"Hmm?" Arlong stared at the broken blade in his hands, his eyes bulging in shock.
"What's the matter? Still think you can take my life?" Grimm glanced at him.
"It's just a snapped sword — hardly worth being surprised over."
Suddenly, Arlong felt something cold press against his neck and slide downward.
Before he realized it, Grimm had drawn a long blade and held it right against his throat.
"Fine then. Since you're so eager to throw your life away, I'll gladly take it. You were going to die eventually anyway — I'm just helping you find release a little sooner. May the Light bless you."
Swish!
A flash of golden light cut through the air.
Splat. Blood sprayed everywhere as Arlong's head tumbled high into the air.
Everyone present stood frozen, staring in silence. None of them had made any real move to stop it.
They had all heard Arlong shout those words — "lowly human".
Ivankov and Inazuma were humans themselves; there was no way they would step in to save him now. To do so would be practically admitting that they were lowly too.
From the fish‑men, only five remained: Fisher Tiger, Jinbe, Hatchan, Kuroobi, and Hack. The rest had already fled.
They understood perfectly well what Arlong's words and actions represented — it went against everything they stood for.
As much as they might have wanted to save him, in the end, they chose not to.
They knew Arlong could not be saved — and there was no point in arguing with Grimm over it.
Of course, Grimm — despite his youth — was far from naïve. He knew exactly what they were thinking.
He had just killed one of their own, so he couldn't just leave them without an excuse or a way to save face.
They still needed to work together in the future, after all. In business, harmony is always best.
Especially since, if they wanted to overthrow the World Government, they would need the full strength of Fish‑Man Island. And the Poseidon weapon was no joke.
He dismissed Ashbringer and shook his head.
"Don't hold this against me. He was the kind of man who destroys peace, preaches discrimination, and refuses to listen to reason. I took care of him for you before he could cause you any greater trouble in the future."
Now that he was dead, they could think whatever they wanted.
Just then, a streak of blue lightning descended from the sky, trailing light, and landed directly between Grimm and the group of fish‑men.
A cloud of dust and smoke rose up all around.
"Ay ya! I was wondering why I saw so many fish‑men running away, but not you lot — I thought maybe you got intercepted by Kong. Never expected to find you here… and running into Grimm‑kun of all people!"
As the smoke cleared, the newcomer came fully into view. He wore a bright blue suit washed almost pale from use. His hair was styled back in striking white‑and‑gold streaks.
He held a double‑edged knight's sword in one hand. His manner seemed relaxed and approachable… yet he carried himself with an unspoken authority that commanded respect.
"Rayleigh…" Hatchan choked out the name, having witnessed Arlong's death firsthand.
"You need to leave — now."
Rayleigh held his sword across his chest, a faint smile on his lips.
"I was waiting to escort you at the entrance to Sabaody Archipelago. I saw the rest of your group arrive ages ago, all except you. Didn't expect to run into… this mess."
"Rayleigh…"
"Go — quickly!"
Hatchan tried to say more, but Fisher Tiger grabbed him by the vest and dragged him away, running as fast as he could.
Tiger wasn't afraid Grimm would turn on them — but he knew the Marines would arrive soon enough.
And when they did, they wouldn't care who started the fire in Mary Geoise; they'd arrest everyone present.
"Go ahead. If the Marines come… I'll take full responsibility for everything," Grimm said with a shameless grin.
Ivankov and Inazuma, having watched the whole spectacle, snapped back to reality and fled quickly as well.
"Wow… Lord Grimm really is exactly as Leader Dragon described — a strange character, but incredibly generous and broad‑minded," Inazuma muttered, scratching his head in confusion.
"True that… and that man just now was Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King. Never knew the fish‑men had such a powerful card to play. Who would've thought he'd come personally to escort them? And he seems really close to that octopus fish‑man too… absolutely mind‑boggling."
Ivankov shook his head in disbelief. She certainly hadn't expected Rayleigh to show up.
Seeing Rayleigh standing face‑to‑face with Grimm…
"Lord Grimm!" Boa Hancock cried out in alarm. She knew exactly who Rayleigh was — the former right‑hand man of the Pirate King.
Even for someone as strong as Grimm, facing him wasn't something to take lightly.
"Stand down — he's one of us." Grimm waved her off.
"You should get moving too, Rayleigh. Leave the rest here to me. I'll meet you at our usual spot later. It's been years… we'll have a drink or two."
Rayleigh smiled. "Sounds good. I'll head on ahead then."
"Take them with you."
In the next moment, Rayleigh lifted Hancock onto his back, grabbed Mary and Sonia under each arm, and sprinted toward the Sabaody Archipelago at full speed.
Grimm turned back to glance at the royal palace — the place he had lived in for three months. Once magnificent and glorious, now nothing but a pile of blackened ruins.
The Five Elder Stars had enough power and resources within their ranks to have stopped the fires easily… yet they had chosen not to. He still couldn't figure out why.
If they want me to take the blame… fine. But I'll make sure I do it on my own terms.
---
One hour later — Marine Headquarters.
A Lieutenant Commander saluted Fleet Admiral Kong and began reading from the report in his hand.
"Sir, the casualty and rescue statistics have been compiled. We successfully rescued 266 World Nobles unharmed. Additionally, 15 sustained minor injuries, 9 were critically injured… and 5 are confirmed dead…"
He paused briefly, hesitated half a second, then continued.
"All five deceased… were Celestial Dragons."
Kong drew in a sharp breath. "And who was responsible for this outrage?!"
"Investigations so far indicate that the main instigators remain unidentified.
However, we have confirmed involvement from several fish‑men and high‑ranking members of the Revolutionary Army."
"Revolutionary Army?! I only just sent Sengoku and Kuzan to negotiate with their leader… and they pull something like this?!"
Kong wasn't quite as brilliant as Tsuru… but he was no fool like Garp. The realization hit him instantly.
"Dammit… this is a diversion! An attack from the opposite side!"
"However… we have also just received reports that Grimm was spotted at the scene. He has since vanished without a trace. We suspect strong ties between him and this incident," the officer added suspiciously.
"Grimm… back again after disappearing for three months?"
Kong held his head in his hands. Everything was a mess, completely confusing — but the priority right now was damage control.
He waved his hand in frustration. "Have you received instructions from the Five Elder Stars on how to proceed?"
"Sir… the Elder Stars just issued orders stating… that you are to handle this matter as you see fit. And if the true culprits cannot be located… you are to place all blame entirely upon the Revolutionary Army."
The officer spoke with obvious hesitation, fear flashing in his eyes.
"What?!" Kong's face darkened with shock, then with anger. What is the meaning of this?!
The officer could only sympathize silently. Come on… it's obvious, isn't it? They just want to shift responsibility and wash their hands of the whole thing. What else could it mean?
Just then, a Marine officer stumbled toward them from a distance — a Rear Admiral by his uniform. He clutched his left shoulder tightly; his entire forearm had been severed clean off.
"Fleet Admiral Kong… Sir… disaster!!" The man gasped, sweating profusely and struggling to stand.
"What happened?!" Kong signaled two medics to rush over.
"We… we just found Grimm inside Mary Geoise! He was running through the streets setting fires everywhere! He killed over fifty men from my squad alone! And he shouted… he shouted that he intends to completely destroy Mary Geoise itself!"
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