Near the island where Mihawk and Gildarts were engaged in a fierce battle.
"Calling HQ, calling HQ..."
"This is Vice Admiral 'Pursuer' Maynard of Navy Headquarters."
"Just now, the world's strongest swordsman and one of the Warlords of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk, has landed on the island occupied by the Red-Haired Pirates..."
"Five minutes after landing, Mihawk seems to have gotten into a conflict with someone on the island, and the two began a violent battle!"
"Judging from the shockwaves of their fight, there is a 90% chance that the man fighting Mihawk is the world's strongest man, 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate."
Vice Admiral 'Pursuer' Maynard gripped the microphone tightly, reporting the situation he encountered.
When facing pirate crews on the level of the Four Emperors, the Navy would only dispatch Vice Admirals to monitor them... and even then, only from a safe distance. If anything unusual happened, they would retreat immediately.
That was the level of deterrence the Sea Emperors commanded.
"Huh?!"
"You're saying Whitebeard and Hawkeye are fighting on Red-Haired's island?!"
"Are you kidding me, Maynard?!"
Sengoku almost suffered a heart attack from Maynard's words.
He had just received intel that the Whitebeard Pirates had begun moving again. That their Second Division Captain, Ace, had returned from the New World to Paradise...
And now he's told that Whitebeard has teleported to Shanks' island and is fighting Hawkeye?! Was this a joke aimed to mess with him?!
"So, you agree it's impossible, right, Fleet Admiral?"
Maynard projected a live Den Den Mushi feed from afar, showing Mihawk locked in a ferocious duel with a man whose overwhelming power rivaled Whitebeard's. He asked Sengoku for confirmation.
"What do you mean by impossible?"
Sengoku was baffled.
"I mean, it's absolutely impossible for Whitebeard and Mihawk to be fighting on Red-Haired's turf."
Maynard continued calmly.
"Isn't that obvious?!"
Sengoku barked, but as soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying realization hit him. Cold sweat dripped down his back.
He stuttered, "Maynard... could it be that what you mean is..."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral."
"Just as you've guessed — the worst-case scenario has happened."
"In other words, while we were celebrating peace across the Four Seas, a man whose destructive power equals Whitebeard's suddenly appeared on Red-Haired's island."
Maynard's voice was filled with fatigue.
"This monster equal to Whitebeard — did he fall from the sky or something?"
"How could someone with power at that level exist in this world without us knowing?!"
"The Red-Haired Pirates were already hard enough to deal with, with Shanks and Benn Beckman... now there's another monster added to the mix!"
Sengoku was utterly overwhelmed. He wanted to resign on the spot — it was all too much.
"Do whatever it takes… get a clear photo of that man's face!"
Sengoku was furious. At first, he assumed the man might be a hidden expert like Fujitora or Aramaki...
But if you want to remain hidden, then stay hidden! Why are you hanging out with Red-Haired's crew?!
Now that you've revealed your identity and clearly chosen the pirate side — Sengoku had no choice but to make sure your name resounded across the world...
"You're placing a bounty on him?"
Maynard asked.
"We'll start with a warning."
"Set the bounty at... two billion Berries."
Sengoku declared.
Yes — someone who can spar evenly with Mihawk, befriend Shanks, and match Whitebeard's destructive might as described by a Vice Admiral… a two billion bounty is just a warning.
Honestly, three billion wouldn't be too much.
Back on the island — it had been shattered into pieces by Gildarts' power.
Mihawk was bleeding from his forehead, gasping for breath.
That's when Shanks and Beckman could no longer stay idle.
"Let's end this here."
"I've finished off the rats sneaking around."
"Now then, please, give me some face — and stop fighting!"
With a single hand, Shanks blocked Gildarts from launching another attack. His eyes looked toward the horizon as a wave of terrifying Conqueror's Haki swept across miles of ocean — knocking out all Marines aboard the surveillance ship, including Vice Admiral Maynard.
"Mihawk, calm down."
Beckman said helplessly, looking at the battered swordsman.
"Everyone... just look around you. You nearly tore the whole island apart!"
"Can we calm down now and talk for a bit?"
Shanks pulled Gildarts aside, Beckman did the same with Mihawk, and the four sat down.
"Sigh..."
"Alright, let me explain."
"I did meet some rather interesting kids. Here's what happened..."
Mihawk sighed and began recounting his adventures in the East Blue to Shanks and Gildarts.
An hour later…
"That's the gist of it. Believe it or not, it's up to you."
He finished and gave Gildarts a harsh glare.
"Huh?! That's what happened?"
"I'm really sorry..."
Gildarts scratched the back of his head awkwardly, sincerely apologizing.
Mihawk didn't say a word.
He had been humiliated by Eden's bratty group… and now even pummeled by their so-called guardian.
He was really… too damn wronged.
Men have sorrows they can't put into words ~
"Heh..."
"Well, in that case, let me tell my story."
Gildarts chuckled, then started to talk.
Whether he wanted to use Shanks and Mihawk's influence to help him find his lost companions, or simply make friends with them — he decided to speak frankly.
"Truth is, I'm not from this world."
He dropped a bombshell with his very first sentence.
"Huh?!"
Everyone present froze.
Even Shanks and Mihawk, who had already suspected something, were slightly shocked by the confirmation.
"Haha! Surprised, huh?"
"Actually, I'm from the Fairy Tail Guild of mages! I'm from another world! In that world, our guild is the strongest magical guild..."
"...But during our S-Class promotion test on the guild's holy ground, we ran into a monstrous black lizard!"
"It destroyed my left arm, right leg, and part of my internal organs in just one hit!"
"We were forced to escape — and somehow ended up in this world."
Gildarts stood up, lifting his cloak to reveal his battered, patched-up body.
"Huh?!"
"So you, half-crippled, managed to beat me into this state?!"
Mihawk's pupils shrank. He was genuinely shocked.
"Just how strong were you at your peak?"
"Strong?"
"See this island we're standing on?"
"At my peak, I could reduce it to dust with a single blow."
Gildarts said while rubbing his chin and glancing at the island below.
"Tch~"
Mihawk raised an eyebrow.
This guy Gildarts… if he recovers, his destructive power might truly rival peak Whitebeard.
He might even be stronger.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter