The sea churned with unusual turbulence as four Marine ships emerged from the towering Gates of Justice, their course set for distant Marineford. On the bow of one vessel, Blackbeard Teach stood with a monocular telescope pressed to his eye, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Suddenly—
His eyes widened in shock. High above Marineford, within the roiling black clouds, a colossal orb of energy plummeted downward, radiating a terrifying force capable of annihilating everything in its path. It engulfed the entire island in its destructive aura... only to vanish mid-air as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind. Blackbeard wiped cold sweat from his brow.
He turned to the pale-skinned man beside him. "Laffitte, get up there and see what the hell's going on at Marineford! Whatever just happened was beyond bizarre."
"Captain, what did you see? You look shaken," Laffitte replied, his brow furrowed.
"I'm not entirely sure," Blackbeard admitted, his voice low. "It looked like Marineford was hit with an attack powerful enough to obliterate the entire island, but it disappeared in an instant. That's why I need you to scout it out." He handed the telescope to Laffitte.
"An island-destroying attack that vanished?" Laffitte's face mirrored Blackbeard's astonishment. He took the telescope, unfurled his white wings, and soared into the sky.
From his elevated vantage point, even without the telescope, Laffitte could see clearly for dozens of kilometers. Before he could raise the monocular to his eye, his breath caught in his throat. The Red Line—the massive geological structure that divided the seas—had been blasted open, leaving a gaping hole where Holy Land Mary Geoise once stood. Shock, suffocation, and disbelief surged through him. The sacred residence of the World Nobles, the headquarters of the World Government... was gone.
All that remained was a vast crater on the sea's surface.
Before he could process this, another spectacle unfolded. A crimson fire dragon, its diameter stretching ten thousand meters, erupted from Marineford and shot into the clouds. It struck San Juan Wolf mid-air, reducing him to scattered debris that rained down from the sky.
Laffitte hovered in stunned silence, his mind reeling from the cascade of unbelievable events. When he finally descended, Blackbeard was waiting impatiently.
"Well? What's happening at Marineford?" Blackbeard demanded, his voice edged with urgency.
"Captain, you're not going to believe this," Laffitte began, his expression a mix of awe and apprehension. He recounted everything he'd witnessed from above.
"A hole in the Red Line? And you're certain it's where Mary Geoise was?" Blackbeard pressed, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Absolutely certain," Laffitte affirmed. "And it seems the Pirates are retreating while the Marines aren't pursuing them. I'd guess they've reached some kind of agreement—there's a ceasefire now."
Blackbeard fell silent, his mind racing. His plan had been clear: recruit a host of notorious criminals from Impel Down, exploit the chaos of the Marineford War, and use his Dark-Dark Fruit ability to hunt for Devil Fruits. But now, unforeseen events had thrown his scheme into disarray, leaving him unable to intervene directly. The war, it seemed, had taken a turn he could never have anticipated.
The war ended prematurely. The Marines and pirates ceased hostilities. Holy Land Mary Geoise lay in ruins, leaving behind only a vast, bottomless crater on the ocean's surface. Yet, for him, this wasn't entirely bad news. After all, with Holy Land Mary Geoise obliterated, the central command system of the World Government had been wiped out as well.
A massive breach had been torn through the Red Line, rendering the high-altitude elevator unusable. Fish-Man Island, caught in the crossfire, was likely destroyed. The Grand Line had been cleaved in two, severing its first and second halves. The World Government's grip on the seas would inevitably weaken.
In the wake of this catastrophe, nations across the globe would undoubtedly begin to nurture their own ambitions, no longer willing to submit to the World Government's rule. The world would descend into chaos. Blackbeard Teach grinned at the thought, his laughter erupting uncontrollably.
"Ze ha ha ha! This is truly the best of times—and the worst of times! Now, it's our turn to pick up the scraps. Our target? The Whitebeard Pirates!"
At Marine Headquarters, inside a modest residential building, Kong, Sengoku, and Tsuru gathered around a round table. The air was heavy as they discussed Brandnew's report.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead, his expression strained. "According to patrol ships near Red Port, Mary Geoise was obliterated by a massive energy orb. The blast tore a gaping hole in the Red Line..."
"A massive energy orb?" Tsuru frowned. "Was it the same one that nearly struck Marineford?"
Sengoku hesitated, his face conflicted. "I've been wondering... could it be the same orb that destroyed Holy Land Mary Geoise?"
Tsuru fell silent at the implication.
"We should focus on what the Marines must do now that Holy Land Mary Geoise is gone," Kong interjected, his voice heavy with mock sorrow. "Though the Celestial Dragons are dead—and we should, of course, mourn their loss deeply—it falls to us to maintain order on the seas."
The corners of Kong's mouth twitched upward despite his feigned grief. As the former Marine Marshal and current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government forces, he knew better than anyone just how rotten the Celestial Dragons truly were. Inhumane, unrestrained, morally bankrupt—no words could fully capture their twisted depravity.
Take, for instance, their "field trip" to God Valley thirty-six years ago. Though framed as an excursion, it was nothing short of a massacre. The Celestial Dragons descended upon the island, slaughtering its inhabitants to plunder its resources. Such atrocities occurred every three years.
They would select a resource-rich island unaffiliated with the World Government, exterminate its population, and claim the land as their own. But that wasn't enough for them.
to add more "fun" to the massacre, the Celestial Dragons would release their enslaved prisoners. They established a point system based on the number of heads collected, turning both the island's natives and their own captives into prey. It was an inhumane killing competition, a grotesque spectacle of cruelty.
The Marines took position along the island's perimeter, executing anyone who attempted to flee. Their orders were clear—leave no survivors. The truth of what transpired here couldn't be allowed to seep into the annals of history.
Kong's hands were tied by his own position within the World Government's power structure. He understood the necessity of order and stability in this chaotic world, which was why he sought to reform the system from within. Had it been otherwise, he'd have slaughtered those worthless Celestial Dragons without a second thought.