Fish-Man Island, Mermaid Cove.
Ten thousand meters beneath the sea, sunlight passed through the thick layers of water.
An enormous bubble enclosed the entire island, keeping the seawater outside. Within lay another world.
In Mermaid Cove's plaza, two figures stood beside a shell fountain. Their voices were low, but carried undisguised hostility.
"Those old bastards in the Whitebeard Pirates are fucking hard to kill."
Hammond folded his arms, his icy eyes filled with resentment.
"Marine Headquarters put on such a huge show, sent out all Three Admirals, and not a single one of them died."
Zeo stood beside him, twirling an aqua-blue dagger in his hand as he curled his lip.
"I thought Whitebeard's territory would be a complete mess after the Paramount War, and we could grab something out of it."
"Too bad Fire Fist Ace didn't die, Whitebeard didn't die, and every last one of those commanders made it back."
He drove the dagger into the ground, its tip sinking into a crack between the paving stones.
"Their territory in the New World is even more secure now."
Hammond snorted.
"That old bastard Whitebeard really is hard to kill."
"But it doesn't matter. How many more years can he last? Once he dies, the Whitebeard Pirates will fall apart sooner or later."
"Then the New World will be ours."
"True. We can afford to wait, anyway."
As they spoke, the bubble membrane overhead suddenly shuddered violently.
It was as though something had struck it from outside.
Hammond and Zeo looked up at the same time.
Then they saw it.
"What is that?"
An indentation appeared in the space nearby.
It was round and smooth, as though an invisible sphere were pressing against it, squeezing space out of shape like a bubble.
Space itself was folding.
A figure walked