"It wasn't just the pirates from Level Six," Stussy continued. "On their way out of Impel Down, they freed a huge number of pirates along the way. Nearly half the entire prison was emptied."
"With that kind of force, the guards of Impel Down stood no chance at all. Warden Magellan was defeated, and his shadow was stolen by Moria—he can no longer appear under the sun."
"And more importantly, Chief Jailer Shiryu of the Rain betrayed them and joined the pirates."
"Oh?"
Ian asked in surprise, "Shiryu of the Rain betrayed them?"
"Yes, Lord Ian," Stussy replied. "No one expected it. Apparently, his betrayal happened even before the fighting began—he stabbed Magellan in the back with a single sword strike. The strongest man in Impel Down didn't even get a chance to go all out before he was taken down."
Ian clicked his tongue. "Now that's interesting."
So they really stole Blackbeard's entire storyline, huh?
"According to the pirates who barely escaped, all the freed prisoners have now joined Crocodile and Moria," Stussy paused, then said gravely, "Which means, Lord Ian, that Crocodile and Moria now command a terrifying pirate army, nearly all with bounties on their heads! Over five thousand strong! Including those monstrous criminals from Level Six!"
"Oh-ho."
Ian whistled. "That's pretty impressive, huh?"
"Isn't this basically a mix between Buggy and Teach?"
"They really have people like that?"
If you really think about it, a bunch of pirates from Impel Down's Level 6—Crocodile, Moria, plus Shiryu—that's already kind of over the top.
If you throw in someone on the level of an Emperor, a brand-new Yonko crew could be born.
"Only you could say something like this off so effortlessly."
Stussy couldn't help but smile.
"The Five Elders are absolutely furious about it."
"I can imagine."
Ian let out a small chuckle.
By now, the Five Elders were probably in their office cursing like madmen.
Cursing Crocodile.
Cursing Moria.
Cursing the guards of Impel Down.
Cursing the Marines.
It was actually kind of funny.
Just as Ian had guessed, the Five Elders were indeed in their office… swearing up a storm.
"Those bastards Crocodile and Moria! They really dared to do it!!"
"Cancel the pursuit of the Revolutionary Army! The top priority now is these fugitives!"
"Damn it! Redfield and Bullet escaped too! Crocodile and Moria have gathered an enormous force! This is going to be a disaster!"
And, as luck would have it, their worst fears were soon realized.
A few days later, even more explosive news broke out.
And yes—things really did get out of hand.
The call came to Ian's office.
"Oh ho."
Ian held the Den Den Mushi in his hand and let out a strange sound.
"Morgans, you're not messing with me, are you?"
"How could I possibly be?!"
On the other end of the line, Morgans sounded practically euphoric—like a tenor straining to hit his highest note.
"Lord Ian! This is a scoop I barely managed to dig up!"
"Is that so?"
Ian couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Well, that does make things interesting."
"Hahaha, right!"
Morgans laughed out loud. "The former Shichibukai Crocodile and Gecko Moria have actually joined forces! Their total force now exceeds five thousand men, all elite, and every single one has a bounty!"
"Shiryu of the Rain has also become their ally!"
"That's not even the most surprising part. The most shocking thing is, they even managed to recruit the legendary lone wolf, Red the Aloof, Patrick Redfield!"
Ian truly hadn't expected that.
Crocodile actually managed to pull Redfield into his organization.
Everyone on the seas knew that Redfield was a lone wolf through and through—since his debut, through imprisonment and release, he never teamed up with anyone.
Impressive.
Even though Crocodile was probably an enemy, Ian had to give credit where it was due.
To pull this off in one go, Crocodile really had skills.
Decided — once the newspaper officially comes out, he'd send a copy to Doflamingo in prison.
One, because the "news king" image must be maintained.
Two, Doflamingo needed to reflect on this.
Look at Crocodile, then look at himself.
Morgans' sharp voice interrupted Ian's thoughts. Screaming, he said, "The Cross Guild! What a fitting name! Another focal point outside the Four Emperors! Hahaha! Lord Ian, a new Pirate Emperor is about to be born!"
The Cross Guild — that was the name of the organization formed by Crocodile and the others, just like the original led by Buggy.
But—
"Pirate Emperor?"
Ian smiled faintly. "I'm afraid it's still a bit premature."
The Cross Guild's forces were definitely enough to reach the level of the Four Emperors.
Crocodile, Moria, and Shiryu — these three alone were enough to match the power of the Worst Generation.
The prisoners from the Sixth Floor could also serve as mid-level combatants.
However, Redfield was a bit weaker.
Although this guy claimed that alone he could rival the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates, Garp's evaluation of him was that after witnessing the full strength of Roger and Whitebeard in their prime, he gave up on the dream of becoming Pirate King.
No matter how you think about it, he wasn't on the same level as Kaido-sensei, Whitebeard, or even himself.
Whether he could contend with Aunt Linlin was uncertain.
But no matter what, the news of the Cross Guild's establishment still shook the entire world.
The Seven Warlords were already the top-tier pirates beneath the Pirate Emperors.
And now, two Warlords join forces, together with a high-ranking government official and an even more heavyweight former pirate legend.
Such terrifying power gathering in one place — how could anyone in the world remain unshaken?
A new Emperor had appeared!
That's what everyone was saying.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the New World, aboard a massive ship that looked like an island,
"The name has already made a splash,"
Crocodile flipped through a newspaper, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Now, it's time for the second step."
"Hehehe! Genius! Crocodile! You really are a genius!"
Moria laughed heartily beside him, "How could you come up with an idea like this!"
"Exactly!"
The man named Shiryu also wore a wild grin full of excitement, "I knew I made the right choice! Crocodile, you're definitely not someone boring!"
"Right, Redfield?"
Redfield, sitting alone on the sofa with an aloof crimson air, only smiled softly, then said, "At least for now, I'm not leaving. I'm looking forward to what comes next."
Crocodile blew a smoke ring, "It's only going to get more interesting! Just wait and see! Chaos — only by making the world more chaotic can we move forward!"
"If they want stability, then let's shake things up!"
"Since ancient times, only the Navy has hunted pirates — it's time for a change!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
Redfield smiled, then reminded, "Also, don't forget what I want."
"Don't worry, we're already searching for it."
**********
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