New World, Dressrosa Royal Palace.
Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting half of Donquixote Doflamingo's body—clad in his signature pink feather coat—into sharp shadow.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! What an incredible troublemaker!"
Doflamingo leaned back into the leather sofa, a headline newspaper gripped in his hand. The corners of his mouth beneath his shades curled into an exaggerated, jagged angle as he let out a burst of wild laughter.
"Roger started this Great Pirate Era and turned the world upside down. I didn't expect that in this 'stable' period, another madman would emerge bold enough to reach directly into the Celestial Dragons' pockets!"
He extended a finger, flicking the bounty poster of Portgas D. Ace. The image captured dark red wings of fire.
"Since someone has taken the lead in trampling the face of the 'Creators,' the bottom line is officially gone. The rookies will only get bolder. The World Government is going to have its hands full trying to bury this mess. Fuffuffuffu, how satisfying!"
Doflamingo abruptly jerked the curtains shut, plunging the room into darkness. "Let this drama play out. I want to see just how far those idiots can fall!"
Inside the cold, dry secret chamber, the air felt thick with tension.
"A Captain worth 1.57 billion... and an entire cabinet of officers over a hundred million."
Sir Crocodile's face was as grim as a stagnant pool. Seated in his high-backed leader's chair, he bit down hard on his cigar. The gold hook serving as his left hand unconsciously carved a deep, jagged groove into the mahogany table.
For years, he had been a patient spider, weaving a web in this desert nation to seize an Ancient Weapon. He had never dreamed that a "new wave" would surge forth so violently, tearing the World Government's prestige to shreds before his own plan was even ripe.
"The growth rate of these wild dogs is simply too fast." Crocodile exhaled a thick, suffocating cloud of smoke and crushed the newspaper into fine dust. "I can't afford to move slowly anymore. If I don't master that power soon, I'll be buried by these rampaging grains of sand!"
He looked toward the doorway, his eyes dark. "Accelerate the plan. I want Alabasta in the shortest time possible."
In a dark corner by the bookshelf, a tall, elegant woman with long black hair watched the 1.5 billion bounty poster nailed to the wall. Nico Robin's gaze remained unfathomable. For twenty years, she had been the "Devil Child," accustomed to ambitious men who bowed before the World Government.
A faint glimmer flashed in her eyes as she stared at the man who raised a banner of rebellion in the heart of the Nobles' minefield. No one knew what she was thinking.
Sandstorms whistled past the defensive ramparts of the Revolutionary Army headquarters.
Monkey D. Dragon stood in the howling wind, his dark green windbreaker snapping around him. He held the newspaper featuring the Eclipse Pirates. His gaze scrutinized Ace, dubbed "The Outlier," and the array of officers below him.
"Chief, this crew is fierce," Koala reported, her expression grave. "They publicly looted the Heavenly Tribute and showed no respect to a former Marine Admiral or CP0. They aren't just pirates; they are a blatant provocation to the World Government."
"Not yet," Dragon said, folding the paper against the wind. "Pirates have their own course. But these rookies have smashed a hole in the walls of privilege the Government is so proud of. The enemy of my enemy has value."
On Dragon's tattooed face, his gaze became deep. "As long as their fire to overturn the rules isn't extinguished, we will meet at the top as allies."
Thud!
The rugged mountain bandit Dadan took one look at the new bounty, her vision went black, and she collapsed onto the floor amidst a sea of wine bottles like a toppled iron tower.
But on the roof above, it was a different world.
"Woah-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!"
Luffy's feet were sunk deep into the old roof tiles. He held the newspaper high, his large eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated excitement.
"1.57 billion! 820 million! That's incredible! Ace! Sabo! You guys are so cool!!!"
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, facing the vast, boundless sea. He opened his mouth and let out the simplest, most uninhibited roar in the world.
"Wait for me! I won't lose to you guys! When I set sail, I'll form a crew even better than yours! Because—I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!!!"
In the backyard of an old dojo, a swordsman with moss-green hair swung two wooden swords with heavy, bone-deep thuds.
By his feet lay a torn bounty page: Swordmaster Leona, 210,000,000 Berries.
Zoro panted heavily, his bare chest glistening with sweat. He stopped his swings and looked down at the wild, sharp gaze of the woman on the poster. A figure who had passed away years ago surfaced in his mind—the goal he lived to surpass.
"A female swordswoman with a bounty over 200 million." Zoro pulled the towel from his neck, his eyes hardening. "If the tide is already surging this high, I have no right to dawdle here!"
With a grunt of effort, he struck. The thick wooden post in front of him was sliced clean through in a flash of afterimages.
Across the vast oceans, blood was beginning to boil.
Bounty hunters with bloodshot eyes stared at the posters, dreaming of a single kill that would make them rich for life. Ignorant pirates sharpened their teeth, hoping to use the "arrogant" Eclipse Pirates as a stepping stone to fame. Even ordinary criminals, who once shrank from the Government's authority, felt a surge of greedy envy at the thought of plundering the Heavenly Tribute.
Pirates, hunters, and thugs—they were all crazed sharks smelling blood in the water. Desires were no longer hidden. The Great Pirate Era had reached its boiling point.
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