It was late evening at Dock No. 1, the heart of the Galley-La Company. Piles of timber and shipbuilding materials lay neatly stacked, waiting to be used. The dock was empty, the workers having just finished their shifts.
Only Barry, the foreman, remained. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a shocking sight in the sky.
"A flying… ship?" he mumbled, his cigar frozen in his mouth.
A few seconds later, the massive ark descended with a ground-shaking thud, kicking up clouds of wood dust. Barry swallowed hard and ran toward the uninvited guest.
Meanwhile, a crowd of curious onlookers poured through the dock's open iron gates.
"Quick, it's inside!"
"See? I knew it was a masterpiece from the Galley-La Company!"
"Hold on! Let's see who's on board first!"
Barry glanced back at the sound of the approaching footsteps, a vein twitching in his forehead. "Hey, who are you? Get out of here!" he yelled, pointing at them.
It was his duty to protect the dock. But his words were useless; no one paid him any mind.
Suddenly, the crowd that had just rushed in came running back out at full speed.
"Run!"
"Get out of my way!"
"It's… the Warlord Killing Pirates wanted by the government!"
"Hahaha, so lucky!"
Barry's eyelids twitched. When he heard the words "Warlord Killing Pirates," a name that had become infamous, his heart pounded. He understood why they had run back—not in fear, but because of the massive bounty.
Just three days ago, the World Government and Marines had offered a staggering 300 million Berry reward for any information leading to the Rodin Pirates. This had sparked a global manhunt. Now, the culprits were right here.
Barry, despite his need for money, did not run. He was the foreman, and a flying ship had landed on his turf. He wouldn't abandon his post.
He walked quickly to the ark. It was growing dark, but the ship was illuminated by a series of glowing shells that lined its hull. Barry couldn't appreciate the beauty, however, because he saw the notorious captain, 'Rodin,' standing on the bow.
"Captain Rodin, what business do you have at our Dock No. 1?" Barry asked cautiously, trying to hide his nervousness.
Rodin simply pointed up at the sky. "Look up."
"What?" Barry looked up. The moon was a faint glow in the dark sky, but under its light, he saw a woman in a pink feathered cloak, her face twisted into a confident grin. She was beautiful, with a fierce arrogance that made men want to conquer her.
She stepped on the air itself, palms raised. Countless rays of light shot up into the sky, forming a giant cocoon-like structure. The cocoon then descended, spraying thin white lines that formed a massive, circular 'birdcage' that shrouded the entire island.
Everyone in Water 7—pirates, Marines, workers, and bosses—all stared up at the terrifying sight.
"What… what is that?" Barry stammered, his eyes wide.
He took a step back, tripped over a piece of timber, and fell to the ground. He didn't even notice the blood trickling from his rear as he stared at the birdcage.
"Don't be so useless," Rodin said calmly. "You won't be able to leave the island, but everything else will continue as usual. My crew will be gone in two days."
Rodin had learned from the Ship Spirit, Tashigi, that he needed a large quantity of high-quality wood to upgrade his ark. The upgrade would elevate the ship from two stars to three stars, allowing it to resist attacks from pirates on the level of Crocodile and unlock new, mysterious functions.
The system required the ship to be on the island, untouched by damage, for two full days. That's why he had 'Sister Dove' create the Birdcage, just in case.
Rodin knew he had another 30 hours before he could summon another crew member with four-star power to help them with any emergencies.
"Now," Rodin said. "Go tell your boss, Iceburg. I need a lot of high-quality wood."
At the headquarters of the Galley-La Company, two figures rushed out, followed closely by their guards.
"Dock No. 1 isn't far! I hope nothing bad has happened!"Iceburg, the blue-haired president, was worried. He had seen the spaceship land from his office and, a moment later, the spiderweb-like cage appear in the sky. He knew the two events had to be connected.
"Kalifa, you don't have to follow me," he said to the woman beside him. "There might be danger over there, and you're a woman…"
"Mr. Iceburg, your safety is my top priority," Kalifa replied, holding a notebook to her chest. "Besides, my strength isn't weak."
Iceburg remembered Kalifa's long, powerful legs and swallowed the rest of his words.
He looked at a man in a suit. "These threads in the sky could be dangerous. Take some men to check it out. If it's dangerous, organize people to keep the citizens away!"
"Yes, Mr. Iceburg," the man responded.
Soon, Iceburg's group reached the dock and ran into Barry.
