Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

Marine Vice Admiral

"Wh-what kind of joke is this?!"

"Is this Rear Admiral Atlas's strength? He pushed a warship with his bare hands!"

"Hey, come on! He did that at sea, with nothing to brace himself against! That's even more terrifying than pushing a warship!"

"Our ship might only be a midsize warship, but that was still ridiculous!"

With Atlas pushing it, the warship soon cleared the heart of the storm, and everyone aboard escaped a watery grave. Even so, the Marines remained stunned by what they had just seen.

"All right, quit standing around gawking. Get back to work!"

Tokikake dispersed the crowd, then turned to Atlas, who looked utterly relaxed. A smile spread across Tokikake's homely face. He gave Atlas a playful punch in the chest and laughed. "Impressive, Kanos! I can't keep up with you anymore. No wonder Teacher Zephyr calls you a monster among monsters!"

"You don't have to be so modest, Tokikake. I just have a few more flashy tricks up my sleeve."

Even that feat paled beside Whitebeard stopping the Moby Dick with one hand during the Paramount War more than a decade later. The Moby Dick dwarfed this standard-issue warship, and bringing it to a dead halt while it was charging ahead had been far more astonishing.

As it happened, Charlotte Oven, the Heat-Heat Fruit user Atlas had killed earlier, had once tried stopping a ship with one hand too. Perhaps he had seen the broadcast of the Paramount War. Either way, his attempt to show off had failed, and the ship had rolled right over him.

"All right, you two, enough with the mutual flattery. Keep an eye on the ship. Hopefully we'll reach Marineford soon."

"It's been a long time. I'm finally back at Marineford..."

Atlas gazed at the imposing buildings ahead. White-capped waves beat tirelessly against the crescent-shaped harbor. Thinking back on his time in the New World, he felt as though everything had changed. Compared with when he had first gone there, both his physique and his Haki had grown by leaps and bounds.

As soon as the warship docked, the Marine on duty came to greet them. Atlas recognized an old acquaintance.

"Rear Admiral Gion, Rear Admiral Tokikake, Rear Admiral Atlas. Has Headquarters recalled you from the New World?"

Haze felt a little awkward. Years ago, he had personally shown Atlas around the Recruit Camp. After all this time, Haze was still a colonel at Headquarters, while Atlas had become a rear admiral. He might even be promoted to vice admiral soon.

Rear admiral and colonel were only one rank apart, but that step was a world of difference. A flag officer, even a rear admiral, could be counted among the Marine leadership. And the achievements required for a colonel to earn that promotion were hard to imagine.

"Colonel Haze. It's been a while. How have you been?"

Atlas remembered Haze, of course, and greeted him politely.

"Not bad, not bad. Are you back in Marineford to receive your promotions?"

"Probably. Things in the New World are fairly stable now, so they called us back."

"I'm jealous. Atlas, you're about to become the youngest vice admiral in Marine history..." Haze made no attempt to hide his envy, but he felt no resentment. He had long since outgrown the age when he thought himself extraordinary. He knew people were not all cut from the same cloth.

"We'd better go. We still have to report to Admiral Sengoku. I'll buy you a drink sometime!"

Atlas waved to Haze, then followed Gion and Tokikake toward Sengoku's office.

...Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in!"

The three entered one after another, and Atlas instinctively looked around.

The layout had not changed. Atlas had only visited Sengoku's office a few times, but two things had stuck in his mind: the calligraphy reading "Justice Reigning Over the World" hung high on the wall, and the goat that was always chewing on documents.

"You're finally back. Is the situation in the New World stable?"

Sengoku still had his round glasses and braided beard, but he looked particularly energized. He had masterminded the recent war in the New World, and it had raised his standing among the Marines considerably. Surely the Five Elders could not keep him from becoming fleet admiral for much longer.

"Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp and the others are holding down the New World, so there shouldn't be any major problems. We've consolidated our control over the territory we took, and construction of the Marine Bases is largely complete."

Gion answered. Of the three, she had the most seniority. Tokikake? Well, Gion was easier on the eyes.

"Good. Stay at Marine Headquarters for now. We'll hold your promotion ceremony in a few days. Tsuru will be back before long, too. Once she returns, we'll rotate the personnel stationed in the New World. Your orders will come through in a few days."

