl of his lips.
You're that powerful… and I still kill you.Yeah. That does feel good.
Especially the way Kuma described it—it really did sound… far more stylish than just charging in headfirst.
With that thought, Enel stroked his chin, pondered for a few seconds, then glanced sideways and coughed lightly, clearly tempted.
"Really? This god will become great once again?"
Having partnered with Enel for so long, Kuma knew his personality inside and out—and knew this "persuasion" had already succeeded more than halfway.
His expression relaxed slightly, and a gentle smile appeared.
"Naturally."
"Hmph!"Enel snorted arrogantly, effectively accepting Kuma's plan—though his mouth, as always, didn't let up.
"Fine. I'll listen to you this once! But if the time comes and this god can't properly display his divine might, I'll strike you down too!"
Kuma: "..."
(Silently raises the priority of "buying apple candy skewers" even higher.)
...
Several days later—Sabaody Archipelago.
Arriving in no particular order, but one after another, ten pirates each bearing bounties exceeding one hundred million gathered on the archipelago.
Known for their disruptive actions that overturned the traditional order, they became the representatives of a new era—the group officially dubbed the Worst Generation.
They were:
Eustass "Captain" Kid — Bounty: 315,000,000 Beli"Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy — Bounty: 300,000,000 Beli"Magician" Basil Hawkins — Bounty: 249,000,000 Beli"Red Flag" X. Drake — Bounty: 222,000,000 Beli"Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law — Bounty: 200,000,000 Beli"Roar of the Sea" Scratchmen Apoo — Bounty: 198,000,000 Beli"Massacre Soldier" Killer — Bounty: 162,000,000 Beli"Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro — Bounty: 120,000,000 BeliCapone "Gang" Bege — Bounty: 138,000,000 Beli"Mad Monk" Urouge — Bounty: 108,000,000 Beli
As a side note, let's clarify a concept.
Supernova refers to rookie pirates whose bounties rapidly surpass 100 million Beli in a short period of time. Every era has its own Supernovas—it is a broader designation. For example, before Luffy's generation, Portgas D. Ace was also considered a Supernova.
Worst Generation, however, specifically refers to the Supernovas of Luffy's generation who gathered at Sabaody Archipelago.
Due to their subversive actions and enormous potential, the World Government regarded them as a unique and extremely dangerous collective—together forming a singular symbol of a "new era."
As for Blackbeard—he was originally just another Supernova. It was only after the Summit War that he was officially classified as part of the Worst Generation.
..…
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