Peace Came to the West Blue!!

Golden Chrysanthemum Island, a quiet plaza.

Blood streamed down the pristine white steps, winding past the trembling faces of Stainless and Ashi.

After an unknown amount of time, the immense pressure crushing their minds suddenly lifted.

They had no time to savor the refreshing sensation rising from their souls.

The instant they regained consciousness and control of their bodies, the two men, whose faces had already turned liver-red, burst from the steps. Eyes bloodshot, they charged toward the long street and the docks at the fastest speed of their lives.

Their teeth nearly shattered from clenching.

"Humiliation!"

"I'd be better off dead!"

That was the only thought left in their minds.

The more high-spirited and ambitious they had been before, the more humiliated they felt now!

Even defeat or death in battle would have been far better than this!

One was a Marine Headquarters rear admiral, and the other was a captain of the Happo Navy. Both were among the most influential figures in the West Blue, yet...

"They actually... ignored us like roadside trash!!"

Fury flooded their minds, nearly bursting their brains apart!

All they wanted now was to catch up to Jogo, stop him, and fight him fiercely. They would not have cared even if he killed them!

However,

When they reached the docks, all they saw was a flying fish racing away into the distance, with spray soaring high behind its tail.

As if it were mocking them.

Sunlight fell over it, faintly reflecting a curved rainbow.

"Ah!!!!!"

Ashi's face twisted viciously as he swung his hammer in rage, smashing the dock to pieces with a single blow.

Anger, then more anger, then anger piled upon anger... helpless fury.

The two stood there, chests heaving violently, eyes bloodshot, staring at each other for a long while.

Then they both ran toward the depths of Golden Chrysanthemum Island.

... Half an hour later.

Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.

The windows were wide open, yet the curtains did not move at all.

The scorching afternoon heat was like a steamer, making the office unbearably humid.

Yet the atmosphere at that moment felt somewhat cold.

Behind the desk, Fleet Admiral Kong, with his pointed hair, wore only a thin shirt. His thick arms folded across his chest, he leaned back in his chair and stared darkly at the Den Den Mushi before him. After a long silence, he spoke word by word in a low voice like a rasp:

"You're saying that Jogo... that Jogo who was merely an additional condition, used Conqueror's Haki to pin you—a battle-hardened Marine Headquarters rear admiral—so completely that you couldn't move... then killed Capone Bege right in front of you?"

Stainless's gritted voice came through the Den Den Mushi:

"Yes!"

Kong slumped back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tilted his head upward. He remained silent for a long time.

"Fleet... Fleet Admiral?" the Den Den Mushi asked "nervously."

"What about the Happo Navy?"

Only after several seconds did Kong's voice sound again.

It had already returned to calm.

"Ashi was the same as me. No one else could withstand Jogo's Conqueror's Haki."

"Then continue the talks!"

"Huh?"

"The peace talks will continue!"

"Treat it as though the Capone Family never took part in these peace talks."

Kong repeated himself, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"The terms can be relaxed appropriately. When you report back next time, I want to see that the peace talks succeeded."

"And once the peace talks are over, return to headquarters."

"Yes!"

The call ended.

Kong rubbed his temples wearily, veins faintly bulging at his forehead.

"Jogo..."

The moment Roger died, every monster and demon came crawling out!

Sengoku sat on the sofa to the side, with documents piled across the coffee table before him as well.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the Fleet Admiral's deeply furrowed brow. Behind his frog-shaped glasses, his gaze flickered as Kong's words from the day before resurfaced in his mind.

"...Don't let these unimportant people and matters distract you."

Who could have imagined it?

This very person whom he and Kong had considered "unimportant" had killed the initiator of the peace talks in front of both the Marines and the Happo Navy.

It was like a slap across both their faces from afar.

"Sengoku!" Kong suddenly called out.

The prepared Sengoku rose to his feet.

"Have the Intelligence Unit compile every piece of information related to Jogo. Also, summon every vice admiral currently at Marineford."

Kong raised his head, frowning deeply.

"It's time to put a bounty on him!"

... Meanwhile, aboard a merchant ship traveling from Crab Claw Orchid Island to Golden Chrysanthemum Island.

Chinjao's enormous five-meter-tall body abruptly sat up from the deck.

"What did you say?!!"

His eyes widened as he stared at the timid expression on the Den Den Mushi's face.

The beard and hair on his face fluttered as an invisible aura spilled from him uncontrollably, washing over the entire ship in wave after wave like invisible currents.

Everyone aboard except Chinjao shut their eyes and collapsed unconscious.

"What do you mean Jogo killed Bege?"

"Why didn't you stop him?!!"

The Den Den Mushi wore a look of shame and fury as it spoke in Ashi's voice:

"I... I was suppressed by Jogo's Conqueror's Haki at the time..."

After hearing Ashi's account, Chinjao was utterly dumbfounded as well.

Abu had never told him Jogo possessed such powerful Conqueror's Haki!

No...

He suddenly thought of something.

According to Abu's description, Sai had suddenly fainted without ever coming into contact with Jogo.

Could it be that Jogo had knocked Sai out with Conqueror's Haki?

But how powerful would someone's Haki have to be to accomplish that?

"Could someone's Conqueror's Haki truly become that powerful?"

Precisely because he possessed Conqueror's Haki himself, Chinjao found it difficult to imagine that a young brat could make a Haki that was so difficult to improve reach such a terrifying level!

At the very least, he could not use Conqueror's Haki to knock out his own grandson.

"Did I underestimate that guy too much?"

After standing there for a long time, he sat down cross-legged.

"Continue the talks."

The Den Den Mushi froze. "Don, are we still negotiating now?"

"Hmph, now is exactly the best time to negotiate!"

"Have the Marines return Sai first. Handle the rest as you see fit."

"Y-Yes, I understand!"

Not long afterward, amid the unconscious crowd scattered across Golden Chrysanthemum Island, Stainless and Ashi met once again, both wearing extremely complicated expressions.

The two looked at each other.

"Negotiate?"

"Negotiate!"

And so, several hours later.

As the setting sun gradually dyed the chrysanthemums covering Golden Chrysanthemum Island red, the unconscious civilians finally began to wake up.

"Ugh—my head hurts..."

"Why am I lying on the ground? I think I fainted?"

"Who stepped on my face? Why is there a footprint on it?"

Amid the chatter, the route from the docks to the plaza became lively once more.

"Watch your step! Don't step on anyone!!"

The Marines and pirates who had awakened earlier held Loudspeaker Den Den Mushi and maintained order, announcing the successful conclusion of the peace talks everywhere.

Soon, deafening cheers erupted across the plaza.

Peace!

Peace had come to the West Blue!!

Amid the celebration, no one cared why everyone had suddenly fainted, much less where Capone Bege, the host of these peace talks, had gone.

The bewildered gangsters had long since been taken under Marine control.

All of Golden Chrysanthemum Island was filled with laughter.

Of course, not everyone was so happy.

Beside the peace-talk hall, Stranges Te clutched his unconscious Camera Den Den Mushi and burst into loud sobs.

"Du--er--"

"What happened to you!"

The Camera Den Den Mushi of the other reporters had all awakened, so why had his not?

Could it... could it be because it was secondhand?