One Piece: Starting with Sign-in Naruto Character Cards

"Hmph, I'd like to see what an outdated relic like him can really stir up,"

Sakazuki (Akainu) snorted.

"Onigumo, Momonga, Doberman—you three, get ready.

Each of you will command a warship and wait for me at Marineford Harbor!"

The three Vice Admirals immediately stood up and left the meeting room.

These three were all top Vice Admirals in Marine HQ—among the strongest forces under the Admirals themselves.

So with Sakazuki bringing them along, this mission was clearly meant to be a sure win!

—

Meanwhile, across the world, people were buzzing about the prison break led by Rikuya Kazama.

The incident had caused such a massive stir at Impel Down that it naturally caught the attention of the Underworld media tycoon, Morgans.

Morgans, a Bird-Bird Fruit: Albatross Form user, was the president of the World Economic News Agency.

His business revolved around hunting down the hottest news and publishing it to the world.

As the head of the most influential newspaper organization, Morgans was known as the most well-informed man alive.

When the breakout occurred, he bribed surviving prison guards at Impel Down, obtaining firsthand footage of Rikuya's battle.

After watching the video, Morgans reacted as if he had struck gold.

In his next front-page article, he ran the sensational headline:

"A New Emperor Rises — A Drastic Shift in Era!"

Beneath that explosive title, Morgans described, in his usual exaggerated style, how Rikuya single-handedly fought his way through all of Impel Down in just half a day, and finally escaped alongside Douglas Bullet—right under the eyes of the arriving Marine forces.

The article spread like wildfire across the world, causing panic and heated discussions.

Everyone was suddenly talking about this mysterious figure who had appeared out of nowhere.

But through it all, Rikuya himself remained completely unaware.

—

After docking their small naval vessel at a port somewhere in the East Blue, Rikuya and Bullet found themselves in a town called Borg Town.

As they entered the town, Rikuya suddenly froze.

He noticed that a strange flag was hung high above the street.

It featured two interlocked skulls, with a red sharp-beaked shark design in the center.

The flag looked sinister—definitely not something used by decent people.

"Isn't this place under Marine jurisdiction?

Shouldn't they be flying the Marine Seagull flag that symbolizes peace?" Rikuya muttered.

"Even in the East Blue, there are many islands under pirate control.

This flag must belong to one of those pirate crews,"

Douglas Bullet explained.

"And the fact that they're bold enough to hang it out in the open…

it's obvious this place has already been taken over."

"Hmph, looks like the Marines are useless.

They can't even control the weak East Blue.

No way they're conquering the New World," Rikuya scoffed.

"Actually, you can't blame them entirely.

It's my old captain's fault—Roger's last words before his execution.

After that, countless people surged into the seas to become pirates.

The Marines have limited manpower.

They can't possibly station troops on every island in the world.

So whenever they leave, pirates move in and take over,"

Bullet said calmly.

Rikuya nodded in agreement.

The emblem did look vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't recall from where.

Considering the East Blue didn't have any particularly famous pirate crews, it was no surprise he couldn't identify it.

"Let's go into that tavern for a few drinks," Bullet suggested.

After being imprisoned for twenty years, it was a miracle he hadn't gone insane—of course the moment he hit land, he would crave a good drink.

As a legendary pirate, alcohol was second nature to him.

Rikuya was also curious what pirate-world booze actually tasted like.

The two of them entered the tavern.

—

But as soon as they stepped in, both of them noticed something felt off.

The place was crowded—but what stood out was that every single person inside was a Fishman!

Fishmen were half-human, half-fish beings.

They breathed through lungs on land and gills in the water.

Most Fishmen lived at the bottom of the sea—on Fishman Island, located 10,000 meters under the sea.

They were rarely seen elsewhere, and often faced discrimination from humans due to their appearance.

Because of this, they generally avoided interacting with humans.

Yet now, on some random island in the East Blue, a tavern was filled with them?

Even Rikuya and Bullet found it strange.

As soon as they entered, all the Fishmen turned their heads and stared at them.

"This place is weird. So many Fishmen," Rikuya muttered.

"It's fine. Just small fry.

If you want, I could cut down every single one of them in a second,"

Bullet said calmly.

"No need. They're not our target,"

Rikuya gestured for Bullet to stand down.

He wasn't the type to enjoy senseless killing.

The two of them made their way to the bar and took a seat.

"What can I get you two?"

The smiling bartender asked.

"Two glasses of rum,"

Bullet said after glancing at the bottles behind the bar.

Rikuya didn't know much about alcohol, so he went along with the order.

As the bartender disappeared into the back room to prepare the drinks,

a sharp-nosed Fishman from one of the side tables stood up and walked straight toward them.