The Grand Line, first half, just after nightfall.
A warship sailing toward the New World, followed behind by a luxurious merchant ship.
For the moment, the few who had not yet separated were all aboard the warship.
On deck, Bullet, bearing his massive weighted gear, trained the soldiers.
Inside the cabin, Sakazuki and Karol were calmly reviewing the developments of the past years.
Buru buru~ buru buru~
Sakazuki casually picked up the call.
"I'm Sakazuki. Speak."
Enel's cold voice came from the other end, the Den Den Mushi's expression twisting to match.
"Sakazuki-ossan, I want to kill a pirate, but that bastard just pulled out a Den Den Mushi..."
"On the other end... it was the Elders."
...
The North Sea.
Enel sat gloomily on a pile of crates, a violent aura radiating from him, Den Den Mushi in hand.
His other hand pressed against Rosinante's wound, preventing it from bleeding.
Not far away, members of the Donquixote Family lay scattered in charred heaps, all incapacitated.
Doflamingo, missing an arm, lay a short distance away, gasping for breath.
In his severed hand he clutched a Den Den Mushi that had already gone dead, grinning savagely at Enel. He had dirt on those people... The instant the call had connected, his survival was assured.
A group of Marine soldiers rushed to Enel's side, quickly bandaging Rosinante.
Next to him, a pale, trembling child sobbed quietly, staring at them in fear.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had just disembarked and was hurrying toward them, having received a call from the Elders.
Doflamingo was moments away from being killed by Enel on the island.
The Elders had issued a direct order: capture him alive if possible. If not, let him go—but under no circumstances kill him.
No one knew why the Elders had given such an order.
But... if Enel accidentally killed him, things would become very troublesome.
From the Den Den Mushi in Enel's hand, Sakazuki's voice sounded:
"They want him alive, then."
Enel gave a dark grunt of acknowledgment.
On the other end, Sakazuki spoke coldly:
"If alive is all that's required..."
"There are far crueler ways than killing him."
"Prepare ten military doctors."
"Crush every bone in his body, inch by inch."
"Don't let him die."
"If he has companions, execute them right in front of him."
"Leave behind any Devil Fruit powers, send them to the Science Division as material."
"After that, rendezvous with me and give me the full report."
"I'll deliver him to the Elders myself."
The grin on the fallen Doflamingo's face gradually faded, while that cruel sneer instead appeared on Enel's.
Enel's voice, dripping with malice and killing intent, rang out:
"Understood..."
He summoned a Marine soldier, who brought over a pair of Seastone cuffs, and locked them around Doflamingo's wrist.
One hand clutching his neck, Enel dragged him to the crumpled body of Vergo, dressed in a Marine uniform, his knees and elbows shattered.
Twisting Doflamingo's head toward him, Enel growled:
"Watch closely..."
He stomped down.
Crack—
Crack—
The sound of bones being crushed, starting from the shin, echoed out.
Before long, both legs dangled uselessly like sludge.
Vergo, drenched in cold sweat but still wearing a calm expression, remained silent.
Enel sneered:
"Well, well, well. Those bones are tough, not a sound out of you."
"Your judgment is impressive. An undercover like you really is hard to detect. If all your men were like this..."
"That would be quite entertaining..."
Grabbing Doflamingo's head, he crouched and smashed it directly into Vergo's skull.
Crack—
The sound of a skull splitting echoed...
...
The Grand Line, aboard the warship.
Karol asked curiously:
"Enel, where'd he run off to?"
Sakazuki chuckled.
"To rescue a little friend."
"Sengoku's adopted son, Rosinante."
Karol laughed.
"No wonder. I didn't see him when he returned this afternoon."
Sakazuki shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. No harm done."
"Across the Four Seas, eighty percent of the base commanders have already been replaced with our men."
"Now it's just steady development. Training troops, waiting for the decisive battle."
"By the way, how far has the Revolutionary Army developed in the West and North Seas?"
Karol circled several islands on the map laid across the table.
"The Revolutionary Army's ideology has already spread far and wide. These islands are among the quicker to take to it."
"Although the ideas are widely accepted, true activists are still few."
"After all, until survival becomes impossible, no one willingly risks their head to defy their country and government."
Sakazuki nodded.
"That's natural. Though the Great Pirate Era's momentum has been temporarily crushed by Cleansing Campaign..."
"With Kaido declaring himself Emperor, more young men are once again eager to set sail and make a name for themselves."
"The aftermath of Cleansing Campaign will only last two years—just enough to hold until Kong retires."
"After that, more and more youths will set sail with each passing year."
"The pressure will fall entirely on those left behind. Oppression, flight. Oppression, flight. A vicious cycle."
"Very soon, Revolutionary ideals will become their lifeline, and then snowball into a massive force."
"Revolutions will erupt across the globe."
"A world-spanning war will be inevitable."
Karol sighed softly.
"What a catastrophic war that will be."
"By the way... how do you know Fleet Admiral Kong is stepping down soon?"
Sakazuki gave a faint smile.
"The Fleet Admiral only survived back then because he underwent organ replacement surgery in the Naval Science Division."
"He goes to Punk Hazard for checkups every year."
"With his body's functions declining, at most two more years before retirement is unavoidable."
Karol nodded.
"I see..."
"And after that? Will you run for Fleet Admiral?"
Sakazuki murmured quietly:
"No. Let Sengoku shoulder the lightning rod first."
"Call it payback for the Ohara scheme he dragged me into."
"After all, if I take the seat, do I exterminate pirates first, or the Revolutionary Army?"
"It can't all be resolved at once."
"Only when the time is right will even those who sit high above the world be wiped out in one stroke."
Whoosh—
Several classified documents on the table turned to ash, swept neatly into the trash bin...
...
Days later.
The Grand Line.
At the port, a few reckless pirates lay sprawled, freshly beaten.
The vendors around were long used to such scenes. In the distance, two of the island's guards came running to collect the bodies.
Hawk Eyes Mihawk sheathed his blade with indifference and headed toward his small boat.
Just as he neared it, an air cannon shot from a distant warship, barreling straight toward him.
Just before impact, Mihawk's black blade Yoru appeared in his hand as if from nowhere. With a slight flick, he sent out a thin slash.
The air cannon was deflected upward.
Boom—
A circular shockwave spread outward.
The violent gusts raged above the harbor. Except for Mihawk's small boat, which rocked only slightly, every other ship was sent careening, nearly capsizing.
Bullet stood at the railing at the warship's bow, sneering.
"Interesting."
"Such clever swordsmanship."
"To endure an explosion of that scale with only your coffin barely swaying, while the other ships topple about..."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed.
"Marines."
Bullet leapt down, slamming into the ground, standing a short distance across from Mihawk.
The sound of rushing air followed as several expressionless Assault Squad soldiers lined up behind him. Bullet sneered:
"Not a single pirate in this port is to be spared."
"Every—last—one—must—die!!!"
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