Sengoku briefly explained the Marines' plans and the changes to their assignments.

They had expected as much, but hearing Sengoku confirm it still stirred a little excitement in all three. Sengoku was currently the Marines' only admiral, and Kong had long since stopped handling their day-to-day affairs. That would place the three just one rank below the top.

Of course, Akainu and the other two were also vice admirals, but they bore code names as vice admirals. Onigumo and Momonga probably did not count; they did not seem to have other names. More precisely, Akainu and the other two were Admiral Candidates. The title was not part of the Marine rank structure, but it still put them above ordinary vice admirals in status.

"Atlas, stay a moment. You two can go."

Sengoku slipped the document he had just finished reading into the goat's mouth, then addressed Tokikake and Gion.

The two turned and left without delay.

Click!

After the office door shut behind them, Sengoku turned and fixed Atlas with an unwavering stare.

"Admiral Sengoku, just tell me what's on your mind."

Atlas could not stand that strange look. Sengoku was staring at him as if he were some scoundrel who had abandoned a lover.

"Ahem! I kept you here mainly to discuss where you'll be stationed next. Gion will likely serve aboard Tsuru's ship, and Tokikake will stay at Headquarters. As for you..."

Fisher Tiger

Sea Circle Calendar, year 1507. Atop the Red Line stood the holy land of Mary Geoise.

It was the seat of the World Government and the Five Elders, the highest authorities in the world. The most privileged people in the world lived there. They owned the world and claimed the right to enslave it. Yet these so-called descendants of the Twenty Kings, these so-called Celestial Dragons, were nothing but fools and trash.

Mary Geoise was a holy land coveted by all. Everywhere the eye fell stood magnificent palaces, glittering with gold. Every attendant passing through their halls was beautiful, as though the place were a dream brought to life.

But beneath those splendid palaces lay mountains of bones, endless filth, and crimes too numerous to count!

Night fell, and the lights came on.

The rows of palaces grew more mysterious and beautiful. Through the dark alleys, groups of slaves were driven onward by guards brandishing whips. They were shoved about like livestock, and anyone who fell behind was beaten until they dragged themselves up again, however badly wounded they were.

Blood streamed from their wounds, but their vacant eyes seemed beyond feeling pain. As for their fate—hah. The Celestial Dragons would never waste medicine on a slave.

In this holy land perched above the clouds, slaves were the cheapest of possessions. Possessions, not people. To the Celestial Dragons, they and the rest of the world were different species. They were gods! Descendants of the creators of the world, entitled to enslave all living things!

The slaves were herded into a dim dungeon, where they huddled together in the cramped space. Dinner was a little cold, leftover food—barely enough to keep them alive through the grueling labor. They had no right to be choosy.

As for praying for a savior? Perhaps they had still indulged in that fantasy during their first few years...

At the same time, three young girls sat together in another dim cell. There were no other slaves crowding around them. Between them lay a bun so stale it looked hard, and the flies that kept landing on it made clear how unappetizing it was.

Yet all three girls' stomachs growled. They kept swallowing, unable to take their eyes off the sorry-looking bun.

"Big sister, you should eat it. We... we're not that hungry."

The three were sisters. The youngest-looking one forced herself to stop swallowing and looked toward her eldest sister.

Following her gaze revealed a long-haired girl. Even the grime on her face could not hide her delicate beauty, and an irresistible allure seemed to radiate from her.

Hearing her younger sister offer up the food, she frowned. Her red lips parted, and she spoke in a voice as sweet as birdsong.

"Marigold, what nonsense are you talking about? I... I'm already full."

Grrr...

The moment she finished speaking, three stomachs rumbled through the cell.

The sisters exchanged embarrassed looks, then burst out laughing.

"Why don't the three of us share it..."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The weather was unusually oppressive. Thick clouds blotted out the sky, and darkness swallowed the sea. An occasional bolt of lightning brought a flash of light, as though trying to break through the gloom...

Suddenly, a red, webbed hand gripped the edge of the towering Red Line...

Boom!

Another thunderclap rang out. For an instant, white light illuminated the owner of that webbed hand: a sea bream Fish-Man!

Marineford, the admiral's office.

