News of the battle between the Sky Pirates' captain Yemu and the Demon Heir Douglas Bullet was impossible to keep under wraps.
Whether it was the Marines or the citizens who had fled the Drum Kingdom, the information spread with remarkable speed.
As for the outcome, no one knew at first. All anyone could confirm was that their clash had completely destroyed an island.
Still, plenty of people had their own guesses.
Although Sky Pirates captain Yemu had risen to fame across the seas within just a single month of his debut, he was still considered far inferior to Douglas Bullet.
After all, Bullet had once been a member of the Pirate King's crew. He was said to possess combat power on par with the Pirate King's right-hand man, Dark King Rayleigh. His bounty alone was an astonishing 1.08 billion Belly, a full two times higher than Yemu's.
With that in mind, the outcome seemed obvious. Sky Pirates captain Yemu had likely been killed with ease by Bullet, and the Sky Pirates themselves had been wiped out.
Some people had even begun searching for the reborn Mera Mera no Mi and Goro Goro no Mi.
However, two weeks later, someone spotted Douglas Bullet in Spring Queen City on the Grand Line.
The sight shocked everyone.
The Douglas Bullet whom people had assumed would win effortlessly was now clearly badly injured.
The entire left side of his chest, from his neck down to his abdomen, was covered in severe burn marks. While injuries like that didn't mean much to a monster like Bullet, the massive crimson scar was more than enough to show just how terrifying that battle had been.
Even if Sky Pirates captain Yemu had died, he had clearly caused Bullet no small amount of trouble before his death.
Then, another week passed.
The president of the World News Economic Agency, Morgans, dropped an explosive piece of news.
Sky Pirates captain Yemu was still alive, and not only that, he seemed to be doing just fine.
The report didn't go into details, but according to the news, the Sky Pirates' captain was extremely displeased. Morgans' self-made sensational headline had dragged a problem like Bullet straight to the Sky Pirates, prompting Yemu to send a sharp inquiry in response.
From another angle, though, this reaction itself was solid proof that Sky Pirates captain Yemu was indeed still alive.
As if responding to that news, on the very same day, an action taken by the World Government and the Marines once again pushed the Sky Pirates into the spotlight.
New bounties were issued.
"Sky Pirates Captain Yemu, Extremely Evil Individual, Mera Mera no Mi user. Bounty: 940 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Vice Captain Enel, Extremely Evil Individual, Goro Goro no Mi user. Bounty: 800 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Navigator Fisher Tiger, Extremely Evil Individual, Fishman. Bounty: 680 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Swordsman Killmonger Erik, dual-wielding swordsman. Bounty: 280 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Head Chef Flare, Extremely Evil Individual, Ryōri Ryōri no Mi user. Bounty: 10 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Ship Doctor Killmonger Ayala, Extremely Evil Individual. Bounty: 8 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
"Sky Pirates Sniper Baby-5, Extremely Evil Individual, Buki Buki no Mi user. Bounty: 6 million Belly. Dead or alive..."
...
New World
Two months ago, Shiki charged straight into Marine Headquarters, only to be defeated by Garp and Sengoku working together and thrown into Impel Down.
In an instant, the New World's carefully maintained balance collapsed.
Shiki, the unquestioned king of the New World, driven by unrivaled ambition, had tried to follow in the footsteps of the former tyrant of the seas, Rocks. With his own Flying Pirates at the core, he formed the Flying Pirates Grand Fleet, becoming the sea lord with the largest territory in the New World, the most islands under his control, and the greatest number of subordinate pirate crews.
At its height, the Flying Pirates Grand Fleet held nearly a third of the New World.
But the moment Shiki was captured, the entire armada fell apart.
Without Shiki, the Flying Pirates Grand Fleet couldn't keep the ambitious Great Pirates within from tearing it apart, and it couldn't fend off the outsiders who had been eyeing Shiki's territory for a long time.
So the New World plunged into chaos overnight. Slaughter, war, and death were everywhere.
And then, right at that moment, Whitebeard, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, suddenly sent banquet invitations to the Great Pirates.
No one knows what happened at that banquet.
But from that day on, the pirates of the New World stopped killing each other and instead turned their attention to the Navy and the World Government.
Their goal was obvious: drive the Navy and the World Government completely out of the New World.
In just a single month, countless Navy bases were hit by pirate raids, and the Marines suffered horrific losses.
Even after the Navy's hero Garp, Admiral Sengoku, and Zephyr all appeared in the New World to try to stabilize the situation, they still couldn't stop it.
...
Marine Branch G-2.
This base stood closest to the Whitebeard Pirates, and aside from Branch G-1, it was the strongest and oldest Marine branch in the New World.
For years, its mission had been to keep watch on the Whitebeard Pirates.
But today, Branch G-2 became history.
At the very top of the Marine fortress, the flags of the Marines and the World Government were lowered, replaced by the Whitebeard Pirates' Jolly Roger.
"Gurararara..."
Whitebeard was in the prime of his life. He stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, gripping Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades. His golden, wavy hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his towering presence felt as radiant and overwhelming as the sun itself, sending his sons around him into a frenzy of excitement.
"Boys, pack up the loot. We're heading back."
Even though they had completely taken the G-2 base, Whitebeard had no interest in occupying it.
For one, they were pirates. Their ship was their home.
And for another, there was the pact they'd made. Everyone would stand together against the Navy and the World Government, drive them completely out of the New World, and turn it into a paradise for pirates. After that, they'd fight it out and seize territory by their own strength.
At Whitebeard's call, the Whitebeard Pirates hurriedly and gleefully loaded the treasures taken from the G-2 base onto their ships, then set sail and left the place behind.
Once they were clear of the base, the Moby Dick immediately shifted into full party mode, celebrating their victory.
Whitebeard sat on the deck with his sons gathered around him, then tipped his head back and drained the wine in a single, bold gulp.
The warmth and шум of it all, like a real family, was something he genuinely enjoyed.
Just then, a lively young man with a pineapple-like hairstyle came striding over, newspaper in hand, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Oyaji, today's paper is here..."
"Oh? Marco, anything interesting?"
There was always plenty in the papers, and Marco wouldn't bother his Oyaji, Whitebeard, over nothing.
"Yeah! Oyaji, do you remember the news from three weeks ago? The showdown between Bullet and that new pirate from the Sky Pirates, the one named Yemu!?"