Whitebeard's prediction proved completely accurate.
The moment news spread that the Three Admirals had been captured by Demon Eye Ryūjin, the seas descended into unrest.
Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Hehehe, kids these days really know how to stir up chaos."
Kaido looked at the newspaper and bounty poster in front of him while taking a large gulp of alcohol.
Even though his expression remained indifferent, there was clear admiration hidden in his voice.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"A bounty of seven billion, huh? I wonder if someone worth that much can finally kill me."
King stood nearby with an ugly expression.
"Seven billion Berries? What exactly gives this Demon Eye Ryūjin the right to surpass Lord Kaido's bounty?"
The officers of the Beasts Pirates immediately voiced their dissatisfaction as well.
For pirates, bounty represented status and glory.
Seeing a newcomer suddenly stand above Kaido naturally irritated them.
"This has to be some kind of joke!"
"A brat like him surpassing Lord Kaido? Ridiculous!"
"It's an insult!"
"Lord Kaido, let me go kill that bastard myself!"
Jack stepped forward with brutal killing intent pouring from his body.
Just then, a pirate hurried into the room while holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Lord Kaido!"
Kaido frowned in annoyance.
"What are you panicking for?"
The pirate swallowed nervously.
"It's... BIG MOM."
The atmosphere instantly shifted.
Even among Yonko, BIG MOM was someone equal to Kaido himself.
Kaido grabbed the Den Den Mushi.
"Linlin."
"Kaido, it's been a while."
Charlotte Linlin's voice echoed through the Den Den Mushi.
Kaido skipped the pleasantries immediately.
"You know this call is definitely being monitored by the Marines."
BIG MOM laughed carelessly.
"Let them listen."
Then her tone became serious.
"You've seen the news about Demon Eye Ryūjin, haven't you?"
"You mean him capturing the Three Admirals?" Kaido asked. "What are you planning?"
BIG MOM's voice carried obvious excitement.
"If the Marines really lost the Three Admirals, then this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Kaido slowly grinned.
His sharp teeth looked terrifying under the dim light.
"Worororo, I agree with you."
Then his expression turned thoughtful.
"But if this call is being monitored, the Marines already know what we're thinking."
"Their reaction afterward will tell us whether the Admirals are truly gone."
BIG MOM laughed loudly.
"You've gotten smarter, Kaido."
"Hahahaha!"
Meanwhile, on another hidden island in the New World.
The Red Hair Pirates were gathered unusually quietly.
Normally, the crew loved drinking, feasting, and partying at every opportunity.
Today was different.
Everyone stared at the newspaper and bounty poster spread across the table.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin captured all Three Admirals?"
Yasopp's eyes widened.
"What kind of monster even does something like that?"
Lucky Roux shook his head in disbelief.
"Even a Yonko crew couldn't pull that off... right?"
Although he sounded doubtful, nobody truly believed the news was fake.
The World Economy News Paper rarely published false information.
More importantly, the Marines had not denied anything.
Which meant the report was probably real.
Red Hair Shanks rubbed his forehead slowly.
"Even the Rocks Pirates never managed something like this."
The officers around him fell silent.
In the current era, very few people still remembered the Rocks Pirates.
But Shanks understood exactly how terrifying they had once been.
Whitebeard, Kaido, and BIG MOM had all served under Rocks D. Xebec.
That crew had once stood at the top of the world through sheer violence.
Yet even they had never captured three Admirals simultaneously.
Shanks let out a tired sigh.
"What exactly is Ryūjin trying to do?"
"If this keeps escalating, the balance of the seas will completely collapse."
Then his expression became more serious.
"Whitebeard won't move recklessly as long as nobody threatens his sons."
"But Kaido and BIG MOM are different."
"With Marineford weakened, there's no guarantee those two won't start something."
Shanks stood up slowly.
"It looks like I'll need to meet them personally."
"I just hope they'll give me some face."
Meanwhile, aboard Ryūjin's ship in the Grand Line.
"SEVEN BILLION BERRIES?!"
Nami's scream practically shook the ship itself.
Even the clouds above seemed to tremble slightly.
Robin stared at the bounty poster with visible disbelief.
"Seven billion..."
Even she found it difficult to process.
After all, Gol D. Roger himself had only reached 5.5 billion.
Aokiji and Kizaru exchanged silent looks nearby.
Both Admirals were visibly shaken.
Seven billion Berries was no longer simply a bounty.
It represented absolute danger.
At that moment, Ryūjin had become a towering existence standing above every pirate bounty in history.
Nami rushed beside Ryūjin while clutching the poster tightly.
"Ryūjin-san, this is insane! Your bounty is seven billion! Why are you acting like this is nothing?!"
Ryūjin glanced at the poster casually before snorting.
"It's just a number."
His expression barely changed.
Seven billion sounded impressive, but the Marines already meant very little to him.
An organization he could crush eventually was hardly worth getting excited over.
Still, Ryūjin's mood remained fairly good.
This trip to Skypiea had been incredibly profitable for him.
