"That bastard! I'll kill you myself!"
Bonney snarled, clutching Elior's wanted poster in her hand. Staring at the face she hated more than anything, her rage only burned hotter.
Elior — the man she vowed never to forgive.
She was 22 now, while Elior's bounty listed him as just 16. Yet despite the age gap, their fates had violently collided.
Yesterday, Bonney watched, just like the rest of the world, the live broadcast of Marineford. She saw with her own eyes how Elior slaughtered both Ace and Whitebeard. Those brutal scenes replayed in her mind endlessly, fueling her obsession for revenge.
Gripping the poster, she slammed it against the trunk of a nearby tree and drove her blade through it, pinning Elior's face to the wood — a small, futile act of vengeance, but all she could do for now.
"Next stop — the New World! Hachinosu!" Bonney shouted, her voice sharp and fierce, not an ounce of softness in it despite her beauty.
"Boss… are we really going straight into the New World today?"
"Yeah, Captain… that's really the plan?"
Her crew looked at each other nervously. They all knew Bonney wasn't someone you'd dare cross — not when she could age you from a fresh-faced kid into a balding old man with just a touch.
"That's right! Set course for Hachinosu!" Bonney snapped.
"But Captain… that's Elior's territory now…"
"Yeah, everyone knows Hachinosu belongs to Elior…"
The very mention of that place sent a shiver down the spine of every crew member. Yesterday's broadcast was still vivid in their minds — Elior singlehandedly dominated Marineford, taking down four of the Marine's greatest warriors, killing two and leaving one in a coma.
The thought of sailing straight into his stronghold made their legs weak. Some of them felt their bladders nearly give way just imagining it.
To most pirates, Hachinosu was already on par with Kaido's Onigashima and Big Mom's Whole Cake Island — an untouchable hellscape, a death zone.
"Anyone want to complain?" Bonney glared at them, her eyes full of fury and menace. Her crew gulped and quickly shook their heads, agreeing to follow without question.
What Bonney didn't know, however, was that Elior himself was still on Sabaody Archipelago. Like any pirate crossing back into the New World, his crew had stopped to coat their ship — and to enjoy a good meal while they waited.
Soon enough, their paths would cross.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Sabaody, Kid and his alliance of Worst Generation pirates had run into Urouge and his group — including Law, Hawkins.
Tensions flared instantly, like old enemies meeting again.
"Well, look who it is… Law" Kid sneered, glaring at them.
"I could say the same, didn't think you'd still be hanging around here" Law shot back.
Seeing Law, Drake and the others couldn't help but realize — if Law's here, then so is Elior. After all, Law had left Marineford with him.
"The monster's here… on this very island" Drake thought, his stomach sinking.
The air was heavy with tension. Even Kid, cocky as ever, couldn't ignore the weight of that fact. Elior, the one who stormed Marineford and killed top Marine figures — was here, somewhere nearby.
"Kid, don't do anything stupid" Killer warned, grabbing Kid's arm before he could make a move.
Drake stepped in too, resting a firm hand on Kid's shoulder.
"He's right. Don't get reckless."
Kid scoffed but didn't press forward.
Law just smirked. "Ignore the porcupine head. Some people with 'kingly ambitions' tend to be loud."
"According to the cards," Hawkins muttered, drawing his fortune, "the probability of your alliance running into disaster in the New World is… remarkably high."
Seven Supernovas stood facing each other, a fight just barely avoided. None of them wanted to test the consequences of provoking Elior's allies, not here, not now.
Elsewhere, Elior wandered the lawless district of the archipelago — and bumped into Rayleigh and Shakky.
They weren't out shopping for fun; Rayleigh was gathering supplies before heading off to train Luffy, a mission he took upon himself, driven by the will of Roger and Shanks. He wouldn't let the flame of the new era be snuffed out so easily.
When Elior and Rayleigh's eyes met, neither spoke — only held the stare for a few heavy seconds before passing each other in silence.
Rayleigh's expression darkened. "He's here…"
"He's not hiding it either" Shakky added. "He's heading for the New World… no surprise there."
"Yeah. No doubt, he'll be crowned the next Yonko soon" Rayleigh muttered. "A dangerously capable man."
That was why he had to reach Luffy — the boy was still shattered by Ace's death, lost in despair. Rayleigh couldn't let him fall.
Meanwhile, the common folk of Sabaody noticed Elior too — and even from a distance, his presence sent chills down their spines.
"Just seeing him… I can't stop shaking."
"My legs are still trembling five minutes later…"
"Thank god he's gone… I thought I'd faint on the spot."
Rumors spread quickly, and word of Elior's presence soon reached the Marine — but they were in no state to intervene, overwhelmed with casualties and recovery.
When the news reached Bonney, she was ecstatic — like fate itself had presented her a chance.
Without hesitation, boiling with rage, Bonney stormed off with her terrified crew trailing behind. She only had one thought: kill Elior. Avenge Whitebeard and Ace.
She soon found him.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
She charged, activating her devil fruit powers, knowing that if she could just touch him — even a monster like Elior would crumble, aged into a feeble old man.
But the moment she lunged, Elior vanished.
The next second, he appeared at her side.
Bonney's body froze mid-motion. Pain flickered across her face as she realized — she wasn't fast enough.
Elior's fist sank deep into Bonney's stomach. The crushing pain nearly made her vomit up everything she'd eaten that day.
"I like women" Elior chuckled coldly, "but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on them."
He'd already figured out how dangerous her ability was — the power to manipulate age at will, either subtly or drastically. In this regard, her fruit was even more terrifying than Ain's Return-Return Fruit, though Ain could regress all things, not just living beings.
"Bastard…!" Bonney hissed, clutching her stomach, barely able to stand. She tried to lunge at him again, but Elior was already moving. With his Observation Haki honed to the level of future sight, he easily predicted her next attack — and drove his fist into her gut once more.
This time, Bonney couldn't hold her ground. She was sent flying like a rag doll, crashing into a massive tree, her impact carving a deep crater into its trunk.
"Pathetic" Elior muttered, slowly walking toward her. "You couldn't even grasp the difference in power between us. People like you… who think they can topple giants with bare hands — where the hell do you get that courage?"
Everyone watching was stunned. The infamous Supernova Bonney, defeated in mere seconds.
Elior stopped before her battered body, grabbed the front of her clothes, and yanked her off the ground effortlessly, her legs dangling.
"Come back to Paradise with me" he said with a bright, innocent smile — the kind of smile that made it easy to forget he was a devil incarnate.
In truth, Elior was interested in Bonney. Her looks, her figure, her ability — everything about her intrigued him. He wanted to see if she could be molded into something useful, like he had with Gion.
And then there was another matter —
Bonney's strange connection to the World Government. In the original timeline, she was important enough that her capture made even Akainu break into a cold sweat.
He wanted to know why.