"Extra! The legendary Great Pirate, the Red Count, Patrick Redfield, has been confirmed dead at Micity Port!"
"The Battle of the Century! Warlord of the Sea, Golden Ring Aeridar, Fights the Red Count Redfield!"
"Major Conflict! Micity Port is Destroyed, Red Count Dies on the Spot!"
Newspapers flew through the air, and the news of the Battle of Micity Port spread across the world at lightning speed.
…
In the Whole Cake Chateau on Whole Cake Island.
"That old man Redfield is dead?! Didn't I hear he was locked up in Impel Down?"
Charlotte Linlin sat upon her throne, looking at the newspaper in her hand with some confusion.
Her bloodshot eyes swiveled, and she started laughing: "Mamama~ It seems the World Government hid quite a bit about the Marineford War; something big must have happened at Impel Down! Even that old man managed to escape!"
"Fighting Whitebeard, killing the Red Count... Mama, that man's strength is only increasing," said a strong, composed man standing below. He wore a blue knight uniform with pink patterns, carried a sword shaped like an ice cream cone, and had ice cream-like hair.
He was the 16th son of the Charlotte Family, the Minister of Gelato, Charlotte Moscato!
"Mamama~ Moscato, he took an interest in Pudding's abilities last time. How about we marry Pudding off to him?" Charlotte Linlin suddenly looked down and asked.
"Uh~"
Moscato's mouth twitched. He said awkwardly, "Mama, that man's Queen is likely Empress Boa Hancock, who is also one of the Warlords of the Sea!"
"Is that so?"
Charlotte Linlin nodded thoughtfully, saying, "Then tell Smoothie to contact Arlan more often. He's also a good boy!"
…
Wano Country Sea Route.
On a massive pirate ship with a mammoth-shaped figurehead.
Gulp gulp gulp…
The tall, muscular Kaido sat cross-legged on the deck, his large horns visible. His enormous body exuded a terrifying, ferocious aura. He clutched a red sake gourd in his hand, drinking happily.
"Kaido-sama! Big news!"
Just then, a pirate wearing a horned helmet and a fur cape rushed over, holding a newspaper.
Stopping his drinking, Kaido glanced over: "Hm? What is it?"
"Gulp…"
Under Kaido's gaze, the pirate involuntarily held his breath, nervously swallowed, and stammered, "K-Kaido-sama, Red Count, Redfield, is dead!"
"That old man Redfield is dead?"
Kaido was startled, then immediately snatched the newspaper from the pirate's hand and read it.
After a moment, Kaido roared with laughter: "Wororororo! Well done! He took out another old geezer!"
"Whew~ Thank goodness, being drunk today is a happy thing!"
The more than a dozen pirates of the Beasts Pirates surrounding him secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old men should be phased out! Go! Tell Jack! We need to speed up our operations!"
"Wano Country! Wano Country!!"
Kaido's roaring voice echoed, spreading outward as rolling sound waves.
…
A Spring Island, Coastal Forest.
"He actually took out Red Count! Is this man launching his bid for the position of Yonko?!" Shanks narrowed his eyes, stroking his stubbled chin as he seriously studied the newspaper.
"It's highly probable!"
Benn Beckman pondered beside him: "In the New World right now, the person closest to the Yonko title is not anyone else, not even Blackbeard is the closest."
"R-Right, quite a few people already believe that man will ascend to the Yonko throne very soon," Lucky Roux said indistinctly, his mouth full of grease as he gnawed on a chicken leg.
Yasopp, who was polishing his sniper rifle, looked up and said solemnly: "The death of the Red Count, Patrick Redfield, is likely the first step in his charge for the Yonko title!"
Benn Beckman spoke somberly: "Micity Port is within a neutral zone. There are many people there: people from various countries, reporters, and even Navy and World Government personnel."
"Fighting at Micity Port was not only convenient for mobilizing people for an ambush, but it was also a way to announce his power to the world. Trading one port for the life of a legendary Great Pirate; one must admit, that move was played brilliantly!"
"It was a fatal trap. Once he walked in, there was no walking out alive."
Thump!
Shanks slapped his thigh, realizing: "So that's it! There was such complex maneuvering behind the scenes!"
Benn Beckman: "..."
Yasopp: "..."
Lucky Roux: "..."
…
A Winter Island, Cave.
"Zehahaha~ How incredible!" Teach looked at the latest newspaper in his hand, laughing loudly: "Is this his first move? Zehahaha!"
"We defeated a Supernova of the Worst Generation, yet that man killed Red Count Redfield, immediately putting himself a step ahead of us," Lafitte said, warming his hands by the fire and shaking his head. "There's still a roadblock on the path to the Yonko throne!"
"Wiiihahaha~ Captain, that guy is really a monster!" Burgess grinned, laughing heartily and carelessly.
"Zehahaha~ Well, you can't have smooth sailing all the way on the road forward!" Teach chomped down on a cherry pie, taking the news in stride.
"This is fate," Van Augur, who was inspecting his sniper rifle, suddenly remarked with a sigh.
"Murunfufufu~" Catarina Devon seemed to be sneering.
Gulp gulp gulp…
Vasco Shot drank a few gulps of sake, saying drunkenly, "Gulp gulp, that's great! I hear that 'Neutral Zone' place has lots of fine wine. I want to try it!"
"A mere junior reaching this level, nya!" Avalon Pizarro shook his head, somewhat envious of Aeridar becoming a king.
Shiryu of the Rain raised his head abruptly, wiping his long blade with a white cloth: "I heard the talk of prisoners in Impel Down, and some of them had tried to provoke that fellow."
"Huff~ Huff~" Doc Q breathed raggedly, looking like he was on the brink of death, and said weakly: "The SS drugs circulating in the black market are probably related to him. Although the potency is low, it's still a decent commodity."
"It seems the Chris Pirates is more troublesome than we imagined. The large gathering of the Chris Pirates a while back certainly scared quite a few people," Lafitte said, frowning.
"Captain!"
"We've spotted a pirate ship. What should we do?"
Suddenly, the large face of San Juan Wolf appeared outside the cave entrance.
"Perfect timing! I was just worrying about needing a ship! Zehahaha!" Teach's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up, even throwing away the half-eaten cherry pie in his hand.
"It seems fate is watching us," Van Augur quickly assembled his dismantled sniper rifle.