"Dem… demoted?!"
Nami's brows knitted together and she pouted in indignation.
"Hmph! If it hadn't been for Chiyu-sama, who knows how many innocent people in Water 7 would have died!"
"Instead of commending him, Marine Headquarters wants to demote him? Outrageous!"
Rear Admiral Hina shook her head.
"Although Hina fully supports the Vice Admiral's actions, from the standpoint of the Marines and the World Government, they do violate regulations. Still…"
"This punishment is bizarre. What the Vice Admiral did shook the world—he should either be lavishly decorated or kicked out of the Marines entirely. A mere demotion is… very telling."
The only woman among the three commanders, Lieutenant Commander Barbara, said gravely:
"It shows there are many conflicting voices inside the Marines about how to handle the Vice Admiral."
"And by punishing only him and not us, it's clearly a warning."
Franky—now formally a Marine—had just come aboard the ship. He started as the lowest‐ranked Seaman Third Class, so even Nami outranked him.
He roared, "Those Marines and that World Government are a bunch of idiots!"
"Chiyu-sama, some Marines are no more righteous than pirates!"
"Awooo!"
Chiyu, of course, understood.
Calmly he said: "I've said before—the Marine stance is simply convenient for now. As for rank, I couldn't care less."
"Even if they kick me out, I'm still me."
The surrounding Marines exchanged looks and declared in low, firm voices, "Chiyu-sama, whether you are a Marine or not, we will follow you to the death!"
For once, Chiyu smiled. "Good."
…
By now Chiyu's party had left Water 7 and was heading farther along the Grand Line.
Franky had said good‑bye to his hometown and joined the Uchiha, bringing not only an extraordinarily skilled shipwright but, more importantly, the blueprints of Pluton.
He met privately with Chiyu, opened a compartment in his cyborg body, and produced the crucial plans.
"Chiyu-sama, this is the secret Master Tom ordered us to guard with our lives…
"The ancient weapon Pluton!"
"I'm handing it to you now…"
Chiyu examined the sheet from every angle. Although he sensed the terrible power it contained, he was no shipwright; the drawings were meaningless to him. He smiled faintly and handed them back.
"I can't read these."
Franky was startled. "Chiyu-sama, you don't want Pluton's secret?"
Chiyu shook his head.
"Pluton means little to me."
"That so‑called ancient weapon is the most destructive warship in history, isn't it?"
"Legend says a single shot can wipe out an island."
Franky nodded.
"Right—Master Tom told me the same…"
"That's why even the World Government desperately wants Pluton, hoping to end the Great Pirate Era!"
Chiyu replied, "The Great Pirate Era won't end with one ship…"
"To end this chaotic age, you need people."
Franky admired the sentiment.
"True enough. Still, this is Master Tom's legacy—I can't abandon it.
"On one hand, I refuse to build what the Government wants; on the other, if the true owner appeared and used it to cleanse the world's darkness, I'd help without hesitation!"
Plainly, he had found the right person.
Chiyu asked, "You intend to build it?"
Franky sighed.
"I'd like to say yes, but the blueprints are incredibly complex. Even with unlimited funds and resources it would take at least ten years.
"And we don't have unimaginable money or materials… practically impossible.
"Unless there's an existing Pluton for reference—that would cut the work enormously. But if another Pluton really existed, why would they need me?"
He gave a bitter laugh.
Chiyu's eyes lit up.
"What if I told you a real Pluton does exist?"
Franky paled. "W‑What did you say?!"
"A real Pluton? Where?"
Chiyu answered calmly: "The New World, Wano Country."
He knew this already: in the Wano arc, Nico Robin had asked Kozuki Sukiyaki the same question, and he confirmed Pluton lay hidden somewhere in Wano.
Franky grew wildly excited. To a shipwright, the legend of Pluton was like a mountain of gold to Nami.
"Wano Country…
"I've heard the Kozuki Clan is tied to the Void Century and can read the ancient script! Rumor says the Poneglyphs themselves were made by them!"
