The next day, the headlines exploded across the world: Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had led the newly appointed admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu, along with fifty thousand Marines, to declare war on the Three Emperors Alliance. The battlefield: Cake Island.
The clash was brutal. Both the Marines and the Three Emperors Alliance suffered massive casualties…
On Beehive Island, Marco flipped through the latest newspaper. He couldn't help but think how convenient it was for the World Government to control public opinion. They could print whatever version of the truth they liked.
In reality, Sakazuki had been killed by Marco in a one-on-one battle. Yet in the article, it had become: Fleet Admiral Sakazuki surrounded by Kaido, Big Mom, and Marco, then fatally wounded after being ambushed by Marco, dying a "heroic" death in the line of duty.
Marco was a little surprised when he saw that, but he didn't dwell on it. The rest of the Phoenix Pirates, however, were furious. They all knew Sakazuki had fallen to Marco alone, but now the credit was being split with Big Mom and especially Kaido—who had only shown up after the war was basically over.
At that moment, Ace burst out laughing as he stared at his new bounty poster. "My bounty's just a bit short of two billion. What a shame, what a shame! Hahahaha!!!"
"I got a bounty this time too, but it's a little lower than yours, Ace," Yamato said happily, studying her own poster.
Ace glanced at it and grinned. "A first bounty of 1.5 billion Berries is already insanely good."
"It's not just you two," Curiel added with a smile. "The Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates all had their bounties updated as well. I've put together the main ones. Take a look, Captain Marco."
Marco took the stack of posters from Curiel and began to go through them. Every single one of his crew's bounties had gone up.
Curiel announced excitedly, "First, the captains of the Three Emperors Alliance. Four Emperors—Phoenix Marco, bounty: 5.5 billion Berries."
"Four Emperors—Kaido of the Beasts, bounty: 5.5 billion Berries."
"Four Emperors—Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, bounty: 5 billion Berries."
Ace scanned the new wanted posters, eyes shining. "The Marines set both Marco and Kaido at 5.5 billion Berries, and Big Mom at only 5 billion," he said excitedly. "That basically means the Big Mom Pirates are the weakest Yonko crew."
Jozu snorted, clearly dissatisfied. "If you ask me, Marco is definitely stronger than Kaido now. Before, Marco's Devil Fruit was awakened, but it didn't have the Destruction Black Flame. With the Destruction Black Flame, Kaido definitely isn't Marco's level."
Marco folded his arms and smiled confidently. "I'll challenge Kaido again later. Pops' title of 'strongest in the world' can only be inherited by me. Curiel, what about everyone else's bounties?"
"Right," Curiel replied, his own excitement showing as he flipped through the stack of posters. "I'll focus on the division commanders."
"First Division Commander, Zack — 1.898 billion Berries.
Second Division Commander, 'Fire Fist' Ace — 1.8 billion Berries.
Third Division Commander, Jozu — 1.42 billion Berries.
Fourth Division Commander, Jinbe — 1.025 billion Berries.
Fifth Division Commander, Vista — 1.672 billion Berries.
Sixth Division Commander, Blamenco — 865 million Berries.
Seventh Division Commander, Rakyo — 972 million Berries.
Eighth Division Commander, Namur — 1.02 billion Berries.
Ninth Division Commander, Blenheim — 794 million Berries.
Tenth Division Commander, Curiel — 855 million Berries.
Eleventh Division Commander, Kingdew — 909 million Berries.
Twelfth Division Commander, Harta — 795 million Berries.
Thirteenth Division Commander, Atmos — 725 million Berries.
Fourteenth Division Commander, Speed Jil — 898 million Berries.
Fifteenth Division Commander, Fossa — 1.285 billion Berries.
Sixteenth Division Commander, Izo — 808 million Berries.
"In addition," Curiel went on, "there's Yamato, the 'Ogre Princess.' Her very first bounty is 1.5 billion berries."
He continued, "Besides the division commanders, the bounties of the vice captains and the captains of the subordinate crews have also gone up—most by around 30 to 50 million berries. And after this battle, a lot of our regular crew members have been given bounties by the Marines too."
Marco listened in silence, then gave a small nod. Thanks to the system, he could clearly see how much they'd grown in just half a year. Ever since the Marineford War, they'd been constantly thrown into one conflict after another; with that kind of life-or-death fighting, it would've been strange if their strength hadn't skyrocketed.
Out of the sixteen division commanders, only Zack, who was currently with the Beasts Pirates, and Fossa, who was with the Big Mom Pirates, were absent. The other fourteen were all gathered here.
Among them, Ace, Vista, and Yamato had already reached the level of Strong Yonko commander, while Jozu had stepped into the Yonko commander level. Jinbe and Namur both possessed the strength of a weaker Yonko Commander, and the remaining captains all stood firmly at the peak of ordinary captain levels.
"Besides us, the bounties of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates' executives have gone up as well. Two of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders died, leaving only Katakuri and Smoothie. Their bounties have risen too—Katakuri is now at 1.8 billion Berries, the same as Ace, and Smoothie sits at 1.25 billion Berries."
