The war for supremacy in the New World continued to rage, completely unaffected by the localized chaos in Paradise.
But on the Sabaody Archipelago, the daily, cataclysmic clashes between Cyrus and Silvers Rayleigh had officially drawn the attention of Marine Headquarters.
The situation on the archipelago had become terrifyingly tense.
Admirals Akainu and Kizaru, alongside a massive fleet of veteran Vice Admirals, had been fully deployed to lock down the surrounding waters.
Any pirate crew unfortunate enough to sail toward Sabaody during this period met with immediate eradication.
"Slave Arrow!"
Standing proudly at the bow of the Perfume Yuda, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock drew back a massive, glowing pink heart like a bowstring.
A devastating barrage of petrifying arrows shot out, completely blanketing the Marine warship attempting to block her path.
"Boa Hancock! The Sabaody Archipelago is under lockdown! By order of the Fleet Admiral, all entry is strictly forbidden!" a Marine Vice Admiral screamed in panic as his men desperately scrambled to dodge the rain of arrows.
"That lockdown certainly does not apply to me," Hancock declared coldly, her sapphire eyes narrowing.
"Because no matter what I do... I will always be forgiven. Because I am beautiful."
With a dismissive flick of her hair, the Perfume Yuda sailed straight through the barrage, ignoring the petrified Marine vessel as it drifted helplessly in the current.
Having lost their ability to resist, the surviving Marines immediately scrambled to their Den Den Mushis and reported the breach directly to Headquarters.
Upon receiving the frantic report, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression darkened considerably.
"Boa Hancock has broken the blockade?" Sengoku muttered, massaging his temples.
The political situation on Sabaody had been rapidly deteriorating for weeks.
First, the daily island-shattering duels.
Then, someone in the underworld had begun deliberately marketing a highly illegal slave auction, ensuring the news reached the ears of the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise.
"Don't forget, Sengoku: Jinbei has also officially made landfall on the archipelago," Vice Admiral Tsuru reminded him quietly from the couch.
Sengoku nodded heavily.
The primary "merchandise" for this unprecedented auction was an incredibly large shipment of Mermaids and Fish-men.
It was entirely expected that a man like Jinbei would show up to try and stop it.
But why the hell is Boa Hancock there?
Ever since accepting the title of Warlord, the Pirate Empress had fiercely guarded Amazon Lily and had never once shown the slightest interest in visiting Sabaody.
"What is the current status of Cyrus and Rayleigh?" Tsuru asked, her sharp mind analyzing the board.
"The same as it has been for weeks. They sail out into the lawless zone and fight each other every single day. We've pinpointed their exact battleground: a deserted island cluster resting directly beneath the Red Line," Sengoku replied, pulling out a tactical map.
"There is something fundamentally strange about their conflict," Tsuru noted, her brow furrowing.
"If it were a genuine blood feud, men of their caliber could not possibly fight drawn-out, daily battles with scheduled breaks, It's probably a high-level sparring match."
"There's another variable," Sengoku added grimly. "A new organization calling itself the 'Hunter Guild' has formally established a headquarters in Area 16, deep within the lawless zone."
"Hmm. I suspect this extended clash between Cyrus and Rayleigh is directly related to the publicity of this Guild. But since it has only just laid its foundation, it shouldn't pose an immediate threat," Tsuru deduced.
"What we need to worry about right now is this auction. Sengoku, can we not simply order the base to shut it down directly?"
"It is politically impossible," Sengoku sighed, shaking his head in frustration.
If he could have shut the human auction houses down, he would have done so decades ago.
The massive auction house in Area 1 was backed by an incredibly corrupt tangle of underworld syndicates and corrupt nobles, with the World Government itself acting as the silent, primary beneficiary.
The auction house generated hundreds of billions of Berries in untraceable revenue every year.
He couldn't touch it without declaring war on Mary Geoise.
"Then tell me, why has the merchandise been so heavily consolidated this time?" Tsuru pressed.
"I've had CP0 investigate the logistics. The entire operation is being orchestrated by a single underworld entity," Sengoku revealed.
"The key here is the motive," Tsuru said, her eyes narrowing in thought. "To risk causing such a highly publicized incident right now... the orchestrator's primary goal surely isn't just the auction money."
"You think it's a trap?"
"Perhaps its specifically designed to target Cyrus or Rayleigh? Someone desperately wants them to clash with our Admirals on the archipelago," Tsuru speculated coldly.
"If that is the tactical objective... then the man pulling the strings is undoubtedly Donquixote Doflamingo," Sengoku realized, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck.
