421-425

Chapter 421: New Movements from the Marines 

The balance of the world... has already been broken! Now, it's time for the Marines to intervene—to restore equilibrium to this chaotic world. And to fill the missing piece of that balance, Sengoku intends to continue relying on the Shichibukai. 

... 

After the Paramount War, the seas fell into turmoil. 

Pirates grew even more rampant, the global situation became even more unstable, the Marines suffered massive losses, and Impel Down fell into chaos... 

All of these events threw the Marines into an overwhelming state of busyness. 

For an entire month after the end of the war at Marineford, Marine warships never stopped moving. 

The three Admirals constantly appeared across the seas, relentlessly hunting down prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down. 

As for Yoru... 

Due to the Marine forces being understaffed—despite his immense strength—it was no surprise that he was also assigned to hunt down pirates. 

However, Yoru refused the order. 

But Bassas, Nous, and Luli were quite interested. 

So, Yoru let them go while he stayed behind to begin building up Ruikavina Island, treating it as a base and planning to rest for a while before continuing his work. 

... 

Two months later— 

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku has stepped down from his position, and Garp has retired to train new recruits!" 

"Sakazuki has become the new Fleet Admiral. Kuzan lost the contest for leadership and has left the Marines—his whereabouts are unknown!" 

"The Marines have begun a worldwide recruitment drive, and Marine Headquarters is relocating to the New World!" 

When Bassas, Nous, and Luli finally returned one after another, three major announcements from the Marines spread like wildfire across the seas. 

After three months of effort, most of the pirates had been wiped out! 

The seas had returned to a relative peace, and the Marines began expanding their forces to prepare for the coming of a new era—and new challenges. 

“You guys really stirred things up, didn’t you?” 

While cleaning his weapon, "Broken Insight," Yoru looked at the three, whose aura had changed dramatically, and spoke. 

“Wahahaha! Captain, you have no idea how much I enjoyed fighting these past two months!” Bassas grinned, looking visibly taller and more imposing. 

“I can imagine, just a little,” Yoru chuckled. “After all, you managed to capture ‘Destruction Fist’ Appleurs, who had a bounty of 478 million Berries ten years ago!” 

“Even though he’d been locked up for years and hadn’t fully recovered, he was still a powerful force in the New World. Yet, you took him down. That’s seriously impressive.” 

Hearing Yoru’s praise, Bassas grinned with pride. 

“But it still doesn’t compare to Nous. He captured Hades, the Giant of the Moon, with a bounty of 570 million Berries! That really made waves across the seas.” 

Yoru added, “With power like yours, if you joined any of the Yonko’s crews, you’d definitely rank as someone on the level of the Tobiroppo.” 

(Note: “Tobiroppo” = Flying Six from Kaido's Beast Pirates in One Piece) 

“I’m honored to have comrades as powerful as you!” 

Hearing that, Bassas laughed heartily. “Oh come on, Captain, don’t sell yourself short!” 

“I heard you defeated Gabriel—the Angel Fruit user with a 710 million Berries bounty—with just one strike. The whole sea is in shock!” 

Yoru simply smiled, then turned to Luli. “How’s the Yami Yami no Mi treating you?” 

Luli nodded. “I’m getting the hang of it.” 

“With big bro Nous teaching me how to develop my Devil Fruit, and big bro Bassas training me in hand-to-hand combat, I’ve grown a lot stronger!” 

Nous chimed in: “These days, people are calling her the Dark Empress.” 

“Even I don’t want to fight her. That Yami Yami no Mi is just too broken—any Devil Fruit user is naturally weakened in front of her. She’s ridiculously hard to deal with!” 

Chapter 422: A New Era in Turmoil 

"Well then, it's time we set out on our journey again. We've got more Poneglyphs to find," Yoru said as he stood up and looked out at the sea. 

“Hehehe, setting sail again, huh? Man, a new adventure... I can't wait!” Burgess grinned from ear to ear, clearly excited. 

“More lands, more people, more cultures to witness. What a treat,” Noous added, his face glowing with anticipation. 

“Then let’s get going!” With that, Yoru leapt aboard the Manderves. 

At this point, he already had four Road Poneglyphs in his possession. 

Big Mom in the New World held two, and Kaidō of the Beasts had one. The remaining two? One resided only in Nico Robin’s mind, and the last lay far, far away—at the other end of the Grand Line. 

"These are chaotic times..." At Marine Headquarters, the newly appointed Fleet Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu) frowned as he looked over reports detailing the state of the sea. 

First, there were the Supernovas—Trafalgar Law, and the pirate Weevil who seemingly came out of nowhere. Both had become new Warlords of the Sea, replacing the deceased Blackbeard and the disgraced Gecko Moria, who vanished after the war at Marineford. 

Then there were Supernovas like Hawkins, Apoo, Drake, and Capone Bege, who had each aligned themselves with either Big Mom—Charlotte Linlin—or Kaidō. 

Not to mention Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid, who actually managed to provoke Big Mom successfully, only to challenge Red-Haired Shanks and get his arm chopped off in defeat. 

None of these Supernovas could be considered "low-maintenance." 

And on top of that, with Whitebeard’s death, his former territories had become a battleground. Both Big Mom and Kaidō tried to claim them, leading to constant conflict with the new Whitebeard Pirates under Marco the Phoenix. 

"But the most dangerous of them all… is this guy." Sakazuki’s gaze shifted to a photo on his desk. 

It was of Yoru. 

"This man is collecting the Road Poneglyphs. For us in the Navy, and the World Government… that’s bad news." 

"But ironically..." Sakazuki’s brows tightened. 

"We currently need his power to maintain peace across the seas and keep the world’s balance of power in check." 

“‘Lightning Assassin’ Yoru… is an extremely dangerous man.” 

If you asked who made the biggest impression during the Paramount War? 

Besides Whitebeard—it was Yoru. 

The terrifying heat of his flames… even Sakazuki, with his Magma-Magma powers, felt a chill. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Yoru was even more threatening than any of the current Yonko. 

And just like that, a full year quietly passed… On a distant island— 

“Cough cough... The ‘Demon Heir’ Barrett, huh? Strong, no doubt… but still just a bit short.” Yoru wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, breathing heavily. 

In front of him, a large, battle-worn man knelt on one knee, gasping for air. 

Towering, brutal, overwhelmingly powerful—it was Douglas Bullet, the infamous criminal who had once sailed on the Oro Jackson with Gol D. Roger, and later escaped from the depths of Impel Down’s Level 6. 

“Heh heh… You’re the first man since Roger who’s actually made things fun.” Bullet stood up. 

“Very well then, ‘Lightning Assassin’—I’ll remember your name.” 

“I enjoyed this fight. Let’s see if you can get even stronger next time… strong enough to stop my plan from succeeding.” 

“Otherwise, I’ll just wipe you out along with everything else. Don’t disappoint me, Lightning Assassin.” 

With those words, he turned and strode toward his ship, quickly vanishing over the horizon. 

“Ugh—!” As Bullet left, Yoru coughed up another mouthful of blood. 

Chapter 423: Our Home Was Stolen 

“As expected from a man who only shows up in movies—he’s insanely strong, just a step below the Yonko.” 

Douglas Bullet—a man who, at full strength, surpassed even Katakuri and Marco. He was the strongest enemy Yoru had faced so far, outside of the Admirals and the Yonko. 

Still, it wasn’t a total loss. 

Yoru let out a steady breath. “At least I earned 1 million enhancement points, found the final Poneglyph of Knowledge, and pushed my Armament Haki into the advanced stage—and I can even use it fluidly now!” 

【Status Panel】 

Host: Yoru Age: 19 Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix (Mythical Zoan): Awakened (25/100) 

Skills: 

• Phoenix Flame Feathers 

• Phoenix Descent 

• Phoenix Feather Slash 

• Phoenix Sunfall 

Passive Ability: 

• Rebirth in Flames (Recover from any damage while surrounded by fire) 

Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation): Beginner (85/100) Busoshoku Haki (Armament): Advanced (20/100) Swordsmanship: Lv.4 (Radiance) Weapon: Broken Insight 

Enhancement Points: 1.28 million World: One Piece 

Body Attributes: 

• Strength: 210 (Average human: 5) 

• Speed: 145 

• Agility: 135 

• Endurance: 195 

• Defense: 200 

Power Level: 86 (Marine Admiral level: 95) 

Over the past year, Yoru had been on a journey to find the Poneglyphs of Knowledge. 

He had already obtained the one from Nico Robin’s memory. 

And now, apart from the three in the New World, he had secured every last information-based Poneglyph. 

It was a tremendous achievement. 

Along the way, he spent 700,000 enhancement points to evolve his Armament Haki from beginner to advanced. 

Even though his base attributes didn’t change much, his overall combat power jumped significantly. 

“I’ve already encountered Bullet... can my meeting with Black Arm Zephyr be far off?” 

Muttering this, Yoru transformed into a blazing phoenix and soared toward the Mandevus, his ship. 

The island where he had fought Bullet had been completely annihilated. 

“Captain! That guy was insane! I can’t believe you managed to handle him!” 

Bassas exclaimed in awe. 

Bullet’s strength had gone beyond anything he could comprehend—it was like fighting a natural disaster. If Bassas had been the one facing him, he would’ve been completely helpless. 

But Yoru had defeated that monster. 

It was terrifying—and impressive. 

“Heh, well, that’s normal,” Yoru replied with a slight smirk. “Bullet’s a beast, sure. But I’m not exactly an average person either, right?” 

“Let’s go back. After sailing for a year, it’s time to get some real rest.” 

Lightning Island— It had been a whole year since Yoru and his crew last set foot on their home base. 

As the Mandevus approached the coastline under Bassas’ control, Yoru suddenly noticed something… strange. 

His pirate flag—their pirate flag—was gone. 

In its place flew a new one, a skull with messy yellow hair. 

“Wahahaha! Captain, looks like someone stole our home!” 

Bassas laughed loudly, as if it didn’t bother him at all. 

“Didn’t expect something like this to happen to me, honestly.” 

“Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands.” 

Though he called it a “fight,” there wasn’t the slightest trace of worry on his face. 

And of course, for someone like him, there was no one in the first half of the Grand Line who could actually be considered a threat. 

Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed. 

The pirates now occupying the island saw the Mandevus approaching, and when they spotted Yoru standing there… 

The lookout froze in horror, eyes widening in disbelief. 

And the moment he recognized the returning pirate flag on their ship, a chill ran down his spine. 

Chapter 424: You've Got Guts 

“We're screwed! We're in serious trouble!” A patrolling pirate, shaking with fear, pulled out a Den Den Mushi and urgently called his captain, reporting a terrifying piece of news—this island’s original owner was none other than Yoru. 

“WHAT?!” In the center of Lightning Island, a blond man shot up to his feet, sweat pouring down his forehead. 

“You're telling me… that iron greatsword with the skull flag belongs to the Lightning Assassin?!” 

“…I’m afraid so, Captain… we… probably…” Before he could finish his sentence, the Den Den Mushi crackled with static. 

Then, a young but unmistakably commanding voice came through: “I don’t know who you are, but if you’re gonna take over my territory like that, shouldn’t you at least give me an explanation?” 

Gulp… 

The young captain swallowed hard. “I…” 

His voice trembled, but he couldn’t even string together a full sentence. 

He was scared—really scared. 

Who was Yoru? 

A Shichibukai. A participant in the Paramount War. A man powerful enough to take on Marco the Phoenix, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—and win. 

He was someone who could do as he pleased in the first half of the Grand Line. 

To cross a man like that meant certain death. 

And this captain knew it. 

If Yoru wanted them gone, no one in his crew would survive. 

“Heh, what? Cat got your tongue?” Yoru chuckled coldly. “Relax, I’m a nice guy. I won’t wipe all of you out… unless, of course, you start getting reckless. Then I’ll have no choice but to eliminate any threats.” 

Click—he hung up. 

“Pass this on—no one moves. Everyone stays put and keeps their mouths shut!” The blond pirate gave the order and then bolted toward the harbor. 

“Haven’t been back in a year, but I gotta say… this island’s looking pretty good.” Yoru walked through the streets of Lightning Island, looking impressed. “Even got people living here now? Interesting…” 

As he and his crew strode through the town, the local residents looked on in stunned silence. 

There was something surreal about this scene—like watching royalty walk among commoners. 

What really shocked the townsfolk, though, was the pirates’ reaction. These same pirates, who had once strutted around the island like tyrants, were now standing respectfully to the side, eyes lowered, like frightened cats before a tiger. 

And just then— A tall, muscular blond youth came rushing forward. 

At the sight of him, the townspeople instinctively stepped back in fear. This man, they knew, was the one who’d ruled over them with violence. 

But the next moment left everyone wide-eyed in disbelief. 

The blond man dropped to his knees before Yoru with a loud thud. “I was blind and foolish! I didn’t realize this land belonged to you! Please, have mercy—don’t stoop to punish someone like me. Spare me this once!” 

Gasps rippled through the crowd. 

Were they seeing this right? 

The very man who had terrorized their island was now groveling, begging for forgiveness from this seemingly unassuming stranger? 

All eyes turned to Yoru, curiosity burning in their hearts. 

Who was this man, that even “Lionheart” Dogas, with a bounty of 190 million berries, would kneel before him in fear? 

To them, Yoru’s lean frame didn’t look like much. But then they saw Burgess standing behind him, and something clicked— This guy must be terrifyingly strong. 

“Spare you?” Yoru smirked. 

“At least you know your place. Now, tell me your name.” 

Chapter 425: The Abolition of the Shichibukai 

"Douglas... bounty, 190 million Berries... Zoan-type, Neko Neko no Mi: Lion Form!" 

The blond young man, Douglas, spoke with a trembling voice, sweat pouring down his forehead. 

"A bounty nearing 200 million? That makes him a formidable figure in the first half of the Grand Line." 

Yoru glanced at the pirates around her and said, "You have two options: First, leave Lightning Island immediately. Second, submit to me and become part of my crew." 

Without hesitation, Douglas dropped to his knees and bowed. "Captain, it's an honor to meet you!" 

This made Yoru raise an eyebrow slightly, the smile on her face widening. "At least you're smart enough to know when to yield. Get up." 

"Thank you, Captain!" 

Douglas wiped his cold sweat and quietly thanked the heavens that he'd escaped death. He immediately began introducing his crew's officers to Yoru, hoping to earn some recognition. 

The surrounding civilians were completely stunned by the scene. 

The mighty Lion Douglas… just submitted like that? 

Who on earth is Yoru? She’s that strong?! 

“I remember now! That’s the Shichibukai, ‘Lightning Killer’ Yoru!” 

Someone suddenly shouted as the realization hit them. 

Yoru shot a sidelong glance at the person— Instantly, they felt as if a beast had locked onto them, their blood ran cold, and they didn't dare utter another word. 

Meanwhile, atop the Red Line, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise... 

"You Five Elders better not regret this. If you really revoke his status as a Shichibukai, you should know what kind of chaos that’ll bring to the seas!" 

Sakazuki, chomping on a cigar, slammed the table and glared fiercely at the five old men seated before him. 

These five elders were none other than the Gorōsei—the highest authority in the World Government. 

"Sakazuki, there's no need to get so worked up. This is just a contingency." 

The Gorōsei with the curved goatee looked at him indifferently. "If he’s willing to cooperate and stops looking for the Poneglyphs, he can keep his Shichibukai title." 

"But if he doesn’t… then he becomes a wanted man." 

Hearing that, Sakazuki’s expression darkened. "And who exactly do you plan to replace him with? Without someone of his power, you think the Four Emperors of the New World will just sit quietly?" 

"Revoking his title will absolutely cause massive unrest across the seas!" 

The curved-goatee Gorōsei replied, "Relax. We’ve already found someone strong enough to take his place." 

As he spoke, a new bounty poster was handed to Sakazuki. 

“Drogba Andes, the Quake Human — Bounty: 345 million Berries. Gura Gura no Mi user?!!” 

Seeing the poster, Sakazuki’s eyes narrowed sharply, and for a moment, he was silent. 

Then he muttered, "You better make sure this guy can maintain the balance of the seas… or else—" 

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the Gorōsei knew exactly what he meant. 

"A Gura Gura no Mi user—of course he’s powerful. Between him and the Pirate Empress, it’s enough to stabilize the first half of the Grand Line." 

Said the bald Gorōsei in a kimono, holding the cursed blade Kitetsu. 

“Since you agree, then assign someone powerful to go negotiate with the Lightning Killer.” 

"Remember—" 

His eyes flashed with a chilling gleam. "If negotiations fail, we must capture him. If a man that dangerous becomes a wanted criminal… it’ll be catastrophic."