After absorbing Enel's Goro Goro no Mi and Akainu's Magu Magu no Mi, his Lightning Release Chakra and Fire Release Chakra had undergone massive transformations.
The Magma Fruit also strengthened his Earth Release Chakra to some extent.
Meanwhile, Kizaru's Glint Glint Fruit enhanced his Yin Release Chakra.
At this point, all seven of Ryūjin's chakra attributes had evolved in different ways.
Among them, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Water, and Yin Release had improved the most dramatically.
Which meant his Super Six Paths plan was already more than halfway complete.
Only Wind Release and Yang Release still lacked major breakthroughs.
Ryūjin narrowed his eyes slightly.
For Wind Release, the best target he could currently think of was Monkey D. Dragon.
Although Dragon's Devil Fruit had never been officially revealed, his control over storms and wind was obvious.
As for Yang Release, which represented vitality and regenerative power, Kaido and Marco were ideal choices.
The future looked promising.
But for now, there were more immediate matters to handle.
Ace and Blackbeard were nearby.
Their Devil Fruits were far more important at the moment.
Recently, Ryūjin had deliberately kept Crocodile sailing around nearby waters while waiting for news.
Finally, Miss Friday arrived.
"Master, Fire Fist Ace has found Blackbeard."
Crocodile immediately looked toward Ryūjin.
"Lord Ryūjin, should we head there now?"
Ryūjin waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. Sailing there would take too long."
Then he stood up lazily.
"I'll go myself."
He glanced toward Friday.
"You're leading."
Friday instinctively looked toward Crocodile first.
Crocodile immediately frowned.
"Didn't you hear Lord Ryūjin? Move."
"Yes!"
Miss Friday quickly flapped her wings.
Ryūjin then walked toward Aokiji and Kizaru.
"Sorry, but while I'm gone, you two should keep Akainu company."
Before either Admiral could react, spatial ripples distorted around them.
Kamui activated instantly.
Both Aokiji and Kizaru vanished into the Kamui Dimension.
Ryūjin understood perfectly well that without him watching directly, the two Admirals would definitely stop behaving themselves.
After storing them away, Ryūjin casually created a Wood Clone on the ship as backup.
Then he rose into the air alongside Friday and disappeared into the sky.
During the trip, Ryūjin even found Friday too slow and simply dragged her along with Shinra Tensei.
Their speed became terrifyingly fast.
Soon, they arrived at an unnamed island.
Because of Ryūjin's interference, Luffy's journey had changed drastically.
As a result, Ace and Blackbeard no longer encountered each other at Banaro Island like in the original timeline.
Instead, they met here.
The moment Ryūjin landed, his Observation Haki spread across the entire island.
He instantly located both Ace and Blackbeard.
At that exact moment, the confrontation had already begun.
"Ace!"
Blackbeard looked up toward the rooftop where Ace stood.
"Join me instead!"
"Become my comrade and help me conquer the world!"
Blackbeard's ambition had always been enormous.
He endured years aboard Whitebeard's ship before finally making his move.
Now he possessed the Dark Dark Fruit and had begun building his own crew.
But his current strength was still far from enough to dominate the seas.
If Fire Fist Ace joined him, everything would change.
Ace's face immediately darkened.
"You think I'd follow someone who murdered his own crewmate?"
Flames burst violently around his body.
"Teach, I'm killing you today!"
"For Thatch!"
"For Pops!"
Bang!
Van Augur instantly fired a sniper round directly at Ace's forehead.
His aim was terrifyingly precise.
But the bullet passed harmlessly through Ace's elementalized body.
At the same time, Burgess lifted an entire house and hurled it upward.
Ace destroyed it instantly with flames.
"Don't interfere," Blackbeard warned his crew seriously.
"He's not someone you can handle."
Then the battle officially erupted.
Just like the original timeline, Ace gradually fell into a disadvantage.
The Dark Dark Fruit's ability was simply too dangerous against Devil Fruit users.
Even so, Ace pushed Blackbeard harder than expected.
Several times during the fight, Blackbeard suffered serious injuries from Ace's attacks.
Laffitte adjusted his hat quietly while watching.
"As expected of Whitebeard's Second Division Commander."
"Even Captain had a rough time dealing with him."
Eventually, however, Ace still lost.
Blackbeard stood there breathing heavily while staring down at the defeated Ace.
Van Augur walked over slowly.
"Captain, what do we do with him?"
Blackbeard suddenly laughed loudly.
"Obviously, we hand him over to the Marines."
"A Whitebeard Commander is a perfect gift."
But then, an indifferent voice echoed nearby.
"Oi, you're not handing Ace over to anyone."
The entire Blackbeard Pirates froze instantly.
Blackbeard's expression changed sharply.
Someone had approached them without a single person noticing.
That alone was terrifying.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
A young man stood there casually with his hands in his pockets.
The atmosphere immediately became suffocating.
After several seconds of silence, panic exploded among the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
"Captain, it's Demon Eye Ryūjin!"