Suddenly, a young Marine burst into the room.
"Re... Report! Urgent news! Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach... has defeated Portgas D. Ace at the G-2 Branch! He's already transporting him to Marine Headquarters!"
"What? How is that possible?" Vice Admiral Momonga slammed his hands on the table and shot to his feet, his face a mask of disbelief.
A possibility immediately struck Momonga: Teach was using Ace as a bargaining chip to claim a position among the Seven Warlords.
The news dropped into the conference room like a bomb.
Jinbe shot to his feet, his face contorting in shock. "What?!" he stammered, his voice trembling. "Mr. Ace!"
Upon hearing the news, Doflamingo's smile twisted into a grotesque, excited grin. "Fuffuffuffuffu! Blackbeard defeated his former commander? How very interesting!"
Hancock's expression grew worried, and a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. How could this be? Wasn't Blackbeard captured by Ryuuto? And Ace... hadn't he returned to the New World?
Moria's face contorted into a grimace. "Ace? Blackbeard? Kishishishishi... What excellent shadows they would make!"
Mihawk's eyes, sharp as blades, remained indifferent. "It seems the seventh Warlord is about to be decided."
Kuma slowly closed his bible. For the first time, his massive frame made a decisive movement as he silently rose to his feet, the formless pressure in the room intensifying. The look in his eyes, hidden behind his lenses, was indecipherable.
The news quickly reached Marine Headquarters in Marineford as well.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed a newspaper down in front of Garp, who was busy eating donuts.
"This is that Ryuuto you mentioned, isn't it! In such a short time, he's already grown this powerful. If we don't start paying attention to him, he'll become a major threat to the Marines!"
Sengoku grabbed Garp by the collar, his spit flying onto the donuts as he ranted. Unnoticed by either of them, his pet goat seized the opportunity to gobble up the newspaper.
"Calm down, Sengoku! He's just a rookie pirate, after all," Garp said, nonchalantly prying Sengoku's hands from his collar. "Besides, we still have Kuzan and Sakazuki, don't we?"
Suddenly, Commodore Brannew threw the door open and yelled, "Urgent news! Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach is on his way here with Ace in custody!"
"What?!"
Sengoku and Garp froze, then immediately rushed out after Brannew.
Only the goat was left behind, leisurely chewing on the newspaper.
Back on the Sabaody Archipelago...
As expected, Buggy had delivered, returning with a massive haul of treasure. The sight put Ryuuto in an excellent mood!
Looking at the several large chests of Beri on the ground, Ryuuto thought to himself, "This is more than enough to cover the losses from the auction house!" In a way, Kid had made up for his mistake.
Ryuuto glanced up at a pillar by the auction house entrance where Kid and Killer were currently hanging. Anyone else thinking of causing trouble would now have to think twice about their own strength.
"So much Beri!" Nami cooed, draping herself over a chest and inhaling deeply.
"The smell of money!"
Buggy and his crew watched Ryuuto with hopeful anticipation. When Ryuuto's gaze fell on them, Buggy immediately shouted, "A total of 830 million Beri! It's all here!"
"Good work, Buggy," Ryuuto said with a satisfied nod. "I'll cut the four hundred million Beri you owe me in half. Keep it up."
Ryuuto always believed in a system of rewards and punishments.
Hearing this, Buggy broke into a massive grin. Cabaji, Mohji, and Alvida shared his expression, knowing it was a sign that Ryuuto acknowledged their abilities.
...Back during the great battle, in a place unseen by Ryuuto, a furtive figure had been snapping pictures of him with a camera. The badge on his chest read: "World Economic News Paper!"
Ryuuto planned to reopen the auction house in ten days. In the meantime, he left Foxy, Buggy, and the others to continue the repairs.
Rayleigh had finally completed his plans and was ready to take Nami away for training.
It was the same old routine, in the same old place. He intended to take her to Rusukaina for special training.
Ryuuto approved of this and gave Nami a series of "theoretical lessons" that evening. He spoke at length about tempering one's willpower and using one's spirit to perceive the world around them.
He told her to try sensing with her heart and to infuse her willpower into her fists.
Nami was very receptive. However, her agreement was often punctuated by several high-pitched cries, which made Ryuuto wonder if she was absorbing any of it at all.
So, he went over the material with her a few more times.
As the first rays of dawn broke, sunlight spilled across the luxurious wooden bed. Ryuuto and Nami awoke at the same time.
"Captain, I've memorized all of yesterday's key points!" Nami said, looking at Ryuuto with deep emotion. "Don't worry, I'll train hard. I won't hold you back!"
Her fair body seemed almost sacred in the faint morning light.
Only then did Ryuuto feel at ease.
Ryuuto was lounging peacefully in a deck chair. Beside him was Crocus, and next to Crocus was Vivi, who was snacking on some pastries.
Foxy was leading Hamburg in moving planks of wood, while Buggy was responsible for hoisting the planks from the ground up to the roof.
On the roof, Cabaji, Mohji, and Alvida were busy hammering away.
As for Porche... she had also gone with Rayleigh to train.
Having just eaten the Zou Zou no Mi, she still couldn't control her new powers very well. She was in dire need of a period of training.
It was for the best. This way, Nami would have a companion. Their mode of transport was Mohmoo, who had been having the time of his life playing in the sea for the past two days.
Caw, caw!
Suddenly, the cry of a bird echoed from the sky. A News Coo was flying in from over the sea.
CAW!!
The News Coo's eyes lit up when it recognized Ryuuto, and it flapped its wings furiously, heading straight for him.
With an elegant flip, the bird did a loop in the air to break its speed before landing smoothly beside Ryuuto.
The News Coo started cawing and gesturing, as if to say, "Payment first, paper second!"
Vivi watched this scene unfold with wonder. She had a feeling this particular News Coo was highly intelligent.
"Alright, let's see what the latest news is."
Ryuuto recognized the greedy bird—it was hard to miss the one that was all white except for a single black tuft on its head. He stuffed a handful of Beri into its satchel and took a newspaper.
Caw... Caw!
The News Coo saw the hefty payment and nodded in satisfaction.
Plop.
Instead of leaving, the News Coo settled down and started pecking at the pastries Vivi had brought.