In the New World, aboard the Moby Dick, the ship of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Moby Dick was an enormous pirate ship shaped like a white whale, and it served as the flagship of the man known as the Strongest Man in the World, Edward Newgate (Whitebeard).
At this moment, Newgate sat on his throne on the deck, holding a freshly printed newspaper in his hand. His expression was filled with disbelief as he stared at the headline.
"Major Incident! Golden Lion's Flying Grand Fleet Completely Destroyed by Marine Ambush in the Edd War Sea!!!"
It had to be said—the World Economic News really knew how to write shocking headlines.
Newgate's attention was immediately drawn to it, and he began reading carefully.
Soon, he finished the entire article.
Overall, the report was praising the Marines' achievements.
According to the article, Marine Admiral Sengoku, together with Hero Garp and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, formed a pursuit force after obtaining intelligence about Shiki.
They had set out from Marine Headquarters, Marineford, and chased all the way to the Edd War Sea.
They caught Shiki completely off guard.
Under the coordination of Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Borsalino, the brave Marines swiftly defeated Shiki's grand fleet.
Shiki himself was severely wounded and fled in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, the entire fleet of the Flying Pirates was essentially wiped out.
Several well-known pirate captains under Shiki were either killed or captured.
In short, aside from Shiki himself escaping by sheer luck, the Marines had completely eliminated the Flying Pirates, one of the New World's pirate overlords.
As one of the major pirate figures of the sea, Newgate naturally wouldn't blindly believe everything written in the newspaper.
He knew very well that although the World Economic News wasn't directly controlled by the World Government, it still operated around its sphere of influence.
The news within was often a mix of truth and fabrication.
However, photographs didn't lie.
On the front page was a picture of Marine warships sailing triumphantly through the wreckage of Shiki's massive fleet.
"This is really something… Pops, does this mean Shiki is finished?" Jozu said in shock.
"I never expected someone like him to be crushed by the Marines in one go. The Navy's strength seems to be beyond what we imagined."
Newgate nodded at first, then shook his head.
"If things truly happened the way the newspaper says, then the Marines' strength really would be terrifying. But the report might not be entirely true."
He paused before continuing.
"And besides… as long as Shiki isn't dead, the Flying Pirates can't truly be considered destroyed."
"That's true," Jozu nodded. "I wouldn't doubt Shiki's ability to make a comeback."
At that moment, Marco asked curiously from the side,
"Why is that?"
At this time, Marco wasn't yet the commander of the First Division, and the Whitebeard Pirates were far smaller than they would become in the future.
As mentioned before, Shiki was currently the true overlord of the seas.
Marco himself was still basically an apprentice, looking very young and inexperienced.
However, he had already eaten the Mythical Zoan: Phoenix Fruit, and Newgate valued him greatly, keeping him close for training.
Hearing Marco's question, Newgate laughed.
"Gurararara… Just like us, most pirate crews are built around their captain. As long as Shiki himself isn't killed by the Marines, give him some time and he can rebuild a fleet just as powerful as before and remain a pirate overlord."
After saying that, Newgate casually tossed the newspaper aside, no longer interested.
What happened to Shiki had nothing to do with him.
They might once have been crewmates on the same ship, but that was long in the past.
As long as that bastard didn't come looking for trouble with him, Shiki could do whatever he wanted.
"How far are we from Wano Country?" Newgate asked calmly.
"Pops, we'll arrive within a week," Jozu answered quickly.
Yes.
At this moment, Newgate and his crew were sailing toward Wano Country.
There, they would meet Kozuki Oden, travel together for a time, and eventually Oden would join the Roger Pirates, reach Laugh Tale, and later return home—only to meet his tragic fate at the hands of Kaido.
Meanwhile, aboard the ship of the Roger Pirates.
Roger and his companions were drinking together.
"The Marines are really shameless," Scopper Gaban cursed while holding the newspaper.
"We know exactly how Shiki's fleet got destroyed, yet now it's being credited to Sengoku defeating him!"
"Hahaha!" Gol D. Roger burst into laughter.
"Isn't that a good thing? Since the Marines are taking the credit, we don't have to stand at the center of the storm. I'd rather not become the focus of the whole world right now."
"You should drink less," Crocus glared at Roger. "It's bad for your health."
Roger shrugged helplessly.
"If I can't drink, I might as well not live."
"If you die that early, what about the rest of us?" Silvers Rayleigh shot him a glare.
"Without that strange ability of yours, none of us can read the Poneglyphs," Gaban added.
"Then none of us will ever find Laugh Tale."
Roger smacked his lips thoughtfully.
"Well then… I guess we'll have to find someone who can read the Poneglyphs."
