The crimson ball of energy sped toward Akainu as he fled the shoreline. Though Edie's Observation Haki Invisibility concealed his presence, the Admiral immediately sensed something was wrong when he felt the powerful force closing in from behind.
"What the—"
Glancing back mid-stride, Akainu's eyes widened in shock. The small red orb, no larger than a baby's fist, radiated an energy that felt disturbingly like Conqueror's Haki—but far more concentrated. It was packed with immense, destructive power.
In the blink of an eye, Boom!
A blinding red sun ignited in the night sky. The explosion expanded rapidly, ballooning into a fiery sphere with a diameter of hundreds of meters. Its crimson light illuminated the entire island of Water 7, turning the darkness of night into a radiant red glow.
From the distant sea to every corner of the island, anyone within dozens of kilometers could see the fiery ball hovering in the sky. Ships in the vicinity turned their gaze toward the unnatural red sun, a beacon of immense destruction.
Edie watched the scene unfold, his expression unchanging. The red light cast eerie shadows across his calm face as he murmured, "Did he dodge it? Impressive, even for an Admiral. His reaction time is remarkable."
It appeared Akainu had narrowly avoided a direct hit, but Edie's mind was already wandering. His technique was effective, but to truly test its limits, he needed a different subject—a Logia-type, perhaps.
Caesar? Crocodile? Edie mused as he floated in the air, pondering his next experiment.
Suddenly, the deafening roar of the Aqua Laguna snapped him back to reality. The massive tsunami, towering tens of meters high, crashed into the coastline with unstoppable force. The water gods' kinetic energy obliterated everything in their path. Buildings were torn apart, streets were flooded, and the coastline was submerged in an instant, transforming Water 7 into a scene straight out of the legends of Atlantis.
Yet, through all the chaos, Edie remained unaffected. Hovering high above the devastation, he observed the destruction with a detached gaze. He could intervene—his Tremor Fruit ability could easily tear the tsunami apart with a single punch, diverting the wave away from the island. But he chose not to.
What's the point? he thought to himself.
Even if he stopped this tsunami, another one would strike next year. The people of Water 7 had long adapted to this cycle of nature, developing their own means of survival. Intervening now would only disrupt their resilience and self-sufficiency.
With a serene expression, Edie continued to float above the chaos, respecting the natural order of things and allowing fate to run its course.
Suddenly, Edie's pocket buzzed. He reached in and pulled out a small den den mushi (phone snail), lifting the receiver from its back. The tiny creature popped its head out, mimicking the voice of the person on the other end.
"Lord Heavenly Father, Charlotte Linlin is awake."
It was Weiyang.(Sengoku Clone)
"I see," Edie responded, his tone calm. "She didn't cause any trouble?"
"No, but she wanted to fight the moment she woke up. Wuma and I managed to suppress her. Now she's demanding sweets. If I don't give her any, it could become... problematic."
A child? She's 51 years old! Edie thought, rolling his eyes. Considering Charlotte Linlin's unpredictable temperament, this wasn't entirely surprising. After all, she had a history of destructive outbursts, like when she devoured Mother Caramel and her fellow children during a siphoria episode as a child.
"Just give her what she wants. She is a guest, after all," Edie replied.
"Yes, my lord," Weiyang hesitated before adding, "There's something else... She wants to sleep with Wuma."
"...What?"
"She's been talking about wanting a child... specifically from the Lunarian clan. She claims that if Wuma sleeps with her, she won't pursue what happened on Whole Cake Island."
Edie was speechless. This woman wants to rob the cradle? Wuma, Whitebeard's clone, was barely 12 years old in physical terms, just a child. The idea of Big Mom, a grown woman and a Yonko, making such a request was absurd.
"That's not going to happen," Edie said flatly.
"As you command."
Cutting the call, Edie quickly dialed another number. After a brief moment, Chen Long's voice answered.
"My Lord Heavenly Father, what are your orders?"
"What's the status of 66 and 77?"
"About half an hour ago, I deployed ten of them to the Drum Kingdom. I've already taken care of the nearby beasts to ensure their safety. They should make contact with the local population by tomorrow morning. Per your instructions, I didn't reveal my presence."
"Good work," Edie said, nodding in approval. "I'm in Water 7 now. Come and meet me."
"Yes, my lord!"
Ending the call, Edie tucked the phone snail away and turned his gaze back toward where Akainu had fled. He smirked slightly, amused by the thought of the Marine Admiral's hasty retreat.
With a faint chuckle, his figure dissolved into the darkness of the night, vanishing without a trace.
The next day in Water 7, the tide receded, leaving the city to begin its recovery. As the morning light broke, residents who had sought refuge in the inner city returned to their homes. Under the guidance of the mayor, they commenced the usual post-disaster cleanup.
"This is where the explosion happened last night," murmured a passerby.
"You mean that red light? I saw it from my hotel window. It was a massive red ball!" another person chimed in.
"I don't know exactly what happened, but it had to be a fight between Devil Fruit users," someone speculated as they cleared debris.
Despite the red flash that lit up the night, much of the outer city's focus shifted to the damage caused by the Aqua Laguna tsunami. While Edie and Akainu's battle had left a gaping hole in the ground, the wider destruction of the city from the tidal waves overshadowed the impact of their clash.
In the outer city, at Tom's Studio, Kokoro, the secretary, unlocked the door and entered the messy workshop. Despite the defensive measures they'd taken, last night's tsunami was far more intense than usual, and there was likely damage to assess.
The studio's founder, Tom, and its team of five members were all involved in their sea train projects. Aside from Kokoro, there was Iceburg and Katty Flam (Later known as Franky), both disciples, and a sumo-wrestling frog named Yokozuna. Over the years, Tom had been leading his disciples to develop the sea train, even after being sentenced to probation by the World Government.
This morning, the rest of the group was busy at the workshop, so Kokoro had come to the studio early to start cleaning up. As she walked through the space, taking in the scattered tools and debris, she sighed, already imagining the work ahead.
Kokoro opened the door, and to her shock, she saw a young man in a white coat casually sitting on the shabby sofa, sipping coffee.
"Who are you?" she asked, startled. "Are you from the government?"
The man sitting there, flipping through a thick stack of documents, gave her a calm glance. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the papers—the designs!
Kokoro's expression turned grave. "What are you doing? Breaking in without permission! Give those back!" She lunged forward, surprising herself as she snatched the papers from his hands.
Edie smiled, unfazed. "Hiding such important things in the studio? It was way too easy to find. You might want to do better next time."
As he got a clearer look at Kokoro, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Kokoro was a mermaid, a white fish mermaid. In her youth, she was a renowned beauty, but time had transformed her features into something... a bit abstract.
"You… what are you talking about? I don't understand," Kokoro said nervously, hiding the Pluton designs behind her back.
"I've already finished reading it." Edie stood from the sofa, stretching. He wasn't lying—he had indeed finished going through the ancient blueprints.
The Ancient Weapon Pluton, a super battleship capable of obliterating entire islands in a single shot, was detailed across just over a hundred pages. Edie found it almost laughable. With his modern knowledge, he couldn't fathom how a design for such a weapon could be so compact. Even building a basic aircraft requires volumes of data.
"I honestly only understood part of it," Edie added.
"What?" Kokoro looked at him in disbelief.
"I can grasp the general structure, but much of it is written in ancient characters. That part seems critical, but I can't make sense of it."
The design drawings shows something resembling an aircraft that needs to be loaded on trucks, and several trucks are required.
Ancient writing—few in the world today could decipher it. Kozuki Sukiyaki, rotting away in a prison cell in Wanokuni, was one. And then there was that little girl, Nico Robin, the sole survivor of Ohara with a hefty bounty of 80 million beli.
Kokoro was still on edge. "Who are you?" she asked, more wary than ever. "And how did you even get in?"
"My name is Edie," he responded. "I'm a scientist."
"Edie?" Kokoro's mind raced. The name stirred a memory—a criminal, infamous in the New World. It suddenly clicked. This was the same Edie who caused a massive uproar by killing the Celestial Dragons in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Edie, sensing her growing recognition, sighed and took out a folded piece of paper, setting it on the workbench. "This is my contact information. Even if Tom succeeds in building the sea train, the World Government will never allow him to live peacefully. If the day comes when you need refuge, use that number."
Before she could respond, Edie looked skyward, as if peering beyond the ceiling. His lips curled into a faint smile. "My ride is here."
Without another word, he walked out of the studio.
Kokoro stood frozen, piecing together what she had just witnessed. Edie, one of the most wanted men in the world, had just strolled through her studio, casually discussed ancient weapons while drinking some morning coffee, and left without even taking the designs. As she followed him outside, her eyes widened in disbelief.
A massive azure dragon, stretching over a kilometer in length, hovered above Water 7. The city was thrown into chaos, with people screaming in panic.
"Dragon!?" Kokoro heard the frantic voices of the townsfolk. "Is that Kaido? Has Kaido come to destroy the city?"
The dragon, however, wasn't Kaido—it was Chenlong, Edie's subordinate, a figure far less known but no less imposing.
At the Water 7 port, Akainu stood aboard a navy warship, his face twisted in frustration. "It's Chenlong, Edie's dragon," he muttered, his teeth clenched.
Chenlong descended, lowering his head to the ground as Edie stepped onto the dragon's head.
"Let's go," Edie ordered calmly. He glanced back at Kokoro, who had chased him outside, and with a mischievous grin, added, "Goodbye, Miss Kokoro. I'll visit Fishman Island one day."
With that, the dragon began its ascent. Kokoro, paralyzed by fear, could only watch as the colossal creature rose into the sky. Her body trembled involuntarily—a primal fear of predators gripped her.
As the dragon passed over the port, Edie looked down at the warship, locking eyes with Akainu.
"Goodbye, Sakazuki," Edie called out with a mocking tone. "I hope you'll surprise me next time we meet. Even among a group of monkeys, a monkey king will emerge, won't it?"
Akainu remained silent, his face cold, unwilling to engage in another fight so soon after their previous battle.
For now, he had no choice but to stand down.