At the summit of the Red Line, within the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, authority gathered in silence.
Inside the grand halls of Pangaea Castle, the highest seat of power within the World Government, the Five Elders took their positions.
Saint Ethanbaron V.
Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance, sat with rigid composure before suddenly slamming a newspaper onto the table.
His sharp gaze flickered with cold irritation.
“CP9 is useless.
They could not even capture a single escaped Devil Fruit user.”
The loss of a prisoner was infuriating, but that was not the true source of their anger.
What truly stung was that the World Government had learned of the entire incident through the news.
Unacceptable.
Though none of them voiced it directly, the implication was clear.
Their control over the seas was slipping.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Facing a former member of the Roger Pirates, one who has awakened Conqueror’s Haki and possesses the Goro Goro no Mi, it is not entirely surprising they failed.”
“The user of the Ope Ope no Mi is still in Beelzebub Sven’s hands.
Inform the Marines.
Send Borsalino immediately.”
“He is to capture both Sven and the fugitive alive.”
“This will also serve to stabilize public perception.”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
From a strategic standpoint, the deployment of the God’s Knights would have guaranteed success.
However, both the Ope Ope no Mi and the Goro Goro no Mi allowed for extreme mobility.
Within both the Marines and the World Government, only Borsalino possessed the speed necessary to counter such abilities.
If the Pika Pika no Mi ranked second in speed, then nothing on the seas could claim first.
Considering all factors, he was the optimal choice.
“Regarding the remaining members of the Roger Pirates…”
Saturn paused briefly.
“Send CP1 to warn Silvers Rayleigh.
If anything like this occurs again, the agreement between the Marines and Gol D.
Roger will be considered void.”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
…
At Marineford, tension lingered within the Admiral’s office.
Sengoku placed down the Den Den Mushi receiver and stared at the man casually trimming his nails nearby.
“Borsalino.”
“Proceed to Paradise immediately.
The World Government demands the live capture of Beelzebub Sven and the fugitive.”
Borsalino paused, then slowly put away his nail clippers, his expression as relaxed as ever.
“Sengoku-san, what about my vacation?”
The man most fond of idleness possessed the power that demanded constant action.
Sengoku’s jaw tightened.
“Complete this mission, and I will promote you to Admiral.”
That caught his attention.
Borsalino’s eyes sharpened slightly.
Rank meant salary, and salary meant 10.8 million Berries a year.
That was more than enough motivation.
“I will depart now.”
His body dissolved into light, vanishing from the room in an instant.
Sengoku exhaled slowly and rubbed his brow.
He had believed that the execution of Gol D.
Roger would suppress piracy for years.
Instead, it had ignited the Great Pirate Era.
More and more people were setting sail, even nobles abandoning their status in pursuit of the sea.
Meanwhile, Marine forces were stretched thinner with each passing day.
“Roger…
we were all played.”
Not long before Roger’s execution, Shiki had attacked Marineford, leaving destruction in his wake before being imprisoned in Impel Down.
Since then, most of the Roger Pirates had kept a low profile.
Only Douglas Bullet and Sven had stirred trouble.
With Kong preparing to ascend as Commander-in-Chief at Mary Geoise, the burden of leadership would soon fall entirely on Sengoku.
And yet, one man was enjoying himself far too much.
Sengoku immediately grabbed the Den Den Mushi.
“You damn Monkey D.
Garp!”
“Return at once!”
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Garp’s lazy expression.
“What is it?”
“My three-month leave is not even halfway done.
If there is nothing urgent, I am going back to sleep.”
The line went dead.
Sengoku stared at it in disbelief before pulling off his seagull hat and clutching his afro.
“…Forget it.
He has earned his rest.”
…
Back near the waters of Jaya in Paradise.
“Captain.”
The doctor bowed slightly, his tone careful.
“I have been working day and night.
At the bow, Sven lowered his plasma sword, his mood slightly restrained.
“Pointless.
I am a Devil Fruit user.
I cannot remove them.”
He stood at the edge of a breakthrough, yet something still held him back.
The final step refused to yield.
The doctor hesitated before speaking again.
“Then…
perhaps you could ask Mr.
Mihawk?”
If the cuffs remained, escape was impossible.
Following Sven was not necessarily a bad outcome, but the World Government would not remain idle.
Stronger forces would come.
He did not want to die, nor be captured again.
Once, after gaining the Ope Ope no Mi, he had dreamed of becoming a doctor who saved lives.
Instead, his homeland had been destroyed because of that very power.
He had fled to Alabasta, only to fall into the hands of CP agents.
And now, he was a prisoner once more.
What unsettled him most was Sven’s behavior.
After reaching the waters near Jaya, Sven had stopped advancing and remained in the area.
“Captain, are you searching for something?”
Sven raised his binoculars without turning.
“Yes.
Go clean the deck.
Do not block my view.”
To reach the Sky Island, one needed the Knock Up Stream.
Danger aside, even encountering it was a matter of luck.
Sven chose to wait.
If the current did not appear, he would simply ascend on his own and retrieve what he needed.
The reason he lingered here was not only for the current.
It was also for Mihawk.
Some crews relied on strength, others on emotion, and some on shared Benefits.
Sven intended to secure all three.
Until his strength alone could dominate, building trust and aligning interests were essential.
The failure of the Rocks Pirates was a lesson he would not ignore.
Within half a day, the sea had shifted through extremes, bright sunlight, violent storms, and thunder crashing across the horizon.
By nightfall, the Knock Up Stream had yet to appear.
Sven exhaled softly.
“Mihawk, stay here.
I will go ahead and check.”
Lightning tore through the sky.
In the next instant, Sven transformed into a streak of azure lightning and shot upward into the heavens.