On the open sea, the massive warship Oak Dragon sliced through the waves, steadily approaching the relocated Marine Headquarters—New Marineford, built atop the Red Line adjacent to Mary Geoise.
On the polished deck, Solomon Carl, Vice Admiral and commander of the Oak Dragon, lounged comfortably in a reclining chair, flipping through a freshly printed issue of the World Economic Journal.
"Charlotte Linlin, that lunatic Yonko, actually got struck so hard she lost her memory?" he muttered, amused.
His brows lifted in mild surprise. It wasn't that he hadn't hit her hard—Carl's final slash back during the Totland Incident had been a direct strike. But he didn't stick around to see the aftermath. He escaped right after clashing with Katakuri and Big Mom, and had no idea that the blow led to her amnesia—similar to what later happened after her fall at the hands of Queen and Chopper's crew during the Wano arc. Either way, the "Iron Balloon" was tougher than anyone gave her credit for.
"Report! Vice Admiral Carl!" T. Penn—a grizzled Marine officer bearing fresh battle wounds—saluted sharply as he approached. "New Marineford is in sight!"
His uniform bore slashes and scorch marks from recent encounters.
Indeed, Carl's journey through the first half of the Grand Line had been far from peaceful. Since the Marine Headquarters' relocation to the New World post-Marineford War, lawlessness had begun to creep back into the seas. And with Carl temporarily away from command, many pirates had wrongly assumed Marineford was weakly defended.
"Prepare to disembark," Carl said as he stood, surveying the waters. The ocean shimmered, deceptively calm. But beneath the surface was tension—a storm was coming.
He turned toward Penn again. "Go call that lunatic Yamato from the cabin."
"Yes, sir!"
Throughout their voyage, a new name had quietly begun spreading across the sea—Major "Kozuki Oden" of the Marines.
Of course, the name was just a code. The real identity was Yamato, daughter of Kaido of the Beasts. Disguised under the title "Kozuki Oden," she had proven herself more ferocious and effective than anyone expected. She had apprehended more pirates than T. Penn, cutting down opponents with thunderous Haoshoku Haki bursts and brute strength.
Carl's office now resided inside what used to be the Fleet Admiral's Office at Marineford. It was his personal command room, with a panoramic view of the sea.
"First priority—cleanse the entire perimeter of New Marineford," Carl ordered, skimming the latest reports. His amber eyes glinted coldly, like a predator.
"Also notify the forces stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago. Bright and the others need to tighten the blockade."
"Yes, sir!" T. Penn acknowledged crisply.
Yamato, already lounging in the warship's lounge with her kanabo resting beside her, grinned wildly.
"As long as there's a fight, count me in!" she declared, swinging her legs carelessly. Her thirst for battle had only grown since joining Carl's fleet.
Meanwhile, across the Grand Line, pirate crews had begun to notice something off.
Ever since the Marine Headquarters had moved to the New World, reckless captains had taken bolder steps—some even trying to emulate Whitebeard, thinking they could make a name by challenging Marineford directly.
Though none had succeeded, it was true that Marineford hadn't retaliated for a while—until recently.
In the past month alone, pirate groups that tried sailing into Marineford's waters had vanished without a trace. No transmissions. No survivors. It was as if an enormous beast beneath the sea had swallowed them whole.
At Sabaody Archipelago, chaos broke loose.
"Run for your lives!" a pirate screamed, tripping over his own feet.
"It's the Marine Ghost—Coffey—he's here!"
"We can't beat him! Get out of here!"
One after another, pirates fled in panic as Coffey, a silent demon clad in standard Marine blues, flickered through the air. He reappeared behind each escapee in an instant—and with a single swing of his long blade, cut them down mercilessly.
The blade gleamed crimson under the sunlight. No mercy. No hesitation.
Moments later, the battlefield was still. Every pirate had fallen.
"You've improved, Coffey," said Bright, stepping calmly from the shadows. His glasses reflected the sun's gleam as he surveyed the scene. "You're far stronger than when we last trained."
In fact, the once-distant gap between Bright—now a Sabaody Marine Colonel—and Coffey was rapidly shrinking. Thanks to the mastery of the Mark-Mark Fruit, Coffey's ability to teleport to marked locations had made him almost untouchable in combat. With precision and timing, he could even match some Rear Admirals.
"I can't stop now," Coffey said, breathing steadily. "Compared to Carl, I'm still leagues behind!"
Carl, meanwhile, finally disembarked at Marineford's harbor.
With Yamato and T. Penn overseeing internal defense, and Coffey and Bear locking down Sabaody, Carl's dual jurisdictions were becoming fortresses. Imposing and unshakable. Like twin mountains on opposite ends of the sea.
All that remained for him was to hone his skills and expand his influence—training, coordinating, and waiting for the right moment to strike deeper into the New World.
Even the mountain of paperwork that came with command, he cheerfully delegated to his subordinates and officers. He had bigger plans in motion.
The euphemistic term was that he was "exercising his ability," but in truth, Carl was gradually shaping Coffey and Yamato to become his real right and left hands.
At the same time, under Coffey's lead, Yamato's monstrous combat strength—worthy of being called "Oni" and heir to Oden's will—finally began to surface with frightening clarity.
In the eyes of pirates across the first half of the Grand Line, the names "Ghost" and "Kozuki Oden" had now taken on new, terrifying meaning—associated not with myths or the past, but with active figures of Marine power.
