One Piece: Path to Power

Chapter 101: [101] Headlines

[2200 words]

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[The Very Next Day]

A huge operation unfolded following the events at G-2.

A large meeting at Marineford, accounting for all the top-level marines in action.

Fleet Admiral Kong stood at the head of the table. Big names such as Admiral Kurowashi, Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Candidate Zephyr, Director of the MCIS Hakuchō and Great Inspector Tsuru were all present.

Sengoku's transponder snail sat at the center, burrowing into the wooden table from the tension that filled the room like a wet blanket.

"Tell me once more what happened at G-2."

The afroed snail answered immediately, keeping his reply concise, "On the thirty-first of January, a raid took place at Grand Line Branch Two. It accounted for six pirates of the Rocks Crew, exclusively their Fourth Division."

"Under the command of the Sin Incarnate, they freed the guinea pigs: Arai and Kaido, laid waste to G-2, and left Basara in critical condition, even costing him an eye."

Kong sat perfectly still—his body made no movements yet his eyes were shot open, seething in anger.

"And what delayed your arrival? Wasn't Raito's ability enough to catch them off-guard?" he questioned with a grim air.

The man across the snail returned a defeated sigh, "I met an obstacle in the shape of Patrick Redfield, he left clones of Roger, Whitebeard and Basara and flew away."

A vein popped in the Fleet Admiral's forehead. "Redfield, that elegant bastard has a knack for pissing me off!"

.

"Ahem, Kong-san," the Admiral cleared his throat. "I also crossed paths with Phantom of Cipher Pol, he was there under Xerxes' orders."

The commanding officer gnashed his teeth, mumbling a low growl under his breath. "Xerxes, another bastard always snooping around without any prior warnings… And, did Phantom tell you anything?"

"According to Phantom, the Sin Incarnate now wields the destructive power of a Supreme Blade, Added to the nature of his ability and being son to the God of War makes him an unignorable threat."

*Bam!* Zephyr lightly slammed his metal arm, exclaiming, "I agree! That pirate is on a path to becoming a threat equaling that of Rocks!"

"What do you think, Tsuru?" Kong asked the sole woman.

The woman eyed a paper sheet listing a few events, analyzing the fine details.

"The young pirate has been involved in many world-shaking events in the past couple of years. Mora Island, Encephala Island, Amethyst Kingdom & G-4, Jaya and now G-2. I agree, the World Threat Index needs updating."

Kong slowly nodded, expressing his agreement.

.

Masao, aka Kurowashi, pointed out another problem, "This failure, alongside many, has left a vacuum of troops, whittling away our numbers and budget; let alone an incapacitated Admiral. If not for the deal with Fulcrum, we would be in far more trouble."

The Fleet Admiral naturally knew of this as well. "I have called the Five Elders and they agreed to increase our budget and announce a World Military Draft immediately!"

"Masao, go island to island, I want you to express your 'Elegant Justice' and garner as much favour with the people as you can."

The dark-clothed Kurowashi nodded, accepting the task.

"Tsuru, call the World Economy News Paper. Although we cannot stop them from reporting the incident, inform them that keeping their newspapers marine-friendly is in their best interest."

Kong continued, showcasing why he was deemed a Fleet Admiral in the first place, "Hakuchō, increase the number of informants at Hachinosu, I want to know everything they're up to!"

He then stood up and addressed the table, "Everyone, I need your full support for what's to come, the seas show no signs of calming down!"

"Yes sir!" they loudly responded.

"..."

Kong's brows twitched and a vein popped across his forehead. He glared at the one person who seemed to be in his world, a Vice Admiral who had been doing nothing but munch away at rice crackers.

"Garp! You brat, did you hear a single thing I just said!?"

The heroic marine paused his eating and shared a thought, "Hmm, I just realized that the Sin Incarnate kid likes to take away body parts when he defeats marines. Isn't that right, Zephyr? Bwahahaha!"

The purple-haired Vice Admiral just shook his head in dissatisfaction, "If you weren't always so mad to hunt Roger then maybe the threat of the Rocks Pirates would be less glaring to us!"

The clean-shaven Garp shrugged—what went in one ear came out the other. The only sense he was currently using was taste, one thirsty for more rice crackers with tea.

