Marco's eyes widened.
For a moment, he simply stared—then a grin slowly spread across his face.
He loved quests like this.
Bounty-type quests offered limitless potential, an open road to grinding attribute points. Back when he had first transmigrated, his very first mission—Save Ace—had been built on the same principle.
"Finally… a quest where I can truly grind again!" Marco couldn't hide his excitement. It felt like leveling up in a game—each enemy defeated, each step forward, tangible progress.
Ever since the Marineford War ended nearly half a year ago, the system had only issued one-time quests. No repeatable bounties. No long-term farming opportunities. Nothing like Save Ace had appeared again.
After his defeat at Kaido's hands, Marco had fallen into a brief but frustrating lull. His strength had reached the Strong Yonko level, and any further growth depended almost entirely on the system. Yet the quests it offered were either exceedingly rare—or absurdly difficult.
Defeat Kaido.
Surpass the old era and become the strongest of the new age.
Both were completely out of reach for him at present.
The only remotely feasible quest was to defeat the Blackbeard Pirates—but even if he succeeded, there was no guarantee his strength would improve meaningfully afterward.
After all, upgrading even one of the three forms of Haki from top-tier to legendary required 30,000 attribute points. Enhancing his Devil Fruit further would demand at least 50,000. With quests becoming scarcer and harder, Marco had found himself trapped—eager to grow, yet unable to advance.
He hadn't expected a breakthrough to arrive this suddenly.
Unlike Save Ace, which lasted only a few short hours, the quest to overthrow the World Government was fundamentally different. As long as Imu lived, the bounties on Celestial Dragons, CP agents, and the Government's elites would remain active.
That meant one thing: continuous growth.
Marco vividly remembered Marineford. From the opening clash to the final retreat, only a few hours had passed—yet he had accumulated several thousand attribute points simply by cutting down Marines.
If Ace hadn't returned to the New World afterward, forcibly ending the quest, Marco was confident that he would've already reached true King-level strength by now.
His gaze returned to the quest panel.
"Overthrow the World Government…" he murmured.
"Celestial Dragons usually hide in the Holy Land—Mary Geoise. Even when a few useless ones descend from above, their numbers are limited…"
His eyes sharpened.
"But limited… doesn't mean impossible."
Marco quickly realized that harvesting attribute points from this quest wouldn't be simple. Unless he could storm the Holy Land itself, where else would he find enough Celestial Dragons to grind points from?
His thoughts turned sharply, and a reckless idea surfaced.
"I'll provoke Kaido," Marco muttered to himself. "See if I can drag him along to Mary Geoise and charge straight into the Holy Land."
The banquet on Onigashima raged on for an entire day and night. Kaido spared no expense, laying out the finest delicacies of Wano to entertain both the Phoenix Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
Meanwhile, news of the alliance—formed by the Beasts Pirates, the Phoenix Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates—spread across the seas like wildfire.
After all, this gathering of Emperors had been closely monitored by the World Government and countless other forces. Any agreement forged between them was bound to shake the world to its core.
—
Holy Land Mary Geoise—Pangaea Castle
Within the sacred halls sat the highest authorities of the world: the Gorosei.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro spoke first, his expression heavy.
"The Three Emperors Alliance… the worst-case scenario has come to pass."
"Indeed," Saint Topman Warcury replied grimly. "This malignant force far surpasses the Rocks Pirates of the past. It may very well be the greatest pirate threat the World Government has faced in eight hundred years."
He continued coldly, "Though it's called a Three Emperors Alliance, once their forces fully unite, they could rapidly absorb the entire New World. Even the Red Hair Pirates—another Yonko-level power—would stand no chance against them."
Saint Marcus Mars scoffed. "We once dismissed them as mere hooligans of the sea, interested only in expanding their territory. To think their ambition runs this deep…"
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's voice was firm and unyielding. "Such an alliance cannot be allowed to exist unchecked. We must strike first—and strike hard."
The other Gorosei nodded in agreement.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter spoke with measured gravity. "Through the World Military Draft, the Marines have largely recovered from the losses at Marineford. Two new Admirals—Fujitora and Ryokugyu—have already taken their posts. Only the Seven Warlords of the Sea remain incomplete."
Saint Marcus Mars let out a cold snort. "With the Three Emperors Alliance dominating the New World, the Seven Warlords are clearly no longer enough."
His eyes narrowed.
"The balance of the world… has already been broken." Nusjuro spoke with firm confidence.
"The Marines are now under the command of Sakazuki. While he may not match Sengoku in strategy, his will is ironclad, and his hatred for pirates runs deeper than anyone's. Issue an order to Sakazuki—have the Marines suppress the Three Emperors Alliance. As long as we eliminate even one Emperor before their alliance fully stabilizes, the threat will be drastically reduced."
"A preemptive strike?" Mars frowned deeply. "The New World is pirate territory. Even dealing with a single Emperor is no easy task—let alone three who have joined forces. Attempting to eliminate them outright would be extremely difficult."
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn responded at once, his tone resolute.
"I strongly support a preemptive strike. The moment the three emperors allied, their ambition became unmistakable. Once they consolidate control over the New World, their next move will inevitably be against the World Government. Rather than wait for that day, we should strike first."
