The massive retaliation sparked by Gu Yue Fang Huo's two assassination attempts lasted for more than half a year.
Under the vengeance of the Rocks Pirates, the Grand Line and the North Blue were plunged into prolonged panic and chaos.
Even the heavenly tribute that Grand Line and North Blue nations sent to the World Government was successfully robbed by the Rocks Pirates five or six times.
Countless pirate crews joined this carnival of piracy.
It caused the World Government tremendous losses!
Only when the Gorosei and God's Knights personally moved out did the Rocks Pirates quiet down a little and temporarily avoid the limelight.
Meanwhile, on Ruruka Island, a Pumpkin Pirates crew formed by a few brats officially came into being; they even drew a proper Jolly Roger.
They celebrated happily until night fell and the full moon rose, then each went home to find their mothers.
They agreed to continue their grand pirate career the next day.
That night, inside Ruruka's Rainbow Tower, an apprentice on telescope duty watching the sea shouted excitedly,
"Sir! It's here, it's here! It's the rainbow mist!!"
These local apprentices, who had treated the rainbow mist as mere legend, never imagined the tale was real—let alone that it would appear at night.
No wonder so few people ever encountered the rainbow mist.
It turned out the mist appeared not only by day but also after dark.
There had indeed been legends of merchant ships vanishing at night.
People had assumed those overdue ships met violent storms or shipwrecks; no one guessed they might have sailed into the rainbow mist.
Hearing the apprentice's yell, Fang Huo instantly cranked the Rainbow Tower to maximum output, striving to keep the rainbow mist visible for as long as possible.
He slipped straight into his full Vampire beast form and shot out at top speed.
"A full moon—Heaven is helping me!!"
Ecstatic, Fang Huo unleashed his Moonlight-Moonlight Fruit powers to the fullest, using the full moon to enter his strongest amplified state and push his strength to its peak.
"Gulp-Gulp power, you'd better work!"
"Heaven-Devouring Demon Maw!!!"
The Vampire Fang Huo had become opened its mouth wide—so wide the maw dwarfed the entire body, as if turning into a giant gulping bat.
Endless suction erupted within that colossal mouth.
'Universal Pull!'
'Planetary Devastation!'
His Gravity Ability exploded wildly, accelerating the rainbow mist's convergence.
Fang Huo had to devour every last wisp of the mysterious rainbow mist before it vanished!
As the rainbow mist flowed into his mouth, Fang Huo's eyes blazed.
It works!!!
In his excitement, his body erupted in brilliant Moonlight; even the full moon in the sky seemed to glow brighter.
All Ruruka Island looked as bright as day, the rainbow mist shimmering under the moon in dazzling seven-colored radiance.
The strange lunar phenomenon sent countless islanders rushing outside.
"Look at the sea!!"
"It's the legendary rainbow mist!!"
"The rainbow mist at night—impossible!"
"What is that!! A monster? It's eating the rainbow mist!!"
From balconies and shores, the islanders watched the astonishing scene on the water.
The Pumpkin Pirates' brats also dashed to the beach for a look.
They witnessed an unforgettable sight.
Under the full moon, a gaping-maw monster was devouring the rainbow mist!
Inside Rainbow Tower at that moment:
"Impossible! Our boss is a monster!!"
These well-paid apprentices stared in terror at the creature swallowing the rainbow mist.
This monster was their gentle, friendly scholar employer?
Prolonged by the tower's power, the rainbow mist surged into Fang Huo's giant mouth.
Under his Gravity Ability, every strand of mist was rapidly drawn together and funneled into the maw for faster consumption.
"The monster's going to finish off the rainbow mist!!"
Among the Pumpkin Pirates kids, a little girl's eyes brimmed with tears, unwilling to see the gorgeous mist eaten.
"What on earth is happening!"
Not just the kids—every islander was in turmoil.
"If it finishes the rainbow mist, will it come for us next!"
One terrified shout scattered the onlookers along the shore.
The timid fled home to hide.
"Full moon, monster, rainbow mist—inform the Mayor! Report to the Marines!"
"Yes! Let the Marines protect us!"
The beach crowd broke into a panicked rout.
Yet the Pumpkin Pirates brats actually tried to think up ways to stop the monster from devouring the mist!
Before they could act, the last of the rainbow mist vanished into the giant maw.
Burp!
Fang Huo let out a satisfied belch; inside him the rainbow mist fused rapidly. The dark-purple Devouring Imp representing his Gulp-Gulp Fruit power now glowed with seven colors!
Two and a half hours later!
"Ah-hahaha!!!"
"Come forth! Seven-Colored Space-Time Gate!"
With an elated roar, the dark-purple Devouring Imp detached from Fang Huo and morphed into a gate of the same hue.
The frame was shaped like the little beast's gaping mouth; the portal within was the rainbow mist itself.
Fang Huo plunged straight into the rainbow doorway.
The devourer-turned Seven-Colored Space-Time Gate followed him and vanished, erased from the world.
It's gone!!
The Pumpkin Pirates kids and the Rainbow Tower apprentices all cried out.
Under the bright Moonlight, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Tales of the full-moon monster and the rainbow mist spread swiftly across Ruruka Island.
Inside the rainbow mist's Lost World at that moment:
Fang Huo gazed excitedly at a gray mist world littered with broken warships.
"Looks like a junkyard, but it's my personal pocket dimension!"
He shouted in exhilaration, soaring through the battered space.
Soon he spotted a ruined island at the center.
"This will serve as the headquarters of this dimension!"
With enthusiasm, he began organizing the pocket world!
But the time flow here differed drastically from the outside.
"When I exit, will I return to the exact moment I entered, or will outside time have surged ahead?"
Mindful of this paradoxical bug, he hurriedly summoned the Seven-Colored Space-Time Gate again and stepped back into reality.
Flying out of the gate, he saw islanders still milling along the shore.
"Hmm?"
"I went in and came back out, yet the outside time hasn't skipped a beat!"
Baffled, he wondered if controlling the rainbow mist anchored him to this timeline.
"I need to test this world's time rules at once!"
Frowning, he had hoped to exploit a time gap between the two realms.
He flew straight back to Rainbow Tower!
By now the apprentices inside were already divvying up everything he'd left behind, ready to disband...