Dimly lit room.

From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came a low voice:

"Is it done?"

"Karol."

Karol responded languidly:

"It's done~"

"Sakazuki-sama."

A quiet chuckle came from the Den Den Mushi:

"Well done."

"The reward is already prepared."

"I'll give it to you personally when we meet."

Karol's lips curved slightly:

"Much appreciated~ Sakazuki-sama~"

She paused briefly, then added:

"But..."

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki."

"This dark atmosphere and suggestive conversation..."

"Why does it feel like the two of us are villains?"

The low, raspy voice on the other end disappeared.

Sakazuki's normal voice followed:

"This is called atmosphere."

Then he continued:

"Right now, you're a covert informant leaking classified Marine intel."

"A voice and tone like this fits the scene."

"You really have no sense of humor."

"Karol."

Inside the room, Karol rubbed her nose.

Looking helpless.

What do you mean I'm leaking intel?

Wasn't it your order?

And you're the one talking to me about humor… seriously...

"Hai hai~"

"That aside."

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, you're in a good mood today."

"Even cracking jokes."

The Den Den Mushi in Karol's hand mimicked Sakazuki's faint smirk.

Then Sakazuki's voice came again:

"Of course. This time's gains..."

"Far exceeded expectations."

"Hurry back. I've got a gift for you."

Karol smiled:

"Roger~"

After they hung up the Den Den Mushi—

Karol pushed open the door and tugged her cloak.

Swish!

With the sound of slicing air, her figure vanished.

...

Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki's residence.

Sakazuki sat on the sofa and hung up the call.

He adjusted the curve of his lips.

The gains were enormous.

A complete critical hit.

The original plan was just to leak a bit of information,

Lure out the Golden Lion, find a chance to acquire the Float-Float Fruit.

And that was it.

That simple.

Just to take the Devil Fruit.

But plans can't keep up with change.

And people are not creatures easily predicted.

Who could've guessed that even hearing a bit of wind,

The Golden Lion would risk everything.

From that perspective, the Golden Lion truly deserved his reputation as a sea-dominating pirate.

That kind of boldness isn't something ordinary people possess.

Then there was the return of Sengoku and Garp.

At the time, Sakazuki had calculated that besides Commander-in-Chief Kong, only he could engage in battle.

And with his strength, clashing with the Golden Lion—

Even with the Golden Lion's powerful aerial superiority, the one who would die would still be the Golden Lion.

As a damage sponge, he could outlast that kind of high-damage assassin.

But the unexpected return of Sengoku and Garp disrupted everything.

So, he went with the flow.

And the result was even more unexpected.

What else could you say—it's the Golden Lion, after all.

He's the real deal.

When Sakazuki sensed the Golden Lion's fleet on the seas, he was stunned for a moment.

That fleet was clearly heading to wipe out Headquarters.

The Golden Lion's ambition, Sengoku and Garp's sudden return—the whole plan went off the rails.

Fine. Let it burn.

That's when Sakazuki sent the two forward to exploit the information gap.

After all...

When attacked, most people's first instinct is to attack or dodge.

Not to use Observation Haki first to assess, then decide...

If you always use Observation Haki to scan every enemy move—

By the time you finish analyzing, you might already be dead from the first strike...

So they successfully pulled a fast one on the Golden Lion.

And with him out of the picture, the rest of the pirates—even ones with high bounties like Blizzard Frank—

Were no match for the two.

That kind of overwhelming combat strength isn't a joke.

The next variable was the Commander-in-Chief's internal injuries flaring up.

A total reversal.

By twist of fate, the rewards were several times greater than originally planned.

The impact is incalculable.

This also indirectly proves...

Those overly complicated plans that rely on manipulating human nature...

Are absolute nonsense.

Even a simple plan has this many variables.

The Golden Lion's audacity, the surprise return of Sengoku and Garp, the power struggles among high-ranking officials—

All of these managed to derail a simple plan.

He let out a sigh.

I'm really not suited for scheming...

Sakazuki walked to the window and looked up at the sky.

Still, the Golden Lion didn't die, so there's still a chance.

"The Float-Float Fruit..."

...

Grand Line, New World.

A towering hidden realm reaching into the clouds.

At the summit of "Merveille."

The one-armed Golden Lion lay atop a cliff.

After a full day and night of unconsciousness, the Golden Lion finally awoke.

He opened his eyes in confusion.

The glaring sunlight stung painfully.

The intense pain brought the Golden Lion back to his senses.

Recalling the scene before he passed out,

He reached with his right hand and found his last remaining famed blade.

"Huff—huff—"

The intense pain made the Golden Lion breathe heavily:

"I..."

"Huff—"

"I am..."

"The Golden Lion!!!"

A burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body.

As if to prove himself.

He didn't use his Devil Fruit power.

But relied on pure strength, enduring the searing pain.

Using his blade, he pushed himself upright.

The raging Conqueror's Haki startled the giant beasts grazing leisurely on the island.

The Golden Lion looked at those massive creatures, some hundreds or thousands of meters tall.

A new plan began to form in his mind.

His face twisted with a crazed grin:

"Jihahahahaha!"

"I won't be defeated!"

"This is just a small setback on my path to conquering the world."

"One day, you will all pay the price!!!"

"Jihahahahahaha!!!"

With his wild laughter, the turbulent Conqueror's Haki surged outward.

In the sky above, it seemed a massive lion-shaped phantom flashed by.

There is nothing that can defeat him.

The one-armed Golden Lion looked toward the "treasures" before him:

"Just you wait."

"Marines!!!"