"Headquarters has decided to station you at the Sabaody Archipelago. Normally, we'd assign a rear admiral there."

Atlas looked at Sengoku in confusion, searching his expression for an answer.

Sengoku did not keep him guessing. "The Sabaody Archipelago is effectively the only route pirates can take into the New World. Your job is to stop the vast majority of them at its doorstep. Don't let fresh recruits reach the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, or the Beasts Pirates!"

"We've weakened the Three Great Pirate Crews in the New World. But if pirates keep pouring in, most of our work will go to waste—especially if those so-called Supernovas make it through!"

Atlas could not help admiring Sengoku's strategy. The man had earned his reputation as the Marines' master tactician.

It was a ruthless plan. The three great pirate crews in the New World fought not only the Marines but one another. Cut off their supply of new blood, and even crews that size might eventually be reduced to their captains alone.

Whitebeard and Kaido were both happy to take new pirate crews under their wings. Even the seemingly most brutal of them, Big Mom, was no different. They simply went about it in different ways.

Whitebeard liked to beat his opponents until they respected him, then leave the choice to join up to them. His personal charisma did the rest. Big Mom's method came down to one word: marriage. If someone caught her eye, she would marry one of her less capable daughters to them. For a cold-blooded tyrant, she placed remarkable faith in family ties. No wonder her daughters gave their hearts to their husbands after marriage, even if it meant betraying the mother they feared so much.

Kaido's approach was simpler. One swing of his club. Still refused? Off to the mines. Still refused? Keep mining until they gave in. Most people eventually joined the Beasts Pirates. Moria was an exception: because of what had happened to his comrades, he could never bring himself to serve Kaido.

Moria? Atlas suddenly remembered that the man should be fleeing Wano Country soon. He would dig up its ancestral graves while he was at it, and there ought to be Famous Swords there too. Atlas had long since grown dissatisfied with Sandai Kitetsu. Black Blade Shusui would suit him nicely.

Brring, brring! Brring, brring!

Just as Sengoku cleared his throat, preparing to launch into a lengthy speech, the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.

"Hello, this is Sengoku."

Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi, his voice steady as ever.

"This is Saint Nazzaro."

The Five Elders!

The thought flashed through Atlas's mind. A man who called himself "Saint" and could contact Sengoku directly could only be one of the World Government's highest authorities—the Five Elders.

"What can I do for you?"

Sengoku unconsciously sat a little straighter.

"Mary Geoise has been attacked..."

Prelude

Drip, drip...

The dungeon was cold and damp, its darkness so deep it seemed capable of swallowing everything.

"Stella... Stella..."

A young man in his twenties huddled in a corner of the dim cell, muttering to himself. His gaze was vacant, his face sallow, his eyes sunken. His clothes hung in tatters from a body so thin that a gust of wind might have knocked him down. Only his gray-green hair stood out.

It was dinnertime. Rotten cabbage leaves and fly-covered buns lay carelessly piled in the center of the cell. But the young man ignored his hunger. He repeated the name over and over, while tears occasionally slipped from his red eyes.

"Hey! Aren't you eating?"

Another slave in the cell grabbed some food from the floor and stuffed it into his mouth as he called to the young man in the corner.

"A newcomer?"

A hoarse male voice came from the darkness. A tall man stepped into the faint moonlight leaking through a crack in the wall. He appeared to be nearly forty. His eyes were calm, without the vacant despair common among the slaves.

"Yeah. I'm Kori. I was brought here not long ago."

Kori scratched his head sheepishly and, with obvious reluctance, held out the food in his hand.

"Are you hungry? You can have all of this..."

"Tch. I can't stomach that garbage. Eat it yourself."

The older man refused with a contemptuous snort.

"What's wrong with him? He's so thin. Why won't he eat anything?"

Instead of eating, Kori pointed at the gray-green-haired young man in the corner and asked in confusion.

"Forget about him." The older man glanced at the young man, who was still muttering to himself, and gave a mocking smile. "His name's Tesoro. He came here five years ago—no, six. When he first arrived, he spent every day shouting that he had to find a woman named Stella."

"Heh! Guess how that turned out?"

The older man seemed to take pleasure in asking Kori.

"I don't know. She must have died, or he wouldn't have ended up like this."