The waves rolled and churned.
On the deck of the warship, Sengoku paced back and forth restlessly, hands clasped behind his back, his expression heavy with concern. Snowflakes drifted down from the gray sky, settling on his hair and uniform, but he paid them no mind.
Splash...
With the sound of waves crashing, heads began to surface from the sea—it was the diving unit returning.
"Reporting to Admiral Sengoku: the official ship has been completely destroyed. Most of the wreckage has been scattered by the currents. We've found no meaningful remnants."
"But what we can confirm is this—the ship was destroyed in a very short time. The ammunition and gunpowder stored in the main cabin ignited, causing a fire and explosion."
One of the divers, dripping wet, quickly climbed aboard, saluted, and gave his report.
So it really is like this?
Sengoku's heart sank.
From the traces left on the surface, he had already suspected as much—but people always hope for some margin of error.
Frowning, he turned toward the silent CP0 member nearby.
"What about the surveillance Den Den Mushi?"
"If I'm not mistaken, official World Government ships are required to carry surveillance Den Den Mushi to ensure the Celestial Dragons' safety."
CP0 paused for a moment without replying, then silently turned and walked toward the cabin.
Sengoku blinked, momentarily stunned, before quickly following behind.
Once they were inside and the cabin door was shut, making sure no one else was around, the CP0 member slowly pulled a single image-transmitting Den Den Mushi from within his robes and placed it on the table.
"There was surveillance equipment on board."
"Normally, anyone who boards the ship is captured immediately on the recording."
His voice was low, the eerie mask with its strange patterns staring blankly at Sengoku. The empty gaze behind it sent an inexplicable chill through Sengoku.
"This is the footage from that time."
Sengoku instinctively reached out to activate the Den Den Mushi, but the CP0 suddenly stepped forward, pressing down on his hand and saying coldly,
"This footage involves the privacy of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. No matter what you see, it is not to be shared."
Sengoku looked at him and replied calmly,
"I understand."
Only then did the CP0 withdraw his gloved hand.
As the image Den Den Mushi began projecting, a faint white light filled the dim cabin.
Multiple surveillance feeds from different angles appeared before Sengoku's eyes.
The first image to appear—
A harbor shaped like a white crescent moon. It looked unusually quiet due to the clearance operations—once bustling, now desolate.
The sky was overcast and gray, snow falling heavily, casting a sorrowful atmosphere over the scene.
In one of the feeds, Sengoku saw several CP1 agents in black suits hauling heavy crates into the main cabin.
Then, Saint Xildes appeared—wearing his signature glass dome—swaggering arrogantly onto the official ship under CP1 escort.
The sails snapped in the wind as the ship pulled away from the harbor.
From different surveillance angles...
Sengoku saw a little girl, eyes swollen from crying, her hands and feet shackled. CP agents dragged her roughly into a separate cabin, where she curled up helplessly in a dark corner, trembling in despair.
He saw CP1 agents on the deck, smoking and joking without a care.
He saw mountains of gold and silver stacked in the main cabin.
He saw a Celestial Dragon whipping a woman to the sound of saxophone music, dancing ecstatically in a frenzy.
In just a few short moments...
He witnessed both paradise and hell on earth—Decadence and brutality,
Splendor and hopelessness, separated by nothing but a single wall.
Such jarring contrasts played out before his eyes, all at once.
What he didn't realize was that his fists had clenched tightly at some point.
Suddenly, the footage froze—then dissolved into static.
Sengoku stared in stunned silence.
"What about the rest of the surveillance footage?"
Snapping back to his senses, Sengoku took a deep breath to suppress the discomfort in his chest and asked stiffly.
A raspy, cold voice echoed from beneath the CP0's eerie mask.
"That was all of it."
"The surveillance Den Den Mushi on the official ship only transmitted for an instant before the signal was completely cut off. The footage vanished with it."
Sengoku's heart skipped a beat. He blurted out,
"You're saying… the entire ship was sunk, and everyone aboard killed in under a second?"
Even as he said it, he found it hard to believe.
Given how thoroughly official World Government ships were equipped with surveillance Den Den Mushi, it should've been impossible for anyone to infiltrate unnoticed.
Even if someone dared to attack a Celestial Dragon, they would've had to deal with the CP agents onboard.
CP1, though primarily tasked with intelligence gathering and analysis, were elite operatives trained through the Government's specialized programs. Each of them had combat strength comparable to a Marine Headquarters Officer at the very least.
With them present, even in an ambush, the surveillance should have at least captured the attacker's appearance or silhouette.
Yet the footage cut off in an instant.
From Sengoku's perspective, there was only one possible explanation.
The attacker destroyed the entire ship in a split second—before anyone could react—and from a distance outside the surveillance Den Den Mushi's range.
The CP0 member stayed silent.
But silence was answer enough.
Sengoku's expression turned grim and intense.
"Someone capable of that much power..."
He folded his arms, brows furrowed deeply in thought.
To obliterate a ship instantly from afar...
There weren't many on the seas who could do that—but the number wasn't zero.
By Marine standards, even a Vice Admiral couldn't pull it off so easily.
In a flash, name after name echoed in Sengoku's mind. Each one a terrifying figure known across the world, their faces flashing through his memory.
Suddenly, the CP0 spoke again.
"According to the CP department's analysis of the remaining wreckage... the attack wasn't carried out with swordsmanship."
So they've ruled out a great swordsman?
Sengoku blinked, but then shook his head.
"That doesn't mean much. Long-range slashes could cause that level of destruction, but someone that powerful would typically have multiple methods of attack."
"Whitebeard and Shiki the Golden Lion are prime examples."
As if something had just occurred to him, he pulled out a military Den Den Mushi and dialed Headquarters.
Within three seconds, the line connected.
Sengoku's face was stern as he spoke.
"Hey, Tsuru, it's Sengoku."
"Yes... I'm investigating the attack on the Celestial Dragon. Can you check for me—have there been any signs of Whitebeard, Roger, or Shiki in the past three days?"
"What? None of them have appeared in the North Blue recently?"
Sengoku fell silent for a moment.
"Alright, I understand. Thanks, Tsuru."
He put the Den Den Mushi away and began pacing inside the dim cabin, muttering to himself.
"So it's not one of those guys...?"
"Then based on the scene... the nature of the attack... and the fact that a Celestial Dragon was the target... the most likely attacker would be..."
Sengoku's serious expression suddenly twitched into something a little more odd.
"Byrnndi World?"
A long-range attack that could destroy an official ship in an instant.
Brutal and violent, unafraid to strike at the World Government or Celestial Dragons.
And the location just happened to be North Blue...
If the timing of the incident hadn't coincided with his pursuit of Byrnndi World, Sengoku would've already pegged the "World Destroyer" as the culprit.
Was the trail cold again?
Sengoku rubbed his temples.
Just then—
Knock knock knock...
The sound of knocking broke the silence.
Sengoku paused. Using Observation Haki, he sensed it was Borsalino at the door.
After a brief hesitation, he turned off the image Den Den Mushi and called out,
"Come in."
Borsalino opened the door and stepped inside.
"Admiral Sengoku, I think I've figured out who attacked the Celestial Dragon's ship..."
He strolled leisurely into the cabin.
CP0 raised an eyebrow.
Sengoku's eyes lit up.
"What do you think?"
With a wide grin, Borsalino puffed out his chest and said solemnly,
"Sea Kings."
He stood tall and proud, looking smug.
Sengoku: ...
CP0: ...
A second later, the sound of Sengoku exploding in rage echoed through the ship, shaking the entire warship.
"You damn bastard, get the hell out!!"
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake