On Foolshout Island, Fisher Tiger walked directly into a Marine ambush. Severely wounded by a strike team led by Rear Admiral Strawberry, the legendary Fish-Man eventually succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
The newspaper also reported that Arlong had attempted to launch a violent retaliation against the residents of Foolshout Island, only to be caught red-handed by Vice Admiral Kizaru, who had been waiting specifically to ambush him. Following the defeat, the Sun Pirates' Vice-Captain, Jinbe, led the remaining crew members in a hasty retreat.
Naturally, the newspaper's sanitized account contained a few discrepancies, but the core events aligned perfectly with the 'true history' Bardock remembered from his past life.
The civilians of Foolshout Island had maliciously sold Fisher Tiger out, allowing the Navy to lay the lethal trap in advance. After suffering catastrophic injuries while breaking through the encirclement, Fisher Tiger managed to escape, but ultimately died because he absolutely refused a life-saving blood transfusion tainted with human blood. Furious and grieving, Arlong had rushed back to slaughter the island's residents to avenge his boss, only to walk right into Kizaru's trap.
Kizaru was a man who famously adhered to 'Unclear Justice' and frequently slacked off on the job. Yet, this time, he had proactively stood guard on the island, anticipating a potential revenge attack from the Fish-Men to protect the civilians. For once, he truly lived up to the word 'Justice' written on the back of his Marine coat.
"What a shame. Fisher Tiger was a genuine hero. I had hoped to track him down and become friends a few years ago. Now, I'll never get the chance," Bardock sighed, folding the newspaper.
He had known Tiger's tragic fate was approaching, but the Sun Pirates' movements were so incredibly elusive that even Naval Intelligence struggled to track them. Bardock had possessed no reliable way to find them, and the opportunity had completely slipped away.
"Bardock..." Robin murmured, her eyes dark and distant. "Why must a man who dedicated his life to liberating slaves be brutally hunted down in the name of 'Justice'?"
She wasn't genuinely asking Bardock; she was asking herself. Having just recently learned of the World Government's sickening atrocities against pregnant women and infants on Baterilla Island, combined with the lingering, agonizing trauma of the Ohara Buster Call, the death of Fisher Tiger added another layer of disgust. The flames of rebellion in Robin's heart burned brighter than ever, like a volatile volcano on the verge of erupting.
Over the following days, the front pages of the World Economy News Paper were completely dominated by massive, historical Navy restructuring events.
First, Fleet Admiral Kong was officially promoted to the position of World Government Commander-in-Chief. Having lived in this world for quite some time, Bardock found the full title—Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies—slightly amusing. He knew of the Navy and the Ground Forces, but he had never heard of a World Government Air Force. He honestly wondered what the 'Three Armies' actually referred to.
Next, Admiral Sengoku formally ascended to the highest rank, officially becoming the new Fleet Admiral of the Navy. In truth, Sengoku had essentially been performing the administrative duties of the Fleet Admiral for years already. This was merely making his de facto authority official.
Following that was the monumental appointment of the three new Marine Admirals: Akainu (Red Dog), Kizaru (Yellow Monkey), and Aokiji (Blue Pheasant).
One wielded the Logia-type Mag-Mag Fruit, possessing apocalyptic, world-destroying offensive power. One wielded the Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit, boasting the absolute fastest speed in the world. And the last wielded the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit, capable of flash-freezing entire oceans in an instant.
Finally, a large batch of elite officers was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. Among them was the newly promoted Vice Admiral Strawberry, who had earned massive military merits for his role in the Fisher Tiger ambush, alongside several other familiar faces from the original timeline.
The World Economy News Paper ran this overarching theme for several consecutive days. The massive shift in the Navy's hierarchy sparked intense, passionate discussions across the globe. Ironically, Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral generated far less public buzz than the appointment of the three new Admirals.
In the eyes of ordinary civilians, Devil Fruits were nothing more than mythical treasures of the sea; many didn't even believe they truly existed. However, anyone with a modicum of strength or status knew they were very real, and that Logia-types were the absolute rarest and most terrifyingly powerful category.
The fact that the three new Marine Admirals were all Logia users—and possessed three of the most overwhelmingly destructive fruits in existence—brought a massive wave of reassurance to the civilian population. Millions genuinely believed that with these three walking natural disasters at the helm, they no longer had to fear pirate raids.
Indeed, a significant number of pirates quietly disappeared, and many aspiring rookies completely abandoned their dreams of setting sail out of sheer terror. For a brief period, the world's oceans fell into a rare, uneasy peace.
Only those standing at the absolute apex of the world truly understood that the geopolitical dynamic wouldn't shift that easily. After all, before they were officially crowned Admirals, those three men had already been actively serving as Vice Admirals. They didn't just magically pop into existence. If their terrifying strength hadn't been enough to halt the 'Great Pirate Era' back then, merely changing their job titles wouldn't stop it now.
Aboard the White Dragon, Bardock and his crew were currently gathered on the deck, discussing this exact geopolitical shift.