The massive hull of the Queen Anne's Revenge slammed into Banaro Island's port like a moving fortress, crushing straight through the docks and instantly sinking a small ship anchored nearby.
Xiao stood at the prow.
A classic captain's coat fluttered in the wind, a tricorne hat sat low over his brow, and a black single-eyed patch covered half his face. In his hand was a curved scimitar, cold and sharp.
He raised his blade and roared:
"Brothers—release your greed!
Take everything worth taking!!"
"OHHHHHHHH——!!!"
The pirates erupted in wild howls and charged ashore like starving wolves, flooding Banaro Island in a tide of violence.
They looted, burned, and killed without restraint.
But Banaro Island was no soft target.
This was a famous gunslinger town of the Grand Line—a place crawling with veteran musketeers and ruthless pirate hunters who made their living off bounty money. The Navy had even established a gold exchange here, ready to accept captured pirates at any moment.
For ordinary pirates, charging into Banaro was suicide—
like walking into a trap while handing over your wallet.
The locals had been worrying about not having money for drinks—
and now, pirates were delivering it straight to their door.
Unfortunately for them, today's invaders were something else entirely.
This was the Blackbeard Pirates' first true appearance on the world stage—
and they had come prepared.
Against the first half of the Grand Line, their presence was nothing short of a dimensionality-reduction strike.
The Sky Island Divine Soldiers moved first.
Armed with Slashing Shells and backed by Armament and Observation Haki, even a casual swing unleashed razor-sharp air blades. Anyone struck was either killed on the spot or permanently crippled.
As for the musketeers' bullets?
To warriors with Observation Haki, they were slow, clumsy toys—
easy to dodge, impossible to land.
Soon, Dashan, the four great priests, and other heavy hitters entered the battlefield.
Not long after, even Lafayette and the rest could no longer restrain themselves.
Lafayette and Poison Q began testing their newly acquired Devil Fruit powers in live combat.
Viruses spread.
Cursed melodies echoed.
Entire sections of the island collapsed into madness—some civilians fell deathly ill, others turned on each other in blind hysteria.
Banaro Island descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, the brawler Badgers charged straight for the Navy Gold Exchange, eyes blazing.
If a place like that didn't stockpile massive wealth, it would be an insult to its own reputation.
Xiao, on the other hand, wandered the town leisurely.
Hands behind his back, he strolled through the streets like a tourist.
Anything that caught his eye—he simply took.
Banaro Island had grown prosperous thanks to bounty hunters and gunslingers. The food was excellent, the entertainment lively, and the streets full of life.
After sampling several local specialties, Xiao nodded in satisfaction.
"Don't kill the chefs," he said calmly.
"Or their families."
At this moment, only Van Augur remained aboard the ship.
Standing atop the observation tower, he calmly surveyed the entire island through his Observation Haki. Any threat, any blind spot—one precise shot, and the problem vanished.
After Banaro Island was thoroughly conquered, Xiao decided to make it their temporary base.
The island's resources were abundant—more than enough to sustain the crew for a long time.
So, the Blackbeard Pirates stayed.
For nearly a month.
During that time, the world went completely insane.
The Straw Hat Pirates—missing for over a month—suddenly resurfaced in Water Seven, assaulting the city's mayor and causing chaos in the shipyards, leaving countless shipwrights injured.
Not long after, they stormed Enies Lobby, burned the flag of the World Government itself, and openly declared war.
In response, the World Government launched the dreaded Buster Call.
And then—
They failed.
The Straw Hat Pirates escaped.
Cleanly.
This was nothing short of a public humiliation.
First, the Black Sun Cult dared to kill Celestial Dragons.
Then, the Straw Hats openly attacked a judicial stronghold—and escaped a Demon Slayer Order alive.
That order consisted of:
10 elite warships
10 Vice Admirals
Tens of thousands of Marine elites
With that force, leveling Enies Lobby itself would have been easy.
Yet the Straw Hats slipped away.
Almost every Marine involved was punished afterward—demoted by half a rank, salary cut in half for an entire year.
But the reason behind this disaster was laughably simple.
Monkey D. Luffy was Garp's grandson.
And nearly every Vice Admiral involved had, at some point, owed Garp a favor.
So, what happened?
When the Buster Call was launched, they went easy on the Straw Hats—
and went all out on Enies Lobby instead.
They bombarded the island mercilessly.
This move?
Pure human relations.
Learn to bow.
After Enies Lobby, the Straw Hats all received bounties.
Reading the news, Blackbeard's crew turned green with envy.
The Marines had shown up, flattened a judicial island, and still "failed" to catch the Straw Hats—despite knowing they were nearby in Water Seven.
"Oh no, we can't see them~
Oops, missed them again~"
If the Vice Admirals were pulling strings, why didn't the lower officers resist?
Because they hated Enies Lobby even more.
There was personal grudge involved.
The Celestial Dragons divide World Government authority into three branches:
Political power
Military power
Judicial power
The political branch rules the Red Line and rarely meddles below.
The Navy and Enies Lobby appear equal—but in truth, Enies Lobby exists to restrain the Navy.
The Navy enforces the law.
But Enies Lobby judges it.
And worse—
When nobles and wealthy merchants are on trial, Enies Lobby suddenly discovers mercy.
But when poor civilians or Marines make even the smallest mistake?
Heavy sentences. Ruthless punishment.
Countless talented Marines were ruined over trivial matters—pushed into rebellion, piracy, or exile.
So, when the Navy finally got a chance to bombard Enies Lobby?
They were ecstatic.
Who had time to chase Straw Hat pirates?
They were too busy settling old scores.
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