Somewhere in the Grand Line.

Baltigo Island.

Snow drifted gently from the sky when suddenly, a series of sharp, sonic booms sliced through the air, growing louder as they approached.

Then—

One figure after another came plummeting from the sky like cannonballs, crashing into the snowy mountains at staggering speed.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Four thunderous impacts echoed through the mountains, dislodging thick layers of snow in cascading waves.

"Damn it, Kuma! I told you to ease up!"

Dragon's head, sporting a fresh slipper-shaped imprint, popped out of the deep snow. He spat out a mouthful of slush, cursing loudly.

As he spoke, more heads began to emerge from the snow one after another, all covered in frost.

"Apologies. The distance was too great… It's hard to control the power of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi precisely."

Bartholomew Kuma brushed the snow off his head, offering a sheepish smile.

Dragon shot him a glare, grumbled, and yanked himself out of the snow, collapsing into a large, sprawled-out X shape on the ground.

"Never thought I'd live to see it… The Five Elders, the highest authority in the World Government, actually possess immortal bodies."

He let out a sigh, eyes distant and clouded.

Anyone who had witnessed the Five Elders' bizarre abilities would struggle not to feel despair.

"Well, at least we're still breathing."

Ivankov swayed side to side, his voice tinged with relief.

Dragon suddenly seemed to recall something and turned to glance at Daren nearby.

"Hey, Daren... You still alive over there?"

Daren pushed himself up with effort, managing to sit in the snow. His entire body was streaked with dried blood, and he looked absolutely wrecked.

He pulled a bloodstained cigar from his coat, lit it, and bit down hard.

"Not dead yet," he rasped.

He took a slow drag, then began regulating his breathing to recover strength, all the while quietly surveying the surroundings.

A vast field of white greeted his eyes. The island was locked in year-round snowfall, a classic winter island like Philseque.

Remote. Desolate. Surrounded entirely by sea.

From his trained eye, he could faintly discern a web of reefs in the nearby currents.

With terrain like this, even the Marines would have trouble landing without insider intel. It was a natural fortress—easy to defend, hard to invade. And with the snowy mountains for cover, it offered excellent concealment for a military force.

"Not a bad base. Is this your Freedom Fighters' headquarters?"

Daren took another deep drag, the sharp, bitter smoke clearing his head just enough to jolt his sluggish mind.

At the mention, Dragon puffed out his chest proudly.

"Hahahaha, that's right!"

"Well, Daren? I combed nearly the entire Grand Line before I found this hidden gem of an island!"

"Baltigo has the perfect winter island climate—remote, sparsely populated, and the constant snowstorm serves as a natural shield to mask troop movements. Surrounded by undercurrents to fend off intruders... With conditions like this, the Freedom Fighters will grow rapidly and become a force that shakes the world!"

He got more and more fired up as he spoke. Eventually, he sprang to his feet, arms spread wide, and laughed grandly.

"This island is destined to become a pivotal point in reshaping the world!"

Daren stroked the stubble on his chin and gave a nod.

"Good location. But... you guys are broke."

"..."

Dragon's face instantly fell.

Kuma scratched his head with a goofy grin.

Ivankov nodded emphatically in agreement.

"From the looks of it, there's not a single military facility... No port, no docks, no shipyards, no weapon factories, no warships, no training grounds... All the basics a proper army needs—you've got none of it."

Daren shook his head with a sigh.

"If you want the Freedom Fighters to field enough power to threaten the World Government, at your current pace, it'll take five to ten years—minimum."

Faced with Daren's blunt critique, Dragon's face flushed red.

"Building an army isn't exactly easy, you know. And forming one powerful enough to challenge the World Government's rule—"

He cut himself off, trailing into awkward silence.

Because in that moment, he remembered the monstrous strength of Daren's flying fleet.

The North Blue Fleet.

Just thinking about how overwhelming it had been during the air raid on Mary Geoise was enough to make Dragon, leader of the Freedom Fighters, green with envy.

That bastard Daren had built that kind of fleet in secret—without saying a word!

And judging by the scale of destruction, the North Blue Fleet had already reached a level where it could go toe-to-toe with the World Government.

Dragon looked around at the barren excuse for a headquarters—just a handful of pitiful buildings scattered across the snowy landscape—and couldn't help feeling a surge of frustration.

"Kuma, Iva, I need your Devil Fruit powers again. Help me recover—quickly."

Ignoring Dragon's sulking, Daren turned to Kuma and Ivankov, feeling some of his strength slowly returning.

"Hey, hey, hey! If anyone needs treatment, it's me! I'm injured too, you know!"

Dragon stepped forward indignantly.

Daren gave him a glance.

"I'll provide three billion Belly as an investment for the basic infrastructure of the Freedom Fighters' headquarters."

Dragon froze.

Then—

"Kuma, Iva! What are you two standing around for!? Hurry up and treat Daren-san!"

He shot them an angry glare.

Kuma: "…"

Ivankov: "…"

Daren continued,

"Also, the North Blue Fleet will provide full technical support for your military structure, unit formation, and personnel training."

Dragon blinked.

Then his eyes went bloodshot, and he started roaring like a madman.

"Damn it! Use your powers already!"

"Kuma, extract all of Daren-san's fatigue and pain—go on, transfer it all to me! I can take it! Let me carry Daren-san's pain!"

"And you, Ivan! One finger's worth of injection isn't enough—use five, no, ten fingers at once! Daren-san's got the Indestructible Body, he can handle it! What? You can't? Too bad!"

Daren: "…"

Kuma: "…"

Ivankov: "…"

...

One minute later.

The Vice Admiral was gone.

The ground was splattered with blood, as if something unspeakably horrific had just occurred.

Kuma and Ivankov, pale and trembling, approached the figure standing amidst the crimson-stained snow.

They winced as they cautiously lowered their voices.

"Uh... Chief, are you alright?"

Dragon stood frozen in place, arms crossed, blood still dripping from his body.

"Did it... go through?"

He asked with trembling lips.

Kuma stayed silent for a second, then gave a small nod.

Dragon took a deep breath and forced a straight face.

"N-Nothing happened."

Kuma and Ivankov were both visibly moved.

"You've really outdone yourself, boss."

Kuma patted Dragon's shoulder earnestly.

But with just that one pat—

Dragon convulsed violently as if struck by lightning.

"AAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

His anguished scream echoed across the entire Baltigo Island.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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