Far beyond the icy waters surrounding the G18 Fortress, a vast glacier stretched across the sea. The remnants of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates had regrouped, and the ice imprisoning their ships had already been shattered apart.
Barrett's eyes burned with a feral hunger for battle as he stared at Kaido and Big Mom—two of the Four Emperors. If not for Souta Kiryuu's loose alliance with them, he might have already tested their strength just for fun.
High above, on a fleet of airborne warships, Blackbeard Teach presented Souta with two gleaming treasures—the Float-Float Fruit and the Clone-Clone Fruit. Souta toyed with them briefly, before handing both to Nico Robin, his trusted strategist and keeper of the crew's rare assets.
"Souta-sama, we also brought you this prize," purred Catarina Devon, the seductive Nine-Tailed Fox. She shoved forward a bound and battered Marine—Vice Admiral Gion, the famed Peach Rabbit.
This was her desperate peace offering. The Impel Down strike force had suffered massive losses, and none of them wanted Souta's wrath. A living trophy was the best way to make up for their failure.
"I heard the Red-Haired Pirates' Roar Gabu fell by your hand. Shiryu gutted Tokikake the Tea Dolphin. Now you've even captured Peach Rabbit," Souta said mildly. "At least you've earned something worth mentioning."
His tone was calm, almost lazy. He showed no sign of anger, though his army of Impel Down elites had been thinned by half. To him, the war had been a trade—blood for supremacy—and his profits outweighed the loss.
But Boa Hancock and Robin exchanged icy glares with the Impel Down trio who had presented Peach Rabbit. The silent daggers in their eyes were sharp enough to make even hardened killers sweat.
"Boss-god! We should move now!" barked Enel, sparks dancing along his golden staff. "If we wait any longer, the Navy will be too far away! We've already crushed G14 and G1. Might as well take G9—and wipe that so-called Kingdom of Adams while we're at it!"
He slammed his staff against the deck, lightning crackling around him. "And don't forget! Kuzan and Garp are still out there. We can't let them escape!"
"Fine," Souta said, the faintest smirk playing on his lips. "Inform Kaido and Big Mom—we continue the war. Whether they follow or not... that's their choice."
He raised his hand, summoning the scattered blood-crystal dandelions and nutrient vials held by his subordinates. They floated toward him like crimson motes, dissolving into his skin as his strength rapidly returned.
"Understood!" Enel vanished in a thunderclap, appearing moments later atop the glacier below, relaying Souta's command to Kaido and Big Mom, and rallying Barrett for the chase.
Meanwhile, Souta's six lieutenants gathered the corpses of Whitebeard, Saint Saturn, and Tokikake, hauling them aboard the flagship. Had Red-Hair's crew not already retrieved Gabu's body—and had the Beasts Pirates not claimed their own fallen—they would've taken those too.
Unfortunately, many of Whitebeard's strongest sub-captains had sunk with the Moby Dick, their bodies lost forever beneath the waves. Countless powerful Marines and pirates had also vanished, devoured by the tsunami or dragged down by the quake.
Otherwise, Souta mused, with a proper selection from this battlefield of corpses, he could've assembled another unstoppable zombie army.
"Arlong's still pursuing the Navy!" Big Mom's massive form loomed on the glacier, her eyes glittering. Barrett streaked past her, launching into the sky toward Souta's fleet.
She frowned slightly. Truth be told, she was more interested in seizing Whitebeard's abandoned territories—an empire ripe for the taking. She'd already contacted Totto Land. Katakuri and Smoothie were mobilizing ministers to occupy every island once under Whitebeard's flag, pushing deeper with each hour.
If she had more troops, she'd have been raiding Red-Hair's territory by now.
"Wurorororo! What kind of war would this be without me?" Kaido roared, his laughter shaking the air. "Jack! Take Who's-Who and the others! Go raid Whitebeard's and Red-Hair's turf!"
Even mid-battle, Kaido never forgot about spoils.
"Quinn! King! You're with me! Grab a few of those flying Smile users—we'll need them. Time Souta handed over three of those airships!"
Kaido erupted into his azure dragon form, spiraling up into the clouds before diving into one of Souta's airborne ships. King followed with a flare of black wings, trailed by grotesque figures with butterfly, beetle, and bat mutations.
Big Mom clenched her fist, hesitating only briefly before following. She couldn't afford to be left behind. She needed this alliance tight—and perhaps... sealed by marriage.
"Cracker!" she barked. "Contact Katakuri! Tell him to secure every inch of Whitebeard's territory!"
"Yes, Mama!" Cracker saluted, steering what remained of her fleet to regroup with Totto Land's main force.
Around the world, viewers watching through trans-snail broadcasts gasped in collective fear.
The Four Emperors were already monsters who could topple nations alone. Now, with three of them—Souta, Kaido, and Big Mom—together on one ship, the very thought chilled the blood of every civilian watching. Even the World Government had reason to tremble.
"Ka-ka-ka! Ladies and gentlemen!" Morgans' voice screeched over the transponder signal. "I hereby declare—the G18 Fortress War... officially over!"
The image flickered to black. The last frame showed three enormous airships vanishing into the clouds. Morgans wasn't stupid enough to broadcast what came next—the secret meeting of monsters.
Still, if another battle erupted—if Souta's fleet clashed again with the Navy—he'd be the first to broadcast it to the world.
The war had ended, but its shockwaves spread across the seas like wildfire. The fallen were countless—an unprecedented death toll.
Emperors. Five Elders. Admirals-in-waiting. Legendary pirates. Division commanders. Sweet Commanders. Tobiroppo. Red-Hair's officers.
Every major force—World Government, Navy, Souta's fleet, the Four Emperors—had paid a devastating price.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, Straw Hat Luffy knelt before Silvers Rayleigh, begging for training to grow stronger.
In Dressrosa, Sabo raced back to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, determined to learn from Dragon and sharpen his strength for revenge.
At Marine Headquarters, the rookie Coby trained harder than ever, sweat pouring off his trembling body.
Out in the New World, monstrous sea beasts gathered around the ruins of G18, feasting upon the dead. A colossal lanternfish swallowed an entire glacier still smeared with the remains of Saint Saturn.
And somewhere far away... in a humble fruit basket resting beneath a quiet sunbeam... an orange Devil Fruit pulsed to life. Its swirling flame-like patterns glowed faintly, radiating mystery and power.
The world was changing again.