Prologue - Five Shadows, Five Stars
Part 1
Once upon a time there was a room. By every account, it was a nice room. Large, elegant, well-lit... but what really matters in our tale is not the room, but rather those who were in the room.
Because in the room there were five old-looking men, who were actually considerably older than they looked, as well as two snails, one yellow and one white.
The men were collectively known as the Gorosei, the Five Elder Stars. Together, they were the head of the World Government and their voice was that of the ultimate authority.
The snails were Den Den Mushi, the snailphones used to carry that voice to the farthest regions of the world and communicate with those who had sworn fealty to their rule.
The mood in the room was subdued, if not grim. That, by itself, wasn't unusual. The masters of the world wielded unmatched power, but keeping the world in balance was a titanic and utterly thankless job. Revolution, pirates, rebellion, natural disasters... Rare was the day in which they didn't have to deal with a dozen different situations, each complex in its own right.
But all those were largely known quantities. Dragon might dream of toppling them, but his revolutionaries were simply too weak, and some semblance of order had eventually been born from the chaos born of the last words of the Pirate King. As things stood, the World Government as an entity had little to fear.
But today... today they faced the unknown. An unknown great enough to potentially upset their precious balance for good and that was something that was to be prevented, no matter the cost. There were plans that would one day, not so distant anymore, make their control over the entire world utterly secure.
But... not yet.
And so, they all agreed, balance had to be preserved, until it could be safely discarded. To do so, they needed to know more, much more, about this latest threat and so the one chosen by mutual agreement to speak for the group turned to one of the snails.
"The line is secure in our side and we are all in attendance. If you are ready, you may begin your full report now, vice admiral Comil."
The yellow snail started talking with a vigorous voice then, "Very well, sir. To begin, I can report that criminal Haido Jekyll is reported to have died some time before my arrival. Although the circumstances are not entirely clear and the body has not been recovered, the natives are quite adamant about this point and I am inclined to take their word for it. I have also been granted personal access to the... remains of his three bountied underlings, as well as the stolen vessels, after a promise of financial compensation. As an aside, I strongly suggest that the promise be honored as soon as feasible."
"Your suggestion is noted and will be taken under consideration. Continue."
"Very well, sir. As I was saying, I can confirm the deaths of 'Thunderbeast' Ranke, 'Howler' Fugai and 'Screech' Kamira, as well as the total or partial destruction of seven of the ten class A artifacts that were reported stolen from Karakuri."
Part 1
Once upon a time there was a room. By every account, it was a nice room. Large, elegant, well-lit... but what really matters in our tale is not the room, but rather those who were in the room.
Because in the room there were five old-looking men, who were actually considerably older than they looked, as well as two snails, one yellow and one white.
The men were collectively known as the Gorosei, the Five Elder Stars. Together, they were the head of the World Government and their voice was that of the ultimate authority.
The snails were Den Den Mushi, the snailphones used to carry that voice to the farthest regions of the world and communicate with those who had sworn fealty to their rule.
The mood in the room was subdued, if not grim. That, by itself, wasn't unusual. The masters of the world wielded unmatched power, but keeping the world in balance was a titanic and utterly thankless job. Revolution, pirates, rebellion, natural disasters... Rare was the day in which they didn't have to deal with a dozen different situations, each complex in its own right.
But all those were largely known quantities. Dragon might dream of toppling them, but his revolutionaries were simply too weak, and some semblance of order had eventually been born from the chaos born of the last words of the Pirate King. As things stood, the World Government as an entity had little to fear.
But today... today they faced the unknown. An unknown great enough to potentially upset their precious balance for good and that was something that was to be prevented, no matter the cost. There were plans that would one day, not so distant anymore, make their control over the entire world utterly secure.
But... not yet.
And so, they all agreed, balance had to be preserved, until it could be safely discarded. To do so, they needed to know more, much more, about this latest threat and so the one chosen by mutual agreement to speak for the group turned to one of the snails.
"The line is secure in our side and we are all in attendance. If you are ready, you may begin your full report now, vice admiral Comil."
The yellow snail started talking with a vigorous voice then, "Very well, sir. To begin, I can report that criminal Haido Jekyll is reported to have died some time before my arrival. Although the circumstances are not entirely clear and the body has not been recovered, the natives are quite adamant about this point and I am inclined to take their word for it. I have also been granted personal access to the... remains of his three bountied underlings, as well as the stolen vessels, after a promise of financial compensation. As an aside, I strongly suggest that the promise be honored as soon as feasible."
"Your suggestion is noted and will be taken under consideration. Continue."
"Very well, sir. As I was saying, I can confirm the deaths of 'Thunderbeast' Ranke, 'Howler' Fugai and 'Screech' Kamira, as well as the total or partial destruction of seven of the ten class A artifacts that were reported stolen from Karakuri."