The Grand Line, the Devil's Triangle.
The Association of Victims.
An organization composed entirely of those whose shadows were stolen by Moria.
Three days ago, everyone whose shadow had been stolen by Moria, to their surprise, discovered... their shadows had all returned on their own.
This meant... Moria was in trouble!!!
Countless people prostrated themselves on the ground, shedding tears of joy as they looked at their shadows.
At the same time, those sent to gather information returned, shouting loudly:
"Moria must be dead!"
"All the zombie soldiers have fallen!"
"It's time for revenge!!!"
"Only Hogback is on the island!"
The members of the Association of Victims became excited:
"Really!"
"That's great!!!"
"Quick, quick! Grab your weapons! Let's go!"
"Let's go!!"
----
The Devil's Triangle, Thriller Bark.
Inside the Thriller Bark, which was as large as an island.
Hogback was frantically repairing a speedboat. His own strength was very weak; he only became a subordinate of Moria due to shared interests and his superb technical skills.
But he never expected Moria to die inexplicably outside...
"Damn it!"
"That guy! Wasn't he quite powerful!"
"He died without any warning!"
"What a hassle!!!"
Although many ships disappeared here every year, they were all large vessels that one person couldn't pilot.
He hadn't slept in two days... all to rush the repair of this dilapidated speedboat...
Those guys must have found out... If he doesn't run now, he's just waiting to die...
----
The Devil's Triangle, aboard the Rumbar Pirates' ship.
Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~
Bang!
"Ah! 44°....."
"Huh?"
"A shadow?!"
"When did it come back!!"
----
The outer reaches of the Devil's Triangle.
A fleet of dozens of warships was lined up, spaced far apart, awaiting orders.
Many young soldiers on the ships were subtly excited:
"This is so thrilling!"
"This mission is to eliminate this Devil's Triangle!"
"I'll definitely tell everyone about it when we get back!"
An older Lieutenant expressed some confusion:
"Hmm?"
"Is this place famous?"
Is Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, that famous?
The young soldiers exchanged glances.
They were also somewhat surprised... The Lieutenant didn't know about the Devil's Triangle?
They started chattering amongst themselves:
"Hey!"
"Lieutenant, didn't you hear the legends of the Devil's Triangle when you were little!"
"No matter what went in, be it ships or strong individuals, none ever came out!"
"Legend says the Devil's Triangle connects to hell!"
"Everyone who entered disappeared without a trace, leaving only ghost ships drifting inside!"
"Eerie songs would sometimes be heard, and hellish skeletons patrolled!"
The older Lieutenant's mouth twitched...
He finally understood what was going on. Moria had been holed up here for over a decade, and these youngsters were only in their early twenties.
The ignorant populace had mistaken Moria's deeds for supernatural events, and through exaggeration, it had become this...
The Lieutenant shook his head and said,
"There's no such thing as hell."
"It's just the work of pirates."
"You guys...."
He saw something out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned his head:
"All hands!"
"About face!"
His gaze was full of longing as he looked into the distance, at the fiery lines erupting from the sea and reaching into the sky, like a staircase to heaven...
"You new recruits!"
"You're truly lucky."
"All of you, watch carefully!"
"Witness firsthand the might of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki!!!"
Gazing at the sky filled with fire rain...
Dense magma rounds, like cannonballs, were fired into the sky at extreme speed.
Because the warships were spaced so far apart, they could clearly see the magma rounds disappearing into the sky and reappearing, then plunging towards the Devil's Triangle.
And visibly growing larger...
The entire sky was dyed red, dominating the heavens and earth...
A scorching heat washed over them, and they could faintly see the air around each massive lava fist slightly distorting...
The roaring sound of the mountain-sized lava fists plunging down rendered the mind blank...
If the Marines on the periphery felt awe,
then everyone inside the Devil's Triangle felt only one word... death!!!
This was a stimulus that the body instinctively registered.
The area, perpetually shrouded in mist, suddenly had its sky turn crimson, as if the sun had fallen.
Boom—!!!!
The first lava fist fell precisely on the massive Thriller Bark.
It pierced through it in one blow... and then exploded!
Under the immense impact of the explosion, the colossal Thriller Bark shattered like glass... pulverized into dust and sunk to the seabed with the magma.
