The sea had not yet calmed from the shock of Rosward Saint's execution when another ship changed its course.
Aboard the Kuja Pirates' vessel, drawn by two enormous venomous sea serpents, the women of Amazon Lily stood silent after witnessing the broadcast.
Boa Hancock rose slowly from her throne-like seat.
"Prepare the cannons," she ordered. "Then turn the ship."
Her subordinates blinked in confusion.
"Captain Hancock? We have no connection to Buggy. That battlefield is chaos itself. Admirals, CP0, a Buster Call may follow…"
Hancock did not answer immediately.
Instead, she reached up and let her cloak fall from her shoulders.
The sea breeze touched bare skin.
Gasps erupted from the deck.
On her flawless back, burned into pale flesh, was the unmistakable brand.
The Hoof of the Celestial Dragons.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Except for Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold, who lowered their heads, the rest of the Kuja Pirates stared in stunned silence.
Hancock's voice trembled only slightly.
"This mark… is my shame."
Her fingers brushed the scar unconsciously.
"I was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons."
The words hung heavy over the deck.
"I intended to carry this secret to my grave."
Her eyes lifted.
"But today, I saw something different."
In her mind, the image replayed—
Buggy is standing over a kneeling Celestial Dragon.
Unflinching.
Unapologetic.
Unbowed.
"Humiliation," Hancock said softly, "should be repaid with blood."
Her voice grew stronger.
"I am Pirate Empress Boa Hancock!"
The sea serpents hissed in response.
"I will wash this mark away with the blood of the Celestial Dragons!"
She turned to her crew.
"I will join the Buggy Pirates and declare war on the Celestial Dragons."
Her expression softened slightly.
"You may return to Amazon Lily if you wish. Once the World Government turns its fury toward Buggy, they will not spare attention for our homeland."
For a heartbeat, the Kuja Pirates were silent.
Then outrage exploded.
"What are you saying, Captain?!"
"The shame belongs to those monsters, not to you!"
"Lord Hancock, we will follow you!"
Sandersonia stepped forward first.
"Those who branded you deserve to die."
Marigold nodded fiercely.
The rest of the Kuja Pirates raised their weapons.
"Lead us!"
Hancock closed her eyes briefly.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"Then indulge my selfishness one last time."
She turned toward the horizon.
"Kuja Pirates—set sail!"
The serpents roared as the ship pivoted sharply, cutting through the waves toward the direction of Buggy's battle.
Across the world, Tsuru's prediction unfolded.
Hatred long suppressed began to surface.
If a Celestial Dragon could be killed—
Then they were not gods.
They were mortal.
And mortals could bleed.
On a distant island, a pirate crew prepared to depart after plundering a village.
Their laughter faded as a small boat drifted into their path.
A lone figure stood upon it.
Short black hair. Hawk-like golden eyes.
A black top hat casting a narrow shadow over a calm face.
Across his back rested a massive black blade.
One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords.
Yoru.
The pirate captain swallowed.
"Dracule Mihawk…"
Mihawk regarded them with mild disinterest.
"You offend my eyes," he said calmly.
The pirates stiffened.
"This sea," Mihawk continued, "is not meant for trash."
He drew Yoru in one smooth motion.
A green slash larger than the pirate ship itself tore across the distance.
The vessel disintegrated instantly.
Wood shattered.
Bodies were torn apart.
Blood blossomed across the waves like crimson flowers.
Mihawk sheathed Yoru.
His small boat resumed its course automatically, as though guided by instinct.
Clown Buggy.
Mihawk recalled Marineford.
The way Buggy's body had separated effortlessly under his blade.
At the time, Mihawk had dismissed it as mere Devil Fruit trickery.
Now—
Kamisari.
A technique of the Pirate King himself.
Buggy had wielded it.
That was no trick.
That was mastery.
"You fooled everyone," Mihawk murmured.
Even Shanks.
The wind carried his words away.
"Let us see which of you carries Roger's will."
His boat cut toward the same distant direction.
Aboard the Sabre of Xebec, Blackbeard leaned back on his throne, fingers tapping rhythmically.
The laughter had faded.
Kamisari.
He had seen that technique once before.
When Gol D. Roger clashed evenly with Whitebeard.
And now—
Buggy had reproduced it.
"That clown…" Teach muttered.
He remembered those old days.
The war between the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.
The sense of being watched.
Sharp eyes.
Calculating.
Did he notice me even then?
Teach's grin thinned.
"Captain," Lafitte asked gently, "shall we proceed?"
Blackbeard's eyes narrowed.
"No."
He leaned forward.
"The Gorosei's price is too low."
His gaze shifted toward the horizon.
"Turn toward Totto Land."
Charlotte Linlin's disappearance had left her territory vulnerable.
"Profit first," Teach declared with a dark chuckle. "Zehahahaha!"
Lafitte tilted his head.
"But Buggy may become troublesome."
Teach's grin widened.
"The World Government will move first."
He leaned back again.
"I will strike when both sides are bleeding."
The Sabre of Xebec began to turn.
But from the shadows, unnoticed at first, a small boat slipped away.
By the time the Blackbeard Pirates realised, it had already gained distance.
"Captain! Gecko Moria has escaped!"
On that fleeing boat stood a tall, hunched figure.
Gecko Moria.
Beside him, pink-haired Perona clutched the railing.
Moria's eyes burned with hatred.
"Blackbeard…"
His voice trembled with rage.
"I will avenge Absalom."
Perona glanced back nervously.
"The Blackbeard Pirates are too strong…"
Moria's shadow stretched unnaturally across the deck.
"Then we find someone stronger."
He stared toward the horizon.
"Buggy."
Perona blinked.
"That clown?"
"He killed a Celestial Dragon."
Moria's lips curled grimly.
"He will clash with Blackbeard sooner or later."
His shadow shifted into elongated oars, propelling the boat faster.
"That will be our chance."
Across the seas, the currents themselves seemed to change.
Kuja Pirates.
Mihawk.
Moria.
Revolutionaries.
Ambitious pirates.
Enemies of the Celestial Dragons.
All began turning their prows in a single direction.
The execution had ended.
The war had begun.
And the powerhouses of the sea were moving.
---
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