Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

"That move again... Conqueror's Haki coating?"

Atlas's eyes grew serious. Armament Haki flowed rapidly across her body, and she pushed her Observation Haki to its limit!

She intended to take this attack head-on. From what her Observation Haki told her, this slash was far more powerful than the last. Only by experiencing Conqueror's Haki coating firsthand could she grasp the technique faster.

Besides, with the Horse Talisman's formidable healing power, she could recover quickly from any attack that did not reduce her to ashes in an instant. The stamina it cost was negligible to her now.

Squelch!

Atlas's Armament Haki held for a moment before it was torn apart. She had foreseen where the blade would land and reinforced that spot with all the Armament Haki she could muster. Yet under Rayleigh's slash, her defenses lasted only an instant before ripping open like paper!

The force of his Conqueror's Haki was much stronger than before, but it had little effect on Atlas, who possessed both the Sheep Talisman and Conqueror's Haki of her own.

"That's the feeling!"

Excitement flashed across Atlas's face. She seemed to have caught on to something about using Conqueror's Haki. The massive, gruesome wound on her body vanished instantly under the Horse Talisman's power.

"Now's my chance!"

A gleam flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, and he immediately considered making a run for it. This woman was a monster among monsters. No matter what injury she suffered, she seemed to heal in an instant. He had kept her on the defensive, but if she decided to trade blows injury for injury, even he would pay dearly.

After all, he was already sixty-three. His ability to recover was nowhere near what it had been in his youth.

"Hey, Marine! Where are those slaves?"

Atlas had barely returned to the warship when a Cipher Pol agent confronted her. She frowned and answered without a care, "Ah, they got away. Nothing I could do. The famous Dark King Rayleigh showed up too!"

"They got away!? Who did you say? Rayleigh?"

The CP0 agent in the black-and-white mask was furious at first, but Rayleigh's name left him stunned. He knew that name well. Only nine years had passed since Pirate King Roger's death, and Rayleigh had not yet faded from the minds of the sea's strongest fighters. The Pirate King's right-hand man remained one of the world's most formidable men.

She came away from a fight with someone like him in one piece...

The masked CP0 agent stared after Atlas as she headed toward the cabins, momentarily lost in thought.

Marineford, Sengoku's office.

"What? You're telling me that old man Rayleigh was involved in this too?"

Sengoku's face darkened with rage at Atlas's report. Back then, Roger had turned himself in to secure a peaceful retirement for everyone aboard his ship. He had never expected Rayleigh to come out and cause trouble again.

"Hold on. You didn't let those slaves go on purpose, did you?"

Sengoku suddenly gave Atlas a suspicious look. He knew the range of her Observation Haki far exceeded that of most people.

"Hey, come on, old man Sengoku! How can you doubt me? I've bled for the Marines!"

Atlas sounded offended and even made as if to pull up her clothes to show him.

"All right, all right. It was Dark King Rayleigh, after all. It's only natural you couldn't stop him."

Sengoku hurried to stop her before she could do anything indecent. If someone walked in, who knew what misunderstanding might follow? He had a reputation to protect!

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

A slow, rhythmic knocking interrupted them. An odd look crossed Atlas's face. Her Observation Haki had already told her who was outside.

"Come in..."

"Well, hello, Sengoku! Young Kanos, you're here too!"

The man who entered had pursed lips and a creased face. Who else could it be but Headquarters Vice Admiral Kizaru?

"Why hasn't Tokikake come back?"

Sengoku looked at Kizaru, who had arrived alone, and asked in puzzlement.

"Tokikake is still at the Holy Land handling the aftermath and coordinating a few things..."

Atlas stared at Kizaru's relaxed face, speechless. I was fighting Rayleigh tooth and nail while you took a stroll around Mary Geoise, and you still got back later than I did. You really know how to slack off!

When it comes to slacking off, I'd call you the strongest!

Bounty

Marineford, Sengoku's office.

"Were any Celestial Dragons killed or injured, Borsalino?"

"Not too bad. Looks like only one Celestial Dragon was hurt. I hear the slave wanted revenge for his wife and child. He came this close to killing him!"