The resulting heatwave, colliding with the energy released by the other falling lava fists.
A chaotic storm of scorching shockwaves swept out.
The entire Devil's Triangle turned into a colossal furnace.
All people and objects began to burn, turning to ash...
Under the violent heatwave, nothing could resist...
This was truly hell...
Not only that.
The magma that fell into the seawater emitted a crimson color, and was not cooled by the seawater... continuously evaporating into steam.
It seemed as if it was about to burn this entire sea to ashes...
----
On Sakazuki's warship.
The magma on his arms slowly receded, transforming back into arms:
"Meteors..."
His body felt a sense of complete relaxation.
Karol, watching the continuous fall of lava fists.
He looked at the Devil's Triangle being engulfed and destroyed, a vast expanse of sea, and sighed with emotion:
"World-ending power..."
"This is your objective, isn't it."
Sakazuki chuckled lightly:
"Ah—"
"It's been a while since I got to stretch my legs."
He stretched his shoulders, turned, and left:
"Set sail, New World."
Then, the warship slowly turned and departed.
The remaining warships remained motionless, carrying out their orders.
Their role was to perform the final sweep.
To not let any single one slip through the net...
Though perhaps nothing remained...
----
New World, the Steam Pirates' base.
Several days had passed since Sakazuki's promotion to Fleet Admiral and declaration of war.
The action was thorough...
The Sabaody Archipelago was completely sealed off.
Any ship attempting to pass through to the New World would be thoroughly screened.
The Steam Pirates' business was the most affected and suffered the heaviest losses.
Coupled with the Four Emperors' battle a while ago, their business had nearly halved.
The current situation of the Steam Pirates was simply adding insult to injury...
They had contacted many government officials in the past few days, but negotiations had still failed...
Hell Noq sat with his eyes closed on his throne, one hand propping his head:
"Enough!"
"Get out!"
His subordinates didn't dare to linger and quickly withdrew...
Hell Noq took a deep breath:
"Hoo—"
He slowly opened his eyes, the coldness in his gaze indicating his displeasure...
The government's demands were too high. Even if Sakazuki was currently strangling the New World, so what... Ridiculous, to think he was just their hired hand...
Sooner or later, they would have to vomit out everything they'd consumed...
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of the throne... contemplating a way out of this predicament.
A starving camel is still larger than a horse. With the current accumulation of the Steam Pirates, there was no immediate need to worry...
Now that the path with the government was blocked, they could only consider the Calm Belt...
Unlike Kaido, who needed to cultivate his own subordinates to escort ships through the Calm Belt.
Hell Noq's situation was much simpler... he could directly recruit with heavy gold.
But the problem was, this would only allow for the circulation of goods, breaking even at best...
Knock knock knock— knock knock knock—
Urgent knocking sounded.
Hell Noq's brow furrowed:
"Enter."
A subordinate rushed in, his face beaming with joy:
"Boss!"
"We have a way!!!"
"The technology of the Vinsmoke family in the North Blue can easily cross the Red Line!"
"They want to cooperate with you!"
Hell Noq leaned slightly forward:
"Oh?"
The subordinate was still brimming with excitement:
"It's been confirmed, it's true!"
"As long as we seize that technology!!!"
"Then we won't fear the Navy's blockade!"
Hell Noq's eyes flickered, and he chuckled:
"Cooperate?"
"Interesting..."
"Contact them first and see what they want..."
----
The Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago.
Once a gathering place for pirates, the Sabaody Archipelago.
At this moment, not a single pirate could be seen in any of the ports.
After days of encirclement and suppression.
Those who narrowly escaped had all lowered their pirate flags; no one was foolish enough to be stubbornly defiant unto death...
Living was the most important thing...
Scattered pirates gathered in secluded taverns in various remote locations...
And at some point... a piece of news began to circulate among the pirates...
As long as one had enough money...
It was still possible to get a coating and travel to the New World...
Late at night.
The captain of the Pigeon Pirates, under the cover of moonlight, secretly steered his ship towards a secluded shack near a Marine base.
After docking, a hidden door opened... the ship plunged down, leaving a huge underground chamber.
Once the ship was stable, he jumped off, sweat beading on his forehead... this was too thrilling...
