"Don't be too nervous, you must believe in your leadership ability… oh right, I'll find a way to remove the mark of humiliation on your backs."
The three of them were overjoyed again; they didn't want this mark to follow them for the rest of their lives.
The Celestial Dragons would use red-hot iron to brand their exclusive mark onto their slaves, called the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon.
This mark would become an eternal shadow in the slaves' hearts. After the three Hancock sisters returned and many years passed, even though they had risen to high positions and became Shichibukai, they were still trapped mentally by this mark.
Because she was afraid others might see this mark, Hancock would take extreme precautions every time she bathed, fearing that others might see it, even though the people of Amazon Lily didn't know what this mark actually was.
It was also because of this mark that the Pirate Empress fell in love with that idiot Luffy, and it even affected the artificial Seraphim, the young Pirate Empress.
As for how to deal with this mark, the Fish-Man Tiger used the most brutal method—covering the original slave mark with a new Sun mark. This was also the origin of the Sun Pirates.
The method was crude, but the effect was quite good.
Vane would have Caesar try to create a medicine that could remove scars. Using his own blood might make it succeed; if not, then they would use a new burn to cover it.
Pop~
A small bubble membrane squeezed into the ship's bubble coating—it was the Fish-Man Tiger who had arrived.
"We're about to arrive at Fish-Man Island. Please make sure to stay for a few more days so we can properly entertain everyone. It's all thanks to you that we were able to escape that damned hell."
Even without me, you would have escaped… Of course, Vane wouldn't say something like that. He readily agreed to stay at Fish-Man Island. He was already thinking of assimilating Fish-Man Street into his own territory, so he definitely needed to stay for a while.
...
One day later.
The four seas—East, West, South, and North—the first half of the Grand Line, the "Paradise," and the second half, the "New World."
"Go! Go! Spread this world-shaking news everywhere!"
A bird-like man directed countless News Coo to fly across the world.
The underground news king Morgans held firsthand material filmed and delivered by Vane. While others still didn't know what had happened in Mary Geoise, he was already too shocked to speak.
At the same time, he quickly realized this was the most explosive news since the Pirate King's death. If he could spread this news, his title as the News King would be completely solidified.
As for offending the World Government—
Morgans boldly declared, "How can the truth of news be erased because of threats from the World Government!"
Thus, the shocking headline—"Rocket Team Pirates Attack Mary Geoise and Rescue Slaves"—spread throughout the entire world.
This newspaper contained images of the destroyed lift port, slaves trapped in cages, and aerial views of Mary Geoise.
The written contents above.
The reactions of ordinary civilians.
"Where is Mary Geoise?"
"It's where the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, live. This pirate crew is terrifying—they even attacked the territory of the World Nobles."
"Why are there so many slaves in Mary Geoise?"
"Because they're nobles—and World Nobles at that."
Nobles were a common existence in this world, so some people viewed the existence of slaves as both reasonable and unreasonable at the same time.
...
South Blue, somewhere. Revolutionary Army.
The future revolutionary Dragon, the King of Okama, Kumo, and many other officers gathered around the newspaper on the table, exchanging glances.
...
East Blue.
Red-Haired Pirates.
"Hahaha, this kid really dares to act."
Shanks had stayed at Mary Geoise for a period of time and knew how filthy that place was.
"Captain, Vane and the others have already entered the New World with great momentum. Should we take action?"
"No rush, no rush. To celebrate our friend breaching Mary Geoise, let's hold a banquet!"
...
Other ordinary pirates.
"Hahaha! This pirate crew is really impressive—they kicked the World Nobles' asses."
"I think they're idiots! How dare they provoke the Celestial Dragons! They'll be heavily hunted by the World Government."
"I also think this pirate crew won't last long before being destroyed."
"What do you know? This is what real pirates are like. I'm going to the New World to see if they're still recruiting."
Ordinary pirates showed both admiration and ridicule—some optimistic, others pessimistic.
...
New World.
Moby Dick.
"Pops, look! This year's rookie has done something incredible."
Marco the Phoenix brought the latest newspaper to Whitebeard's side.
"The path the Celestial Dragons use to descend to Sabaody from Mary Geoise has been blown apart."
"The World Government suffered a huge loss."
"What an interesting young man. I admire anyone who causes trouble for the World Government. Marco, let's make some moves too. Let's wander near those World Government-affiliated nations."
The Yonko Whitebeard Pirates wandered near nations affiliated with the World Government, attracting large amounts of Marine attention.
Whitebeard, currently in his prime and not yet plagued by illness or injury, was known as the strongest man in the world. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was also the most destructive Devil Fruit.
"Pops, are you trying to help relieve pressure for that rookie?"
"I just want to stretch my muscles. You brats are getting rusty too… Of course, it wouldn't be bad if I could gain another son."
"Pops, you might be disappointed. That rookie even recruited Moria, so he definitely won't submit to anyone."
...
Wano Country.
"He must have obtained quite a few Devil Fruits coming down from Mary Geoise. I wonder if there are any Zoan-type fruits."
Kaido thought about his Zoan army with delight, but Devil Fruits were far too rare—especially Zoan types, which were even harder to gather in large numbers.
For him, collecting dozens of Zoan fruits might be possible with decades of effort, but the speed was too slow, and the quantity was far from enough.
What he wanted was an army of hundreds of Zoan users. That was the minimum requirement—without hundreds, it couldn't even be called an army.
"When he comes to challenge me, I'll beat him into submission!"
...
Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamama~~ I'm starting to like this brat more and more! The Marines must be having a headache right now!"
The enormous Big Mom sat on her throne. She was currently pregnant; as long as she hadn't reached menopause, she would continue giving birth.
In her early years, Big Mom had been beautiful and sexy. Now her figure had completely gone out of shape. Any man targeted by her would only suffer.