Sengoku was intimately aware of the blood feud between Cyrus and the Heavenly Demon.
Back in the North Blue, Cyrus had single-handedly annihilated Doflamingo's entire weapons manufacturing infrastructure, allowing the Germa 66 army to sweep in and steal the territory.
Cyrus had humiliated the Warlord.
And now, the Pirate Hunter was publicly displaying Emperor-level strength right on the doorstep of the New World.
To avoid facing Cyrus in a direct confrontation, it was highly likely Doflamingo would resort to a proxy war.
"If its Joker, then the entire board makes sense. He is the preeminent broker of the Underworld, after all," Tsuru nodded in dark realization.
"So he is intentionally trying to use Marines as his personal execution squad to eliminate Cyrus," Sengoku growled.
"But how can Joker be certain that Cyrus will actually intervene in the auction and fight us?"
"It's simple, Sengoku," Tsuru sighed. "He deliberately leaked the auction to the Celestial Dragons. Joker is forcing the two sides into the same room. A man with Cyrus's pride and strength will never bow his head to a World Noble. The second a Celestial Dragon demands Cyrus kneel... a conflict is guaranteed."
"This is still just speculation, but we must prevent that exact scenario from happening. Tsuru, I need you to contact Doflamingo immediately and issue a final warning," Sengoku ordered, realizing he was entirely out of viable options.
If Tsuru's theory was correct, the explosion was inevitable.
"Perhaps we are merely overthinking the shadows. I will go sound him out," Tsuru nodded, standing up and briskly leaving the office.
Sengoku immediately picked up his Den Den Mushi and dialed Kizaru on Sabaody, ordering the Admiral to intercept and issue strict warnings to both Jinbei and Hancock.
"Moshi moshi... Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I truly believe it would be far more appropriate to send Sakazuki to handle the Warlords. I don't exactly exude a terrifying deterrent effect~" Kizaru's lazy, drawn-out voice whined through the receiver.
"If Sakazuki intercepts them, it is highly likely a full-scale war will break out on the docks immediately," Sengoku barked, his face turning red.
"How could you say that? Sakazuki is a deeply reasonable man of great, burning justice~"
"Borsalino. This is a direct order."
"Ah... well, since its an order, I suppose I will make the trip."
Kizaru had clearly been trying to subconsciously dodge the annoying work, but upon hearing the genuine rage in Sengoku's voice, he immediately yielded.
...
Standing on the deck of his battleship docked at Sabaody, Kizaru sighed heavily and hung up the Den Den Mushi. He glanced lazily at his adjutant.
"Where is Jinbei currently located?"
"He has entered Area 1, Admiral. He appears to be peacefully waiting for the shipment of Fish-men to arrive at the auction house," a Rear Admiral reported crisply.
"Hmm... very well. Also, calculate the exact time and location Boa Hancock's ship will make landfall. Inform me the second she arrives."
Kizaru sighed again, adjusting his yellow tinted sunglasses.
'What an a exhausting life of constant running around. If only I had chosen Sakazuki's Devil Fruit back in boot camp... I could just sit at a desk and melt paperwork.'
'Oh, that's right. I didn't actually have a choice.'
Kizaru rubbed his chin, and in a blinding flash of golden light, he vanished from the deck entirely.
...
Deep beneath the red cliffs of the Red Line, on an isolated island that had been destroyed beyond all geological recognition.
CRACK!
Blinding black lightning violently tore through the sky.
On Cyrus's right fist, a concentrated, impossibly dense sphere of Flowing Armament Haki bloomed like a deep, suffocating red bubble.
Thick, jagged wisps of Supreme King Haki violently erupted from the core of the strike.
Rayleigh's blackened blade mirrored the terrifying phenomenon perfectly.
BOOOOM!
The fist and the blade never actually made direct physical contact.
A solid foot of empty space remained between them.
Yet, the sheer pressure of their completely mastered Haki colliding generated a terrifying shockwave.
Under the devastating force of the supreme clash, the already heavily fractured bedrock of the small island groaned, splintered, and completely shattered into a million pieces.
Rayleigh gracefully leaped backward, landing lightly on a piece of the freshly fractured terrain.
He lowered his sword and looked across the chasm at Cyrus.
The surrounding ocean violently poured into the massive cracks of the broken island, rapidly turning the battlefield into a scattered cluster of small, floating stone islets.
"Well... it looks like this old man can finally get some much-needed rest," Rayleigh sighed, a genuine look of relief washing over his face.
During these past few weeks of daily hellish combat, he truly felt like every ounce of his stamina had been wrung out of him.
He also genuinely, for the first time in his life, felt that he was getting old!