On a nameless island in the first half of the New World.
"Bulu-bulu~~"
As Yoriichi and his Marines departed from Fish-Man Island, a Den Den Mushi began ringing somewhere on the island. Moments later, a hand reached out, picked up the receiver, and placed it to an ear.
"They've already left?"
"The destination is where!? That's impossible!"
"…Mm, understood. I'll inform Pops."
After hanging up, the figure stepped out of the room.
At the island's shore,
Blue sea lapped gently at coral reefs near the sands. Waves washed over the beach as sunlight filtered through forest leaves, casting dappled shadows while the wind rustled through the trees.
Under the shade, a group was camped at the coastline, barbecuing. The scent of grilled meat and alcohol wafted far on the breeze.
Edward Newgate sat cross-legged beneath a towering coconut tree, smiling contentedly while drinking, surrounded by his sons.
In the middle of the party, a young Rakuyo twisted his body in a bizarre dance around the campfire to the roaring laughter of his crewmates. Though the dance was anything but graceful, it lit up the mood.
Whitebeard chuckled heartily, "Gurararara," and took a few hefty gulps of ale. With barley beer and Thatch's carefully charred fruitwood-grilled meat, the flavor was beyond compare.
The warm atmosphere brought rare peace to his heart.
This was the life he had set out to sea for, to sail the oceans freely, to anchor at a beautiful island when tired, and to feast joyfully with family. At this moment, Whitebeard felt his life had already reached fulfillment.
He turned and squinted out at the bright ocean with a relaxed smile.
"Pops! Something happened!"
"Pops!"
Just as Whitebeard was about to doze off after a hearty meal, loud voices called from a distance. The festive crew fell quiet and turned to look.
"Oi, Marco! What's all the yelling for?"
"C'mon, you just killed the mood," Thatch grumbled by the grill as he laid meat onto a tray, annoyed at the interruption.
"Hah, sorry, Thatch!"
Marco zipped past, snatched a few skewers, and ran up to Whitebeard's side, still chewing as he muttered, "Big news, Pops. The Navy… Fish-Man Island… they're moving."
His words were barely intelligible through the mouthful of food. Others couldn't understand, but Whitebeard's brows furrowed slightly. "You mean Yoriichi left Fish-Man Island?"
"And he's not heading back to Dressrosa… but to Riddridge Island?"
"That place… I remember it's…"
Whitebeard stroked his chin, the name sounding familiar, as though someone had mentioned it before, but he couldn't quite recall.
"Pops, it's Kaido. That's Beasts Pirates territory."
Now swallowing his food, Marco filled in the gap.
"Oh! Right. That brat who escaped from Yoriichi ran off to Riddridge Island."
"So what you're saying is, Yoriichi's new heading is toward Riddridge Island?"
Whitebeard's expression grew serious as he straightened up. Marco nodded hard, excitement in his eyes. "Looks like the Navy is making a move on the Beasts Pirates."
"We heard a few days ago that several Navy warships secretly left HQ, right?"
"One of them was Vice Admiral Garp's! And no one has seen him in the first half of the Grand Line. I'm betting he's already in the New World."
"If they're sending Garp and Yoriichi… something big is happening!"
Though Whitebeard himself had little ambition, his sons under the flag had dreams and goals of their own. With the vast information network they maintained, Whitebeard was always kept informed of the world's latest developments.
And in today's world, what drew more attention than the Marine HQ and the upstart Dawnblade Division?
The Whitebeard Pirates had been monitoring Yoriichi and Marine HQ movements for some time.
Unbeknownst to Yoriichi, he had overlooked one key factor, Fish-Man Island was Whitebeard's turf. There was no way the pirates had no control or intelligence gathering there. While they never interfered in Neptune's rule, they knew everything happening on the island.
After all, it was a critical node connecting the Grand Line to the New World, no son of Whitebeard would leave it unchecked.
"A big move, huh…"
"If it's Garp and Yoriichi… if Kaido doesn't know what's coming, he might get crushed by those two."
"Gurararara! The Navy's reach has grown longer these years…"
"That won't do."
After laughing, Whitebeard's face turned stern.
"Pops, you mean…?" Marco's eyes lit up.
"The Navy's gone too far. If we let them be, one day they'll set their sights on us too."
"Time to remind them to behave."
"Get ready. We're setting sail!"
With that, Whitebeard picked up his bisento and stood tall. His sons blinked, then cheered wildly.
"Yeah! We've gotta let the Navy know who rules the New World!"
"Let's go meet that Yoriichi kid! Been itching to put him in his place!"
With the crew roaring, the Whitebeard Pirates sprang into motion.
Meanwhile, on Riddridge Island, the Beasts Pirates were already sensing something amiss.
For nearly ten days, no unfamiliar pirates had shown up on the island, an abnormality for such a major New World gateway island.
Several scouting teams sent out had also gone missing.
The tension reached the central castle. King entered Kaido's chambers, holding a sea chart, accompanied by other officers.
The drunken Kaido opened the door and grinned. "Oh, it's you, King! Here to drink?"
Behind him, his subordinates exchanged looks. Drunk Kaido was notoriously unreliable.
"Big Bro Kaido, there's a situation."
King's grave tone sobered Kaido a little. He stepped aside to let them in.
Kaido's massive room doubled as office and bedroom, luxurious in décor, but cluttered with empty liquor bottles and reeking of booze.
King stepped in, sighed at the mess, kicked aside a few bottles, and sat cross-legged on the floor, spreading the map.
"Kaido-nii, your room's way too messy."
"Bwahaha! Don't mind it, King!"
Kaido plopped beside him, unfazed by the complaint.
"I think we're being watched," King said flatly.
Kaido blinked, then burst into laughter. "Being watched? Who's dumb enough to try that? Bwahahaha!"
Given their army of nearly 10,000 pirates and dozens of officers with over 500 million bounty each, Kaido thought it was a joke.
But King wasn't laughing. He pointed at a sea region 70 nautical miles east of the island.
"We've lost control of this area."
"Multiple teams sent out… no word from any of them."
"I don't think this is coincidence."
"And Big Bro… that guy. He vanished after Fish-Man Island. We've lost all trace of his movements."
"The guy…" He meant Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the man who once crushed them in Migo Town and forced them into hiding.
Ever since they rebuilt, the Beasts Pirates had been watching Dressrosa. When Yoriichi went cruising the New World with Tiger, they noticed. But ever since he entered Fish-Man Island, he vanished from their radar.
Kaido's face turned grim.
"You're saying… he's coming for us?"
Meanwhile, in the eastern seas 70 nautical miles out,
Over twenty Marine warships lay at anchor, sails furled, waiting silently.
These were top-class ships designed by Vegapunk, capable of carrying nearly 300 crew each and storing a month's provisions without resupply.
At the center of the fleet floated a comparatively small dog-headed warship. On its deck, Garp leaned lazily on the railing, fishing rod in hand.
"That brat Yoriichi still hasn't arrived?"
"If we wait any longer, the enemy might catch on."
"If they run, all our preparations will be for nothing."
Behind him, Zephyr stood with arms folded, glasses gleaming, eyes scanning the sea.
"He contacted me four days ago. They've entered the New World."
"Based on the Dawn's speed, they should arrive in the next few days… unless that brat throttled the engines."
"He spent too long on Fish-Man Island. And we… arrived too early."
Zephyr sighed and turned his gaze toward Riddridge Island.
Suddenly, a black speck appeared in the sky.
Zephyr narrowed his eyes.
"What is it, Zephyr?" Garp followed his gaze, squinting, then widened his eyes.
"Bogard! Telescope!"
Bogard rushed over and handed it off. Garp looked through and spotted,
A black-winged, pterosaur-like figure cloaked in fire, hovering mid-air and observing the fleet.
"That guy's…"
"King of the Beasts Pirates!"
Garp tossed the telescope aside and shouted, "Zephyr!"
In one fluid motion, Garp tore off his cloak and stepped before Zephyr. As he leapt up, Zephyr cocked his fist, his shirt straining over his muscles.
BOOM!!!
Zephyr's punch struck the sole of Garp's boot. Thunder cracked as Garp turned into a white streak, launching off the deck with incredible force.
King, seeing the movement, widened his eyes. Using his own spyglass, he immediately spotted Garp and Zephyr, and bolted toward the island.
Behind him, a thunderous boom echoed. Not daring to look back, King doused his flames and accelerated, vanishing in an instant.
A heartbeat later, a condensed wave of Haki blasted through the spot he'd just vacated, slamming into the sea and sending up massive waves.
Hovering in mid-air, Garp exhaled heavily, arm still raised.
Back on the dog-head ship, Zephyr frowned. "They've been alerted. Bogard! Raise anchor!"
"No time to wait, advance on Riddridge Island! Prepare to attack!"
Bogard snapped a salute and rushed off.
Moments later, Garp returned using Moonwalk, grim-faced.
"We can't afford to wait anymore."
As his words fell, the ship's broadcast crackled on with Zephyr's orders. Warships all around raised anchor and regrouped.
Seeing this, Garp grinned.
"No need to tell me twice!" Zephyr smiled faintly, reminiscing about fighting alongside Garp and Sengoku in their youth.
"Hahaha! So your instincts haven't dulled, old man!"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter echoed as the dog-head ship turned, charging toward Riddridge Island. The rest of the fleet followed suit, sails unfurled.
An entire Marine fleet surged toward the island.
At 70 nautical miles, they would arrive in just over an hour.
King rushed back to report. Upon hearing it was Garp and Zephyr, Kaido's face turned grim, but then he grinned.
Run?
Why run?
"Leave Zephyr and Garp on Riddridge Island! Let the Navy learn the wrath of the Beasts Pirates!"
At the island's central plaza, a pirate shouted into a loudspeaker, rallying the troops.
Cheers and roars erupted across the island.
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