A week had passed since the Hachinosu battle ended.
During this week, the New World looked calm on the surface, but the news had already begun to spread behind the scenes.
Until early this morning, flocks of News Coos flew out from Morgans' headquarters, carrying newspapers that smelled of fresh ink to every corner of the world.
The whole world erupted.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
The morning sun shone through the massive Yarukiman Mangroves, lighting the slowly rising colorful bubbles.
Inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Shakky sat lazily behind the counter, holding cigarette while counting the Berries she had taken from a few unlucky pirates yesterday.
In the corner of the bar, a burly, middle-aged man with long blonde hair was sleeping face-down on a table. He still gripped a half-empty bottle of liquor in one hand.
"Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh.
Ever since he helped Aiden coat the Storm Reaper and sent away the three Hancock sisters, this man seemed to have gone right back to his retired life of drinking and sleeping through the day.
Shakky put down her ledger, walked over to Rayleigh, and leaned down. She brushed Rayleigh's stubble-covered cheek, stopped by his ear, and blew out a thin stream of smoke.
"Hey, are you still not awake? My coating mechanic."
Rayleigh twitched his nose and groggily opened his eyes. Looking at the still-beautiful face so close to him, he gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"Spare me, Shakky. We're an old married couple. This kind of wake-up call early in the morning isn't good for my heart."
"Stop joking." Shakky chuckled. She stood up straight, and her expression softened for a moment. "You spent all the deposit on booze. If you don't start working, they will come knocking on our door."
"Alright, alright, I know."
Rayleigh sat up straight and stretched his muscles, producing crisp popping sounds. Even though he was over fifty, he still had the body of a man who had survived the Roger Pirates.
"Really, after that kid Aiden left, the days on this island have suddenly become boring."
"Squawk—"
A News Coo's cry came from outside the window.
A News Coo skillfully flew into the bar and tossed the latest newspaper onto the counter.
Shakky casually threw it a coin, picked up the paper, and glanced at it.
However.
Just this one glance made her hand freeze in midair.
"What's wrong? Did the World Government raise taxes again?"
Rayleigh noticed and leaned over curiously.
"Something big happened, Rayleigh."
Shakky took a deep breath and spread the newspaper out on the counter.
Look at this. Two more names from the old days are gone.
Rayleigh looked down.
He saw the front-page headline of the World Economy News Paper written in huge, bold black font, showing a shocking title—
The End of the Old Era! Hachinosu Turned into Scorched Earth!
Warlord Silver Axe and Great Pirate Ochoku Perish Together! The Pirate Paradise is No More!
"What?!"
Rayleigh sobered up at once.
"Ochoku... Silver Axe..."
He muttered these two names, his finger resting on the blurred photo of the ruins in the newspaper.
Those were his old rivals, men who had once fought against him and Roger as part of Rocks' crew. Although they were below monsters like Whitebeard and the Golden Lion, they were still among the strongest pirates of their time.
"They actually died? And two at once? Perished together?"
Rayleigh frowned. As someone who understood the personalities of those old guys, he instinctively felt something was wrong.
Although the members of the Rocks Pirates did not get along, and Silver Axe had always wanted to seize Hachinosu... this ending was too tragic. It looked exactly like someone had arranged it.
"Heh... Ochoku."
Shakky looked at Ochoku's name on the newspaper, and her tone turned colder.
"Back then, it was this bastard who caught me and sent me to God Valley to claim credit from the World Government, which triggered all that mess later on."
"He dreamed of selling himself to the World Government in exchange for wealth and glory."
"And the result?"
Shakky scoffed, pointing at the "Warlord Silver Axe" in the title.
Instead, that brute Silver Axe, who only knew how to cut people down, was the one who became a Warlord first and got the Government's protection.
"How ironic... Two men who wanted the Government's protection ended up killing each other?"
"No, this isn't right."
Rayleigh shook his head. The more he looked at the report, the less he believed it.
"I know those two old bastards too well. Each of them valued his own life more than anyone else. Fighting over territory is possible, but fighting to the point of perishing together? Absolutely impossible."
"Unless... a third-party force stepped in and killed them both."
Rayleigh moved his gaze down, his finger pointing at the eye-catching headline of the supplement section.
