Three days later, a report rippled across the sea. The Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates, who had recently formed an alliance to defeat the Shichibukai, Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, had been intercepted by the Sweet Four Generals, the children of the Four Emperors Charlotte Linlin, in the New World. According to the news, both pirate crews had been effectively wiped out. The report sent a tremor through the entire world.
Grand Line, near the Calm Belt.
A formidable fleet of five Marine warships cut through the waves. Onboard were three legendary figures: the former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the current Admiral Garp, and the Chief of Staff Tsuru. They had assembled this massive force for a singular, high-stakes mission: to escort the disgraced Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo, to the impenetrable fortress of Impel Down. As the Heavenly Yaksha who had secretly controlled the Beasts Pirates' underworld trade, his capture was a significant blow to the status quo. The Marines feared that Kaido might launch a full-scale assault to recover his business partner. However, they had traveled all the way from the New World without a single interruption from the Beasts Pirates. The lack of resistance had allowed the crew to breathe a collective sigh of relief, though the news they received today had reignited their tension.
On the main deck, Sengoku, his hair now turned stark white, tried to comfort Garp, who gripped a newspaper tightly in his calloused hands. "Garp, stop overthinking it. Children and grandchildren have their own paths to walk. You understand that better than anyone."
Garp managed a stiff, reluctant smile. "I understand, Sengoku, but doesn't this feel different to you?"
"Are you worried that Kaido is pulling the strings from the shadows?" Sengoku asked, his brow furrowing as he caught Garp's meaning.
"I just don't know!" Garp growled.
Tsuru leaned in, her expression unreadable. "I don't think we need to fret. While Kaido and Charlotte Linlin have a history, those two monsters will never submit to one another. They were the same back when they were members of the Rocks Pirates. A true king will never bow to another king."
"I certainly hope so," Garp replied. There was little else he could do, yet the weight of his uncertainty remained.
"Don't worry," Tsuru continued. "Look at Doflamingo's downfall. It shows how cunning Kaido really is. Our intelligence confirms that Kaido and his Beasts Pirates have no intention of rescuing Doflamingo. In fact, his subordinates are already seizing all of Doflamingo's former territories and taking control of the weapon trade. Kaido is far more calculating than he appears; everything Doflamingo sacrificed to build over these years has simply fallen into Kaido's lap."
Sengoku and Tsuru continued to exchange theories, but their eyes remained fixed on a specific cabin on the warship where the prisoner sat in chains. Their goal was clear, yet the mission felt tainted by the shifting tides of the world. Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in Tsuru's coat pocket rang out with a frantic, rhythmic chime. Because the line was direct to the Chief of Staff, it had to be an emergency. Tsuru answered immediately, and a panicked voice crackled through the receiver. "Chief of Staff Tsuru, this is terrible! Kaido has appeared at Dressrosa!"
"What?!" Sengoku and Garp shared a look of shock. Why would Kaido risk appearing in person at Dressrosa?
"Are you certain?" Tsuru asked, her voice calm despite the sudden chaos.
There was a moment of hesitation on the other end of the line. "Well, there is something strange about the report, Tsuru. Our intelligence says Kaido should be a massive blue dragon, but the creature that appeared at Dressrosa is pink, and its goal is to liberate the members of the Donquixote Family."
"Pink?" The three veteran Marines were stunned. Sengoku's face twisted into an expression of pure fury. He slammed his hand against his forehead and bellowed, "Damn that Vegapunk! Even from beyond his reach, he finds a way to ruin us!"
"What is it, Sengoku? You can't mean..." Tsuru's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.
Sengoku did not hold back. "Yes, we received word that Vegapunk used Kaido's Lineage Factor to craft a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. It was pink, but he labeled it a failure. We didn't think much of it—it's the rarest type of fruit, after all—but now it seems we were lied to."
Everyone present realized they had been deceived by the scientist. Tsuru let out a long, weary sigh. "Honestly, I actually feel a sense of relief."
"What?" Both Garp and Sengoku stared at her in disbelief.
"Because the Beasts Pirates aren't the only ones we have to worry about anymore," Tsuru explained. "Whitebeard's power, the mysteries of Devil Fruits, and endless variables we cannot predict—the World Government is going to have a much larger headache than us."
While the Marines pondered the state of the world, others were reeling from the news of the Straw Hat Pirates' annihilation. In a remote corner of the New World, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates were in hiding. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but since the Blackbeard Pirates had dismantled their forces, the crew was barely clinging to survival. Fortunately, their new captain, Fire Fist Ace—who carried the bloodline of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—had made incredible strides over the past year. He had mastered his Devil Fruit and all three types of Haki, including a highly proficient use of Conqueror's Haki. The crew saw their late father's spirit living on through Ace, and the association with both Whitebeard and Roger had drawn new pirates to their banner, helping them recover their strength.
However, the transition was not without conflict. The current Whitebeard Pirates were a shadow of what they once were. Whitebeard had united his fleet captains through pure charisma and his status as a father figure, but Ace struggled to fill those massive shoes. He felt he was not yet ready to lead as a true captain, often wondering if he lacked the natural leadership qualities of his younger brother, Luffy.
In the captain's cabin of the Moby Dick, Marco returned after breaking up a heated argument between two fleet captains. He found Ace standing by the window, staring intensely at a newspaper headline: The Annihilation of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates.
Ace turned, his eyes searching Marco's face with desperate anxiety. "Big Brother Marco, have you heard any news about Luffy?"
Marco took a long, heavy breath and replied, "It isn't good, Ace. Charlotte Linlin hasn't tried to hide it. There are many reports that Luffy and his entire crew were cornered at Cake Island."
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