"As for the Beasts Pirates: King the Conflagration's bounty is 1.68 billion Berries. Jack's has climbed to 1.1 billion. Among the Tobiroppo, Vergo's bounty is 898 million berries, Who's-Who's is 620 million, Sasaki's is 588 million, Black Maria's is 552 million, Ulti's is 515 million, and Page One's is 376 million."
After reporting all this, Curiel said with a trace of pride, "Whether it's the Big Mom Pirates or the Beasts Pirates, when it comes to the number and strength of their executives, they're far inferior to our Phoenix Pirates. Captain Marco, you're now the man closest to becoming pirate king."
The pirates around them lit up and chimed in happily.
"That's right! After the Whole Cake Island War, the Big Mom Pirates took heavy losses, and Kaido and his crew were hit by Uranus. Our Phoenix Pirates are the strongest pirate crew now!"
"Yeah! We've finally gone back to how it was when our old man was still alive. We've finally returned to the strongest era!"
Listening to their joy, Marco suddenly snapped, shouting, "What's there to be happy about?!"
His words stunned the crew. Jozu stepped forward and rebuked them as well. "During the Whole Cake Island War, nearly two thousand of our brothers were killed by the Marines. Our Phoenix Pirates still haven't recovered to the full strength the Whitebeard Pirates had. This doesn't mean we've become stronger—this is just the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates being worn down by Marine attacks."
Vista added sharply, "Exactly! And now we're allies with the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. The moment our three crews formed an alliance, we became a thorn in the side of the Marines and even the World Government. Things won't be easy from here on out, so you'd better be prepared!"
At that, the pirates who had been cheering a moment ago all gulped nervously.
Ace then spoke up, his expression turning serious. "Marco, are we really going to take the initiative and attack Marineford next?"
Jozu tried to dissuade him as well. "That's right, Marco. We've already secured one victory—why not quit while we're ahead? The world government is the acknowledged ruler of the seas. No one knows the true extent of their strength. With an eight-hundred-year foundation and terrifying war weapons like the Uranus."
When Marco returned yesterday, he had already roughly laid out his plan to the division commanders. After hearing it, all of them were somewhat stunned.
Marco's plan was simple and insane: launch a direct attack on Marineford and completely drive the Marines out of the New World.
Faced with this crazy proposal, the Phoenix Pirates couldn't help but feel lingering fear. They knew all too well how powerful the Marines were.
Originally, Marco had intended to strike at the Holy Land itself. That way, he could rack up a massive amount of attribute points and quickly boost his strength.
But after thinking it through carefully, he realized he had been trapped in a misconception from the start. Even if attacking the Holy Land would yield a huge number of attribute points, it would be meaningless if success was impossible. At best, it would only cause the World Government to lose face.
And the World Government cares deeply about its reputation. If they responded by using the Uranus to wipe out Beehive Island in one blow, Marco's losses would be devastating.
So Marco decided to change tactics: first defeat the Marines, then go after the World Government.
Marineford stood as the mightiest military stronghold under the World Government. If Marineford fell, it would be like tearing out the government's claws. Even with the Gorosei and the God's Knights, their overall power would be drastically weakened.
But the plan was too bold, and every member of the Phoenix Pirates was stunned.
Marco gave a small nod, his expression turning solemn. "This is unavoidable. From the moment the Three Emperors Alliance was formed, our war with the Marines—and even the World Government—had already begun. Even if we don't make a move, the Marines and the World Government will."
A sneer tugged at his lips. "And with Akainu as Fleet Admiral, they tried the simplest, most efficient method to deal with our Three Emperors Alliance: military suppression."
"But the result is obvious. In the end, he failed."
"After this, though, the Marines and the World Government definitely won't resort to large-scale military suppression so easily. Most likely, they'll try to divide and conquer."
"Divide and conquer?" Vista's brows drew together.
Marco explained calmly, "It's simple. Our Phoenix Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates all have grudges with each other, right?"
The captains all nodded at that. Marco continued, "Even if the three of us as captains can sit at the same table, that doesn't mean the pirates under us can. Especially those with blood feuds."
Izo's face tightened. He frowned and lowered his head in silence.
Marco went on, "As long as the World Government sends agents to infiltrate us and keeps sowing discord, this alliance can easily collapse from within. Once that happens, they can pick us off one by one."
"I see…" Yamato nodded, half-understanding, still thinking it through.
Ace, however, had already grasped it. He looked at Marco seriously. "So that's why you rescued Big Mom without hesitation, Marco? That was the reason?"
Marco nodded slightly. "The Three Emperors Alliance is built on mutual interest. Only continuous victories can keep it together. If the alliance breaks, the Marines can crush us individually."
"This time, the Marines took a massive loss on Cake Island. They've seen the true power of our alliance. So once this alliance falls apart, the Marines and the World Government will definitely seize the chance to press their advantage and wipe us out completely. That's why we have to keep working with the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates and keep pushing our offensive."
The thought of continuing the war against the Marines and the World Government made everyone uneasy, but Marco had already laid out the pros and cons clearly, and they all agreed. The moment they clashed with the Marines and the World Government, the path of retreat had vanished.
Even if they wanted to seek peace now, the World Government wouldn't accept it. They wouldn't rest until the Three Emperors Alliance was completely shattered.
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