At dawn, people across the sea bought their newspapers as usual.
One man paid, opened the paper, and froze.
"Hm?"
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He put the newspaper down, rubbed them hard, then picked it up again.
His lips trembled as he read the headline aloud.
"The Strongest Creature, Dragon Emperor White Ghost, goes on a killing spree in the North Blue… Slaughters a country in a single day!"
"The three Marine Admirals have been dispatched!"
More and more people saw the paper.
Panic began spreading through the crowd.
How long had it been?
How long had it been since news like this appeared?
"Kurarararara!"
Whitebeard looked at the newspaper and laughed loudly.
"That brat's got guts. In this era, he still dares to do something like this."
Whitebeard stared at the kid in the paper. Appreciation slowly grew in his eyes, but in the end, he sighed.
Back when they were young, who hadn't wiped out a country or two for fun?
But now…
"What's wrong, Pops?" Marco asked from the side when he saw the regret on Whitebeard's face.
Whitebeard looked at the paper.
"He's still too young. Killing them and running would've been the right move. But that brat didn't run. He stayed there and waited.
"The Marines sent all three of those brats. Those three are troublesome."
Whitebeard threw the newspaper aside and took a huge gulp of wine.
"Too arrogant. Watch closely. Even if that brat doesn't die this time, he'll lose a layer of skin."
Marco picked up the newspaper and read it.
"This is strange. Their crew has always behaved properly while sailing the Four Seas. They've visited who knows how many countries.
"But the moment they reached the North Blue, they suddenly started slaughtering? That doesn't make sense."
Whitebeard thought for a moment.
"Someone probably set him up. That should be it. Otherwise, with that brat's personality, he would've kept sightseeing honestly."
Marco nodded.
He had visited White Ghost twice.
The first time, they had been killing pirates.
The second time, White Ghost's group had been visiting a country, and they had been perfectly polite.
In a corner of the Moby Dick, a large dark-skinned man stared at the newspaper, greed flashing in his eyes as he looked at White Ghost's picture.
"Zehahahaha… Three Admirals, huh? Go on, give it your all. Kill him.
"Only when he dies will that Devil Fruit be reborn.
"Then that Mythical Zoan power will be mine. Zehahahaha… And those other Mythical Zoans too!"
As he spoke, the large dark-skinned man took out a picture.
It showed a pale-purple Devil Fruit with a snail-like spiral pattern and a pineapple-like shape.
"My ambition… where exactly are you? Come on. Come to me. I'm getting impatient."
"Teach! The cherry pie is ready. Come eat."
The dark-skinned man hurriedly stuffed the picture back into his clothes and put on a simple, honest expression.
"Ah, Thatch, thanks. Cherry pie's my favorite."
"Hahaha!"
Thatch, the cook, wrapped an arm around the big man's shoulders.
"What are you thanking me for, Teach? We're brothers!"
The big man scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, we're brothers. Zehahahaha."
Everyone reacted differently to the newspaper.
Big Mom threw it away after reading it.
Destroying a country was something she did often enough.
In any case, that brat was dead this time.
Still, as Charlotte Linlin ate cake, she began considering whether to send someone to snatch those three Mythical Zoans.
Angel, demon, vampire.
Three excellent Mythical Zoans.
If they died together with that brat, it would be a waste.
Big Mom ate her sweets and thought with what little brainpower she had left. In the end, she looked toward her son Katakuri.
Katakuri stepped forward.
"Mama, do you have orders for me?"
"Mamamama! As expected of my finest masterpiece. I'll send Zeus with you.
"Go wait near the battlefield. If that brat is finished, bring back those three Mythical Zoans."
Katakuri frowned slightly, but still lowered his head.
"I understand, Mama. I'll leave immediately."
Big Mom nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if remembering something, she looked at her son again.
"And bring back the Soul King and Soul Diva too."
Katakuri bowed.
"I understand, Mama. I'll bring them back."
After saying that, Katakuri jumped onto a white cloud and shot into the sky.
Big Mom was not the only one thinking this way.
Many others had the same idea and sent subordinates to wait nearby.
Everyone understood that when a giant fell, the scavengers feasted.
They all wanted a bite.
White Ghost was too fat a prize. Even a casual mouthful would leave them dripping with profit.
Wano, Onigashima.
After seeing the newspaper, Kaido laughed loudly and his body swelled. Before long, a massive dragon flew out of Wano, heading toward the Four Seas.
In the Four Seas, the kings of countries White Ghost had once visited all frowned.
"Weren't they always polite? They didn't even fuss over minor problems. How did they suddenly do something like this?"
They knew of Asdea.
That country was infamous in the North Blue.
"Did that country go too far?"
Many people did not favor White Ghost.
He was strong, yes.
His crew was decent too.
But this time, all three Admirals had been sent.
He could fight, but how long could he hold out against three of them at once?
Even if his crew had some strength, could they really contend with Admiral-level power?
How strong were the three Admirals?
They were known as the three monsters of Marine HQ.
Rumor said each Admiral could fight one of the Three Emperors of the New World alone.
Of course, to people like Whitebeard, it did not matter what kind of elemental body you had.
Have you heard of Conqueror's Haki?
Morgans received the latest news after the paper had already been released.
He immediately brought his people and rushed toward the destination.
The last live broadcast had gone very well and earned him a fortune. This time, he intended to do the same.
Everyone quietly waited for news.
They waited for news of the three Admirals' victory.
During this time, countless calls from member nations flew toward the World Government, demanding that White Ghost, that cruel butcher, be executed.
Gild Tesoro laughed loudly and threw away the newspaper. Now that he had become the ruler of a member nation, he picked up the Den Den Mushi without hesitation and made a call.
Now he understood what the black-robed man had meant.
All he had to do was follow the trend.
There was no need to stand at the front and face the storm.
"Stella, wait just a little longer. Just a little longer, and you'll return to my side."
Gild Tesoro held a photograph and muttered to himself.
Rayleigh looked at the paper with an unreadable expression.
"This is really troublesome now."
Shakky exhaled smoke.
"Isn't this the result those people wanted? Now that it happened, what's so troublesome?"
Rayleigh took a sip of wine.
"Have you ever thought about it? That guy clearly didn't need to go this far.
"But he still did.
"And he had plenty of time to run, but he didn't."
Shakky blew out a smoke ring.
"Maybe he has confidence. White Ghost doesn't strike me as reckless."
Rayleigh rubbed his chin in thought.
"What kind of confidence could he have? Fighting all three alone?
"Impossible. If that's true, then his strength would be terrifying.
"Fighting two would be more reasonable, but even then, he wouldn't lose so quickly. As for his crew against those Vice Admirals, I'm not optimistic."
( I've launched a new book: Naruto x One Piece: Konoha's Mihawk.
A Konoha orphan with no clan, no bloodline, and no tailed beast awakens the sword path of Dracule Mihawk.
If you like Naruto crossovers, swordsmanship, Haki, systems, and slow-burn power growth, please check it out and add it to your library. )
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios