On the once calm sea, waves now churned restlessly. One after another, dark silhouettes emerged from the edge of the horizon, sailing steadily forward. Tens of ships became hundreds, hundreds became over a thousand. Stretching across thousands of nautical miles, a vast armada whose end could not be seen occupied the entire visible sea. Soon, the entire region of the sea was churning with activity. The previously quiet waters now echoed with the raucous shouts and calls of thousands.
Pirates guzzled liquor, loudly boasting of their exploits. Bounty hunters nervously polished their weapons, eyes darting towards nearby pirate vessels, their thoughts hidden. A few adventurers, perhaps just drawn by the spectacle, navigated cautiously through the throng, trying not to attract unwanted attention. Added to this mix were scores of mercenaries, common street thugs, fishermen swept up in the promise of riches, and even gamblers hoping for a lucky break—all part of this immense, chaotic fleet.
At the very heart of this sprawling armada, one vessel stood out: an enormous, imposing warship. Its flag bore the distinctive crest of the Vinsmoke Family, alongside a prominent number: 44. This was the Germa 66 vessel Germa 44, the personal flagship of Vinsmoke Yonji, the family's fourth son.
Currently, within the warship's opulent dining hall, a lavish banquet was underway. Representatives from nearly every significant power, large and small, in the North Blue were present. To orchestrate such a grand display merely to hunt down one newly emerged pirate… Anyone with a modicum of sense suspected the Vinsmoke Family had ulterior motives. Creating such a massive mobilization, let alone convincing the Marines to turn a blind eye, was no small feat. What exactly did the Vinsmokes hope to gain by investing so heavily in this operation?
The invited guests mingled, all smiles and pleasantries, seemingly oblivious to any undercurrents. Yet, from the constant shifting and quiet conversations in corners, the more observant attendees could sense a powerful hidden agenda already in motion.
"Nyeh-heh-heh-heh!" A distinctly unpleasant laugh echoed from one of the VIP booths. "Vinsmoke Yonji, youngest son," Trebol's slimy voice drawled. "Putting on such a big show... what exactly are you planning?" Trebol, with his characteristic lack of subtlety, had just voiced the question the smaller powers only dared whisper amongst themselves.
Yonji, clad in his signature green Germa suit, shot the mucus-covered Donquixote executive a look of utter contempt. "This is North Blue business. Does the Donquixote Family intend to interfere?"
"This ain't just your North Blue business anymore!" a rough voice interjected from another table. "We came all the way from East Blue and West Blue for this!" Representatives from other seas had decided to weigh in.
Yonji's expression darkened instantly. His gaze swept across the prominent figures present: Kuro of a Hundred Plans, 15 million Beli bounty. 'Pirate Admiral' Don Krieg, 17 million Beli bounty. Capone 'Gang' Bege, 25 million Beli bounty. And, disgustingly, Trebol, Donquixote Family Executive, user of the Sticky-Sticky Fruit, 90 million Beli bounty.
The Vinsmokes had orchestrated this massive event for their own reasons, naturally. What they hadn't fully anticipated was the sheer number of external powers, particularly from East and West Blue, who would decide to muscle in. The small-fry pirates with bounties under 30 million were negligible. But Trebol... he was a different story, not easily dismissed or fooled. The Donquixote Family was essentially representing the Black Market's interests in this venture, while the smaller pirate crews were primarily motivated by the bounty posted by Lvneel Kingdom. Yonji had no legitimate grounds to exclude any of them.
Faced with their pointed questions and unwelcome presence, Yonji felt a headache building. Diplomacy and subtle maneuvering weren't exactly his strong suits. His father, Judge, had orchestrated this but conveniently refused to attend personally, leaving Yonji to handle the messy politics.
Just as his irritation peaked, hurried footsteps approached the dining hall entrance. "Latest intelligence report!" a soldier called out. "The vanguard fleet has made contact with the target!"
Hearing this, Yonji leaped up from his seat. "Excellent! Notify all ships immediately! Full speed ahead!" Finally! No more dealing with these irritating vultures. First, eliminate the Hyena, then they could proceed with the real plan.
"W-Wait, Captain!" the reporting soldier stammered, looking flustered. "There's... more." "What is it now?" Yonji snapped, his impatience obvious. "The vanguard fleet... it's suspected to be completely wiped out, sir. No survivors found."
"What did you say?!" Don Krieg slammed his fists on the table, jolting to his feet. Over fifty ships... destroyed instantly? Some of his men had been in that vanguard group! "Who was the enemy?!" Krieg bellowed, grabbing the unfortunate soldier by the collar and hauling him off his feet. "It... it was the Hyena, sir."
Impossible! That was over fifty ships! How could 'Hyena' Bellamy, with a mere 35 million bounty, possibly possess that kind of power? "You're lying!" Krieg snarled, shaking the soldier, clearly refusing to accept the report.
Yonji shot the boorish East Blue pirate a look of utter disgust, then delivered a swift, powerful kick that sent Krieg flying across the room. "Do you have any idea?" Yonji sneered down at the sputtering Krieg. "If I wasn't slightly inclined to respect Lvneel Kingdom's involvement, you'd be dead already for that outburst." Clad in his Vinsmoke Raid Suit, Yonji's true combat capabilities far surpassed anything these minor pirates could imagine. With the possible exception of Trebol, no one else in the room could likely withstand even a single serious exchange with him. If it weren't for the larger strategic goals of this operation, he wouldn't have wasted a second entertaining these buffoons.
"Is there any more detailed intelligence?" Yonji asked the soldier coolly, ignoring Krieg. "Our scouts reported only finding extensive wreckage, sir. No signs of survivors." The vanguard had been annihilated so quickly that if not for a distress signal sent just before the end, they wouldn't even know for certain who the attacker was. "The attacker... is suspected to have been Bellamy, acting alone." That was the extent of the information gathered so far.
"Hyena Bellamy..." Yonji turned towards Trebol. As far as he knew, this disgusting executive had specifically joined this operation because of Bellamy. "What's the real story on his strength?" Yonji demanded.
"Nyeh-heh-heh... That Hyena?" Trebol chuckled slimily, clearly believing he had a good handle on Bellamy. "He managed to kill Red Flame, so he's obviously got some skill. Bellamy uses the Spring-Spring Fruit, he's good with his fists and feet, and apparently knows some of the Six Powers techniques." He paused, picking his nose. "His actual strength? Eh, probably just a bit higher than his official Navy bounty suggests." But nowhere near the 200 million the Black Market was offering. Trebol seemed quite certain of that.
"So, let's just treat him as, what, a 50 million Beli 'great pirate' then?" someone else scoffed. The mocking emphasis on the words 'great pirate' elicited chuckles and sneers from around the room.
"Lvneel Kingdom made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Capone Bege remarked, swirling his wine. "I thought this might actually be a challenging fight. But now..." With this many people converging, Bege thought, that Bellamy fellow will be crushed into paste instantly, won't he? Bege sighed inwardly. The North Blue finally produces someone interesting, and he's immediately swatted down by overwhelming numbers before he can even make a name for himself. Sometimes, Bege mused, it pays to keep a lower profile.
"Notify the fleet! Full speed ahead!" Yonji commanded again, his earlier irritation replaced by cold resolve. "I want to see Bellamy's head delivered to me within three days!"
Under the command of the Grand Fleet's nominal leader, Vinsmoke Yonji, the vast armada surged forward, engines roaring, sails straining, all converging on their target's last known position.