Chapter 49: Aftermath

"That's Vice Admiral Kuzan for you!"

"He handled everything so swiftly and cleanly!"

"..."

"Hyahaha! Thanks a ton this time, Kuzan. What brings you back here?"

Saul looked at his approaching friend, puzzled.

"I was heading back to HQ to file a report. Passed by Sabaody, saw the commotion these two caused, so I stepped in. Let me guess—another mess caused by those damn pirates? Why are you here alone? Where's Admiral Sengoku?"

As he spoke, Kuzan casually kicked over a frozen pirate, shattering the ice sculpture.

This was Kuzan before he'd been fully disillusioned by the World Government's tyranny—back when he still upheld his belief in Burning Justice.

"There's a newly opened auction today, featuring rare and exotic treasures. Kings from several World Government-affiliated nations have arrived, and even a Celestial Dragon is in attendance. Admiral Sengoku is handling the situation over there."

Kuzan understood what that meant—protecting the Celestial Dragons and maintaining order.

He had his own reservations about that responsibility. After all, Vice Admiral Garp had outright refused promotions just to avoid these kinds of assignments.

Shaking off his thoughts, Kuzan glanced at three massive ice sculptures in the distance, his brows furrowing.

"What's the deal with these guys? Their size doesn't match any ordinary Zoan-type users. Are they Ancient Zoans? They kinda give off the same vibe as the Impel Down guards… Were these pirates failed Awakenings that lost control? Were they artificially Awakened?"

"I dunno. Admiral told me to wait at the port for further orders. We're planning to round up all the pirates involved in this gathering—"

"Ah~"

...

Meanwhile, at the Family Estate

Inside a private room, Gild Tesoro sat in silence, his expression grim as he stared at a projection of the frozen battlefield.

He picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.

"Mo-shi, mo-shi. Mr. Tesoro, what's the matter? Doom-Doom... Destruction of a Thousand Tons, Babysshing."

Machvise always held deep respect for Gild Tesoro, a man unafraid to stand against the World Government.

"Boom!"

"Machvise, notify Jora and Urouge. It's time to retreat."

"Something happened? Babeesh."

"Kuzan, the Navy's monster Vice Admiral, just arrived."

"I got it. Babeesh!"

Click.

Machvise sighed as he watched pirate ships scattering in different directions.

...

The Next Day – Donquixote Family Estate

Doflamingo stood in front of a mountain of gold, nodding in satisfaction.

Ironically, only a small portion of this wealth came from the nobles.

The auction had sold off rare Sky Island shells—including the near-extinct Impact Dial, Slash Dial, and Laser Dial—along with fifteen other types of Sky Island shells and five experimental models.

Total revenue? 40,000 ounces of gold. 1,120 tons. 58 cubic meters.

Melted down, that formed a rectangular block roughly three meters long, three meters wide, and six meters tall.

Converted to currency, it amounted to about 8 billion Belly—an average of 400 million per item.

The rest of the wealth?

Looted directly from the pirates.

"Black-on-black crime really is the fastest way to make money. After this, that secret drug should be ready to hit the market as well."

Doflamingo pulled his mind away from his spiraling thoughts and glanced at his subordinates. It was time to distribute rewards.

"Pica, you're coming with me to Sky Island. We've found a plant that can alter your vocal cords. It's temporary, so don't get too excited, but it's a step toward fixing your voice."

"T-That's enough! Thank you, Doffy!" Pica's eyes welled up with tears.

"Jora, as the most beautiful woman in the world, I doubt you'd turn down a 300-million-Belly check. The boutiques in Sabaody are waiting for you."

"Oh-hohoho~ Thank you, Young Master!" Jora clutched the check, already lost in fantasies of her next shopping spree.

"Tesoro, you can pick two techniques from the Navy's Rokushiki to learn. From now on, the Market of Warriors has no reason to exist. Also, be mindful of any surviving pirates seeking revenge. The next shipment of Seastone is scheduled for next month."

"Understood, Boss. I'll lay low—won't appear in the Navy's or the pirates' sights for a while," Tesoro replied smoothly.

"Good. Machvise, Urouge, your job is to protect Tesoro. You both can also pick two Rokushiki techniques to train in."

"Yes, Young Master!/God."

Doflamingo's core executives—Trebol, Diamante, and Pica—already had full access to Rokushiki, but the newcomers would have to earn their way up.

...

Marineford – Naval Training Grounds

Three enormous ice blocks stood in the center of the yard, drawing curious glances from passing Marines.

"Break them open, Kuzan."

"Yes, Admiral Sengoku."

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ice shattered in succession.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three frozen captives collapsed to the ground.

The bird-horse and eagle-serpent creatures reared their heads and let out pitiful cries before falling silent, lifeless.

But the white lion, Simba, reverted to human form and remained unconscious.

Sengoku frowned.

As an experienced Mythical Zoan user, he could see what was happening here.

"Send them all to the Marine Science Division."

...

The Flow of News in the Pirate World

Pirates always received information with some delay.

It was just like when Doflamingo first got the newspaper—Morgans' kin weren't flying around the world delivering news instantly.

The closer an island was to Sabaody, the sooner they got updates. The farther away, the longer it took.

A secluded nation like Wano, which shut itself off from the world, would take even longer.

...

The New World – Golden Lion's Fleet

Shiki lazily skimmed over the newspaper before tossing it in the trash.

As far as he was concerned, anything that didn't help him rule the world was garbage.

Scratching the rooster-comb hair on his head, he suddenly frowned.

"Oi, Indigo. Any updates on Roger's whereabouts?"

Dr. Indigo shuffled back and forth, making his signature puz-puz noises. Seeing Shiki's impatience, he finally responded.

"Nope."

...

The Roger Pirates – Status Unknown

...

The Whitebeard Pirates

At just twenty years old, Marco was already dealing with early-onset baldness.

Right now, he was wrestling with a News Coo over the latest paper.

"Nani?! Why does this issue cost 200 Belly?"

"More explanations? It's ten times thicker than usual? And you still say you're losing money?"

"...Fine!"

Grabbing the paper, Marco rushed to the deck.

"Oi, Pops! Fresh news!"

"Gu-ra-ra-ra! Anything interesting out on the seas? Glug-glug-glug!"

The blond version of Whitebeard downed another bottle of booze.

"Some kinda Enhancement Drug... Looks like it can force Awakening, Pops."

Whitebeard barely glanced at the report.

"Just a bunch of wild beasts. Only the weak chase after power like that."

"Oi, Pops! This Kuzan guy from the Navy seems real strong. I wanna fight him!"

"Gu-ra-ra-ra! The sea will bring you two together eventually."

"Oi, Pops! There's even these Sky Island shells—one of them can store water! If we had those, we wouldn't need to keep so many barrels of booze on board!"

Whitebeard's drunken haze lifted instantly. His eyes sharpened.

"Get some for your old man!"

Marco still had no idea about the dangers of a middle-aged man drinking too much.

...

The Beasts Pirates – No Contact

...

The Big Mom Pirates

Charlotte Linlin, still in her "limited edition" slimmer form, licked her lips as she watched footage of Sky People lying on floating clouds.

After swallowing a cake overloaded with sugar, her eyes locked onto two of her daughters.

"Mamamama! Amande—bring me some of those Sky People. This will be a fine addition to Totto Land."

"..."

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