"Look at this. The Marines even established the G-6 Branch directly on Hachinosu. This proves that the Marines didn't just win; they completely crushed them."
The title of the supplement section was even more glaring.
The Iron Wall of Justice! Marine G-6 Branch Rises from the Ruins of Hachinosu!
In the accompanying photo, the newly promoted Vice Admiral "Fujitora" Issho stood among the ruins.
"Issho..."
Shakky exhaled a smoke ring.
"I remember he is the special advisor that Aiden kept by his side, right? The newspaper previously said he suppressed the Aqua Laguna in Water 7. His strength is indeed great. He is strong enough to be considered for Admiral one day."
"But..."
Rayleigh shook his head.
"Saying he could take out Ochoku and Silver Axe at the same time, and even clear out every single pirate on Hachinosu... That is stretching it too much."
"In that level of battle, even if a Marine Admiral went there, it would be impossible to win so cleanly, let alone kill all the pirates on Hachinosu and build a branch while at it."
"Unless..."
Shakky and Rayleigh looked at each other. They had reached the same answer.
"It's that kid Aiden," Rayleigh said with a bitter smile.
"Yeah. Other than Aiden, I can't think of anyone else on this sea who could do something so crazy."
Shakky gently tapped her fingers on the table.
"He just sent Hancock back, and right after that, he ran to Hachinosu to kill Ochoku and Silver Axe, and built a Marine branch along the way?"
Shakky turned to look at Rayleigh with a hint of teasing.
"Say, old man."
"It seems that Aiden was quite 'polite' to you on the Sabaody Archipelago that day."
"To be able to take out pirates like them in such a short time... His strength is probably even greater than we expected."
Shakky flicked her cigarette ash and said with a half-smile,
"If he hadn't considered Hancock and the others being present that day... your old bones might have really been beaten to the ground in front of those young girls."
"If that happened, the Dark King's lifelong reputation would have been completely ruined."
Hearing Shakky's teasing, Rayleigh wasn't angry. Instead, he rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly.
"Yeah..."
Rayleigh looked at Hachinosu, which had been turned into scorched earth in the newspaper. He remembered the young Marine drawing his sword.
That look had carried the will to challenge the whole world.
"The young people nowadays really force you to admit you're old."
Rayleigh picked up the bottle and took a gulp. He looked down at the newspaper.
"He reminds me of someone."
"Roger?" Shakky asked.
"No."
Rayleigh shook his head and did not answer Shakky's question. Instead, he pointed at the newly established G-6 Branch.
"This sea... is about to change."
...
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise. Room of Authority.
The room was silent and heavy.
The five men who stood at the top of the World Government sat around the table. The very same newspaper was placed on the table.
"Hmph, perished together?"
The Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, wearing a dark red suit, scoffed.
"This kind of nonsense only fools the ignorant masses outside."
"Even though Silver Axe reported that he was going to take over Hachinosu as his territory before he set off, he isn't the kind of madman who would risk his life for territory. He is an opportunist. If he sees things going wrong, he definitely runs faster than anyone. How could he fight to the point of perishing together?"
"Besides, Ochoku isn't easy to deal with either. Both were old pirates who knew how to survive. Dying that cleanly makes no sense."
"And that Issho? Although he performed well in Water 7, taking out two pirates from the Rocks era at the same time, plus so many other pirates... he is not strong enough for that yet."
"Without a doubt."
The bald old man holding the Shodai Kitetsu, Warrior God of Finance, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, pushed up his glasses.
"Aiden did this."
"Other than that guy, no one could slaughter all the pirates on Hachinosu in such a short time. He did the exact same thing in Mock Town before. Only the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit can achieve this."
"He is showing off to us," the long-bearded Warrior God of Environment, Saint Marcus Mars, said. "That G-6 Branch is a nail he drove right under our noses. He is telling us that not only is he not dead, but he is living very well, and he even wants to expand his power in the New World."
At the mention of Aiden, the Five Elders' expressions darkened.
Because not long ago, Harald had sent back news.
He had intercepted Aiden at the entrance of the New World, and a fierce battle broke out between them.
The result was... he failed to capture him.
Harald's exact words were: "That kid is already close to Rocks' level."
Saint Ju Peter repeated this report, his voice tightening.
Who was Harald? He was an Ancient Giant who could once fight evenly with Rocks. Even he couldn't take down Aiden and let him get away.
