East Blue.
On an unnamed island.
Clink
Two glasses clinked together under the moonlight.
"I can't believe it... Sengoku is really dead," Rayleigh sighed, looking at the latest newspaper. Even now, he found it hard to believe.
It was too unbelievable.
"I knew from the first moment I saw him that he wasn't simple. But I never expected this. In just one year, he managed to do something we couldn't even imagine," Gaban said, Kuke's image flashing in his mind.
Back then, Kuke had been a promising young man in Gaban's eyes.
He hoped Kuke would make Roger's sword shine with a different kind of brilliance—so as not to tarnish the name "Ace."
Now, Gaban realized his view had been too narrow.
"In Roger's hands, Ace never had the chance to taste the blood of a Fleet Admiral."
Gaban stared at Rayleigh.
"Come on, tell me more. What else has he done? His year of adventures is more legendary than what we've experienced in decades."
"More surprises?" Rayleigh thought back to his encounters with Kuke.
A year ago, their first meeting—Kuke had just finished rescuing some slaves. In Rayleigh's eyes, Kuke was a passionate but fragile sapling that needed nurturing.
He worried about Kuke's future.
The next time they met was at Sabaody Archipelago, and Kuke was facing off against Admirals. At that time, Kuke still seemed like a junior in need of protection.
Now...
"He's unreadable," Rayleigh shook his head, giving the same evaluation as Garp. Completely unreadable.
"Hahaha, living long enough has its perks. Too bad Roger didn't get to witness times like these. It's really exciting," Gaban laughed, full of anticipation for what heights Kuke would reach next.
Would Kuke reach heights they couldn't even dream of?
"Whitebeard must be troubled now."
Rayleigh had a schadenfreude expression. "I wonder if Whitebeard can still sleep well at night."
"I doubt it," Gaban said. "But it's Whitebeard, after all."
Whitebeard and the Roger Pirates were old rivals. Back then, neither could do anything to the other.
"The way Kuke killed Sengoku relied on exploiting advantages—numbers, intelligence, a surprise attack. He hasn't surpassed Whitebeard yet," Gaban said, feeling Rayleigh's assessment was a bit exaggerated.
Whitebeard was, after all, the strongest man alive.
Even Roger couldn't completely suppress Whitebeard—they had always been equals.
"Give it a few years, and that might not be the case." Rayleigh believed that in a few years, Kuke would have what it takes to contend for the title of the strongest man.
"Wanna bet?"
Gaban looked at Rayleigh. "I bet five years."
Rayleigh raised three fingers.
"Three years," he said. He believed that in three years, Kuke would have the power to match Whitebeard.
"Isn't that a bit early?" Gaban thought Rayleigh had too much faith in Kuke.
Three years.
Kuke would only be twenty-three by then. In the world of pirates, he was still just a rookie.
"I think it's about right." Rayleigh, who wouldn't even give the same time frame for Shanks, had unwavering faith in Kuke. Three years felt about right.
"Alright, it's a bet."
The two clinked their glasses once again.
The Sabaody Archipelago incident had happened three days ago.
But the ripple effects had only just begun.
The Grand Line and all four seas were thrown into shock and fear.
In the Holy Land, Mariejois.
The Five Elders had been scolding the Admirals for two hours straight.
"He was supposed to be dead. You all swore up and down that Kuke was dead. And now? Now the Fleet Admiral is dead, and the Navy's reputation is in ruins, pinned forever under the weight of disgrace. The World Government is a laughingstock!"
The Five Elders glared at Akainu with disgust.
This generation of the Navy...
The worst in history.
"Indeed, this is our failure," Akainu admitted, stepping forward to take responsibility. They still had no clue how Kuke had survived, but he had, and there was no use making excuses. It was a monumental failure, though they still couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.
"Assign me to the Sun and Moon Pirates. I ask to lead our forces in pursuit of them and not return until I succeed." Akainu's eyes were filled with determination.
It was a do-or-die resolution.
In other words, he was prepared to abandon all the powers of an Admiral and dedicate himself to hunting down Kuke for the rest of his life.
No time limit.
Until either Kuke or he fell.
"You?" The Five Elders looked at Akainu, somewhat impressed. If only he hadn't been outwitted by Kuke so many times, he would have been an excellent subordinate.
But now? What gave him the confidence to say this?
"We don't want to hear about another Admiral being killed," one of the Elders said. They couldn't afford that kind of loss again.
The think tanks at the World Government had worked overnight to reassess the power of the Sun and Moon Pirates. One Admiral would be throwing his life away; two might hold them off; three would be needed to have any real advantage...
Even with three Admirals, the Five Elders had no hope of eliminating the Sun and Moon Pirates.
To this day, they still hadn't figured out how Kuke had survived or the source of the pirate ship's invincible defense.
These were all mysteries.
Without solving these mysteries, the Five Elders dared not act recklessly. They were somewhat afraid, having suffered too many losses at Kuke's hands.
People learn from their mistakes.
They couldn't keep making the same mistakes over and over. Walking into a trap knowingly was sheer idiocy.
"We need a foolproof plan—one that guarantees success. When we move again..." Akainu suggested, but before he could finish, the Five Elders slammed the table in anger, standing up.
They glared at Akainu, their faces contorted with rage.
"Don't talk to us about foolproof plans ever again!"
"Weren't you the ones who said you had a foolproof plan last time? We believed you. And what happened then?
"You lured Kuke out, and we lost the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit.
"You infiltrated the Sun and Moon Pirates, and CP0 agent Stussy defected.
"You surrounded Kuke at Sabaody, and he made fools of you.
"You established the Shichibukai at Kuke's gravesite—now the Shichibukai are gone, and so is the Fleet Admiral.
"Not a single success. Yet the cost just keeps getting bigger."
Akainu was left speechless by the Five Elders' tirade.
After venting their anger, the Five Elders sat down.
"We have a... method," one of the Elders said suddenly.
Kizaru and Aokiji felt a chill run down their spines.
Another method?
No more methods, please.
Every time they had a method, it ended with the Navy paying the price. Could they just leave things be for once?
The Five Elders and the Navy high command glared at each other—fearful of any new "foolproof" strategies.
Meanwhile, Kuke was at Fishman Island.
The other members of the Sun and Moon Pirates had also made their way from Dressrosa aboard the Radiant Eclipse to join him.
In front of countless Fishmen, their eyes welling with tears, full of excitement, Kuke raised a flag with the word "Light" on it.
He planted it at the entrance of Fishman Island.
The flag flapped in the wind.
At that moment, cheers erupted across Fishman Island—tears and laughter mingled together.
They finally had protection.
From now on...
Fishman Island was under the protection of the Sun and Moon Pirates.
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE FOR EXTRA CHAPTERS
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 154+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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