[New Translation!! [Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor]
The Donquixote Family's pirate ship, though formidable, was not the Endless Dream. Despite being islands of the New World and relatively close to each other, the rough and unpredictable sea made the journey from Dressrosa to Shadow Island take an entire day and night at full sail.
By this time, Zyhark and his crew had already bid farewell to Moriah and were on their way to the Yonko's base in Totland.
Fortunately for Doflamingo, they hadn't traveled far, and thanks to the planted informant on Shadow Island, his crew received the information just in time.
By sunset the following day, the lookout on Doflamingo's ship spotted the Endless Dream.
"Master, the target is confirmed, about a mile ahead," Trebol reported, mucus dripping as usual. "On deck, we can see Zyhark the Thunder Demon, Aqua the Goddess of Water, and that mad scientist Meowth—all present!"
Hearing Trebol's report, Doflamingo grinned wickedly. Rising from his seat, he swaggered over to the ship's bow with a menacing gait.
"Fuffuffuffu... Finally, I've caught up to them!"
"They're strong. Maybe we should try sinking their ship with long-range cannon fire first?" Trebol suggested, his usual sneer in place.
The other Donquixote Family officers agreed.
Though they hadn't fought Zyhark directly before, his reputation as a newly appointed Warlord of the Sea, combined with his notorious feats, made them wary.
But Doflamingo waved off their caution without hesitation.
"Are you kidding me? He's just a rookie who doesn't even understand the rules of the New World yet. You think I need to be afraid of him?"
His voice was dripping with arrogance as he stretched his arms wide, adopting an exaggerated pose of dominance.
"Maintain full speed and bring the ship alongside theirs! We're going in for a boarding battle, and we'll smash their precious Endless Dream to pieces!"
Knowing their boss's temperament all too well, the officers exchanged glances, silently dropping their objections. Their hesitation was replaced by a steely resolve, and the tense atmosphere thickened aboard the ship.
Everyone understood that this would be their first major battle since they had seized control of Dressrosa.
With that, the garish pink pirate ship cut through the waves, rapidly closing the distance with the Endless Dream.
Meanwhile, aboard the Endless Dream's deck:
"Doflamingo, the Warlord of the Sea? I don't think we've met him before, meow?" Meowth tilted his head in confusion at Zyhark's explanation.
A few minutes earlier, the high-tech detection system aboard the Endless Dream had identified Doflamingo's ship and issued an automated warning.
"Uh, don't tell me he's like that narcissistic woman from before?" Aqua asked nervously.
Ever since Boa Hancock's unsolicited appearance and her ridiculous marriage proposal, Aqua had been on edge whenever she heard the title "Warlord of the Sea."
Whether it was Hancock, Moriah, or Crocodile, none of these Warlords were normal!
"Judging by their approach, they're not here for a friendly meal," Zyhark remarked calmly.
Thanks to his advanced Observation Haki and the electromagnetic signals he could tap into, he had already heard Doflamingo's plans to board their ship.
Based on the conversations he overheard, the "factory" they referred to was likely the one that Aqua and Escanor had accidentally destroyed during their sparring match.
Recognizing the Donquixote insignia at the time, Zyhark hadn't paid it much mind—if it got destroyed, it got destroyed.
Little did he expect that Doflamingo would hold such a grudge, chasing them down with his entire crew to seek revenge!
What a petty, self-important flamingo who had no sense of his own limitations...
If they were fighting on Dressrosa, Doflamingo's forces might stand a chance.
But unfortunately for him, he had chosen to challenge them at sea—the Endless Dream's domain.
"Aqua, why don't you handle this bunch of miscreants? I'm going to catch up on some sleep," Zyhark said, more focused on his upcoming confrontation with Big Mom than on wasting time with Doflamingo.
An opponent of Doflamingo's level wasn't even worth the effort for him, let alone giving him any useful combat experience. It was a perfect opportunity for Aqua to finally pull her weight instead of lounging on the couch all day.
"What?! You want me, a goddess, to deal with this dirty work? No way!" Aqua protested, immediately refusing and making a show of pouting.
"That's fine. I'll leave it to Meowth, then. Oh, and come see me after it's done to collect your 5 million beri reward."
Without turning around, Zyhark waved nonchalantly as he walked away.
"W-wait! As a proud member of this crew, I think it's only right for me to contribute every now and then!"
"Meowth, your little arms and legs won't be of much use here. Just sit back and watch!"
Predictably, the moment Aqua heard there was money involved, her demeanor flipped. She promptly shoved Meowth aside and took charge.
"Uh…"
Before Meowth could even protest, a brilliant blue light engulfed the deck, temporarily blinding everyone.
Not wanting to miss out on her payday, Aqua unleashed her full divine power, causing the once-calm sea to erupt into a violent storm.
Dark clouds gathered, and a towering wave hundreds of meters high rose up, poised to crash down with apocalyptic force on Doflamingo's pirate ship, which now seemed pitifully small in comparison.
Boom!!
The water exploded into the sky as the massive wave engulfed the sea, swallowing that entire section of the ocean in a frenzy of chaos.
By the time the Endless Dream stabilized from the turbulence, the sea had returned to its eerie calm.
Looking out, the vast expanse of ocean was now empty. There was no trace of the once rapidly advancing Warlord's pirate ship.
The Donquixote Family, who had approached so arrogantly, were utterly annihilated.
This battle, later known as the "Battle of Heze" in the Heze Sea, would go down in history as one of the most humiliating defeats for a Warlord of the Sea.
In stark contrast to the world-shaking "Battle of Edd War" between the Golden Lion and Whitebeard, Doflamingo's defeat earned him eternal ridicule, solidifying his reputation as the ultimate joker.
That day, the once proud and defiant flamingo finally understood the true terror of the sea!
With a casual flick of her hand, Aqua buried the Donquixote Family beneath the waves and immediately rushed off to Zyhark's quarters to claim her reward.
It was just a pity that Doflamingo's bounty couldn't be collected, or else the foolish goddess would have been even more upset about missing out on some easy money.
True to his word, Zyhark handed over the 5 million beri without hesitation.
Pleased with her payday, Aqua skipped away, humming a happy tune as she left.
Once the room was quiet again, Zyhark lay back on his bed, hands behind his head, mentally preparing for their treacherous journey to Totland.
After all, this time they were up against Big Mom in her prime. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Given the time needed to formulate a detailed plan and ensure that his crew was in top condition, Zyhark didn't rush, letting the Endless Dream sail at a leisurely pace.
Along the way, a few pirates from the New World appeared, hoping to make a name for themselves by taking down a Warlord of the Sea.
Their fates mirrored Doflamingo's, as Aqua easily dispatched them with a wave of her hand after hearing the ship's warning alarms.
As a result, Aqua's personal wealth quickly accumulated to over 10 million beri!
The foolish goddess was ecstatic, no longer lying lazily on the couch.
Her new favorite pastime was sitting with Kanna on deck, eagerly waiting for more pirates to "pay them a visit."
...
Time passed quietly.
Finally, on the third day after leaving Shadow Island, a cluster of islands appeared on the horizon.
They had reached the Totland Kingdom, ruled by Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin!
At this point, only five days remained until the World Nobles' triennial genocide.
As the Endless Dream entered Totland's waters, a small pirate patrol ship shaped like a dessert approached them.
"Who goes there?! This is the territory of the Yonko Charlotte Linlin! State your identity or die!"
On the patrol ship's deck, a fierce-looking pirate yelled through a loudspeaker, his voice filled with hostility.
Clearly, being part of a Yonko crew had given these pirates plenty of confidence.
"Hey, Zyhark, Big Mom is our target this time, right? If I take these guys out, do I get paid for it?" Aqua, now excited by the prospect of more rewards, asked eagerly from the bow of the ship.
"Let them be. After all, we're on their turf."
Watching the dessert-shaped patrol ship close in, Zyhark waved a hand, signaling Aqua to hold off for now.