"It's not strange Pluton would be hidden there!"
Overcome, Franky thrust both arms skyward.
"Awooo! I'm SUPER fired up!"
"Chiyu-sama, when can we reach Wano?!"
"Not soon," Chiyu said.
"Wano lies in the New World—the Grand Line's second half. We haven't even finished the first."
Franky deflated, then grinned optimistically.
"Fine! I'll study the blueprints in secret and look forward to seeing the real Pluton!"
"Mm."
…
During the voyage Chiyu kept busy: along with his own training, he began building up his men.
He taught Observation Haki and the six Marine Rokushiki techniques to his subordinates—knowledge normally restricted to Vice Admiral level and above.
From Rear Admiral Hina to the three commanders—"Elephant Sword" Blade, giraffe‑model Zoan user Box, bubble‑bubble user Barbara—and even ordinary sailors, all began training.
Nami refused to be left behind and practiced hard to help Chiyu-sama.
Franky found Rokushiki unsuitable for him but eagerly trained Observation and Armament Haki.
Chiyu was convinced his own path had irreversibly diverged from the Marines and the World Government.
What he meant by justice differed completely from theirs.
The Marines and the Government cared only for one goal—
Stability.
They hunt pirates for stability, crush revolutionaries for stability, snuff out sparks of rebellion for stability.
For that they erased Ohara, pursue ancient weapons at any cost, and protect their own interests above all.
"Maintaining world peace" is an empty slogan.
Otherwise they wouldn't have created the Shichibukai system, nor turned a blind eye to so many pirates.
After eight hundred years of rule, corruption is a certainty, and the World Government is no exception.
The world stands on the eve of upheaval.
Chiyu has his own road—
Different from Marines, Government, pirates, even revolutionaries.
A path that belongs only to him.
…
As they sailed on, a new situation appeared ahead.
Nami and the navigator hurried to report.
"Chiyu-sama, the sea ahead is pitch‑black, shrouded in mist—as if locked in perpetual night, completely different from the daylight around us…"
The Marine navigator stammered, "That… that must be the legendary…
"Florian Triangle!"
Nami's heart jumped. "Florian Triangle? What's that?"
The navigator swallowed.
"It's a graveyard of ships, haunt of ghosts—a hellish stretch of sea!"
Nami turned ashen.
"T‑That scary?!"
"Yes… every year hundreds of ships vanish here, and some claim to have seen ghost ships roaming…"
Nami nearly fainted.
"W‑We should sail around it…"
"I‑I agree."
Franky guffawed.
"There's no such thing as ghost ships—hahahaha!
"I heard about this sea at Water 7: it's just another peculiar region of the Grand Line, nowhere near as terrifying as the legends!"
Chiyu, of course, knew the truth.
It was the hunting ground of Shichibukai Gecko Moria's giant Thriller Bark.
A man who steals the shadows of the living, forcing them to exist forever in darkness, who robs corpses worldwide to create zombie armies—Chiyu would never let such a monster go.
"There are no ghosts," he said flatly.
"Only a deranged loser."
The "deranged loser" was Moria. Years ago he'd been powerful enough to fight Kaido, one of today's Yonko, but suffered a crushing defeat and lost nearly all his crew. Since then he relied on his Kage‑Kage powers to build a zombie army, committing countless atrocities.
When Chiyu finished recounting what he knew, the Marines were enraged; even Nami seethed.
"That scum deserves to die!"
"Looks like it's time we took action!"
"Let those zombies see how strong we've become!"
Rear Admiral Hina, "Elephant Sword" Blade, giraffe‑man Box, bubble‑woman Barbara, slippery‑slip Nami, cyborg Franky…
All of them wore ferocious grins.
Chiyu's eyes gleamed. Indeed, his people had grown—it was time to test their strength.
He gave the order.
"Set course."
The Uchiha warship plunged straight into the thick, shadowy fog.
The Florian Triangle—
They had arrived!
~~~
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