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[Pirate Paradise of Hachinosu]

A bad day for the Navy was a day of celebration for the scum of the seas. The only way the Rocks Pirates celebrated was in blood!

Rivers of red flowed through the dusty ground of the Beehive Island, soaking the air in a red mist while adding a tint of crimson to the nearby seas, inviting many monstrous sea creatures to feast.

A man with long blue braids licked the blood from his rapier, enjoying the metallic taste. "Kruh-yayaya! Look at that, the bounty of the Fourth Division is rivalling the top three divisions with just seven members!"

His crazed eyes were locked on the rotten board that was pinned with fresh bounties. It was one of the many bounty bulletins littered through the Pirate Paradise, not for pride, but to add targets to their fellow comrades.

It was simply another reason to stab a fellow companion in the back.

"Just the lowest bounty is over a hundred million!" A bald man howled with a manic grin.

-----< WANTED >-----

< DROGA⋅PABLO >

< 'Drug Lord' >

< 𝔅 111,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< ARAI >

< 'Stone Serpent' >

< 𝔅 154,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< MAJIN >

< 'The Rampage' >

< 𝔅 179,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< IGNIO⋅KAEN >

< 'The Inferno' >

< 𝔅 193,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< VOYD⋅NOMU > 

< 'True Pirate' >

< 𝔅 215,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

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[Muerta Bar]

"Jihahaha! Eat up fellas, things are about to get wild!"

"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! This cake isn't half bad! How much blood did they add?"

Dozens of clinks echoed through the rotten establishment, splattering the rusty floors with fresh booze.

The legendary Golden Lion had put together the jolly atmosphere for a few days now, all in hopes of preparing for the future hell they would wrought.

It was so boisterous that the Evil Spirit Charlotte Linlin had come too, ordering a mind-numbing amount of sweet treats.

.

*Bang!* The sorrowful doors opened, inviting a gasping burly man with an orange buzzcut. With another thud, he fell to his knees in front of the drunk Shiki.

The golden-haired man chuckled at the pathetic state of his subordinate and asked, "What's got you all riled up?"

"L-Lord Shiki… look here…!" He pulled out a newly printed paper.

Shiki placed his giant jug of saké and grabbed the papers with a hint of intrigue.

"!!!" His eyebrows were raised to his forehead showcasing his surprise which was enough to drop the cigar tucked at the edge of his lips.

"What the hell is this!?" 

A few other pirates reached for the tray of newspapers which were being updated by a worker-slave, each thirsty for the news.

"The Raid at G-2!" a man echoed the headlines, jaw-dropped.

There were many visuals of the mighty base going from a beacon of authority to a sea of ruins, slowly sinking into an enormous crater.

"Oye, Oye, the Mountain was surmounted!?"

Basara's miserable corpse-like state was also unveiled, a picture Damien had personally sent to Morgans.

A larger-than-life woman licked her lips, "The Seventh Division's Commander was also released, hehe, looks like Hachinosu is 'bout to get cheerful!"

-----< WANTED >-----

 <!-- --><KAIDO >

< 'Hundred-Beast' >

< 𝔅 961,110,000 - > 

< DEAD or ALIVE >

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"Shy of a billy, they must really hate him for stealing those Heavenly Tributes!"

.

The voluptuous Linlin cackled at the sight of the papers, "Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! Who cares about that idiot Kaido, I'm more interested in this one!"

A strand of desire washed by the woman's orange eyes—a grievous look born out of greed. 

-----< WANTED >-----

< ZENORA⋅INDRA >

< 'Hellspawn' >

< 𝔅 966,600,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

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Indra's bodily markings were called into question once more by the papers, leaving the ever-hungry Linlin enraptured by the revelations.

"I thought it was just some nonsense in his previous bounty but after that day…"

A memory came to the giant woman's find. It was when she waltzed into the Fourth Division's headquarters five months ago and ran into the Evil Omen, now known as the Hellspawn, and some fresh fodder.

Indra's unshaken glare that had met Linlin left her impressed. 

"Don't be fooled by these vultures of the newspaper, Linlin," came a dismissive voice from Shiki.

The Golden Lion looked at the caption of the 'Hellspawn' with disdain, "He shows no signs of activating his greatest power; don't forget, the Warborns were exterminated 25 years ago!"

