[Chapter-opening Extra: Days on the Kuja East Route - Bug Fix - "Catching Her Breath"]
[Under the influence of Medusa's venom, Hancock could no longer see a thing. Her world had dissolved into pure darkness, heightening her hearing to an unnatural degree. She could hear Jolyne's warm, steady breathing, feel the brush of her skin, and trace every touch as Jolyne's fingertips slowly drifted over her neck, back, and collarbone… Plunged into the shadows, every sensation was magnified ten-fold. Dazed and flush, Hancock listened to Jolyne's soft laughter beside her ear, completely at her mercy...] -
〖Red Line - Red Port〗
Vice Admiral Tsuru's warship docked smoothly at the Red Port.
Not long after, Liam and Robin took advantage of Marine hospitality, riding the Bubble Elevator straight to the summit of the Red Line.
"What a view."
Liam and Robin walked side by side along the edge, both looking out toward the West Blue. Far in the distance, the horizon curved into a vast arc, as if marking the very boundary of the world.
Robin brushed back her long hair, which had been tousled by the high-altitude wind, and offered a soft smile. "Are we heading back?"
She meant both the West Blue and Liam's true place of origin.
"Yeah," Liam replied, watching the clouds drift below. "It's been years. I think it's about time I made a trip back."
He raised his voice, calling out to Tsuru, who was walking ahead with a detachment of Marines. "Hey, Vice Admiral! Could you hit up your West Blue branch and have them prep a warship for us?"
The surrounding Marines whipped around, glaring at him in utter disbelief.
'Seriously?! How shameless can this guy get?! They're pirates! Do they think Marine warships are a public rental service? Use one whenever they feel like it?! Does he think he's a Fleet Admiral or something?!'
Tsuru stopped, looking back over her shoulder. "Don't you two have your own ship?"
Liam grinned. "Our ship's a bit cramped for a long voyage. A warship's way more spacious. Besides... making an entrance on a Marine vessel just has a better ring to it."
"'Making an entrance'?" Tsuru caught the phrasing, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not just talking about visiting the West Blue in general, are you...?"
…
〖Grand Line - Paradise, Calm Belt - Kuja Island〗
"Whoa! Big Sis, Giorno and Princess Jolyne made the front page again!"
Marigold burst into the palace halls holding the morning paper, only to freeze. Her elder sister was sitting on the divan, meticulously cutting out a photograph of Giorno and Princess Jolyne with a pair of shears. Hancock pressed the cutout against her cheek, a faint, dreamy smile gracing her lips.
"Heehee..."
Marigold and Sandersonia exchanged knowing, helpless smiles.
…
〖Paradise - Drum Kingdom (The Medical Snow Kingdom)〗
"Hey! Don't take all our reserve liquor!"
A local villager ran through the snow, clinging to Chopper's antlers with tears streaming down his face. "Doctor Chopper, you can't let her do this!"
Chopper looked up at Kureha, completely helpless. "There's nothing I can do! That's just how Doctor Kureha is... Oh, I know!"
The blue-nosed reindeer brightened, holding up a hoof. "How about I learn how to brew alcohol? Next time we swing by, I'll bring you back a whole barrel!"
"Doctor Chopper is so kind..."
"Yeah, he's nothing like that greedy hag Kureha..."
"And yet they're teacher and student..."
Kureha drained the last drop from her bottle, then casually hurled the empty glass at the whispering villagers.
'CRASH!'
"Shut it! Do you have any idea I'm the only doctor in this region who can cure that frost-rot? Patients who don't know how to show gratitude are the absolute worst!"
Teacher and student walked out of the village, crunching through the deep snow. Chopper flipped through the paper the villagers had handed him, his eyes widening.
"Whoa! Those two are in the news again! Teacher, what's a Shichibukai?"
"The strongest pirates endorsed by the government," Kureha grunted, pulling her coat tight.
"Woahhh!" Chopper's eyes sparkled as he scanned the text. "What about this Donquixote Family? Were they really that strong?"
Kureha chuckled dryly. "If they were dangerous enough to make those two travel all the way back to the North Blue just to hunt them down, what do you think?"
"Waaaaah!" Chopper gasped in awe, his small prints alongside Kureha's deep tracks as they vanished into the blizzard.
…
〖Paradise - Pleasure District Entertainer Ship〗
Stussy touched up her lipstick while looking into a silver hand mirror. She glanced at the newspaper resting on her vanity and let out a light laugh.
"No wonder... He really is the handsome devil who packed Haiyna off to Impel Down..."
…
〖Paradise - Twin Capes〗
Crocus, keeper of the lighthouse and doctor to the sea, reclined in his deck chair, reading the paper delivered by a passing News Coo.
