[77] Shocking The World [2]
[2000 Words]
------------------------------------------
The disturbances caused by the news have not subsided; on the contrary, reactions from many individuals, whether ordinary people or powerful persons with influence and authority, have begun to emerge. Everyone was anxious and anticipating what would result from this incident.
The name of the Black Death, Ren, and of the Sin Pirates rose overnight, causing both pirates and civilians to be aware of the emergence of a powerful pirate crew that caused disturbances just a few months after its appearance!
Furthermore, the status of the leader of the Sin Pirates, the Black Death Ren, was reinforced, considering him a Warlord due to his fame, leading many to put him on the list of people to avoid.
---
The Grand Line, the New World.
In a vast archipelago consisting of dozens of islands, specifically on the largest and most famous island, there was a sinister laughter seeping from a dark room.
"Mama-Mama!!"
"It seems that the Marines want to get rid of that old man... Mama! But it won't be easy!"
There was a giant woman holding the newspaper, reading the news with a fierce smile on her old face.
She looked at the part related to Ren and laughed again ruthlessly.
"Mama-Mama! He might make a good husband for one of my daughters!"
---
The Grand Line, the New World.
In a place that once seemed like a kingdom, at least in the past, now there is nothing but ruins and destruction stretching across thousands of meters of this island.
The smell of death still lingered in this vast piece of land, and it seems that a great massacre had occurred not long ago in this place.
Dust storms spread across the corners of the island, thunder roared angrily while rain poured heavily, announcing its grief over the victims.
And in a hidden place on this island, a towering castle could be seen, which was a half-destroyed fortress and seemed to have been the former palace of the king in this destroyed kingdom.
"Dragon-San! Big news!"
A masked man shouted and rushed towards a mysterious figure, holding a newspaper in his hand.
The mysterious figure turned his back to the man, staring at the devastation and wreckage from atop the castle without moving or speaking.
The masked man arrived in front of a tall middle-aged man, with spiky black hair with a widow's peak and a dark red tattoo on the left side of his face, colored in red.
He wore a long green cloak, and underneath it was an orange robe.
This was Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army! The most dangerous criminal in the world!
"Let me see.." a rough voice came out of Dragon as he took the newspaper from the masked man.
He read it with an unchanged expression on his face, then quickly revealed a slight surprise. And when he finished reading the news, he sighed and took a few steps forward to look at the destruction below.
"This world is heading towards a bloody war... Its effects will be devastating for the oppressed peoples."
His voice was calm, and it seemed like he was talking to himself, but the masked revolutionary who brought the newspaper listened to his leader's words with an expression indicating worship.
Dragon's gaze was deep, and it seemed like he was prophesying the future, looking into the horizon. The scene of destruction and death that befell this kingdom would not change, then he spoke again, this time addressing the masked man listening behind him: "Begin gathering information about the leader of the Sin Pirates... We will decide our next step later when we know his personality."
"As you command, sir!" The masked man responded quickly and then hurriedly left inside.
Seeing his subordinate leave, Dragon refocused on the scene in front of him and muttered to himself in a low voice.
"Should I send someone to check on matters in The Paradise?"
---
In fact, the newspaper did not contain any news regarding the capture of Straw Hat Luffy by the Black Death Ren, and this is due to several reasons.
Luffy's current actions were not provocative to the World Government, and he had not openly challenged them yet, so they considered his identity as the grandson of the Marine hero. After mediation from Garb, he managed to conceal the information related to his capture.
Some may wonder why Garb wants to conceal such information? That's because he wants to try to convince Luffy to leave the path of piracy and join the Marines, so his record must be clean.
Although Luffy currently has a bounty on his head, with Garb's influence and Sengoku's assistance, removing it was easy. Sengoku will speak with the Five Elders about this.
And now, the concerned person, Marine hero Garb, was sailing with in naval ship bearing a dog flag on its sail, heading to rescue his grandson.
---
In an unknown place in the Grand Line.
A shadowy shape of a certain island could be seen.
Kuraigana Island is an island that was originally the territory of Shikkearu Kingdom before the war that completely wiped it out.
Kuraigana Island enjoys a gloomy atmosphere characterized by lush forests, with strange slopes bearing mysterious shapes in the background. In the middle of the island lies a lake, and in the center of this lake stands a massive castle.
There is always fog and a large moon, making it seem like night is perpetual. In the ruins of Shikkearu Kingdom, there stands a huge tomb that no one knows belongs to whom.
In the past, a civil war occurred here, so there are still weapons, shields, and scattered bodies all over the island. Also living on this island are peculiar types of monkeys, known as Humandrakes, which mimic humans. If they live alongside peaceful humans, they are peaceful, but war has shaken the land, making them aggressive. They have perfected mimicking humans using swords and guns, and these monkeys can be seen wandering all over the island.