This meant that Aiden was no longer just a promising Marine, but a monster who had truly grown enough to threaten the World Government's rule.
"We can no longer leave him unchecked."
"He is growing too fast. He is already this difficult to deal with now. Give him a few more years, and I'm afraid he will really become a second Rocks."
"We must ask Lord Imu."
Saint Nusjuro stood up and made his decision.
"Although Lord Imu's previous order was... for us to bring him to the Room of Flowers."
"But looking at it now, the difficulty of this task has exceeded our control."
Saint Ju Peter frowned beside him and added:
"That kid is growing too fast. Now he can even defeat two pirates from the Rocks era at once."
"If we still hold onto the idea of capturing him alive, it will only cost us heavy casualties."
"Exactly."
Saint Nusjuro tightened his grip on Shodai Kitetsu.
"He is too dangerous to leave alone. We must immediately ask Lord Imu."
"We need to explain the situation to Lord Imu and request a decision on whether to continue trying to capture him, or... change the strategy and perhaps mobilize the God's Knights to eliminate him at any cost."
The five men reached a consensus. They immediately stood up and walked toward the sacred and mysterious Room of Flowers deep within Pangaea Castle.
However.
Before they even reached the entrance of the Room of Flowers, a figure blocked their path.
It was a tall woman.
She wore a newsboy cap with wind goggles, and a black cloak covered her fitted double-breasted top. The sleeves of her outfit were unusually long and hung empty at her sides. Below that, she wore only a pair of panties, tall boots decorated with cylindrical structures, and white bandages wrapped tightly around her calves.
Her mouth was heavily covered and wrapped in bandages, leaving only her mismatched eyes visible.
A member of the God's Knights—Junko.
She had just come out of the Room of Flowers.
Seeing the Five Elders, Junko stopped and bowed slightly, but did not salute. In the God's Knights, even the Five Elders did not have absolute command authority.
"Sirs, please go back."
Junko's voice came out slightly muffled through the bandages.
"Lord Imu is not available to see anyone right now."
"Not available?" Saint Nusjuro was taken aback and said urgently, "It's about Aiden..."
"There is no need."
Junko interrupted him.
"Lord Imu already knows."
"However, Lord Imu's attention is not on that Marine right now."
Junko's voice lowered.
"Lord Imu said that the mischievous 'little mouse'... has finally shown its tail."
"What?!" The Five Elders turned pale.
Anyone Lord Imu would call a "little mouse" was definitely not simple.
"I am going to execute the capture mission right now. Lord Imu needs to monitor that little mouse's movements the entire time to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Junko adjusted her long sleeves and continued,
"As for that Aiden..."
"Lord Imu has ordered: 'Temporarily halt all special operations against him.'"
"Halt?!" The Five Elders looked at each other in confusion. "Why? If we let him keep getting stronger..."
"This is Lord Imu's order."
Junko did not explain the reason. She just said plainly,
"Anyway, until new instructions are given, you only need to handle your public duties well."
After saying that, Junko disappeared down the corridor, leaving only the Five Elders standing in place.
The Five Elders remained uneasy, but Imu's orders were absolute.
"Since Lord Imu has said so..."
Saint Nusjuro sighed and tightened his grip on his sword.
"Then let's temporarily suspend all actions against Aiden for now."
...
New World, Wano Country.
Onigashima, inside the Skull Dome.
"Waaahhh... Ochoku! Silver Axe! You two bastards!!"
Kaido's crying echoed through the massive banquet hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.
Kaido of the Beasts was slumped over the giant liquor table, clutching a wine gourd and crying so hard his nose was running.
"To actually die just like that! Dying without even saying hello!"
"My youth! The crewmates from Rocks are down by two again! What's the point of this sea anymore! Waaahhh..."
This was Kaido's normal state after getting drunk—a crying drunkard.
The subordinates around him were all kneeling on the ground, shivering, terrified that Kaido might get upset, go on a drunken rampage, and kill them all.
"C-Captain Kaido, please calm down..."
"Calm down my ass!"
Kaido smashed the wine gourd and picked up the newspaper next to him. He originally wanted to take another look at the report of his old friends' deaths and reminisce about his lost youth.
However.
When he saw the photo of the G-6 Branch in the supplement section, his crying stopped.