"Heh..." A slow smile spread across his weathered face. "In just a few short years, those two have climbed this high."
He closed his eyes, listening to the deep, resonant echo echoing from the cliffs below.
'Have you found Brook yet, Laboon...?'
…
〖Holy Land - Mary Geoise, Room of Authority〗
The Gorosei were gathered in their private chamber, the morning paper laid flat across the central table.
The bald elder with the heavy mustache and birthmark spoke first. "This JoJo crew again..."
"Certain parties from the Donquixote lineage are furious," the long-haired elder in the dark suit noted coldly. "They are demanding we dispatch CP-0 to execute both of them."
"Preposterous." The elder wearing the judge-like hat cut in with a stern wave of his hand. "The Homing faction voluntarily surrendered their status as World Nobles decades ago. His son chose the life of a pirate and was eliminated by newly appointed Warlords operating in tandem with Marine intelligence. Everything was conducted within legal bounds. On what authority would we sanction Giorno Giovanna and Jolyne Cujoh?"
The golden-haired elder shook his head. "Yet the bloodline remains tied to the Twenty Kingdoms."
The bald elder holding the polished katana replied calmly, "The Nefertari dynasty chose to remain in the lower world as well. Does that mean every time a member of their royal line perishes, CP-0 must launch a global investigation?"
Silence settled over the room. The motion was dismissed.
"Even so," one of them added quietly, gazing at the photographs of Giorno and Robin, "Warlords or not, pirates remain an unpredictable variable."
The Five Elders exchanged a heavy, silent glance.
"Who can say? Perhaps one day, their spark will grow into a flame that Lord Im decides must be extinguished..."
…
〖Marineford - Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office〗
"Where are they now?" Fleet Admiral Kong asked, looking up from behind a mountain of paperwork at Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"They've departed for the West Blue," Tsuru replied smoothly.
"The West Blue?" Sengoku, who was sitting on the sofa sipping green tea, nodded thoughtfully. "Right... That's where they first entered the Grand Line."
"Specifically, Kano Country," Tsuru added. "Giorno claimed it was his homeland."
That was a new piece of intelligence. Sengoku frowned slightly, taking another sip of his tea without commenting.
However, someone else in the room had plenty to say.
'SLAM!'
The door swung open as Admiral Sakazuki stepped into the room, holding a copy of the front page.
"Tsuru! You shouldn't have allowed the press to frame it like this." Akainu's expression was dark, his voice dripping with dissatisfaction. "'Newly Appointed Warlords Annihilate the Donquixote Family'? Was it truly necessary to give them all the credit?"
Tsuru remained entirely unbothered. "What would you have preferred, Sakazuki? Should I have instructed the journalists to print that Vice Admiral Tsuru personally wiped out the Donquixote Family? My reputation couldn't bear that kind of lie."
Akainu snorted. "The entire battle took place within Doflamingo's Birdcage. There were no outside witnesses to the final execution. We could have framed it as a joint purge or suppressed the details entirely. There was no need to attribute the victory to the JoJo Pirates. They are pirates, regardless of their current title!"
"They are officially recognized allies of the World Government now," Tsuru countered evenly. "If you treat them as enemies at every turn, do you honestly expect them to honor their obligations when Headquarters requires their strength?"
"You expect pirates to show loyalty?" Akainu sneered. "The Warlord system is nothing more than a leash we use to keep dangerous dogs from barking while we handle real threats!"
Tsuru shook her head slightly, choosing not to waste her breath.
Sengoku quietly sipped his tea from the sidelines. This was the Fleet Admiral's office, not his. It wasn't his headache to resolve.
Fleet Admiral Kong rubbed his temples, letting out a exhausted sigh. "Enough, both of you. If you want to debate policy, take it to the courtyard. Better yet, go argue in front of the Warlords themselves..."
Sengoku silently snatched another biscuit, picked up his newspaper, and slipped out the side door.
'Hang in there for a few more years, Fleet Admiral Kong... Being an Admiral is exhausting enough, but taking that desk? I'm in no rush whatsoever.'
…
〖East Blue - Goa Kingdom, Off the Coast of Foosha Village〗
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho…"
"Gather 'round to sing a song, of Binks' brewed sake wine…"
"Waves are dancing, ocean breeze, riding through the night…"
On the main deck, pirates had their arms draped over one another's shoulders, singing, drinking, and laughing as meat sizzled on open grills.
The ship, flying a black flag emblazoned with a skull merged with a sweeping dragon head, cut cleanly through the calm waters of the East Blue, steering directly toward a quiet coastal settlement in the distance.
Far ahead, the gentle outline of wooden windmills spun slowly in the sea breeze.
Everything was serene, peaceful, and still.
(End of Chapter)
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