Sakazuki nodded. "No problem. Go ahead. There's nothing much happening right now anyway. You can also make a few mini-missiles and hand them to Bullet."
Enel replied, "Got it."
Sakazuki gestured for Bullet to withdraw his power. "There's one more thing I need you to do."
Enel picked up the orange that had fallen to the ground when the ability faded. "Oh? What is it?"
Sakazuki stood up from his seat and walked over, his arm shifting into magma. "I need you to design a new bomb."
The magma on his arm flowed down to the floor, twisting and shaping itself. Within seconds, a molten island took form, covering nearly a third of the ground. As it cooled, it turned pitch-black, detailed with mountains, trees, towns, and ports, all lifelike in appearance.
Then his arm returned to flesh. Sakazuki raised his right index finger.
"Watch closely."
His finger began to move like molten lava, turning into a missile split into two halves. Then, one by one, smaller missiles filled the interior.
Enel's eyes widened. He already had an idea of what was coming.
Sakazuki closed the missile shell and stepped back a few paces, pointing it toward the black island on the floor. A jet of black smoke trailed behind as it shot forward.
Halfway through the air, it suddenly burst apart. Numerous smaller missiles scattered like raindrops, striking the island below.
A chain of explosions erupted, fire bursting from every impact. In no time, two-thirds of the island was ablaze. Flames danced across its black surface, painting it in a fiery glow.
Enel drew in a sharp breath. "That's brutal."
Even though it was only a magma simulation, he could already imagine the real thing: one shell like that could burn half an island's people alive.
'Yeah… when it comes to ruthlessness, Uncle Sakazuki still takes the crown.'
Sakazuki gave a faint smile. "Any issues?"
Enel shook his head firmly. "None. It's not hard to make. Though, for the smaller bombs inside, are we using all incendiaries?"
"You decide," Sakazuki said. "Steel balls, iron fragments, whatever you think fits. Make a few variations so we can use different ones depending on the situation."
Enel agreed. "Then we're good. Right… what do we call this bomb?"
* * *
Grand Line, Alabasta.
Robin oversaw Baroque Works members as they carried sacks of Dance Powder into the warehouse.
Dance Powder...
Her brow furrowed slightly as she thought of Crocodile's plan.
It was a long-term scheme that would take years; quietly changing how the people thought, and shifting their resentment toward Alabasta's royal family. Unless someone knew the truth, no one would ever suspect it was all orchestrated by Crocodile himself.
'That kind of patience and calculation... truly terrifying. Crocodile...'
Yet, despite all his cunning, that man was still terrified of Sakazuki.
'Can I really take my revenge, Mr. Lorca…?'
A sudden instinct made her pause. She raised her hand casually, and several arms sprouted from a distant rooftop platform, grabbing toward something unseen.
But they caught nothing.
"A hallucination?" she murmured.
* * *
Alabasta Port.
A faint sound sliced through the air as Carlo appeared in a shadowed corner, letting out a quiet sigh.
"She's grown a lot."
The child he had raised was now capable and independent. That alone brought him a sense of relief. At least he didn't have to worry about her getting hurt anymore.
For now, under Crocodile's command, the first half of the Grand Line was relatively safe. And Robin's importance ensured she would remain protected for a long while.
"Time to get to work."
His figure vanished from Alabasta in an instant.
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
At the intelligence division, Admiral Kuzan pushed open the door.
The agents greeted him warmly as usual, and he gave a slight nod in return. This was part of his routine. Every now and then, he would come to the department to review the latest pirate reports, pick out a few bounties, and take them with him.
Before long, the agents handed him a stack of new wanted posters and reports. He flipped through them carefully, but after a moment, he sighed softly.
'Still nothing…'
He slipped a few posters from the pile at random and left the room.
* * *
New World, Whole Cake Island.
In the grand hall, Big Mom was fast asleep, while Katakuri stood waiting beside her.
As evening fell, she finally stirred awake.
"Food!"
Her underlings hurried in, wheeling trays piled high with desserts and dishes onto the table. Big Mom got up and walked over, her eyes gleaming, then noticed Katakuri.
"What is it, Katakuri?"
He answered calmly, "Red-Haired Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates has entered our territory. Should we make contact, Mama?"
Big Mom tilted her head, thinking. "Red-Haired? That brat who made Kaido suffer recently, right? Interesting. Keep an eye on him. If he can give Kaido a hard time, he's not to be underestimated. Mamamama!"
Katakuri nodded. "Understood."
* * *
New World, Wano Country, Onigashima.
Kaido read through a set of documents in his hand and grinned savagely. "So they're in that old hag's territory now, huh? Are all our men in position?"
King responded, "Everything's ready. Once the Red Hair crew leaves, we strike immediately."
Kaido raised his gourd and took several long swigs. "Wororororo! That old hag Linlin… she's obsessed with her reputation. Red-Haired…"
* * *
New World, Sugar Island.
The Red Hair Pirates' ship slowly set sail.
Shanks glanced back at the island behind them and exhaled. "Finally leaving that place."
He clicked his tongue, wincing slightly from a toothache. Everything on that island was too sweet. The bread, the wine, even the blankets smelled sugary. It had nearly driven him mad.
The rest of the crew sighed in relief as well; they'd had enough of it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as the ship pulled away and the island became a tiny black dot in the distance, a series of massive explosions echoed across the sea.
Those with strong Observation Haki turned their senses back toward the island, their expressions tightening.
Yasopp frowned. "What the hell… they're attacking Big Mom's men? Do they have a grudge or something?"
Shanks' brow furrowed too. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"No. It's a setup!"
Swoosh!
He drew the sword from his waist and dashed forward.
Beckman immediately understood and shouted to the others to follow as they rushed back toward the island.
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
WEE–OOO–WEE–OOO–
The blaring alarm filled the air again.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku was in the middle of reviewing documents.
Snap!
Hearing the sound, the pen in his hand broke clean in half.
A vein bulged on his forehead.
"Dammit… who is it this time…"
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