Code Name "Eclipse"!

Ace slid down from the tree.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Though he had been beaten badly, his eyes remained defiant.

"That's because you're too freakishly strong!"

"Other than you and Grandpa, who else in the East Blue can beat us?"

"We call this... this is upholding justice!"

"Justice?"

Kahn let out a derisive laugh.

He walked over.

He crouched in front of Ace.

"Do you know what justice is?"

"The bigger fist is justice."

"With the little skill you have now, if you run into real pirates, or..."

Kahn paused.

His gaze turned toward the sea.

"Real monsters."

"You won't even have a chance to run."

Ace was unconvinced.

"How could there be that many monsters? This is the weakest East Blue!"

"The weakest?"

Kahn shook his head.

That had been true before.

But now, because of him...

The butterfly's wings had already begun to flap.

That old bastard Garp had been coming here so often over the past three years. Was it really just to see his grandsons?

Wasn't it because the World Government had been watching closely?

Besides.

These ears of his...

Had recently heard some very interesting news.

A group of uninvited guests was heading toward the Goa Kingdom.

"Anyway."

Kahn rose to his feet.

He brought tonight's lecture to an end.

"Starting tomorrow, training will double."

"What?!"

The three brothers let out despairing wails.

"No, Big Brother! If it doubles again, we'll die!"

"Then die on the training ground."

Kahn shrugged indifferently.

"Better than dying at sea and feeding the fish later."

"And one more thing."

Kahn pointed in the direction of High Town.

"That game of yours, the 'High Town Three Heroes,' can stop now."

"Why?"

Luffy asked in confusion.

"It's fun! Everyone calls us heroes!"

"Because once a pig has been fattened, it's time to slaughter it."

Kahn's tone turned cold.

"Those nobles may be useless."

"But even useless people bite when they're desperate."

"They've already contacted the Bluejam Pirates."

"Bluejam?"

Sabo froze for a moment.

As a former noble, he had heard that name before.

A famous pirate crew in the East Blue.

Ruthless and vicious.

As long as they were paid, they would do any dirty job.

"Those are people who kill without blinking."

Kahn looked up at the starry sky.

A teasing curve rose at the corner of his lips.

"Perfect."

"Didn't you say you had no opponents?"

"In a few days."

"I'll take you to see."

"What real pirates are."

"And..."

Kahn narrowed his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a golden flame seemed to burn.

"What real fire is."

A great fire.

A fire great enough to burn this rotten kingdom to the ground.

Was already brewing.

And he...

Had long since prepared the kindling for it.

"Sleep!"

Kahn kicked the still-dazed Luffy into the house.

"Tomorrow morning, before the Sun rises, anyone who isn't up..."

"I'll throw him into the sea to feed the Lord of the Coast."

The night deepened.

Mount Colubo returned to peace.

There was only Dadan's snoring and the crackling of burning firewood.

Kahn lay back down in his lounge chair.

He looked at the moon above.

Three years had passed.

This body was finally close to fully growing.

The swelling sensation of power overflowing from him was growing stronger and stronger.

He stretched out a hand.

And clenched it at empty space.

The air let out a soft boom in his palm.

"Soon."

"When that fire starts burning."

"That will be when I..."

"Officially greet this world."

Kahn closed his eyes.

His breathing grew slow and steady.

Around him.

The wild grass that should have been asleep.

Under the moonlight.

Quietly.

Began growing wildly.

The next morning.

Sunlight pierced the thin mist over Mount Colubo like a golden blade.

Dew slid down broad banana leaves and dripped onto Luffy's face, which was covered in doodles.

"Achoo!"

Luffy suddenly sat up, and the snot bubble on his nose popped.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and felt as if every bone in his body had come apart.

The aftereffects of Kahn swinging him around like a yo-yo last night were still lingering.

Even for a Rubber Man, being spun hundreds of times by that kind of centrifugal force would scramble his brains.

"I'm so hungry..."

That was Luffy's first thought upon waking.

Two muffled groans came from nearby.

Ace and Sabo had woken up too.

Ace held his cheek, which was swollen as if he had a walnut stuffed inside his mouth.

Sabo supported his waist, walking like an eighty-year-old man.

"Damn Big Brother..."

Ace cursed as he walked to the stream to wash his face.

A bruised and swollen face reflected on the water's surface.

This was the current appearance of the "Red Devil."

If that fat baron from High Town saw him now, he would probably laugh his teeth out.

"Stop complaining."

Sabo bared his teeth as he rolled his shoulders.

"If Big Brother hadn't gone easy on us, we'd already be playing cards in the Lord of the Coast's stomach."

The three sat around the extinguished campfire, the atmosphere heavy.

A blow.

A massive blow.

These past few months, they had played vigilantes in High Town, running circles around those noble guards and giving themselves the illusion that they were invincible.

But last night, Kahn had not even moved from where he stood. He had dealt with them using nothing but a few fingers.

That gap in strength was enough to make anyone despair.

"Hey, look!"

Luffy suddenly pointed overhead and shouted.

A white News Coo circled down from the sky.

Rather than dropping off a newspaper and waiting for payment as usual, it landed with startlingly humanlike precision on the newly repaired chimney of Dadan's house.

A special message tube was tied to its leg.

Black.

Stamped with a golden Sun emblem.

Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance.

Neither dared move.

Because they knew it belonged to Kahn.

Only Kahn had a private messenger like that.

With a creak.

The door opened.

Kahn walked out.

He wore only a pair of loose trousers, the muscles of his upper body gleaming with a metallic sheen in the morning light.

At over two meters tall, he had to lower his head to pass through the doorway.

He stretched, his joints crackling like a string of firecrackers.

The News Coo immediately flew down and obediently landed on Kahn's outstretched arm.

Kahn removed the message tube and casually tossed the bird a piece of dried meat.

The bird chirped happily and soared away.

"Big Brother, whose letter is that?"

Luffy leaned over curiously, stretching his neck out as far as he could.

"Want to know?"

Kahn glanced at him, a teasing smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Luffy nodded furiously.

Bang!

Kahn flicked a finger.

A huge lump instantly rose on Luffy's forehead. He toppled backward and rolled three times across the ground.

"Kids shouldn't pry into adults' business."

Kahn unfolded the letter.

There were no words on it.

Only a simple sketch.

It depicted a ship with a skull at its bow and a ball of fire trailing behind it.

To an outsider, it would probably look like some child's doodle.

But in Kahn's eyes, it was more than just a drawing.

It was intelligence.

Over the past three years, he had done more in the East Blue than bask in the sun and beat up his little brother.

The Underworld of this weakest sea had long since changed hands.

On the surface, the Marine branches maintained order, while pirates fought to the death over paltry bounties.

But in the unseen shadows, every illicit trade—arms smuggling, intelligence dealing, underground shipping—was controlled by a vast network.

This network had no name.

It had only one codename: Eclipse.

Because when it appeared, all light had to make way.

This letter came from Loguetown.

It was also Eclipse's branch stronghold in the East Blue.