Long time no see

The Grand Line surged in all its grandeur, while the passing years brought sweeping changes.

In almost every era, a few great figures would stand at the pinnacle of the world, shining with such blazing brilliance that they eclipsed everyone else.

But even the most dazzling meteor would eventually fall to earth and lose its light.

Rocks, overlord of the seas, and Pirate King Roger had both been mighty figures renowned throughout the world, yet both had ultimately fallen, buried in the Grand Line.

There was, however, one man who lived exactly as he had once declared.

"Any era I stand in belongs to me!"

As long as he stood within an era, his light would inevitably shine upon it.

That man was none other than River.

Nico Robin's emotions were tangled. She had never expected to encounter the man who had left such a profound mark on her life here.

Still less had she expected him to truly be alive.

Unlike Doflamingo, who revered River and yearned for his approval, Robin regarded River as family.

The only family she had left upon the Grand Line.

And from what she knew of River, the seas would surely be shaken before long by events beyond imagination.

After their brief encounter with River, the Straw Hat Pirates continued toward Mock Town.

Meanwhile, in a secluded estate, before Doflamingo.

"Spare me, Donquixote Doflamingo! I promise there won't be a next time!"

"I'll never disgrace you again!"

With ugly wounds marring his face, Bellamy knelt there, desperately begging.

He had escaped disaster a few days earlier, but that did not mean he was safe. Without the permission of the man before him to go on living, he was as good as dead.

"Spare you?"

"Fufufufufu!"

"You're a lucky man. That man injured you, yet he also protected you."

"I'm beginning to find you interesting."

"People blessed by luck tend to achieve something worthwhile."

Doflamingo's eyes flickered as he stared at Bellamy and chuckled.

"I want you to do something. Once it's done, you can keep throwing your weight around under my name."

Bellamy froze at those words, then hurriedly nodded. "Whatever it is, I'm willing to do it for you!"

Doflamingo chuckled, recalling the boy Crocodile had mentioned. Even River seemed quite interested in him.

"A group arrived in Mock Town today, led by Straw Hat Luffy. I want you to test him!"

Bellamy agreed at once. "No problem! I'll carry out the task perfectly!"

"Please leave it to me!"

Looking at the man before him, Doflamingo suddenly found him ridiculous.

"Fufufufufu!"

After laughing loudly, he waved a hand as though shooing away a fly.

"Go."

Bellamy let out a huge inward sigh of relief, then quickly turned and left.

Once outside, he obtained Straw Hat Luffy's wanted poster. When he saw the bounty of thirty million Beli, he paused briefly, then broke into a vicious grin.

"I'll make sure I do this well!"

"Perfect. I've got a bellyful of anger, and I'll take it all out on you!"

"Straw Hat Luffy!"

The events in Mock Town slowly moved forward, playing out.

At the same time, in the Fleet Admiral's Office at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Bang!

A fist struck the desktop with a dull thud. Sengoku abruptly raised his head and looked at the field officer before him, his expression stern.

"River fought Doflamingo in Mock Town?"

"What was the outcome?"

In an instant, Sengoku's previously calm mood turned tense.

"It appears Doflamingo suffered a crushing defeat, but there doesn't seem to have been any further escalation after the fight."

"Our men observed the two of them entering Doflamingo's estate together with a man wearing a Ghostface Mask."

The field officer spoke gravely.

He had learned about Admiral Daytime Tiger River before, so he naturally understood why the Fleet Admiral before him paid the man such close attention.

Truly powerful men could not be constrained by their rank, and Admiral River was undoubtedly one of them.

Even as a mere Marine Intern, he could still shake the world.

"River and Doflamingo."

Sengoku's expression was grave, and after a long moment, it darkened.

"I hope it isn't what I'm thinking, but the likelihood is far too high!"

"After all, he and Doflamingo's father..."

How many people in the world dared speak of friendship with the Celestial Dragons and treat them as equals? To outsiders, the very idea sounded absurd.

To the Celestial Dragons, it was an unimaginable horror, something absolutely forbidden.

As descendants of the Twenty Kings, their very existence represented the gods of this world. How could gods befriend humans and become their equals?

Yet twenty years ago, one man had done precisely that.

Both that man and that Celestial Dragon had violated the world's taboos.

"That fellow really is a dangerous troublemaker!"

"He's barely out of Impel Down, and he's already made contact with Doflamingo."

At that moment, Garp, who was sitting nearby, began to laugh.

"You're worrying too much, Sengoku!"

"That brat River might seem brainless in how he acts, but his heart is just. He simply thinks a little differently from us and keeps doing things that cross the line."

"But I've got to admit, watching him do those things feels damn good!"

Garp burst out laughing as he spoke.

Even he admired the great deeds River had once accomplished.

Few people in the world possessed such daring!

Befriending a Celestial Dragon, stopping a Buster Call, entering the Holy Land Mary Geoise and beating up a whole group of Celestial Dragons, then confronting the Five Elders face-to-face.

Even Roger probably couldn't have done such things, could he?

The pirate world had heroes like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Roger, while the Marines had a man of tremendous daring like River.

Sadly, neither the World Government nor the Marines seemed able to tolerate a rebel like River.

"Garp, don't forget who we are."

Sengoku spoke in a low voice.

"Whatever the case, River is a Marine now. Rashly getting into a fight with one of the Shichibukai is never a good thing!"

"We have to give him a warning!"

After considering it for a moment, he quickly called River's Den Den Mushi.

A low sound suddenly rang out aboard the warship heading toward Rampo Town.

"Buru buru buru."

River paused briefly, then took the Den Den Mushi from inside his clothes.

The Den Den Mushi wore a familiar face, its expression utterly serious.

"Hello, Sengoku!"

Without much hesitation, River answered the call.

This was also his first conversation with his old friend since leaving Impel Down.

Hearing that familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Sengoku's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Long time no see, River."