"That old man… Borsalino... Kuzan… I think I've heard of them. The Marines are really going backward now. Wororororo!"
Just then, a black pterosaur swooped down from outside the hall.
Whoosh!
It landed smoothly and transformed into human form. King stepped forward and said, "Kaido-san, Red-Haired Shanks, a remnant of Roger's crew, has just entered our territory."
Kaido's gaze sharpened. "Hmm?"
* * *
Grand Line, Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Baltigo.
After days of investigation, it was confirmed that Ivankov and Inazuma had been imprisoned in Impel Down.
Attacking the prison was neither realistic nor feasible. They had no choice but to start with the prison staff.
Dragon was deep in thought when an intelligence officer suddenly stood up.
"Supreme Commander! The Marines have just announced the new Fleet Admiral. It's former admiral Sengoku! The new admirals are Borsalino and Kuzan."
Everyone in the room froze in shock.
"What! Why so suddenly!"
"We need to readjust our plans, Commander!"
"Borsalino... he's the one who hunted down Fisher Tiger, right?"
"Yeah, I knew that name sounded familiar."
"So it's that guy. Damn it."
"Government's dog."
Dragon's brows furrowed. 'Sengoku, huh...'
"The plan stays the same."
* * *
North Blue, aboard a slave ship.
The sound of shouting and killing gradually died down. The slave traders and their men, who specialized in capturing beautiful women, lay dead. They had all been killed by Tesoro, the man who escaped from Mary Geoise years ago.
He had severed all ties with his past and, through cruelty and cunning, gathered a band of ruthless followers.
The slaves in the cages stared at him with hope in their eyes, thinking salvation had arrived. What they didn't know was that they had only entered another kind of hell.
One of his men, his face smeared with blood, approached and licked his lips. "Boss, it's all done. What should we do next?"
A cruel smile spread across Tesoro's face. "Collect all the records and documents on this ship. These lovely slaves will be our starting capital."
His subordinate grinned wickedly. "Got it!"
Tesoro walked to the railing, narrowed his eyes, and spread his arms wide. It was as if he could already see himself becoming the world's biggest slave trader. After a long moment, he whispered softly, "Stella... I miss you..."
Unlike the original timeline, the Gol-Gol Fruit had fallen into Sakazuki's hands after the fall of the Donquixote Family.
Without the auction that was supposed to draw clients with the fruit as bait, Tesoro had chosen a different path.
* * *
New World, Steam Pirates' base.
Knox sat in a huge warm bath with his eyes closed, resting.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Clatter.
The sound of the wooden door sliding open echoed.
A subordinate entered and stood respectfully at a distance. "Captain."
Knox gave a low hum. "How's the situation?"
The subordinate's tone carried excitement as he began, "Our business is growing incredibly fast. We've regained control of the shipping industry and territories. Our influence is back to where it was sixteen years ago. The only thing that hasn't changed is the weapons trade because of Kaido's factories.
"As for the first half of the Grand Line, Crocodile's interference has reduced the flow of goods into the New World. But our people have already developed an alternative route. If things go smoothly from here, we won't be restricted by the Marines and the Warlords anymore."
When he finished, there was no response for a long time. The air grew heavier, and cold sweat dripped down his face.
Suddenly, Knox burst into laughter, his tone twisted and venomous. "Sixteen years... Sixteen years! Damn you, Sakazuki!!!"
Boom!
A wave of Conqueror's Haki, laced with killing intent, burst out violently, tearing through everything around him.
The subordinate collapsed to the floor, trembling.
Knox's bloodshot eyes slowly calmed down after a while.
Sixteen years ago, Sakazuki's schemes had forced him into a war with Big Mom and Shiki, costing him more than half of his business and power before peace was restored.
If not for that, with the manpower, resources, and wealth he controlled now, he would have been the sole king of the New World. He might have gone even further.
He was different from Big Mom, Kaido, and the others. He had no dreams of freedom, utopias, or ideals. To him, nothing mattered more than tangible power in his hands, and the more he had, the better.
Dreams? Laughable.
He wanted to become the underground king of the world.
And that ambition might have already been reality, if not for Sakazuki's machinations that had set him back sixteen years.
Life was finite. Sixteen years wasted… how could he not hate him?
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki's home.
On the second floor, in the study, the admiral stretched his neck. "Report anything at once."
Carlo frowned, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, "It's about the corruption issue. Although the soldiers we sent to the Four Blues branches were all carefully selected orphans, no matter how strong their resolve, some eventually lost sight of their way. After covert investigations of the branches under our control, we found twenty-seven base commanders involved in corruption. That's almost thirty percent."
Sakazuki let out a quiet sigh. "This is inevitable. Only saints are free of desire. Thirty percent isn't bad. Are there any committing acts of evil?"
"No," Carlo replied. "Just corruption, though some cases are severe. Your deterrence is still deeply etched in their minds. None of them dare cross that line."
The admiral sneered. "Talk to them. I don't care about greed. But if they slack off even slightly when it comes to killing pirates… they die. And don't bother with exposing anyone. Living a fate worse than death is far more painful than dying."
Carlo nodded. "Yes. But if we allow this, some might push the limits even further."
Sakazuki shook his head. "That doesn't matter. As long as they have ability, it's fine. We picked them carefully for a reason. What's important now is stabilizing the Four Blues and preparing to seize control of most of the kingdoms. After all, the four seas have the largest population and the greatest number of nations. We can settle accounts later. Killing is the easiest part."
Carlo acknowledged him with a nod. "I understand."
Sakazuki suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Have all the people who secretly helped Knox develop new routes been withdrawn?"
"They have," Carlo responded. "His competitors on the Grand Line have all died mysteriously. Soon, a new route bypassing the government and the Warlords will directly connect to Fish-Man Island."
A faint smile crossed Sakazuki's face. "Good. Let's fatten him up before we butcher him. That's when it'll taste the best."
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