Mars shook his head slightly. "I believe dismantling them from within is also an option. The Big Mom Pirates, Beasts Pirates, and Phoenix Pirates have accumulated countless grudges over the years. It's impossible for them to suddenly act like sworn brothers. With enough preparation, their alliance can be fractured."
Nusjuro considered this briefly before deciding.
"Then we'll proceed on two fronts. The Marines will launch a direct offensive, while our agents infiltrate the Three Emperors Alliance and disrupt it from the inside."
The remaining Gorosei nodded in agreement.
Even for them, the Three Emperors Alliance could not be taken lightly. Each Emperor possessed strength comparable to an Admiral—and Kaido in particular had become even more dangerous after awakening his Devil Fruit during his battle with Marco on Nanku Island. Even an Admiral would find him difficult to handle.
—
Marine Headquarters—Marineford
Inside the conference room, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had just received the Gorosei's directive: resolve the crisis of the Three Emperors Alliance as quickly as possible.
Hearing such a casually delivered order, Sakazuki felt the urge to curse aloud.
Did they think the Three Emperors Alliance was something that could be handled so easily?
If it were any single emperor, Sakazuki had absolute confidence. But three Emperors united—that was an entirely different matter.
Still, no matter how difficult the task, it had to be done.
Without hesitation, Sakazuki ordered an emergency meeting, summoning all officers of Vice Admiral rank and above.
Vice Admiral Brannew—the so-called "Meeting King"—was the first to speak, briefing the assembled officers on the formation of the Three Emperors Alliance.
A wave of gasps rippled through the room.
"So the worst really happened…"
"One Emperor is already bad enough—now there are three."
Even seasoned vice admirals couldn't hide their unease. Facing three Emperors at once was enough to inspire despair.
Less than half a year had passed since the Marineford War, and Whitebeard's world-shattering power was still etched into their memories.
In contrast, the Marines' three Admirals—Kizaru, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu—remained composed. Their calm stemmed from absolute confidence in their own strength.
Ryokugyu chuckled lightly. "So, Fleet Admiral… what's the plan? The Three Emperors Alliance isn't coming straight for us, is it?"
Kizaru drawled lazily, his tone mocking. "Ooh, how frightening We barely made it through the Whitebeard Pirates last time. Now you want us to take on three emperors at once? Even the Marines might not manage that"
Fujitora, however, spoke with solemn seriousness.
"Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and the newly crowned Emperor—Phoenix Marco. Each of them is a terrifying pirate in their own right. And together, their forces must number well over a hundred thousand. Fleet Admiral… the Marines should already have intelligence on this, correct? As a newcomer, I'd appreciate being informed."
Sakazuki nodded. Though Fujitora and Ryokugyu were formidable, they had only recently joined the Marines and lacked access to much of its deeper intelligence.
"There's a reason this alliance came into being," Sakazuki said gravely. "Brannew—tell them about the Rocks Pirates."
"Yes, sir." Brannew replied, immediately pulling out a set of documents.
"Before we analyze the Three Emperors Alliance," he said solemnly, "we must first revisit an old name—one the world has long feared…"
"The Rocks Pirates."
"This pirate crew was a superpower of the seas forty years ago," Brannew said gravely. "Its captain—Rocks D. Xebec—was a monstrous figure who sought to dominate the oceans and seize the throne of the world itself."
He paused, letting the weight of the name sink in.
"And the members of the Rocks Pirates were no less terrifying. Among them were Edward Newgate, the former Yonko and captain of the Whitebeard Pirates; Kaido, now the captain of the Beasts Pirates; Charlotte Linlin, captain of the Big Mom Pirates; and the legendary pirate of a bygone era—Golden Lion Shiki."
He continued evenly, "Even the current Four Emperors, Phoenix Marco, once spent time within the Rocks Pirates."
"What?!"
Gasps erupted throughout the room. Most came from Commodores and Rear Admirals; the Vice Admirals, having already known fragments of this history, remained grimly silent.
"Four Emperors… all from the same crew?"
"How powerful was the Rocks Pirates?"
"Why has such a crew never been spoken of before?!"
Shock rippled through the Marines.
Brannew pressed on. "And they weren't the only ones. Infamous pirates such as Captain John, Wang Zhi, and Gin Axe were also members of the Rocks Pirates."
"At the time," he added, "Kaido was little more than an apprentice aboard that ship. As for Marco—he wasn't even officially part of the crew. However, as Whitebeard's adopted son, he accompanied the Rocks Pirates for a period."
"Roughly thirty-six years ago," Brannew said, his voice lowering, "during the God Valley Incident, Vice Admiral Garp took action and completely shattered Rocks D. Xebec's ambition to rule the world. From that battle onward, Garp was hailed as the Hero of the Marines."
A collective sigh swept through the room.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, however, let out a cold snort.
To him, Garp was nothing more than an old relic clinging to past glory—a man who had disgraced the Marines during the Marineford War and now merely awaited death. Without patience for further praise, Sakazuki cut in sharply.
"Brannew. Get to the point."
Brannew stiffened, immediately understanding Sakazuki's intent. He nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir."
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