"Who's there?!"

"Enemy attack!"

Rosen boarded the ship, landing in the center, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Are you the captain?" Rosen immediately spotted Roy sitting in the main seat.

"Crocodile!!" Everyone on board was startled. They had just been discussing him, and now he had shown up on his own.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In an instant, weapons were drawn.

"Didn't expect the prey to deliver itself. What a pleasant surprise!" Roy stood up, gripping his serrated blade, his fighting spirit soaring.

"The captain's going to make a move, hahaha! Our captain's a notorious pirate worth 180 million berries..."

"Good, then please die." Rosen kicked off the ground, leaping high into the air, his arm bent and fist clenched as he lunged toward Roy.

"Looking for death." Roy's expression darkened. How dare someone attack him on his own turf? This was an insult. Enraged, he swung his serrated blade at Rosen, who was descending from above.

Rosen glanced at the blade, his fist now coated in golden sand, and smashed it down.

Crack!

The serrated blade shattered instantly, and the force of the punch continued unabated, landing squarely on Roy's horrified face.

Boom!

The punch deformed Roy's face on impact, the immense force like that of a monstrous beast crashing into him. The sound of bones breaking echoed as Roy was sent flying through the ship's hull and into the sea.

The pirates on board froze, then panic and fear erupted. Their faces looked as if they'd seen a ghost. One punch—just one punch—and their invincible captain had been obliterated.

"Run!"

Even the expensive ship had been split in half. After a moment of stunned silence, the pirates began to flee. They weren't fools. If their captain couldn't withstand a single punch, what chance did they have?

Rosen grabbed a fleeing pirate by the collar. "Are all of you here?"

"Y-yes," the pirate stammered, dropping his weapon without a fight.

"How much did you say your captain was worth again?" Rosen casually asked.

"180 million berries!" the pirate choked out, though even he found it hard to believe. A pirate worth 180 million berries had been taken down in one punch.

"With such weak strength, you dared to mess with my people? Do I look that easy to bully? Never mind, it doesn't matter... Go spread the word to other pirates who want my head. Tell them not to send small fry like you." Rosen tossed the pirate into the sea.

Such low-level pirates weren't even worth his time.

Rosen had come to vent his frustration on behalf of his subordinates—after all, if you hit the dog, you better be ready to face the master. He also wanted to warn other pirates and bounty hunters: if you're weak, don't bother coming. This was a lesson in deterrence.

Otherwise, every weakling would think they could challenge him, and that would be exhausting.

"Sandstorm." Rosen leaped off the pirate ship, manipulating the sand on the ground to form a massive sand tornado. He hurled it at the sinking ship, shredding it into pieces along with the pirates on board.

They weren't good people anyway. If they dared to come after him, they had to pay the price.

"Are you part of this pirate crew too?" Rosen asked indifferently, noticing some pirates nearby who were either passing by or watching.

"N-no, we're just passing through. We're here for sightseeing, yes, sightseeing," stammered a pirate captain with an 80 million berry bounty, his legs trembling.

Rosen didn't even glance at them before turning and leaving.

"Captain, wasn't that Crocodile? Should we..." one of the subordinates asked, showing some naive courage.

"Shut up! Everyone, get back on the ship. We're not getting involved. Damn it, Roy couldn't even take one punch. If you want to die, go ahead, but I'm not sticking around." The pirate captain's face was filled with fear as he cut off his subordinate, afraid Rosen might overhear.

Damn, they had been so bold, thinking they could take on a monster like Crocodile. Now, farming back home seemed like a much better idea. Being alive felt pretty good.

"Boss seems even stronger now," Mr. 5 said, watching the scene unfold from a distance, both shocked and proud.

"Yeah, Boss is really incredible. At this rate, we'll never catch up. Ah, I wish I could chat with Boss about life..." Valentine's admiration for Rosen was becoming more and more obvious.

"Stop daydreaming. Let's go," Rosen said, having only taken care of this matter while out buying medicine. To him, it was trivial.

He also needed Law to treat his injuries. Although his recovery was progressing well, he felt an underlying unease. Ever since his fallout with the Marines, he had been on high alert.

The sooner his wounds healed, the better. The Marines had been too quiet lately—unnaturally quiet.

Meanwhile, Kizaru had arrived at Sasu Island, one of the eight guardian islands, the closest rest stop for Eric and Kuma after their journey.

"I'll head to Lantis Island first. If I can find Crocodile and confirm things in person, that would be ideal. Also, has Lantis Island really become a place overrun by monsters?" Kizaru sipped his tea, speaking casually. Though the situation was troublesome, he had dealt with worse.

"Does Fleet Admiral Sengoku not trust the CP0's intel?" Eric frowned. Logically, launching a Buster Call to wipe out Lantis as soon as possible would be the best course of action.

But now, Sengoku had put Kizaru in charge, suggesting a disagreement between the Fleet Admiral and the Five Elders.

Sengoku needed to confirm certain things, like whether the reported losses were accurate, if the monsters on Lantis were becoming more active, and if the threat from the Lantisians was truly that severe.

"Can't say that. Caution is always wise. By the way, you really got beaten up badly. Crocodile is terrifying," Kizaru remarked casually, glancing at Eric's injuries with a mix of nonchalance and surprise.

"Don't worry about me," Eric replied calmly, though inwardly, he was far from fine. His strength would never return to its peak, and advancing further was out of the question. He couldn't help but hate Crocodile.

"I'll be back soon. You handle the defense for now," Kizaru said, unaware that Rosen had already returned to the eight islands.

He needed to confirm whether the situation on the island matched the earlier reports.

Just then, Sengoku called again. Kizaru fumbled with the black Den Den Mushi, habitually shouting into it for a while before a Rear Admiral reminded him, "Admiral Kizaru, that's not the listening Den Den Mushi."

"Oh, right. I remember it was somewhere on me... Ah, found it."

"How's the situation?"

"The losses are accurate, but I'll need to check Lantis Island's condition myself."

"Understood. Good work." Sengoku hung up with a grim expression.

In truth, he only needed to confirm the losses. The World Government didn't care about the truth. In the meeting room were representatives of the Five Elders, along with several Vice Admirals and a direct line to the Five Elders.

As Sengoku and Kizaru confirmed the situation, a voice came through the Den Den Mushi that even Sengoku couldn't refuse: "Commander Rieser is dead, countless Marines have fallen, Eric and the Kuma are severely injured, and Crododile has betrayed us. This is no small matter. The Five Elders approve the Buster Call."

Sengoku remained silent. A Buster Call approved by all Five Elders was unstoppable, especially with the massive losses suffered by both the Marines and the World Government. The truth no longer mattered.

A Buster Call could be initiated by an Admiral, but with the Five Elders personally ordering it, no one could stop it.

(End of Chapter)