New World, Somewhere on the Sea.

A pirate ship cruised through the waves — none other than the Beautiful Pirates.

At this moment, the captain, Cavendish, was admiring his own breathtaking reflection from multiple angles in a mirror.

In one hand he held the mirror, in the other — a wanted poster.

And not just any wanted poster. It was Elior's.

The reason Cavendish was holding Elior's bounty wasn't because he wanted to capture him — it was because he was comparing their faces.

Cavendish had always believed that among all pirates in the world, none could possibly surpass him in beauty. He was utterly convinced that he was the most handsome male pirate alive.

Absolutely, unquestionably the most handsome!

To him, the rest of the male pirates were just a bunch of hideous monstrosities.

And truth be told, Cavendish had always been the undisputed beauty standard among pirates. He truly was that stunning.

Until Elior appeared—and shook his status as the most handsome pirate to its very core.

Ever since then, Cavendish had taken to constantly checking himself in the mirror, holding Elior's bounty poster beside him, and asking his crew the same question:

"Between me and Elior… who's better looking?"

His crew always responded swiftly and decisively: "You are, Captain Cavendish! You're more handsome than Elior!"

But even with those answers, Cavendish remained uneasy.

He could accept others being stronger than him — but more beautiful? Absolutely not. He had to be number one.

Then yesterday, he ran into another pirate crew. He crushed them easily, then asked the survivors, "Who's more handsome—me or Elior?"

They hesitated for several seconds before responding—him, of course.

That hesitation gnawed at Cavendish.

But this morning, he ran into Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.

Without hesitation, Cavendish stopped him and posed the ultimate question.

And Mihawk—ever the blunt and meticulous man—spoke the truth:

"It's obvious. That man's looks surpass yours."

In that instant, Cavendish's self-esteem crumbled.

He finally understood — his subordinates and defeated enemies only said he was more handsome out of fear. Mihawk? He wasn't afraid of anyone.

"Clearly" Mihawk had said, "that man's beauty is above yours."

Cavendish was shattered.

He had truly been defeated.

Staring at Elior's wanted poster now, it was as if the man himself were standing there, and Cavendish couldn't even lift his head in shame.

Elior wasn't just better-looking.

He was younger.

And infinitely more powerful.

He was one of the emperors of the sea—a Yonko—standing shoulder to shoulder with Big Mom, Kaido, and Red-Haired Shanks.

A true emperor of the sea.

Cavendish was completely devastated.

Even now, he sat on the deck, lost in his thoughts, hopelessly staring into his mirror, wondering:

How could someone so strong also be this beautiful?

Weren't the powerful ones supposed to be hideous?

Just look at Big Mom—Cavendish couldn't even glance at her bounty poster without gagging. How could the world produce someone that ugly?

(Of course, he didn't know that back in her youth, Big Mom was once quite the stunning woman.)

"Huff..." Setting aside both the mirror and Elior's wanted poster, Cavendish took a deep breath.

He knew now—Elior was a chasm he could never cross.

Superior in strength. Superior in beauty.

A heavy sense of powerlessness weighed on his heart. He sat slumped on the deck, shrouded in gloom.

His crew had no idea how to comfort him.

How were they supposed to respond when their captain had fallen into despair—not over being outmatched in combat, but in looks?

Did appearance really matter that much to him?

They didn't get it.

In Cavendish's mind, he had always been the number one most handsome man in the world. And now Elior had dragged him from that throne and shattered him—hard.

He had even tried to resist that truth… until Mihawk gave him the final blow:

Elior was better-looking. Period.

"Why does someone like him even exist?"

"A man that beautiful…"

"Why?"

"Why was I born… if Elior was going to exist?!"

Cavendish threw his head back and laughed like a madman.

He took looks way too seriously.

And while his crew silently agreed that Elior was indeed more handsome, they'd never dare say that out loud. Who knows what Cavendish's darker second personality would do to them in the middle of the night if they spoke the truth?

Meanwhile, two kilometers away…

Another pirate ship appeared on the horizon.

It belonged to Elior.

Aboard the ship were Elior, Reiju, and Crocodile.

This wasn't a war mission, so Elior hadn't brought the whole crew. They were heading to Dressrosa and then to Zou, where one of the Road Poneglyphs was hidden deep in the Whale Forest.

"Captain, a ship ahead — looks like a pirate crew" Reiju pointed out.

"Haven't seen another ship for days" Crocodile exhaled smoke and lifted his telescope.

"Seems like a fairly well-known crew."

"Who is it?"

"You might not know them, Captain. They're called the Beautiful Pirates. The captain's Cavendish—nicknamed the Pirate Prince. A skilled swordsman and one of last year's Supernovas. You could say he was part of the original generation."

"The Beautiful Pirates?" Elior raised an eyebrow. Of course, he knew them. In fact, he was well aware of Cavendish and his narcissistic antics.

Cavendish was indeed a strong swordsman — with one very peculiar trait: he had a second, more dangerous personality.

"You've heard of him?" Crocodile was surprised.

"Yeah. I think I'll recruit him. He's got potential."

Crocodile nodded. "Not the strongest, but definitely worth something. Though… compared to you, Captain, he's nothing."

In Elior's crew — an elite team of monsters — Cavendish would probably start as an intern at best.

Still, once the thought of recruiting him entered their minds, Crocodile began steering the ship in Cavendish's direction.

Of course, the Beautiful Pirates noticed the oncoming ship.

"Captain, something's wrong! A pirate ship's heading straight for us!"

"Wait… that flag…"

"No way…"

"Holy crap—am I seeing this right?!"

"It's the flag of the Elior Pirates!"

"IT'S A YONKO SHIP!"

Panic erupted across the deck. Though Elior's ship looked plain, the flag alone sent the entire crew into full-blown chaos.

Cavendish, still deep in despair, suddenly snapped to attention.

"What's going on?! Did you say Elior?!"

He rushed to the edge, snatched the telescope, and looked out.

He saw Elior — his face in clear view.

"So handsome…"

"No way…"

"That beautiful face…"

"That's… Elior!"

His hands trembled. All of his attention locked onto Elior's features.

And with that one look, Cavendish realized: he was done.

His tiny hope that he might still be more handsome was obliterated.

Elior… wasn't just better-looking.

He was devastatingly more beautiful.

Cavendish slumped onto the deck, his confidence annihilated.

Just a glimpse of Elior's face through a telescope nearly cracked the lens. Cavendish couldn't comprehend how someone like that could exist.

Why?

Why?

He kept asking—but there was no answer.

Of course, Elior had no idea what was going on in Cavendish's head. In this world of power and dominance, someone obsessing over looks was laughable. Still, Cavendish was undeniably strong.

His crew, meanwhile, scrambled in panic at the arrival of a Yonko. Some were even considering jumping ship just to avoid the confrontation.

It was clear now—

A powerful aura was radiating from the approaching ship.

And it terrified them to their core.