Kaido stared at the Marine Captain in the photo, the one transformed into a Triceratops.
"Huh?"
Kaido burped, his brow furrowing deeply.
"This form... why does it look so familiar?"
"A Triceratops?"
Kaido sobered up at once. He had always valued Ancient Zoan fruits more than almost anything.
"Men!"
Kaido shouted, his voice filled with brutality.
"Go! Call 'Ironhead' Galt here!"
"Didn't that piece of trash report half a month ago that he found an Ancient Zoan fruit? I remember it was this Triceratops form! He even swore he would offer it to me back then!"
"How did it end up in the Marines' hands now?!"
Hearing Kaido's questioning, a Headliner in charge of communications crawled forward trembling, not even daring to lift his head.
"R-Reporting to Captain Kaido!"
"Headliner Galt... has been out of contact for half a month!"
"Along with his fleet, it's like they vanished from the sea!"
"What?!"
BOOM!!!
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kaido's body. The surrounding tables and chairs shattered into dust.
"Out of contact? Bullshit! He got killed!!"
Kaido was furious. He jabbed a finger at Kane's photo in the newspaper.
"The fruit went to the Marines! The person is gone! Do you even need to ask?!"
"The G-6 Branch did it! The Marines did it!!"
"Stealing my fruit! Killing my men!"
"This is going too far!!!"
Kaido stood up violently and grabbed his giant kanabo, Hassaikai. Cyan scales began to appear on his body as he rapidly expanded, clearly preparing to transform into his Azure Dragon form and fly out to kill someone.
"I'm going to sink that island right now! I'll tear apart that Marine who ate my fruit!"
"Captain Kaido! Please calm down!!"
Just then, a black figure stepped in front of Kaido.
It was the All-Star of the Beasts Pirates, King the Conflagration.
"Get out of the way! King!" Kaido breathed out a puff of hot breath.
"Captain Kaido, you cannot leave Wano right now."
King's voice stayed calm, even in front of Kaido's rage.
"Have you forgotten? That five-year agreement."
At the mention of this term, Kaido's movements came to a sudden halt.
"Kozuki Oden?"
Kaido narrowed his eyes, his drunkenness completely gone.
"What is that idiot doing lately?"
"Still dancing," King answered. "Once a week, rain or shine. He hasn't stopped."
"The people of Wano are thoroughly disappointed in him. The citizens who once worshipped him now only throw stones and spit when they see him. The Kozuki family's reputation has almost collapsed."
"But..." King shifted the topic. "There are less than two months left until the agreed five-year deadline."
"Even though Oden is an idiot, the Nine Red Scabbards by his side are not to be underestimated. And over these five years, they have not lost all their strength."
"If you leave Onigashima now on an expedition to G-6, and Oden realizes it and launches a counterattack..."
King pointed behind him in the direction of the weapons factories.
"Our weapons factories and Seastone mines might be in trouble. Those are the foundation of our army. We absolutely cannot afford any mistakes."
Kaido fell silent.
He sat back down on his throne and slammed his kanabo heavily onto the ground.
"Right... five years."
Kaido grinned.
"That guy has almost lost all public support. I just need to wait out another two months, and when the agreed time comes..."
"I'll kill all those samurai completely! I'll turn Wano into 'New Onigashima'!"
At this point, taking Wano mattered more than chasing after one fruit. Even though an Ancient Zoan fruit was precious, compared to the entirety of Wano, it was nothing.
"But we can't ignore G-6's provocation."
Kaido's grip tightened around Hassaikai.
"If we let the Marines run wild right at our doorstep, where is the Beasts Pirates' pride?"
He looked at his most trusted right-hand man.
"King, after you finish your current tasks, make a trip for me."
"Go to the G-6 Branch. Teach them a lesson."
"Tell those Marines whose territory the New World is."
Kaido pointed at Kane's head in the newspaper and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"If you get the chance... bring back the head of the guy who ate my fruit."
"As long as the person dies, the fruit will naturally respawn somewhere in the sea. It won't be too late to take it back then."
"Understood."
King nodded slightly. The black wings on his back suddenly spread wide, and raging flames ignited on his body.
"As you wish, Captain Kaido."
"I'll make them understand what happens when they provoke the Beasts Pirates."