The Most Evil Men

The Marines moved quickly. In just three days, the wanted posters for the Sky Pirate Crew had spread across the entire world.

Before the wanted posters were issued, the name of the Sky Pirate Crew had only circulated around Loguetown. Once the posters were released, however, the crew's fame spread across the world in an instant.

East Blue, aboard a small boat heading for Loguetown...

"Buggy... come take a look..."

Shanks suddenly charged in, shouting at the top of his lungs. Buggy, who had been excitedly studying a treasure map inside the cabin, was startled so badly that he nearly knocked over the ink on the table and ruined the map.

"Shanks, you bastard! Why are you shouting like that...?"

"Stop talking nonsense... Look at this..."

Shanks immediately pulled out the wanted poster he had just received.

Buggy took it and glanced at it.

"Hm... It looks somewhat familiar... Five... five hundred million Beli..."

"Idiot! That's not the point... Have you forgotten? Sky Island! We saw these two guys on Sky Island with the captain..."

"What!!!!"

Buggy instantly remembered everything and was left staring in stunned disbelief.

Inside a bar in Loguetown...

Doflamingo stared at the wanted poster in his hand, his fingers clenched tightly around it and the veins on his forehead bulging.

His subordinates Seka, Trebol, and Diamante looked worriedly at their king.

Ever since this wanted poster had appeared today, something about Doflamingo's mood had seemed off.

"Are you all right... Doffy...?"

Trebol asked in a trembling voice.

"I'm fine... I'm just too excited... Fufufufufu... The Most Evil Men, huh... The Flame-Flame Fruit... the Rumble-Rumble Fruit... Conqueror's Haki... Fufufufufu, they're truly monsters... No wonder they dared to kill that idiot Saint Mjosgard... Fufufufufu... Are the Celestial Dragons finally going to fall from their divine altar...?"

As he spoke, Doflamingo activated his powers and tore the wanted poster into shreds. He then turned to Trebol.

"Send a message to Vergo. I want detailed information on these two guys..."

"I... I understand..."

Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13.

Half a year ago, a bar called Shakky's Rip-off Bar had appeared here.

A very beautiful woman and a handsome blond middle-aged man had appeared alongside it.

That handsome blond middle-aged man was Dark King Rayleigh.

After the Roger Pirates disbanded and their members returned from the New World, Rayleigh disembarked at the Sabaody Archipelago. Living there under the name Old Ray, he made a living coating ships.

Every day, aside from coating ships, he did nothing but drink and gamble.

Rayleigh had been the first to learn that Roger intended to turn himself in. Although he had felt somewhat saddened, he still supported Roger's decision.

However, as the day of the public execution drew closer, Rayleigh inevitably grew more depressed, and he began drinking more and more.

After finishing his coating work that day, he returned home.

"Looks like business hasn't been very good these past two days..."

Looking at the empty bar, Rayleigh sighed. Whether he was lamenting the bar's business or Roger, however, was impossible to say.

Shakky, standing behind the bar, did not seem to care in the slightest. Instead of taking out a drink for Rayleigh, she pulled out three wanted posters.

"These just arrived today. Take a look. You might be interested..."

Rayleigh glanced over. When he saw the photographs on the wanted posters, surprise flashed across his face, but it quickly turned into nostalgia. He picked up the posters and spoke happily.

"Five years, huh... I never thought Ye Mu and Enel would have already gone out to sea... But this bounty... Isn't it a little too high? If I remember correctly, this is the highest bounty given to a newcomer in the first half of the Grand Line in the past decade or so, right...?"

Shakky was somewhat surprised.

"You actually know those two?"

"Yeah."

Rayleigh nodded.

"I met them on Sky Island five years ago..."

"I see..."

Shakky did not ask further and instead said directly, "Those two are incredibly bold... Do you know why their first bounties made history, and why the Marines gave them the title: The Most Evil Men?"

Rayleigh shook his head.

"Because they killed a Celestial Dragon..."

"..."

Ten thousand meters beneath the Holy Land Mary Geoise lay Fish-Man Island, known as the "Undersea Paradise."

Although it was called Fish-Man Island, the fish-men there actually belonged to two separate races: the Fish-Man Tribe and the Merfolk.

Unlike the Merfolk, who tried to coexist peacefully with humans, most members of the Fish-Man Tribe were extremely hostile toward humans. They lived in the Fish-Man District.

Ten years ago, this place had been synonymous with chaos and darkness. Even the Merfolk living on the island had rarely dared to come here.

It was not until twelve years ago, when a fish-man named Fisher Tiger appeared, that he used his overwhelming strength to unify the chaotic forces in the entire Fish-Man District. After becoming the leader of every fish-man there, he brought order to the district, which gradually began accepting other Merfolk and humans as well.

But one year ago, the situation in the Fish-Man District began deteriorating again.

The reason was simple: their leader, Fisher Tiger, had vanished without a trace.

Although Fisher Tiger had left the Fish-Man District six years ago to complete his travels and adventures, he had regularly contacted his friends in the district through Den Den Mushi to report that he was safe.

Until one year ago, when they suddenly lost contact with Tiger.

No matter what method they tried, they could not reach him. This plunged the entire Fish-Man District into chaos.

The fish-men who harbored resentment toward humanity began making trouble again. Some even spread rumors that Tiger had been captured by humans.

After Tiger left the Fish-Man District and began traveling around the world, the one who inherited his will and took charge of the district was the whale-shark fish-man Jinbe.

Jinbe was certainly strong enough, but when it came to prestige, he fell far short of Tiger. While Tiger was still around, Jinbe could control the Fish-Man District by relying on Tiger's reputation. But now...

Regardless, Jinbe would never allow the Fish-Man District, which his elder brother had painstakingly built, to return to its former state. Thus, every day, he brought several fish-men with him to patrol the streets and warn those with ulterior motives.

Until one day, while Jinbe was patrolling the streets, he suddenly heard someone shouting.

"Big Brother Jinbe! Boss Tiger... There's news about Boss Tiger..."

"!!!"

The shout did not merely lift Jinbe's spirits. The entire Fish-Man District grew restless.

Fisher Tiger was a legend throughout the Fish-Man District—and even across Fish-Man Island.

Everyone turned to look and saw a Mermaid swimming rapidly toward them, her tail swishing behind her.

The moment he saw that figure, Jinbe became even more excited.

"Aladdin... There's news about Boss Tiger...?"

"Yeah."

Without hesitation, Aladdin pulled out the wanted poster in his hand and handed it to Jinbe. He spoke excitedly at the same time.

"Boss Tiger has become a pirate, and his first bounty is already 380 million Beli..."

In an instant, Jinbe, the fish-men and Merfolk of the Fish-Man District, and the humans were all left utterly shocked.

Although many fish-men hated the human world, this was one of only two routes connecting the Grand Line and the New World. Everyone here knew what such an amount represented.

In an instant, the entire Fish-Man District became bustling with activity...