The Red Line loomed before them, its jagged silhouette cutting across the horizon. Five massive ships bearing the flag of the Beasts Pirates edged cautiously toward the colossal gap in the landmass, where turbulent currents churned violently. The waters surged downward, forming a perilous waterfall that threatened to drag the vessels into the abyss below.
"We can't advance any further," the helmsman muttered, gripping the wheel tightly. "The currents are pulling us toward the pit. There's no way to gauge its depth—it's bottomless."
High atop the mast's lookout tower, a pirate adjusted his telescope, scanning the distant chaos. His voice crackled with urgency as he relayed his findings. "No blockage in sight. The pit's depth is impossible to determine—"
Before he could finish, the telescope was ripped from his hands. Whirling around, ready to unleash a string of curses, he froze mid-breath. Standing before him was Queen Doflamingo, his presence commanding and his expression unreadable. The pirate swallowed his anger and stepped back, cowed by the man's authority.
Doflamingo raised the telescope to his eye, his gaze piercing through the lens. The Red Line's massive gap stretched before him, and beyond it, the Red Port of the New World appeared as nothing more than a tiny crimson speck. After a moment of contemplation, he leapt down to the deck with practiced ease, landing beside Vergo.
"Gather all the artificial Devil Fruit users with flight abilities," he ordered, his tone sharp and decisive. "Have them ferry people across the Red Line in batches. We need to move swiftly."
The world was in upheaval. Paradise and the New World were now isolated, with most of the Marine's elite forces stranded in the former. If the Beasts Pirates lingered here, the Marines would seize the opportunity to crush them. But if they returned to the New World, they could rise from the ashes and carve out new territory. The fall of Holy Land Mary Geoise had left the World Government in disarray, and the New World was ripe for conquest. This was their chance to expand their power far beyond their previous reach.
A commotion broke the tension. A frantic communication officer sprinted toward Doflamingo, his face pale and his voice trembling. "Bad news, sir! Terrible news! We've just received word from Wano Country—the Kuja Pirates have launched an attack! Their fleet is massive, numbering around forty thousand. Pirate Empress Boa Hancock is leading them!"
Doflamingo's brow furrowed in disbelief. "What? That's impossible! Boa Hancock was at Marineford just hours ago. How could she be in Wano Country now?"
The officer stammered, his voice laced with fear. "I don't know, sir, but Wano Country is under siege. The other executives have lost contact completely."
Doflamingo's expression darkened, a storm of emotions brewing beneath his composed exterior. With Kaido gone, he had expected to seize control of Wano Country and transform the Beasts Pirates into his own empire. This sudden turn of events threatened to unravel his plans.
Jack approached cautiously, his voice tentative. "What's our next move, Doflamingo?"
Doflamingo clenched his fists, his jaw tight with frustration. "The most important thing for us now is to transfer the troops here to the New World first. As for Wano Country, I'll send scouts to investigate the situation thoroughly. We'll deal with this setback later."
The turbulent waters of the Blue Sea churned beneath the hulls of the Red Force and the Moby Dick as they sailed side by side, their bows cutting through the waves toward the Sabaody Archipelago. Behind them, more than a dozen pirate ships followed in a grand procession, their masts bristling with flags of various designs. This was the surviving fleet of the Whitebeard Pirates, a remnant of the war that had reshaped the seas.
Luffy, his body wrapped in white bandages, stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze fixed on the colossal canyon that split the Red Line. The gaping chasm stretched skyward, its jagged edges disappearing into the clouds. He let out an awed exclamation, his voice ringing across the deck. "Wow! What a huge gap! How the heck did this even happen?"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, crew members stared at the same sight, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "What's going on…?" "That gap—it's right where Holy Land Mary Geoise used to be!" "How could something like this happen? The Red Line's been split apart!"
"Look at the shape of the canyon," one pirate muttered, his voice trembling. "Those curved edges… Could it be from that thing we saw above Marineford?" Another shook his head, his eyes wide with disbelief. "All that seawater poured in, and there's no sign of it filling up. Is that pit bottomless?"
On the deck of the Red Force, Red-Haired Shanks stood with his arms crossed, his eyes locked on the distant canyon. His expression was unreadable, but a flicker of melancholy passed through his gaze. After a long moment, he shook his head with a bitter smile and leapt gracefully from his ship onto the Moby Dick's deck. He approached Marco, his boots thudding softly against the wood.
"Marco," Shanks began, his tone casual but firm, "I've been thinking. About the reward for helping your Whitebeard Pirates this time—I've changed my mind."
Marco, still weighed down by grief, blinked in surprise. "Huh? Red Hair, if it's not treasure you're after, I'm not sure what else we could offer that'd interest you."
Shanks scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "It's not an item I'm after. Honestly, it's more of a favor. One that might be a bit… troublesome for you."
"Troublesome for me?" Marco raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah," Shanks said with a grin. "I need you to use your flight ability to take my crew—the Red Hair Pirates—to the New World. Over the Red Line."
Marco stared at him, momentarily speechless. Shanks chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on, it's not that big a deal, right? It's just eleven of us, including me. You'd only need to make eleven trips."
The unspoken truth hung heavy in the air. Fish-Man Island, once nestled beneath Mary Geoise, was likely gone. Without flight abilities, the Red Hair Pirates had no way to cross the vast canyon on their own. Shanks knew he couldn't afford to be stranded in Paradise, not with the New World in turmoil. His absence would be a beacon for rivals eager to carve up his territory.
Marco sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, fine. But what about your ship?"
Shanks shrugged, his smile easy and unbothered. "The Red Force? I'll need you to keep an eye on it for now. After getting to the New World, I'll contact a friend and have him prepare a ship for me."
While the Red Hair Pirates and Beasts Pirates faced logistical nightmares crossing the Red Line, the Big Mom Pirates had navigated the crisis with ease, thanks to Brulee and her Mirror-Mirror Fruit. For them, the New World was just a step away.
The mirrors shimmered as tens of thousands of soldiers poured through, returning from Paradise to the New World without resistance. Far behind them—keeping a careful distance of dozens of kilometers—Blackbeard Teach shadowed the Whitebeard and Red Hair Pirates, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.
The combined forces ahead were nothing to scoff at. Between the Whitebeard remnants, Shanks' crew, Luffy's Straw Hats, and two high-ranking Revolutionaries, their strength rivaled the original Whitebeard Pirates at their peak. A direct assault would be suicide—even for someone as bold as Teach.
Therefore, he planned to wait until the various groups dispersed before launching a surprise attack to pick up the scraps...