Rhett stood atop the dragon figurehead. No wonder Luffy loved the prow. The wind, the waves...amazing.
And it's a dragon's head.
The headlines blared from every region: "The New Emperor Fully Sets Sail—The World Undergoes a Major Reshuffle", "World Government Issues Warning..."
"Crimson Mist Rhett"—Captain of the Crimson Dawn, bounty: 3.5 billion berries, dead or alive.
Gekko Moriah—Combatant, bounty: 500 million berries. (Note: Before becoming a Shichibukai, his bounty was 320 million.)
Perona—Suspected adopted girl on board, bounty: 500 berries. This sent Perona into a rage. She puffed out her cheeks, grabbed Laboon, and shook him violently.
As for Robber… no change.
"What the hell! Why only 500? This princess will definitely make the Marines regret this!"
Moriah: "Fos-s-s-s… Little Perona, I got 500 million~ You're just too weak, fos-s-s-s..."
"Wrong! Wrong! Stop hitting me!"
Perona hammered Moriah with her Negative Hollows, but the gap in their strength was too vast. Perona was still too young, and her ghosts had almost no effect on Moriah.
[New World · Moby Dick]
Whitebeard's booming laughter made the barrels on deck tremble.
"Gurararara! Dawn? So Roger's ship is now carrying that Rhett brat onward, huh?"
Marco caught the fluttering newspaper. "I'm not surprised Rhett pulled this off. Just looking at the crew roster is trouble enough—wasn't Gekko Moriah the guy who kept ranting about challenging Kaido recently? If Rhett recruited him, he must be something else."
In a tavern, Shanks—now with Gryphon—glanced at the paper. "Beckman, we can't fall behind either."
Rayleigh's bottle tilted, spilling amber liquid onto the newspaper.
"Bluma Jackson, Crimson Dawn Pirates." His fingers traced the familiar lines of the ship's silhouette.
Shakky exhaled smoke rings while polishing a glass. "Heard it's equipped with Jet Dials and a cutting-edge propulsion system. Three times faster than Marine warships~"
Rayleigh burst into laughter. Watching his captain's execution, no one's grief could surpass the Pirate King's right hand.
Of course, Rayleigh knew this was Roger's choice. But human emotions weren't so easily smoothed over by logic.
"Not bad, not bad—HAHAHAHAHA!" He raised his bottle and clinked it against the air. "A toast to the idiots of the new era!"
---
After sailing for a while, they arrived at Mock Town in the Grand Line.
"Perona, confirm our position."
"Yes Big Bro Rhett" The pink-haired girl floated atop the crow's nest, telescope in hand. "Northwest direction—I can see the island's outline now!"
"Hey! That ship—"
A drunk pirate's bottle shattered on the ground. His companions choked, unable to speak.
The mithril-alloy hull gleamed coldly. The dragon figurehead's eyes glowed crimson.
"B-Blood… Crimson Dawn Pirates!"
"It's that lunatic who killed a Celestial Dragon!"
"RUN!!!"
The docks emptied. Tavern doors slammed as panicked pirates crashed through them. Several captains with bounties over 100 million cowered in corners.
Rhett descended the gangplank, wreathed in blood mist, Black Tide humming at his back. He scanned the deserted port and scoffed. "How boring."
He was loving this. Scaring villagers was whatever—but making pirates run? That was real skill.
Ding-a-ling—
The tavern bell chimed, and the hall fell dead silent.
Pirates froze mid-toast, sweat dripping down their temples. The bartender's hands trembled—a bottle of rum slipped from his grip—
Catch!
A tendril of blood mist caught the bottle and floated it gently into Rhett's hand.
"Looking for a man—Montblanc Cricket. Buying info." Rhett tossed a bag of berries onto the counter. "Or, I kill you all."
A man in a black bandanna shot up: "I know him! Montblanc Cricket! He lives at—"
"Good. The money's yours. Take me there." Rhett strode out, Perona already starry-eyed beside him.
"Big Bro Rhett is so cool—!"
"BOSS! A super weird ship just docked!" A lackey scrambled into the hut, panting. "It's got a dragon figurehead with glowing red eyes! So damn cool, Boss!"
Cricket, hunched over nautical charts, waved dismissively. "Another idiot here to mock the Sky Island legend?" He scratched his blond hair irritably. "What's the bet this time? My underwear or your dentures?"
"N-no, Boss!" The lackey paled. "That flag… It's Crimson Dawn's captain—Rhett!"
Three minutes later, Cricket's hands shook as he peered through binoculars, muttering: "Hahaha… no big deal. They're definitely not here for us."
Just as he finished deluding himself, another lackey rushed in: "Boss! They are here for you! They even paid for info! They're coming right now!"
"S-should we run, Boss?!"
"Run where?!" Cricket smacked the lackey's head. "My measuring gear's still set up in the bay!"
"WHO LEFT MY OCTOPUS UNDERWEAR OUTSIDE?!"
"Bananas—quick, hide the bananas!"
When Rhett kicked open the hut's door, Black Tide poised to strike, he was greeted by this sight:
Three burly men stacked like a human shield in front of a bookshelf, waving awkwardly. A pair of octopus-print boxers swayed from the ceiling lamp.
…My eyes. Rhett desperately needed a pair of untainted eyeballs. He shoved Perona back before she could peek inside.
"You've got three minutes to make this place presentable. Or I slaughter you all."
After a chaotic scramble—
Rhett picked up a book and raised an eyebrow: "Noland wept, saying, 'I truly saw the City of Gold'?"
"That's academic material!" Cricket lunged for it, face red. "Hey, you can't just—"
Perona's ghost popped from the floorboards: "Big Bro Rhett~ They hid tons of picture books just now~ Want me to read them to you?"
"No. Need." Rhett's voice was icy, his crimson pupils locking onto Cricket.
"Now. Care to explain the Upward Stream?"