Out at sea, atop a small drifting boat.
Carl lay flat on his back, a fishing rod planted next to him, lazily swaying with the tides.
"Ahh… now this is the life~"
To have a whole day without needing to do a thing—it was a rare luxury. When nothing demanded his time, Carl would take his little boat out alone and sail toward various uninhabited islands to "sign in."
Unfortunately, most of the islands were tiny, nameless dots not even marked on most Grand Line maps. As a result, the sign-in rewards he received recently hadn't been too impressive.
That said, he'd still gathered some bizarrely useful tools.
Take for example the fishing rod beside him. Its name? The "Lost and Found Fishing Rod."
Its true purpose wasn't fishing for food—but to recover objects the user had previously lost, even from improbable distances. Still, its durability was top-tier, strong enough to reel in Sea Kings without snapping, so Carl repurposed it for casual fishing.
"Buru buru buru… buru buru…"
The Den Den Mushi mounted on his wrist began to ring.
Carl opened one eye, eyebrows twitching. He tapped it and answered.
"Hello? Oak Dragon Vice Admiral speaking."
The Den Den Mushi's face changed to mimic the ghostly features of T. Penn.
"Vice Admiral Carl, sir—urgent report!" Penn's tone was unusually tight. "We've just received news from Sabaody Archipelago. A mass pirate gathering has formed in the upper groves!"
Carl sat up slowly, brushing the rod aside. "Mass gathering?"
Penn continued, "It's reportedly due to the reappearance of the Straw Hat Pirates—those who vanished two years ago following the events at Marineford!"
Carl blinked once. Then leaned back with a sigh.
"…So, it's finally that time, huh?"
"Oak Dragon Vice Admiral?" Penn asked hesitantly, sensing the sudden mood shift.
Carl waved a hand, casually lighting a cigar with a flick of his fingers. "Got it. Pass word to Brett and Coffey. Don't engage."
"Wait—are you sure?" The Den Den Mushi blinked in disbelief. "It's the Straw Hats—!"
"There's an old monster lurking in Sabaody," Carl said plainly, puffing smoke. "We'll let someone on that level handle it."
"Understood, sir!"
As the call ended, Carl gazed into the horizon, eyes narrowing.
"…Rayleigh. With him there, Brett, Bright, and the others will have space to move freely. Old monsters like him aren't meant to be handled by rising kids."
Sabaody Archipelago – Grove 46.
Ordinarily, Groves 1–29 were considered "no-man's zones," full of lawless scum and illegal traffickers. By contrast, Grove 46 had once been a thriving commercial area for tourists and nobles.
But ever since the Marineford War and the dismantling of the Shichibukai system, Grove 46 had become a ruin, its streets cracked, buildings scorched, and empty plazas now overrun with pirates.
Dozens of crews had gathered—some genuine, some opportunists.
"B-Brother… do we really want to be here?" a nervous, heavyset pirate muttered. He wore his hair in a green mat-style buzz cut and twitched at every sound. "That Ghost of the Marines… I heard he haunts these groves…"
Beside him, a gaunt man in a ragged coat sneered. "Tch, what are you afraid of? We're not alone here. The Straw Hat Pirates themselves summoned everyone. This is their moment!"
He slammed a wet palm against his chest. "And besides, with me here, the Caribou Pirates don't need to fear any ghost!"
He was "Wet-Hair" Caribou, this year's most grotesque newcomer Supernova, boasting a bounty of 210 million Berries. A man said to wield a Logia-type Swamp Swamp Fruit, known for his Marine massacres.
A short distance away, hidden in the remains of an old Marine outpost, several uniformed figures kept careful watch.
Bright adjusted his glasses, eyes cool as ever. "Looks like the party's started."
Coffey clenched his fists beside him. "Why did Carl Vice Admiral order us not to move in?"
Bright shrugged. "Apparently, there's a heavy-hitter mixed in with the pirates. Someone far beyond our current scope."
Coffey lowered his gaze.
Even after two years of brutal training and active missions, he could feel the enormous gulf between himself and Carl.
He wasn't ready yet. Not like Yamato.
"It's not about being weak," came a voice like rolling granite from behind them.
"Who—?!"
All heads whipped around. None of them had sensed his approach.
A towering figure draped in a tattered Marine coat stepped from the shadows. His face was partially hidden, but there was no mistaking his presence.
"It's you… Nobita!" Bright exclaimed.
The man who had stood beside Carl two years ago at Sabaody. The quiet enforcer, the living wall of judgment.
"I'll take care of this mess," Nobita stated flatly.
Bright and Coffey nodded, stepping aside.
At that moment, atop the rubble of a shattered auction house, a familiar figure stepped forward under the midday sun.
A strong, aged man wearing a familiar straw hat and bearing deep scars shouted to the crowd below.
"Oi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who tore apart Enies Lobby and challenged Marineford two years ago!"
A roar erupted from the watching pirates.
"It's the Straw Hat!"
"He's back!"
"We're joining his crew!"
The Straw Hat Pirates had become more than legends. They were myths made flesh.
And yet…
In the shadows, Bright squinted.
"…Wait. That's the Straw Hat kid?"
"Didn't he used to be… smaller?"
"When did he become a middle-aged bruiser…?"
Even Bright's analytical mind couldn't parse what he was seeing.
Because the man on that rooftop was no Straw Hat at all.
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