Dicken strode toward the crowd with a swagger, a short blade in one hand and Wang Zhi's severed head in the other.
Seeing this, Ash grinned and called out, "And who might this be, walking around with so much arrogance?"
Dicken burst into laughter.
"I just beheaded Wang Zhi, one of the last remnants of the Rocks Pirates, and his head is right here! Can't I be proud for a moment?!"
The crowd immediately cheered.
"You can!"
"Absolutely!"
"Dicken the Decapitator really lives up to his name!"
Youki took a swig of strong liquor and laughed.
"To behead a New World overlord on the battlefield by yourself, that's impressive!"
For once, Pini did not argue with Youki. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
"Other than Ash and Sali, you're now the one among us with the highest-profile solo kill of a top powerhouse."
The crowd froze briefly before realizing he was right.
Among all the legendary figures and overlord-level pirates defeated by the Dawn Faction, Kaido, Whitebeard, and Shanks had all fallen to Ash.
Golden Lion Shiki had been defeated by both Ash and Sali. Although Ash landed the finishing blow, Sali's contribution was significant enough that few would object to giving him equal credit.
Pini and Youki had killed Scopper Gaban and Silvers Rayleigh, but those victories came during chaotic battles with assistance from Kirk, so they could not truly be considered solo kills.
The same applied to Benn Beckman, who had fallen to the combined efforts of Youki and Kirk.
As for the other defeated commanders and executives, none of them could compare to legendary pirates of that caliber.
Because of that, Dicken had unexpectedly become the first member of the Dawn Faction besides Ash and Sali to independently slay an overlord-level powerhouse.
"Hahaha! It's nothing, really nothing at all!"
Despite his words, Dicken's grin stretched wider than ever.
"Brother Dicken is amazing!" Tsuki shouted excitedly.
Saff immediately smacked him on the back of the head.
"Stop copying everything Ash does."
Ash: "..."
While the crew aboard the Dawn Ship celebrated on Beehive Island...
Far away at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sengoku slowly lowered the Den Den Mushi receiver before rubbing his forehead with a weary sigh.
"Two calls back-to-back. What exactly is happening now?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru noticed his troubled expression and asked,
"What happened?"
Sengoku replied,
"The first call concerned Borsalino. The Five Elders directly ordered him to terminate the mission of tracking the Dawn Ship and preventing a conflict with a Yonko crew."
"The second call came from the G-1 Branch. Their intelligence agents monitoring Totto Land discovered that the Big Mom Pirates have begun a large-scale mobilization. Their target is believed to be the Dawn Ship near Beehive Island."
Tsuru remained unconcerned about Borsalino's reassignment, but Sakazuki's situation caught her attention.
"So Charlotte Linlin intends to attack Ash after Wang Zhi. Then what was Sakazuki calling about?"
Sengoku's expression darkened.
"For Sakazuki, fewer pirates is always better. As much as he refuses to admit it, he actually thinks highly of that brat Ash."
"He had already moved to intercept the Big Mom Pirates, but he also received direct orders from the Five Elders. They explicitly instructed him not to engage any Yonko forces and to remain on standby."
Bang!
Sengoku slammed his fist onto the desk.
The sturdy desk split apart instantly.
Tsuru calmly stepped away from the collapsing furniture before frowning.
"The Five Elders bypassed you twice and issued orders directly to the Admirals?"
She paused briefly.
"Putting that aside, weren't they the ones who originally instructed us to prevent Ash from clashing with the Yonko?"
"Now the Big Mom Pirates are clearly preparing for war against the Dawn Ship, yet they're stopping our intervention?"
Halfway through her analysis, Tsuru's eyes widened.
She turned toward Sengoku.
"Could it be that they want the Big Mom Pirates and Beehive Island to join forces against Ash?"
"But why?"
"Regardless of his strength, he still holds the title of Warlord of the Sea. Over the past few years, he hasn't exactly done anything unforgivable..."
Her voice gradually weakened toward the end.
Sengoku could not help but smile bitterly.
"His military value is enormous. His strength is already comparable to a Yonko."
"Although he still retains the title of Warlord, he frequently disappears without notice. Ever since challenging Kaido last year, he's practically ignored every summons and order sent to him."
Sengoku leaned back in his chair.
"And do you know something else?"
"What?"
"Borsalino informed me that not long ago, the Five Elders forced Vegapunk to officially begin the Pacifista Project."
"At the same time, every Warlord except Ash received summonses to participate in testing procedures."
Tsuru's expression changed immediately.
Sengoku continued.
"Do you understand now?"
"The Five Elders are no longer merely wary of Ash."
He glanced at the broken desk, then at the teacup lying on the floor before letting out another heavy sigh.
"In their eyes, he is no longer a useful blade for balancing the Yonko and the Marines."
"He's becoming a weapon they may no longer be able to control."
"A blade sharp enough to turn against its wielder at any moment."
"And if an opportunity presents itself..."
"They may not hesitate to eliminate him."
"The Pacifista Project?"
Tsuru's face grew increasingly grim.
"Weren't they always struggling to find suitable test subjects?"
"And Ash..."
Sengoku let out a cold chuckle.
"The World Government never lacks test subjects."
"What they lack are exceptional specimens."
"Borsalino told me that Bartholomew Kuma, a Revolutionary Army officer whom the Government repeatedly hunted last year, belongs to a nearly extinct race."
"Saint Saturn personally ordered his capture for the Pacifista Project."
"Yet despite failing to capture Kuma, the project moved forward anyway."
"That tells me the Five Elders have become impatient."
"As for Ash..."
Sengoku turned toward Tsuru.
"The two of us made the same mistake."
"We were too busy celebrating the fact that he hunted pirates and brought stability to the seas."
"We overlooked one critical detail."
Tsuru frowned.
"What detail?"
"He's still a teenager."
The room fell silent.
Sengoku's voice became increasingly solemn.
"Before even reaching adulthood, he already possesses power comparable to a Yonko."
"Who can guarantee that in a few years he won't surpass them all?"
"Who can guarantee he won't exceed even Rocks D. Xebec himself?"
Tsuru's eyes widened.
"That's impossible!"
"Rocks and Ash are completely different people!"
"Rocks sought to dominate the world."
"Ash has never shown ambitions like that."
Sengoku shook his head.
"That's how we see it."
"But do you think the Five Elders share our perspective?"
"And don't forget..."
"We know he possesses top-tier Conqueror's Haki."
"The Five Elders certainly know it as well."
"Conqueror's Haki..."
The unfinished sentence lingered heavily in the room.
...
Meanwhile, atop the Red Line in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Within the Room of Authority.
Saint Saturn leaned upon his cane and spoke in a deep voice.
"His potential is indeed extraordinary."
"But even if he becomes a second Rocks, he is nothing to fear."
"This war provides an excellent opportunity for observation."
"Perhaps we can even obtain the lineage factors of all three participating forces."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro carefully sheathed the Shodai Kitetsu he had been polishing.
Then he looked toward Saturn with a puzzled expression.
"We already stopped Sakazuki from intercepting the Big Mom Pirates."
"Borsalino was also recalled before he could locate the Dawn Ship."
"If neither side is present..."
"How exactly do we intend to collect those lineage factors?"