Not long after Roya left, Vice Admiral Tsuru led a large fleet of Navy ships and surrounded the entire island. Amidst the wreckage of the battle and the lingering heat of scorched earth, she found Donquixote Rosinante—Corazon—barely conscious, lying in the snow-turned-ash.
"Corazon!"
"Where's the medical team? Get them here now!"
"We must save him—no matter what!"
Though calm on the surface, Tsuru's heart was in turmoil. Just recently, Sengoku had told her the truth—Corazon wasn't just a naval operative, but his adopted son. Now, that boy lay before her, covered in burns and ash, his breath shallow.
The medics rushed in, quickly setting up emergency treatment as Tsuru took a moment to inspect the island. She walked past the corpses, the half-melted terrain, and stopped at a building charred beyond recognition. Her fingers brushed the burn marks etched deep into the stone.
"The flames just now… were unnatural. No ordinary Logia or weapon did this. Just what kind of power did we witness?"
Her thoughts were interrupted when the chief medic returned, his expression a mix of awe and confusion.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, we've completed our examination."
"Report."
"Corazon sustained fatal-level injuries… but miraculously, his internal organs, blood circulation, and chakra pathways—excuse me, veins—are all stable. It's as if someone performed a near-perfect… no, impossible surgery on him."
Tsuru's eyes narrowed.
"Miraculous surgery... Then the Operation Fruit—it's been used!"
She turned back to Corazon, who had regained a little awareness.
"Rosinante, I'm going to ask you some questions."
"…Yes," Corazon rasped, his voice weak.
"Did you see the identity of the one who saved you?"
Corazon slowly shook his head.
"Did you see his face?"
Again, he shook his head.
"Where is the Operation Fruit?"
A long silence.
Then another slight shake of the head.
Tsuru stared deep into his eyes. She knew—he was hiding something. But he had always been like this—stubborn when protecting someone he believed in.
Tsuru sighed. "Take him to the ship. Ensure he gets the best treatment possible."
As Corazon was carried away, Tsuru pulled out her Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku.
Marineford – Fleet Admiral's Office
Sengoku stood stiffly in front of his office window, fingers twitching near the Den Den Mushi the moment it rang.
"Sengoku. Corazon is alive. He's stable."
"…Thank goodness…" Sengoku exhaled a long breath, his voice tight with emotion. "And the Operation Fruit? Doflamingo?"
Tsuru's voice lowered. "The fruit is likely taken by the mysterious man who broke through the birdcage. As for Doflamingo… he escaped during the chaos."
As she recounted what happened—the birdcage shattered, the snow ignited into endless fire, and the overwhelming aura of the unknown intruder—cold sweat formed on Sengoku's brow.
"Understood. Search the island again. If there's nothing else, return."
After hanging up, Sengoku walked straight to Cyborg Kong, passing the intel.
Holy Land Marijoa – The Audience Room of the Five Elders
The five most powerful men in the world sat in their usual formation, their expressions dark as ever.
"Cyborg, you'd best bring us good news."
One of the Five Elders, the bald swordsman who always polished his katana, looked up.
Cyborg Kong bowed slightly. His voice was composed but firm.
"The Operation Fruit… has been taken."
Silence.
Then, in an instant, the swordsman Elder stopped polishing. A crushing pressure erupted from him, slamming into Kong like a wall of gravity.
"What did you just say?!"
The pressure on him was immense, but Cyborg Kong gritted his teeth and repeated,
"On Spider Miles, where our trade routes intersect, a mysterious powerhouse appeared—he seized the Ope Ope no Mi."
The Five Elders—figures cloaked in shadow and absolute power—fell into a heavy silence.
The room darkened with tension. Their gazes sharpened like blades.
After what felt like an eternity, the bald Elder with a birthmark across his head finally spoke, voice cold and resolute:
"Issue a bounty. Two billion Berries. Spare no expense. This man must be found."
He turned toward Cyborg Kong, who straightened as sweat beaded his brow.
"Mobilize every intelligence unit. Inform Cipher Pol and the Marine Intelligence Division. The Operation Fruit must return to our hands."
"Understood!" Cyborg Kong saluted and turned to leave the Sacred Land of Mary Geoise, the heavy doors closing behind him like the gates of judgment.
The Seas Respond
The Navy moved swiftly.
Before long, a bounty unlike any seen before blanketed the world.
No name.
No face.
Only a silhouette wreathed in fire.
Bounty: 2,000,000,000 Berries.
Known Alias: "The Flame Wielder."
Warning: Engage with extreme caution.
Every Marine-controlled island was plastered with this bounty. Even Big News Morgans had been stirred to action, dispatching flocks of news coo across the seas.
Moby Dick – Whitebeard Pirates' Main Ship
Marco furrowed his brow as he stared at the bounty in disbelief.
"Dad… the Navy put out a completely blank bounty. All it says is the guy used flames. Two billion Berries!"
The deck quieted as everyone gathered.
"Two billion!? With no face? That's insane!" Ace's eyes narrowed.
"Tch. To make the Gorosei twitch like that… what the hell did this guy do?" Vista muttered.
Suddenly, thunderous laughter erupted.
"Gurararara!!" Whitebeard bellowed from his throne-like chair. "A man like that… I'd welcome him as my son!"
Marco rolled his eyes. "You say that about every crazy strong guy, Oyaji…"
Laughter rippled across the deck, breaking the tension like waves crashing on the shore.
Whole Cake Island – Totto Land
Charlotte Linlin sipped her tea slowly, reading the headline with narrowed eyes.
"Two billion Berries? The Navy's rabid dogs must be foaming."
Katakuri stood beside her, arms crossed, gaze sharp.
"If they're desperate enough to do this, it means the man is a threat to their order. Perhaps he disrupted their secret operations."
"If he dares come here…" Big Mom grinned viciously, her teeth gleaming. "I'll turn his soul into the sweetest caramel candy I've ever eaten."
"Yes, Mama." Katakuri replied calmly, already calculating dozens of possible future outcomes.
An Unknown Island in the Grand Line
Law clutched the blank bounty poster in his hand.
His fingers trembled—not with fear, but with resolve.
The man cloaked in flame… the one who shattered Doflamingo's Birdcage and saved Corazon…
He wasn't just a figure of legend. He was hope incarnate.
"When I become strong enough," Law whispered, his voice carried by the ocean breeze, "I'll find you again… and I'll follow you wherever you go."
The wind swept the bounty poster from his hand and into the sky, the fire-blazoned silhouette drifting toward the horizon.
Somewhere on the Calm Belt
The man in question stood atop drifting wreckage, his tattered cloak fluttering in the salt wind.
A soft glow of embers crackled around his body, heat radiating from his Zanpakutō—Ryūjin Jakka.
Before him, floating unconscious on a piece of driftwood, was a woman with white hair and blood at her temple.
He knelt beside her, pressing two fingers to her pulse.
Still alive.
He lifted her into his arms and murmured,
"Another one caught in the crossfire. Let's get you out of here…"
The ocean parted slightly beneath him as flames licked across the surface, leaving not destruction—but warmth.