Inside the massive castle built amidst the navy, there was a person.
He was a tall man with pale skin, short black beard, and eyebrows pointing upwards.
What most distinguished his appearance was a pair of red eyes resembling those of a hawk.
[A/N: Mihawk has red eyes in the manga, and he has been described accordingly.]
He wore ordinary trousers and a white shirt unbuttoned at the chest.
This man was Dracule Mihawk...the strongest Warlord and swordsman in the world!
If Crocodile was considered a low-level Warlord, then Mihawk would be stronger than Crocodile, who fought against Ren hundreds of times. There's no exaggeration; a person who can match or perhaps defeat the Red-Haired in a duel wouldn't be simple!
He carved his way to the title of the world's strongest swordsman step by step, where every drop of blood, tear, and sweat was worth it in the end!
Now he's known as the world's strongest swordsman! And no one dares to question his title.
Mihawk held the newspaper while sipping his coffee slowly, but his blood-red eyes could be seen staring at one of the pictures published in the newspaper.
The picture depicted where Ren sent the Death Blade towards Ace, and it was captured very well, making those who read the newspaper guess the ferocity of the battle between the Black Death and the Fire Fist.
"Interesting... the Black Death, huh?"
"I hope he deserves to carry that title."
Mihawk's quiet voice spread throughout the empty castle; the castle was huge, but no one else but him was present in it. There was no unit for Mihawk, as he was accustomed to this scene.
A deep silence fell on Kuraigana Island, and the desolate air shimmered in the dense forests, adding another layer of horror, loneliness, and mystery.
---
The Grand Line, the New World.
On one of the uninhabited islands.
A ship could be seen calmly anchored on land; the calm waves caressed the ship a few times every minute, causing it to vibrate imperceptibly.
It seemed that the ship had no one on it, and it appeared that all passengers had disembarked and gone to the island.
A black smoke was rising into the sky, indicating that the pirates who descended from the ship had begun a barbecue party.
"This is truly shocking news."
"Will it be a war?"
"It seems so!"
"Hahaha! I'm excited, Captain!"
"You fool! This is not our war!"
Some characters discussed the latest news they had obtained from the bird.
"Sigh... I didn't expect such a change to appear... It seems that Mihawk's words were right after all." Shanks sighed sadly.
Yes, this crew was none other than the Red-Haired Pirates! One of the Emperors of the Sea!
Shanks did not expect Ace to be captured by someone else; he did not think that anyone in the heavens could defeat him.
But he was greatly mistaken. Ace was captured, and a war might erupt between the Whitebeard Pirates along with their allies against the Marines.
Shanks could only sigh as he began to pay more attention to the new Warlord, the Black Death.
---
"Zehahahaha!!"
"The commander Ace has been captured! Zehahaha!"
The sound of rough laughter spread throughout the city, and everyone looked at the obese man who was laughing while reading the newspaper.
Suddenly, he stopped laughing, and his expression turned to anger, then he muttered: "That damn Ren stole my chance to become a Warlord..." he said in an annoyance while looking at Ren's picture in the newspaper.
"Zehahaha... It seems I need to find another target."
The Blackbeard continued to laugh as he suppressed his anger.
---
Back to Alabasta.
In the royal palace, more than half a day had passed since the release of the newspaper containing Ren's announcement of Crocodile and Ace's defeat.
Ren smirked mockingly when he saw that the part about him killing a Vice Admiral wasn't mentioned.
Neither was his defeat of the Straw Hats.
Doesn't matter.
Ren pondered and read the newspaper regarding Crocodile. It mentioned Crocodile's desire to take control of the country and some other details about how he planned to do so, all obtained from the files that the Marines acquired from Robin through Tashigi.
But the good thing was that he had officially become a Warlord now!
His bounty was frozen, and he would be able to grow in strength under the watchful eyes of the World Government.
Putting his thoughts aside, he looked at the scene in front of him.
Robin was looking at him curiously. He had summoned her here and told her that he had something very important for her. What could it be? Could it be possible that he would make her stronger again?
Speaking of the Rewards, Ren had obtained some of them yesterday due to some covert missions that were automatically completed. But that's another story...
"I will show you something you've always wanted, Robin..." he whispered to her softly, raising her expectations.
"Something I've always wanted..."
She muttered his words, already knowing what the answer was.
What had she been desperately seeking for years? It was clear that it was one thing.
To know the truth, to know the lost history... and to see the Poneglyph!
------------------------------------------
Author's gossiping.
I was Busy today.
400 PS = Bonus chapter.
900 PS = Bonus chapter.
1400 PS = Bonus chapter.