Thinking quickly, she spoke firmly: "Everything shall be carried out in accordance with the Captain's will. Except for this beast, the rest... shall be put on public display! The dignity of Phantom is absolute and shall never be defied!"
...
The next day.
Residents of Water 7 were shocked to discover twenty-six wooden frames erected in the middle of the central plaza, with a pirate nailed firmly to each one.
Beneath every pirate hung a notice board stating clearly who they were and revealing their identities.
All of them were left wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Their bodies were covered in wounds; the more unfortunate ones were soaked in dried blood, looking absolutely wretched.
Such a bizarre and horrific sight immediately sent shockwaves throughout Water 7. The mayor and city officials arrived in haste, along with countless tourists, merchants, and even other pirates.
The crowd gathered around the square, staring in stunned silence at the captives on display.
"That man was the captain of the Treasure Hoarder Pirates—one of the Supernovas from three years ago! Bounty: 480,000,000 Berries!"
"He... he's a Warlord! Crocodile! He looks absolutely miserable!"
"No, that one is worse! The former Warlord, Gecko Moria... is he dead?"
The onlookers were filled with awe and fear.
So many powerful pirates, renowned figures in the underworld, had been rounded up and nailed here for all to see in one fell swoop. No explanation was needed.
Everyone instinctively raised their heads to gaze toward the sky, where the floating island loomed overhead, pressing heavily upon their hearts.
"... Phantom!!"
That single name echoed in the minds of every person present.
They looked up at the sky. High above, the floating island drifted silently. A colossal dragon, ten thousand meters long, lay coiled like a massive sculpture, bearing the weight of the island, motionless and silent.
"What happened last night?"
"We felt tremors coming from the heavens... it must have been a battle between Phantom and these people..."
"But what exactly is going on?!"
Many fell into deep silence.
Neither the mayor of Water 7 nor the other pirates present could guess the full story.
This was not information meant for people of their standing.
Only a handful of individuals secretly breathed a sigh of relief. These were the few who knew the secret of the Pluton blueprints and had come to Water 7 specifically for that reason.
They had sensed the chaos the night before and had been tempted to join in, but fear of Phantom's reputation had held them back.
Because they had hesitated and refrained from acting, they had narrowly escaped disaster. Otherwise, their bodies would surely be hanging here on display today.
Even two Warlords had ended up in such a sorry state; if they had dared to step foot on the island, their fate would have been far worse.
"I wonder... which forces sent these people? Who gave them their orders?"
Those who understood the situation pondered silently.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Water 7 wore a grim expression. Pirates were common enough, but Warlords were a rare sight. This incident was of immense gravity, and he dared not act rashly.
"I have no choice but to report this directly to the World Government!"
He turned to leave, issuing orders to his subordinates as he went: "Guard this place well and do not touch anything! These men are being displayed by the Phantom Pirates. If anyone damages or moves them, we could all end up paying a terrible price!"
...
While reactions spread throughout the city, this was merely the beginning. The true impact and repercussions of this event were only just starting to unfold.
Apart from a few among the twenty-six captives, most had been acting on the orders of powerful forces from behind the scenes. By putting them on display, Vladimir was sending a clear message directly to those hidden powers.
...
Out in the open sea surrounding Water 7, construction work on the sea train tracks was still underway.
It was high noon when a merchant ship sailed slowly across the waves.
Inside the captain's quarters of the ship, Big Mark sat heavily in a large chair, his face dark and gloomy.
Standing before him was a Marine Vice Admiral clad in the white and blue uniform, draped with the iconic coat bearing the word "Justice" across the back.
"So... it ended in failure, then?" The Vice Admiral, a man in his thirties, frowned deeply as he spoke. "Didn't you claim there was nothing in this world that you couldn't steal?"
"How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?!" Big Mark snapped irritably. "I hadn't even gotten near the main mansion before Phantom's people spotted me! If my Devil Fruit ability wasn't as special as it is, I'd have been caught ages ago!"
As he spoke, his thoughts drifted to Polu. That giant wolf-dog had actually been quite useful—possessing immense combat power.
However, he had fled too quickly last night and hadn't managed to fully remove the chains around Polu's neck before running away. Without his power unrestricted, Polu probably couldn't bring out even a third of his true strength... which meant it was almost certain he'd been captured.
"Since you failed, our previous agreement is void!" The Vice Admiral took a deep breath and said sternly: "Big Mark, Warlord of the Sea. Your second mission entrusted to you by the Navy is simple: during the chaos of the auction, you must steal the blueprints."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Big Mark roared furiously.
"I'm not ready to die yet! I already offended Phantom last night! If I try anything else, do you think they'll just let me go? I'm good at running away, sure... but I have absolutely no confidence I could survive if Phantom decides to hunt me down!"
He waved his hand dismissively, gesturing for the man to leave. "You have no idea how terrifying they truly are! Even just a regular member is freakishly powerful and unpredictable! All that intelligence you Marines gave me was absolute garbage!"
He shivered involuntarily as he remembered his encounter with Uchiha Itachi the previous night.
"Whatever you say, I won't do it. Get out!"
"Is that so? Well... think about it very carefully."
The Vice Admiral shook his head, gave Big Mark a long, searching look, and turned to walk away.
His job was merely to relay orders; he couldn't force compliance. At least when he reported back, he could say he had delivered the message—though he'd likely still get chewed out for the outcome.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder: just what had happened last night to scare a reckless, fearless man like Big Mark this badly?
...
Floating Island - Central Mansion
All the members of Phantom had dispersed, leaving only Vladimir in his form as Azir, the Emperor of Sands.
He was currently stuck in a forced transformation state, unable to revert back to his original body for the time being.
____________________
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