Dusk.
The Kingdom of Kachinov.
Inside the royal palace.
Vice Admiral Doro stared grimly at the headless corpses of Roswald and Charloss.
The death of Celestial Dragons—World Nobles—under his watch meant his career was effectively over.
"Vice Admiral," a major said as he approached with a full report, "according to King Kachinov's statement, Lady Shalria and Princess Anna were both abducted by the suspect."
"He also stole the Celestial Dragon's flagship. It has since vanished without a trace."
"All CP0 agents and Celestial Dragon guards on site were wiped out. The royal treasury was completely looted."
"Eyewitness accounts from the king and the ministers describe him as overwhelmingly powerful."
"The CP0 agents and guards were defeated in a single blow—he's terrifyingly strong!"
Doro's expression darkened further. "Who is the culprit?"
The major handed over a photograph and explained,
"According to the Celestial Dragon's attendants, his name is Sora."
"Approximately eighteen years old. Extremely skilled in swordsmanship—likely a great swordsman."
"He also demonstrated Armament and Observation Haki."
"And he seems to possess the ability to control ships on his own."
Vice Admiral Doro narrowed his eyes at the photo: a young man with short black hair and sharp, handsome features.
"Sora... He from the Land of Flowers?"
The major hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It's highly likely. That kind of name only appears in the Land of Flowers."
"Tch. Sora!"
"No matter where you run, you can't escape Marine justice!"
"You'll pay dearly for what you've done!"
With that, Doro crumpled the photo and turned back to the major.
"Send a full report to Marine Headquarters."
"Request an official bounty—wanted for the murder of gods: Sora!"
The major looked up. "What bounty should I recommend?"
Thinking of the abducted Celestial Dragon, Shalria, Doro's eyes narrowed.
"Recommend a bounty of 100 million!"
"One hundred million?!"
The major stared in disbelief.
A first bounty set at 100 million—such cases were nearly unheard of in the pirate world.
Doro gave him a stern look. "Considering the crimes he committed against the World Nobles, that's already the bare minimum."
"Understood, Vice Admiral."
The major turned and left, heading back to the warship to relay the intel to Marine HQ.
Just then—
"Vice Admiral Doro! CP0 from the World Government has arrived!"
A Marine officer rushed in, panicked.
Doro turned his head sharply toward the palace gates.
There, three figures entered, wearing white suits, dark ties, and strange masks.
Each held a severed head.
They were the heads of the King of Kachinov and his ministers.
"This is now under CP0 jurisdiction," said the lead agent as he passed Doro.
"They...!"
The same major, who had just sent the report, looked on in fury.
He hadn't expected CP0 to outright execute the kingdom's rulers.
"They died at the hands of the one who killed the Celestial Dragons. Do you object?"
The lead CP0 agent cast him a cold glance, tossing the heads to the floor before heading toward the room where the Celestial Dragon's servants were held.
Sora had killed the guards and CP0, but spared the servants—telling them to flee if they valued their lives.
Those who stayed behind were hoping they could win favor by informing on him.
"Don't interfere," Doro warned the furious major, signaling all Marines to leave.
He could sense the power radiating from these CP0 agents—they were no ordinary operatives. All three were far stronger than him.
In the servants' chamber, the lead CP0 stared coldly at the trembling attendants.
"Failure to protect the World Nobles—punishable by death."
Rankyaku!
With one horizontal swing of his leg, a powerful flying slash carved through the room—cleaving all the servants in half at the waist.
"Let's go. Time to search for the hidden Poneglyph rubbings the Kachinov Kingdom was secretly keeping."
That was the real reason CP0 had come. Cleaning up the Celestial Dragon mess—and pinning the deaths of the royal family on Sora—was merely a side objective.
——
An hour later, night fell.
The three CP0 agents exited the palace.
Behind them, flames engulfed the royal castle of Kachinov, lighting up the night sky like midday.
——
Marine Headquarters – Marineford
Vice Admiral Brannew, known as the "Meeting King," was in the comms office, working through stacks of paperwork.
Suddenly, a Marine burst in and handed him a report.
"Sir, we have a major incident!"
Brannew frowned. "Why the panic? What happened?"
The Marine gulped and replied quickly,
"A Celestial Dragon attack in the North Blue's Kachinov Kingdom. Roswald and Charloss are dead. Lady Shalria is missing."
Brannew's eyes widened in shock. He snatched the report from the officer and read through it rapidly.
"It's true?!"
"'Godslayer' Sora, huh... What a bold bastard."
"This is serious. Very serious."
"I need to inform Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately."
Muttering to himself, Brannew ran out of the office and headed straight for the Fleet Admiral's chambers.
——
Inside the Admiral's Office—
"Garp!!"
"You drank my tea again?! You've got some nerve!"
"You moron, you brewed the whole stash?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was nearly in tears, staring at his ruined precious tea leaves.
He had painstakingly acquired the tea from the Land of Flowers, and just two leaves were enough for a whole day of flavor and aroma.
And now... Garp had dumped in the entire bag.
"Bwahaha! Sengoku, stop being so stingy!"
"Here, have some senbei."
Garp laughed heartily, slapping Sengoku on the back.
"You bastard!"
"This isn't about being stingy—it's sacrilege!"
Furious, Sengoku snatched the senbei and stuffed the entire batch in his mouth, making Garp scowl.
"Oi! You ate all of it?! That's not fair!"
"Gwo mo gwon." Sengoku muttered with his mouth full.
Bang!
Their bickering was cut off as Brannew burst into the room.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! It's a crisis!"
"A Celestial Dragon attack in the North Blue's Kachinov Kingdom. Roswald and Charloss are dead. Lady Shalria is missing!"