The damp, salty sea breeze stirred Zaraki's black hair and made the cloak of justice on his back snap loudly in the wind.
Zaraki leaned against the railing at the bow of the warship, holding a report that had just been relayed through the ship's Den Den Mushi and copied onto paper.
The paper was filled with hurried notes about the Beasts Pirates' latest movements.
Jack the Drought's fury practically bled through every messy line.
Zaraki's mouth split into an undisguised grin.
That was more like it.
If they did not even react to this much, then things would be far too boring!
"You can still smile?!"
An angry voice came from behind him.
Gion strode up to Zaraki, her beautiful eyes burning with fire.
She snatched the report from his hand.
"Do you understand what you've done, Zaraki?! You directly challenged an Emperor of the Sea! Jack's fleet is already hunting you like mad! Are you planning to use this one ship to go to war with a Four Emperor's crew?"
Gion's voice was sharp with frustration.
She could not understand the way this man thought.
He did not care what he set on fire, nor did he care whether he would be burned to ash in the flames.
"If they can find me," Zaraki said, pulling his gaze back from the distant horizon and turning his head to look at her calmly, "wouldn't that be interesting?"
There was not a trace of tension in those dark eyes. Excitement flickered there instead.
Gion was choked speechless by that pure madness.
Her chest rose and fell sharply before she finally stamped her foot in anger and turned away, afraid that if she looked at him any longer, she might actually draw her sword.
"Zaraki! Warship approaching!"
Carina's voice came down from the lookout tower, calm on the surface but clearly tighter than usual.
"It's moving fast, and it's using our recognition signal!"
Gion's heart stirred, and her tense nerves eased slightly.
It had to be someone from Headquarters.
Good.
As long as Headquarters gave them a clear order and intercepted this battle-crazed lunatic, they might still be able to drag him back before he managed to poke another hole in the world.
...
A short while later, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral-class warship, built in the same standard style as their own but much larger, cut through the waves and pulled steadily alongside them.
On the deck stood a tall man with a cigar in his mouth. He waved toward them, wearing a faint, helpless smile.
Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Yamakaji.
"Yo, War Demon. Making quite the name for yourself, aren't you?"
Yamakaji spat out his cigar and teased in a strong, clear voice.
"It's only been a few days, and you nearly poked a hole through the New World route. Your name is already echoing through Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office."
He paused, then turned his gaze toward Gion, whose face was covered in frost.
His smile became a little more amused.
"Though I have to say, if you can make Momousagi willingly board your ship, maybe your charm is even sharper than your swordsmanship."
Zaraki glanced at him and said flatly, "If an Admiral candidate's blade is worth cutting, I don't mind getting into a few more entanglements with her."
"You...!"
Gion trembled with anger, pointing at Zaraki's nose but unable to curse him properly.
Did this bastard have anything in his head besides cutting people down?
She took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the urge to hit him, then turned to Yamakaji and got straight to the point.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji, you came at the perfect time. Does Headquarters have Fire Fist Ace's latest trail?"
The moment he heard that question, the teasing look on Yamakaji's face disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.
He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku has issued a new order. Gion, Zaraki, the mission to invite Fire Fist Ace to become one of the Seven Warlords is suspended immediately."
"What?" Gion froze.
"The mission is suspended?" Carina's voice drifted down from above, her brows furrowing as she leaned against the lookout platform.
"Why?"
Yamakaji sighed and lowered his voice.
"Because Fire Fist Ace has already fallen into Whitebeard's hands."
"That brat challenged Whitebeard and failed. Edward Newgate himself forcibly kept him aboard his ship."
The news instantly made Gion's expression turn extremely ugly.
Whitebeard.
The strongest man in the world.
Continuing to pursue Ace meant trying to take someone from Whitebeard's ship.
That was a declaration of war!
"So Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order is for us to escort you back to Headquarters immediately."
Yamakaji looked at Zaraki, his tone more serious than ever.
"The Kaido situation is already troublesome enough. Vice Admiral Garp has personally gone to the G-1 Branch to keep watch on the Beasts Pirates' movements for you. You absolutely cannot get involved with Whitebeard now."
Gion also hurriedly urged him, "That's right, Zaraki! This isn't the time to be stubborn. We return immediately!"
However, Zaraki seemed not to hear them at all.
He slowly turned around and looked once more toward the endless blue horizon.
His gaze was distant and deep, as if it could pierce through the space between them.
"The heavens really do like playing jokes."
He murmured softly, and the curve at the corner of his mouth had returned at some point, even stronger than before.
"I was planning to look for Kaido, but instead, Whitebeard's people came first!"
'What did that mean?'
Gion and Yamakaji exchanged a glance, and a strong sense of unease rose in both their hearts at the same time.
They subconsciously followed Zaraki's gaze.
At first, there was only a straight line where the sea met the sky.
But soon, a tiny black dot appeared at the center of that line, slowly emerging and growing larger.
It was the outline of a ship.
The vessel carried a whale-shaped figurehead, and the pirate flag on the main mast—a white crescent mustache over crossed bones—made its allegiance unmistakable.
It was not the Moby Dick itself.
It was a division ship of the Whitebeard Pirates!