The skimpily-dressed pirate grinned at the irate Shiki, easily spotting his frustration. "You're just angry that you lost the bet! Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma, Damien really slapped you in the face with this!"

Another bounty poster was slammed onto the wooden countertop under the titan's enormous hand. Its young figure seemed to be mocking the majestic Golden Lion with a signature pirate smirk.

-----< WANTED >-----

< EINAR⋅D⋅DAMIEN >

< 'Sin Incarnate' >

< 𝔅 2,487,600,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

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Shiki clenched his fists in recollection of the agreement made a month ago. His sharp eyes were studying the youthful Damien, spinning the gears in his head.

"Hehe, Indra will be hailed as another Tragedy under the no-good Rocks and Damien will be the Fourth Titan, there's nothing you can do about that!"

Linlin gulped down a five-layer cake, sheepishly enjoying the succulent taste.

"!!!" Then came a sound of liquid slapping the floor. It immediately silenced the jolly Muerta Bar.

The Evil Spirit felt some movement in her lower abdomen and shot up from her seat, "Hmm, my water broke at the right time…" she whispered, ready to give birth.

"I can't wait to get a refill with Damien's seed when he comes back!"

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[The 111th Branch Base in the West Blue]

A modest room with warm colours with a garden at its back. An orange carpet with two seats facing a wooden desk. At the other side was another chair, the chair of the commanding officer of the 111th.

The room was dimly lit with one light, barely enough to boast the landscape paintings on the sides, but just enough to show off the banner of "Merciful Justice."

The Marine at the head of the desk wore a black t-shirt and grey trousers with a marine coat draped over his shoulders, decorated in golden cuffs. He also had a buzzcut, stubble, and a few scars on his face.

"Captain Raiden, is it true that you met the Sin Incarnate in his younger years?" a childish voice asked.

The weathered man leaned into his seat, drawing his eyes away from the news. "That's right, Atlas. He came here many years ago."

The face of the bold and ambitious young lad came to Raiden's mind, followed by the endless news of the chaos thereafter.

"Look what he did to Basara-sama, it's evil!"

The teenager balled his fist, sporting a frown, "It's a good thing Kurowashi-sama has been running across the world, calming the seas from this mess."

.

Raiden heard Atlas' chipper voice, lightly smiling at his youthful spirit. "Don't be so quick to judge, Atlas. No one is born evil, they're shaped by their past and surroundings."

He looked at the boy's innocent eyes and continued, "Us Marines must protect them from such damning childhoods… These pirates show just how badly we fulfill that obligation."

The older man's tone started like that of a teacher, but it warped into one of guilt near the end. 

Atlas wasn't mature enough to fully understand Raiden's sorrow but he could feel the honesty in the words and nodded.

"Well, at least the World Military Draft was launched under Admiral Masao's directions. Maybe we can get more people to help the seas!"

"Hararara!" Raiden burst into laughter. "Yes, perhaps we can spare some pain in these seas."

Atlas gave a proud thumbs up before running out, wishing to spread the good work of the Black Eagle.

"..." Raiden absently gazed at the open door, his eyes distant from the previous joy. 

His scarred hands reached for the transponder snail at the corner of his desk. 

*Click* The receiver was raised in the man's grasp while his other hand froze at the dial. 'It's my duty,' he told himself, leaving him to chew the inside of his cheek.

With great difficulty, the dial was spun and the snail woke up: "Puru," "Puru," "Puru."

"Katcha~!" A woman's voice followed, "You've reached the Marine Criminal Intelligence Service. Please report your credentials."

The Marine Captain heaved a sigh, relinquishing any further thoughts and spoke with a firm voice, "Eleos Raiden at Greta, West Blue. Please direct my call to Asah– pardon me, Director Hakuchō. I have some important intel he must be made aware of."

The woman on the snail paused momentarily, possibly running a few checks on the agent's name. "One moment please…"

"..."

Raiden saw the reflection of his "Merciful Justice" in the painting at the back of his office as an older man's voice came from the receiver.

"Raiden, my old friend. What do you have from me?"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

The Fourth Division has made a name for itself, each fodder making the papers.

Some mystery surrounds Indra but Damien remains the main character of the raid, earning a hefty reward on his head.

What intel do you think Raiden is sharing?

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q