"Barry, you're still here? Do you know what's going on inside?"
"It's… it's Rodin's crew!"
"Rodin?!" Kalifa's expression changed. "The notorious Warlord hunter?"
"That's right," Barry confirmed, grabbing Iceburg's arm. "Mr. Iceburg, he said he wants wood from you! But I don't think it's that simple; you must—"
"I need to go now!" Iceburg declared, running past him without hesitation.
"Damn it!" Barry cursed, stamping his foot before reluctantly following. Iceburg was his mentor, and he couldn't forgive himself if anything happened.
Kalifa's eyes flickered, and she briefly slowed her pace before speeding up again.
Everyone arrived at the ark.
"You guys are pretty fast," Rodin said, looking down at the blue-haired man from the bow. "Mr Iceburg? You're quite a gentleman, bringing your female secretary with you after dark."
"Insolent," Kalifa muttered under her breath, her mind racing. Was this man also after the Pluton blueprints?
"Your Excellency…" Iceburg began, but Rodin cut him off.
"I know what you're thinking," Rodin said, crossing his legs. "CP9 agent Kalifa, I'm not interested in the Pluton blueprints that you and your agency are after."
"Pluton?" Iceburg's face paled.
Kalifa froze, clutching her notebook tightly. "What nonsense are you talking about?" she said, trying to maintain her composure.
Rodin's eyes turned cold. An immense, terrifying pressure descended on everyone. The guards nearly collapsed, and Kalifa, in a panic, quickly shut her mouth. She had forgotten who she was dealing with: a pirate with a 1.2 billion Berry bounty. She couldn't talk back to him.
"Crocodile, you can talk to them about the materials," Rodin said, turning his head. His attention was focused elsewhere.
Then, he vanished into thin air.
The few people who were left behind were left stunned. Kalifa was shocked; she hadn't even seen him move. This man was truly formidable.
Rodin's voice had barely faded before the sound of footsteps echoed on the ship. A figure in a pink feathered cloak flew down from the deck and landed on the ground, her back to the crowd. The atmosphere grew tense.
"Doflamingo!" Kalifa gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. But she quickly remembered the bounty posters.
"That's too rude," the figure said, turning to face them with a beautiful smile. "You should call me Sister Dove."
Iceburg finally regained his composure. He pointed to the sky and asked, "Your Excellency, what is the meaning of that net above us?"
"That… is to protect all of you."
On the outskirts of Water 7, the thin, silky threads of the Birdcage were already in place.
"Tempest Kick!"
"Finger Pistol!"
Several sharp attacks slammed into the cage, creating bursts of fire, but the threads remained intact.
A man with a double-horned hairstyle prepared to charge into the threads with his stomach.
"Iron…"
"Iron my ass!" the masked man Spandam yelled, slapping Blueno's head. "Other attacks didn't work, and you think your Iron Body will?!"
"Ah…?" Blueno touched his head in confusion.
"Our Six Powers attacks shouldn't have been useless like this," Fukurou said, spreading his hands.
"Stop probing!" Spandam screamed. "Hurry up and open a door and send me out! You can carry on with the mission after I'm safe!" When he heard Rodin was in Water 7, he couldn't stay calm. As the commander of CP9, his life was far more important than those of his subordinates. The others could take advantage of the chaos to find the blueprints.
"Alright," Blueno said, placing a hand in the air to create a door.
"Hmph, what a bore," Spandam huffed, about to step through.
But at that moment, an invisible force slammed into Blueno's stomach. Black smoke poured out of him, and he flew backward into the sky. The air door vanished, leaving Spandam's legs dangling in midair.
Spandam was terrified. What had happened? There was no one there, and no sound. Why had Blueno flown away?
Suddenly, Fukurou, too, was hit by the same invisible force. Black smoke poured from his head as he flew backward.
"Who's there?!" Spandam yelled, wildly swinging his sword. "I am the supreme commander of CP9! If you touch me, you defy the World Government!"
He swung his sword for a full minute, but hit nothing. He was beginning to think the attacker had fled after hearing his title.
"You're learning," a voice said.
Suddenly, he felt a slap on his forehead, but still, no one was there. The cold feeling was unmistakable. Spandam frantically swung his sword again, but hit nothing but air. The strange feeling remained on his forehead, and his face paled.
A ghost? It must be a ghost! The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all.
Spandam's skin broke out in goosebumps. His pants were getting wet.