In short, it wasn't just Roger and Whitebeard.
The entire world was swept up by the news that Shiki had been defeated by the Marines.
For a time, the Marines' reputation—which had been gradually declining in the New World—suddenly rose again.
Of course, that reputation might only be temporary.
If the Marines didn't make further moves in the New World soon, their influence would eventually decline again.
Meanwhile, Shiki's defeat also stirred up many ambitions.
The New World was full of pirates with grand aspirations.
Not everyone acknowledged Shiki as the so-called "Pirate Overlord."
For example—
Charlotte Linlin.
And Kaido of the Beasts.
A fierce struggle for dominance would inevitably unfold across these seas.
Grand Line (First Half)
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Inside an empty training ground at Marineford, Zephyr, Kuzan, Garp, and Borsalino stood around the perimeter, observing what was happening inside.
The training field was in complete ruins.
The once solid ground was now filled with craters and overturned soil and rocks.
Even the distant walls had partially collapsed.
At the center of the wreckage sat Diermude, trying his best to suppress the violent power inside his body.
Now he truly believed it.
If he had eaten the Devil Fruit on the warship earlier, the ship would have been destroyed instantly.
Because just five minutes ago, right after eating the fruit, the gravity around him had gone completely out of control.
Fortunately, Kuzan and the others had helped suppress the situation, preventing him from going completely berserk.
At the moment, he was trying to stabilize the unfamiliar power within his body.
"Being able to calm down this quickly means his control over his own strength is pretty solid," Zephyr said with satisfaction as Diermude's aura gradually stabilized.
Although Zephyr himself refused to eat a Devil Fruit and relied solely on Haki and physical strength to stand among the world's top fighters, he never forced that philosophy on others.
Teaching according to one's abilities—that was his true nature.
Diermude had gone to the New World, returned with the Gravity Fruit, and decided to eat it.
Zephyr didn't stop him.
On the contrary, he valued Diermude even more now.
If the Gravity Fruit were properly developed, its potential might not be inferior to Shiki's power.
Just as Zephyr finished speaking, Diermude stood up.
After taking two steps, his body suddenly felt alternately light and heavy, as if he couldn't even walk normally.
Zephyr's expression darkened.
"Sure enough… I shouldn't praise people so easily."
"The stronger the ability, the more difficult it is to adapt to it," Garp said calmly. "That's normal."
Although Garp wasn't a Devil Fruit user, Kuzan was.
According to Kuzan, when he first ate his fruit and lost control, he had frozen an entire sea area instantly.
Compared to that, Diermude's situation was already pretty good.
At least he hadn't flipped Marineford upside down.
"Teacher," Diermude said as he awkwardly walked toward Zephyr.
Zephyr nodded and sighed.
"I originally planned to have you start learning the Six Powers (Rokushiki) first. But judging by your current condition, you can't even control your own strength yet."
He continued:
"Focus on stabilizing and controlling your new power first. Don't rush into developing the ability."
"Yes, Teacher!" Diermude nodded.
You couldn't become strong overnight.
Originally, he thought that once he gained the Gravity Fruit, he would quickly become a powerful fighter.
Now it was clear things weren't that simple.
Fortunately, his foundation was already there, and Diermude wasn't an impatient person.
"Diermude," Zephyr said earnestly, "while ability is important, your own physical strength and qualities are equally important. Don't become too dependent on your Devil Fruit."
As he said that, his eyes seemed to intentionally glance toward Borsalino.
Borsalino immediately understood.
Zephyr was clearly talking about him.
After all, from the beginning, the two had never agreed on this issue.
After returning, Zephyr quickly noticed that Diermude and Borsalino seemed to get along quite well.
He was worried Borsalino might lead Diermude down the wrong path, so he hurriedly gave this warning.
"Yes, Teacher Zephyr. I think the same way," Diermude said seriously.
"I want to become someone who has no weaknesses in Haki, Devil Fruit ability, or physical combat."
"That's a good ambition," Zephyr said.
"But that road will be even harder."
He paused briefly.
From what he knew, Diermude was someone with strong determination.
So he didn't say anything more and simply smiled.
"At least you're much better than certain bastards."
Borsalino's face twitched slightly, and he coughed awkwardly.
"I'm talking about you!" Zephyr snorted. "If you were half as reassuring as Diermude… sigh."
Borsalino didn't dare argue.
After all, Zephyr was his teacher.
What could he do? Show disrespect?
Right then, a Den Den Mushi (Transponder Snail) on Garp suddenly rang.
It was Sengoku calling.
He asked them to come to his office—and specifically told them to bring Diermude along.
After hanging up, the group immediately headed toward Admiral Sengoku's office.
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