Kizaru held his thumb and forefinger a sliver apart. It was true: that Celestial Dragon would likely spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, with psychological scars that would never fade.

"That's good..."

Sengoku rubbed his brow, his head aching. He did not care whether a Celestial Dragon lived or died, but he feared the Five Elders would use this against him.

Brrring, brrring! Brrring, brrring!

As soon as he finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.

Click!

"Sengoku speaking!"

Under the others' curious gazes, Sengoku calmly picked up the receiver.

"How are you Marines doing your jobs, Sengoku?"

A deep voice came through the Den Den Mushi. Everyone present could hear the anger being held in check. Clearly, the Five Elders were unhappy with the Marines' performance during the uprising.

But who cared?

Atlas glanced at Kizaru, who was gazing idly at his fingernails. He was probably deciding whether to trim them later.

"Saint Nazzaro, the Marines sent support to Mary Geoise as quickly as possible!"

Sengoku had no intention of letting the Five Elders dump the blame on the Marines the moment they spoke. He pushed back without hesitation.

"Cipher Pol's investigation identified the Fish-Man Fisher Tiger as the mastermind behind the attack on Mary Geoise. The Marines will set a bounty on him and send personnel to hunt him down. Keep a close watch on Fish-Man Island. Remember: spare no expense."

"And avoid conflict with the Whitebeard Pirates as much as possible. I trust the Marines know where to draw the line. We do not want the balance of the seas upset again."

The World Government's intelligence work was thorough. It had uncovered Fisher Tiger's identity almost immediately. Its attitude toward Fish-Man Island, however, remained ambiguous.

Fish-Man Island occupied an unusual position. It was an Affiliated Nation of the World Government, yet it also lived under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Fish-Man Island could hardly be blamed. Its location was simply too important: it was one of only two routes between Paradise and the New World. Pirates plagued it year-round, while the Marines offered it no protection. Neptune had also been friends with Whitebeard in his youth, so the island had little choice but to fly the Whitebeard Pirates' flag.

"The Marines also discovered that Rayleigh was involved..."

Sengoku passed on the information Atlas had brought back. The Five Elders likely knew already, but it might redirect some of their anger. Rayleigh's fate was no concern of his.

"As for Rayleigh... Reinstate his bounty. If he doesn't value the chance Roger won for them, he can go back to living as a pirate!"

The order was practically meaningless. Rayleigh was one of the sea's strongest fighters, with no fixed territory and no companions to slow him down. He could leave whenever he wished. The Marines had no good way to deal with someone like him unless they sent two Admiral-level fighters to surround him.

But doing so would serve no purpose. Marine Admirals were the force's strongest fighters, meant to deter crime across the seas. Men of that caliber were scarce, and every one of them had a post to fill, let alone two.

The Five Elders had laid out every assignment in a single call, but had not mentioned Atlas. Perhaps Rayleigh's interference was the reason. No matter how much that Cipher Pol agent complained about her to the Five Elders, he could not deny that she had fought Rayleigh!

The World Government was wary of Whitebeard and the terrifying destructive power of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit. More importantly, though, it did not want the Marines' influence to grow again. The Marines were already showing signs of slipping beyond its control.

"One more thing..."

Just as Atlas thought the man was finally done talking, his voice came through the Den Den Mushi again.

Sengoku's heart sank. He had a bad feeling about this.

"We had planned to hold your promotion ceremony within the next year or two. But your Marines' conduct during the Mary Geoise incident has deeply disappointed us. The five of us have unanimously decided that you will be promoted to Fleet Admiral only when Fisher Tiger is captured. That is all!"

Click!

Before Sengoku could respond, the other end hung up.

"Damn it!"

Sengoku knew the Five Elders were using the incident as an excuse, but the delay to his promotion still drew a curse from him. Everyone in the office was someone he trusted. He had no need to hide his feelings.

A few days later, news that would shake the entire world appeared in the World Economy News Paper.

The Holy Land of Mary Geoise had been attacked!

The World Government issued a statement vehemently condemning the Fish-Man Fisher Tiger's crimes and said nothing about the freed slaves. Even so, many people regarded Fisher Tiger as a hero—especially the ruffians of the Fish-Man District!

