The world was abuzz with shock.
[Whole Cake Island]
Big Mom shoved an entire wedding cake into her mouth, chewing loudly as Perospero read her the news.
"MAMMA MAMMA MAMMAA!" she cackled, crumbs flying everywhere. "A rogue Marine who throws galleons into the sky?! What a fascinating specimen! Perospero! Find out if this 'False Deity' likes sweets! I want that gravity power in my family!"
[Onigashima]
Kaido took a massive gulp from his gourd of sake, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down at the newspaper crumpled in his massive grip.
"WORORORORORO!" Kaido bellowed, his laughter echoing across the stormy island. "A dog bit its master and scarred the magma brat! WORORORORO! GOOD!"
"The world was getting too boring! If he survives the government's hunt, tell him to come to Wano. Let's see if this 'Deity' can take a real hit!"
[Somewhere in New World]
And on a quiet, unnamed island, Red-Haired Shanks sat by a campfire, staring silently at the bounty poster. Benn Beckman stood beside him, taking a slow drag of his cigarette.
"No 'D' in his name, but he has the Supreme King's disposition," Beckman muttered. "Shanks, this person doesn't play by the rules of pirates or the Navy. He's a wild card."
"He's more than a wild card, Benn," Shanks said quietly, his eyes locked on Light's cold, calculating gaze in the photograph. "He's a storm of destruction. He wants to ruin the balance of the world."
⬛ ⬛ ⬛
[ BALTIGO — ISLAND OF WHITE SOIL ]
Deep in the Grand Line, the wind howled across the barren landscape of the Revolutionary Army's hidden headquarters.
Monkey D. Dragon stood on a balcony, the wind whipping his dark green cloak. Sabo stood behind him, staring at the newspaper in sheer disbelief.
"He killed a Celestial Dragon," Sabo breathed, his eyes wide. "Right in the open. Not even we have done something that brazen yet. Is he... is he on our side, Dragon?"
"No," Dragon replied, his voice a low, heavy rumble. He turned around, his tattooed face completely grim. "Do not confuse violence against the World Government with a desire for liberation, Sabo. I read his reports from the South Blue. He executes criminals without trial. He demands absolute obedience. He doesn't want to free the slaves of Mary Geoise..."
Dragon looked back out at the howling wind.
"He just wants to sit on their empty throne. A tyrant replacing a tyrant."
A Celestial Dragon was executed like a dog in the streets. The man who had made history was nowhere to be seen. They called him with different names, some saviour, some heretic. But one thing was sure- the world would never be the same again.
[ TWO WEEKS LATER ]
[ FLORIAN TRIANGLE ]
The massive galleon drifted silently through the thick, impenetrable gloom of the Florian Triangle. For two weeks, the ghost ship had hidden in the fog, utterly invisible to the frantic Marine patrols scouring the first half of the Grand Line.
By some miracle, they had come across no other ships in these 14 days. Not even the rumoured Thriller Bark.
Below deck, the atmosphere was thick with exhaustion.
Bonney sat on a wooden crate, aggressively chewing on a stale piece of hardtack. She glared at the bed in the center of the room.
Light Yagami lay motionless. Most of the severe burns covering his right side had peeled away, replaced by fresh, pink skin courtesy of his Level 10 Life Force.
Suddenly, Light took a sharp breath. His dark eyes snapped open.
"About damn time," Bonney huffed, crossing her arms. "I was starting to think I'd have to throw you overboard to save rations."
Light slowly sat up, stretching his neck. His joints popped loudly. He ignored her, immediately opening his mental interface.
[ Total KP Reserve: 50,500 ]
He frowned slightly. He was completely broke. The fight with Sakazuki had nearly bankrupted his points and his body. He needed to restock, and he needed to do it quickly.
Heavy boots pounded down the wooden stairs. Captain Haas burst into the room, his eyes wide with relief.
"Sir!" Haas saluted, his steel-spring arm clinking against his chest. "You're awake! We've remained completely undetected in the Triangle."
"Good," Light said, his voice smooth, the manic edge from his fight entirely suppressed behind his usual calculating facade. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "What is the date, Captain?"
Haas pulled a crumpled newspaper from his coat pocket and handed it over. A brave News Coo had pierced the fog a few hours ago.
Light unfolded the paper. He barely glanced at his own 1.5 Billion Beli bounty poster.
Dead Only.
Huh? Well, whatever.
The photo was surprisingly well-clicked. The Justice drape floating in the air in waves, Light was hovering in the sky with the Sun as his backdrop. He had a cute smile on his face, as if the sunny boy next doors had finally found a hobby he really liked. That said, his one bloodied hand on his saber's hilt at his waist, the other on his forehead, he seemed to be slicking back his hair and seemingly paid no attention that the other hand was dripping blood too. He looked absolutely terrifying to any sane person. His eyes locked onto the main headline:
PORTGAS D. ACE TO BE EXECUTED AT MARINEFORD IN 6 DAYS.
Light's mind accelerated, processing the global board in a fraction of a second. If Ace was being executed in six days, Whitebeard was already moving. Marine Headquarters would be recalling every single Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Warlord to defend the plaza.
Which meant Impel Down—the greatest, most heavily populated vault of human garbage in the world—was currently stripped of its strongest outside reinforcements.
"Impel Down," Light murmured, a dark, clinical smile touching his lips. It was free real estate. Millions of Bad Karma points sitting in cages, just waiting to be harvested.
Light looked up at Haas.
"Captain, I need the current Marine fleet allocations and the naval charts for the Tarai Current. We are going to breach the underwater prison."
Haas blinked, momentarily stunned. "Sir, I... I don't have that intelligence. The Tarai Current schedules are classified High Command secrets."
Light sighed softly. "A pity. We cannot simply guess the currents of the Calm Belt."
"However," Haas added quickly, "there is a legendary information broker still operating on Sabaody Archipelago. Grove 13. A woman named Shakky. If the Marines have a secret, she sells it."
"Sabaody," Light mused. The Marines would have locked the island down under martial law.
"Captain," Light commanded, standing up and grabbing his pitch-black saber. "Sail the galleon out of the fog and find the closest uninhabited island. Drop anchor, hide the ship, and wait for my call on the Den Den Mushi. I am going to Sabaody."
"Like hell you are!" Bonney jumped off her crate, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I'm not staying on a ship in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of mutant furries! I'm coming with you."
Light looked at her, his expression mildly annonyed. "Bonney, listenn, you might get a bounty staying with me. The island is crawling with Marines. You are a liability, and I need to move quietly, now you understand?"
"Oh yeah?" Bonney smirked.
Her body suddenly glowed with a pink energy. She shrank rapidly, her clothes becoming comically oversized. In a matter of seconds, she was a five-year-old toddler with pink hair, looking up at him with big, innocent eyes.
"Who's gonna recognize a toddler, you jerk?" she squeaked, crossing her tiny arms.
Light stared at the child. Definitely annonying. But... it doesn't feel bad.
For a moment, the sociopathic facade cracked, and a genuine, highly amused chuckle escaped his lips.
"Ughh, fiiiine. But you listen to me ok!" Light conceded, a dark twinkle in his eye. "Grab on."
A/N: No time to waste. For the considerable future, IT'S ON NOW.