Their primary objective was to obtain the red Road Poneglyph from Big Mom.
Although a peaceful negotiation seemed highly unlikely, Zyhark still wanted to at least make the attempt.
It was a classic case of "start with diplomacy, then escalate if necessary."
"Tch, how boring."
Disappointed, Aqua spat dismissively before walking back to her lounge chair beneath a parasol, settling down to enjoy the sun.
If there was no money involved, why bother getting worked up?
"Hey! Can't you people understand human speech?!"
Seeing that the Endless Dream remained unresponsive, the pirate leader grew even more arrogant.
At the same time, their patrol ship quietly picked up speed, rapidly closing in on the Endless Dream.
Greed gleamed in the pirate leader's beady eyes. The ship ahead looked incredibly valuable—this was going to be a big haul!
This was a common rule in Totland's waters: any suspicious ship, including Navy vessels, could be looted, as long as you had the strength to take it down. Whatever treasure and supplies you seized were yours to keep without having to turn them in!
In the dangerous, lawless seas of the New World, only a Yonko could enforce such brazen rules.
But this small-time pirate had clearly let his greed blind him, failing to recognize the infamous ship of the Sea Restaurant.
Zyhark slowly walked up to the bow, standing on Aqua's figurehead as he asked, "Do you really want us to state our identity?"
"You don't have to. Didn't I say there's another option?" the pirate leader sneered.
He was just about to signal his men to fire the cannons when he turned around and froze in confusion.
"What's wrong with you idiots? Didn't you see my signal? Load the cannons and sink this fat sheep already!"
"N-no sir, w-we can't! They're...they're…"
As the ships drew closer, the pirate underlings began to recognize the faces on the Endless Dream and started trembling in terror.
"T-they're the crew of Zyhark, one of the Warlords of the Sea!"
"I don't care if it's a Seven Warlord or an Eight Warlord—wait, what? W-Warlord of the Sea?!!"
The pirate leader's eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock. It took him a moment to process what his men were saying. When he finally rubbed his eyes and looked again, the man standing on the other ship's bow was unmistakably Zyhark, the Thunder Demon, exactly as he appeared on his wanted poster.
There was no mistaking it.
"So, you've finally realized who we are, huh?" Zyhark said with a smile, shrugging his shoulders.
"Hurry up! Report this to the higher-ups, now!"
The pirate leader, who now fully understood the gravity of his previous blunder, was in full panic mode.
A Warlord of the Sea appearing in Totland's waters was a serious matter!
As for his earlier greedy ambitions of robbing the Endless Dream, those thoughts had long since vanished in the face of sheer terror.
Though his observational skills were abysmal, at least he knew when he was out of his league!
The news spread like wildfire among the nearby patrol ships, and the closest island, Chocolate Island, was the first to receive the message.
Charlotte Snack, one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders, was alerted immediately.
The patrol ship lacked direct communication with Big Mom, and any such reports had to be relayed through the island's ministers.
As one of the four Sweet Commanders, Snack had significant authority.
Quickly assessing the situation, Snack made a judgment call, and despite Big Mom currently enjoying her cream cake, he dialed the emergency line to report the news.
At that moment, on the central and largest island of Totland, Cake Island...
Draped in her pirate cape, Big Mom was gorging on cream cake while impatiently answering the call.
She hadn't yet ballooned into her later grotesque size, and her figure still retained some of the mature womanly curves of her youth.
But judging by her slightly plump cheeks, it was clear that her inevitable weight gain wasn't far off.
"What? Zyhark? That little brat of a Warlord of the Sea? What does he want with me?"
"Snack, handle this small fry yourself. If they didn't bring any offerings or treasure, feel free to kill them."
After decades of ruling the seas, Big Mom didn't care about one's title. Anyone who dared interrupt her meal was as good as dead!
"I understand, Mama."
Snack hung up the phone, his expression dark as he grabbed the long sword behind him and marched out of the room.
By the time he reached the scene, over a dozen patrol ships had already surrounded the Endless Dream, as if preparing for a fierce battle.
(End of Chapter)
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