Smuggling right under the Navy's nose!!!
He gestured to two pirates carrying five chests filled with gold treasures and berries, and looked at the directing coater:
"I say... aren't you guys too daring!"
"Doing this right under the noses of the Navy base."
"Are you perhaps Navy spies."
The directing coater rolled his eyes:
"Do you know what 'hiding in plain sight' means."
"Besides, would a spy earn this much."
"The money earned from one job now is more than what we earned in half a year before."
"We have to thank the Navy."
"Hehehehe~"
The captain of the Pigeon Pirates twitched his mouth... indeed... it was too dark...
All the treasures they had plundered on their journey from the North Blue to here were now on the ground...
Thinking about the struggles they had endured along the way, he began to question his life...
As for whether anyone would refuse to pay after getting coated... it was simply nonexistent...
If they messed with the coating, they wouldn't even know how they died...
Time slowly passed.
The sky gradually began to lighten, and a coated pirate ship slowly sailed towards Fish-Man Island deep beneath the sea...
After the pirate ship disappeared, the coater who had been directing everyone returned to the shack:
"Haa—"
His demeanor changed, becoming somewhat listless, yawning:
"Are all Devil Fruit users this timid?"
"Not many people came for coating."
He stretched, took out a Den Den Mushi, and said:
"I should report to Mr. Carol first..."
----------
At the same time.
As the sky began to faintly brighten.
On the seemingly endless wall of the Red Line.
A massive snail fleet was climbing it.
The entire fleet was at an almost ninety-degree angle to the Red Line, yet it continued to crawl forward.
Vinsmoke Judge had been awake all night.
As long as this crucial cooperation was achieved, the Vinsmoke family would once again reign supreme in the North Blue!
Standing on top of a horizontal castle, he gazed out at the boundless sea in the faint morning light.
An boundless ambition filled his chest.
As for why this massive fleet was crawling horizontally...
It was also to show the Four Emperors the strength of their family, their powerful technology and heritage...
------
The Devil's Triangle.
Several days passed, and the sea in this devilish region.
Had completely dissipated. The mist that had always been present, and from which no one was ever seen, had vanished without a trace.
Only steam rose from the hot seawater...
The soldiers had taken off their shirts and were bare-chested, carrying out the clean-up work...
It was too hot...
Suddenly.
A soldier spotted an afro-haired individual, his back to them, floating on the sea with an overturned iron basin above his head, and he was still moving slightly...
"Great!"
"A survivor!"
He quickly raised his gun, intending to shoot. Their Fleet Admiral had been too thorough in his cleansing... finally, they'd found a survivor!
Bang!
The gunshot rang out.
Everyone looked over:
"Ah! There's a survivor over there!"
"Damn it!"
"Who shot without orders!"
"I'll get him, I'll get him!"
Gunshots continued to ring out. The afro-haired individual seemed to finally react, as if using all his strength... he turned his head, startling all the soldiers.
"A skele... Skeleton!!"
"It's a hellish skeleton, Lieutenant!"
The older Lieutenant, disturbed by the commotion, walked over:
"What hellish skeleton."
"What are you guys up to again!!!"
He walked to the front of the soldiers who had parted, and was also startled to see a skeleton floating on the sea, holding an iron basin.
But he quickly realized... seeing the skeleton's weak state...
"Although... it's rather peculiar..."
"This isn't a hellish skeleton, just a Devil Fruit user."
"Bring the Seastone chains."
------
New World, New Marineford.
In the fortress office, Sakazuki was analyzing the situation in front of a sand table.
Karol entered with a strange expression:
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
"The warships from the Devil's Triangle operation previously discovered a creature whose lower body was burnt away."
"But it's still alive... a skeleton?"
Sakazuki casually waved his hand:
"Just a Devil Fruit user."
"Send it to Egghead Island."
"See what can be studied from it, and then it can be recycled."
Karol acknowledged and withdrew, disappearing...
Sakazuki felt no particular emotion towards such individuals... he had killed too many.
If it's useful, keep it; if not, recycle the Devil Fruit, it doesn't change anything...
The forces of the Grand Line were gradually being deployed to the New World.
Sakazuki looked at the four enemies on the sand table:
"Who should I start with..."