A rather shabby-looking ship sailed slowly across the sea. People crowded its deck, representing most of the world's races. They were Fisher Tiger and those traveling with him!

Fisher Tiger had only recently left the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago. Some people had disembarked along the way. Most of those who remained had no home to return to, or lived too far from their homelands to reach them.

"Brother Fisher Tiger! The Marines put a bounty on you!"

Fisher Tiger turned toward the voice and saw Por running over with a fresh Wanted Poster. He could only smile helplessly.

Por was one of the Fish-Man slaves Fisher Tiger had rescued from Mary Geoise, and he idolized the man who had pulled him out of hell. Yet Fisher Tiger could not help noticing something painful. The other former slaves showed him no hostility, but he could easily sense the distance they kept from him because he was a Fish-Man.

That prejudice weighed on Fisher Tiger until he could scarcely breathe.

"Heh. The Marines aren't holding back!"

Fisher Tiger took the Wanted Poster from Por. His portrait was printed on it, and the bounty beneath it was an astonishing 230 million Beli!

"Of course! Brother Fisher Tiger, you're the hero who freed the slaves!"

Por looked so proud that anyone who did not know better might think the 230-million-Beli bounty was on his own head.

A New Recruit Named Kyros

"What are you planning to do next, Por?"

Fisher Tiger did not share Por's excitement. Instead, he asked about his plans for the future.

"I don't know, but I want to follow you, Boss Fisher Tiger!"

Por spoke eagerly. Fisher Tiger was the man who had dragged him out of hell. From the moment they escaped Mary Geoise, Por had decided to follow him.

"I'm going to form a pirate crew. First, I'll help these people get home. Then I'll fight the slave trade across the seas!"

Fisher Tiger spoke with determination before Por could even ask.

His painful years as a slave had left Fisher Tiger with a fierce hatred of human trafficking. Attacking Mary Geoise seemed to have shown him a purpose in life.

Marineford, the Recruit Training Camp, Zephyr's office.

"Teacher Zephyr, how have things been? Any promising recruits?"

Only Zephyr, Shuzo, and Atlas were in the office. It was a fairly private visit, so Atlas asked in a half-joking tone.

"Not bad. But even the best recruits pale beside you..." Zephyr looked pleased as his gaze settled on the insignia on the shoulders of Atlas's coat of justice. "I never thought you'd rise to Vice Admiral so quickly..."

After the Mary Geoise incident, Atlas had been promoted to Headquarters Vice Admiral without any complications, though stopping Rayleigh had drawn a little attention from the Five Elders.

Atlas had done nothing out of line, however, and the Five Elders had already dealt the Marines a blow over Sengoku. There was no need to make matters worse over a mere Vice Admiral's promotion. It might even backfire and provoke the Marines to resist.

Shuzo chimed in, "Teacher Zephyr is always holding you up as an example at the Recruit Camp. Those recruits see you as an even bigger monster than Akainu and the others."

"Then they must be sick of hearing my name by now," Atlas joked. She had not expected Zephyr to think so highly of her.

"Hahaha! Don't listen to this brat. Now that you're back at headquarters, what are your plans?"

Admiral Sengoku has assigned me to the Sabaody Archipelago."

Atlas saw no reason to hide it from Zephyr. It was hardly a major secret, and although Zephyr had stepped back from active duty, he still had the access of a former Admiral. He could easily find out if he wanted to.

"Sabaody? The officer commanding the Sabaody Archipelago base is usually a Rear Admiral. Why would Sengoku send a Vice Admiral like you there?"

Zephyr was clearly puzzled by Sengoku's decision. He had long since stopped involving himself in Marine affairs, so he had not paid close attention to the situation across the world.

"Ah, Admiral Sengoku wants to keep as many pirates as possible from entering the New World and bolstering the Three Great Pirate Crews."

Atlas stretched her slightly stiff muscles, let out a contented groan, and explained casually.

Neither Zephyr nor Shuzo objected. The three of them were not bound by a rigid superior-subordinate relationship, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

"By the way, when are you going to take that recruit you asked me to train? You're a Vice Admiral now. It's time you built a fleet of your own."