Sea Circle Calendar – Year 1520, September 20th
Three days remain until the scheduled execution of Fire Fist Ace.
Somewhere in the New World, adjacent to the Red Line.
"Easy! Easy! Just as I predicted—the Navy forces have completely withdrawn!"
"It's all thanks to my brilliant strategy~ Perorin~"
On the bow of a massive candy ship, stood the eldest son of the Big Mom Pirates, the Candy Minister—Perospero, smirking with satisfaction.
He shamelessly claimed all the credit for the success of the operation, despite contributing little in practice.
In reality, the elite agents of the World Government had been overwhelmed by Cracker, the Biscuit Knight. The finishing blow came from Snack, another high-ranking officer.
Despite Perospero's boasts, neither Cracker nor Snack showed much reaction—they knew the truth.
A battle log recorder on the ship had captured everything. The evidence was irrefutable.
Three of Big Mom's warships sailed back toward their origin, cutting through the waves.
Suddenly, Snack, stationed on deck, tensed.
His Observation Haki sensed something massive approaching from underwater.
Almost simultaneously, both Cracker and Perospero grew alert.
The enemy wasn't hiding—they were approaching brazenly.
BOOM!
Under the gazes of Big Mom's high-ranking officers, the sea rose in massive swells.
Three small mountain-like mounds surged from the ocean.
The waves parted like waterfalls, revealing three black steel submarines—silent, menacing.
"That's… the Marine? No, something's off!" Cracker narrowed his eyes.
He spotted the insignia on the submarines—not the Marine's or the World Government's.
It resembled a variation of the Marine's symbol: a skull pierced by a sword.
"Reporting, Lords Cracker, Snack, and Perospero! That's the insignia of the Pirate Suppression Vanguard Unit!" a scout reported urgently.
"Pirate Suppression Vanguard Unit? What the hell is that?" Perospero scowled.
"It's a new force that emerged in the last two years, led by former Marine Admiral Zephyr. Their sole mission is to hunt down pirate organizations!"
"Usually, they don't dare go after Yonko crews. This time, they must have received orders from the Marine!"
"What?! A former Admiral?! That Zephyr leads an anti-pirate army?"
Perospero's voice cracked. He was clearly shaken.
And rightly so—Zephyr wasn't just any name. He had once been a genuine Admiral of the Marine.
Before Perospero could recover from his shock—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Artillery thundered across the sea.
The three submarines opened fire first.
A hail of cannonballs blanketed the sea, roaring toward Big Mom's trio of ships.
"Candy Wall!" Perospero shouted, raising a hand.
The Paramecia Candy-Candy Fruit activated.
A towering wall of hardened candy rose like steel, shielding them from the barrage.
Nearby, on Cracker's ship—
the rhythmic clap clap clap of biscuit creation echoed.
Out of thin air, rows of crude yet powerful Biscuit Soldiers took shape.
Each wielded sword-like biscuit blades, striking down cannonballs mid-air.
Some even tanked the hits with their own bodies—emerging unscathed.
Such was the might of Cracker, the Biscuit Knight.
A walking war-machine, his Paramecia ability was often called a bug-tier fruit.
As long as his stamina held out, he could endlessly spawn these biscuit warriors.
Each one required immense force to break—Luffy once needed Gear 4 and full Haki infusion just to crack one open.
Now that Luffy had ascended as a Fifth Emperor, these soldiers were less of a threat—but still formidable.
"Hmph. So what if he's an old man from a past era?" Cracker scoffed. "Zephyr is nothing now!"
"You said it, Cracker! Former Admiral or not, if he's here, we'll take him down!" Snack growled.
As they spoke, Big Mom's ships began their counterattack.
Homie-powered cannonballs, alive with purpose, fired toward the submarines.
Hatches opened.
From the warships, dozens of egg-shaped mini-boats launched forward.
Each carried two Big Mom pirates and a Biscuit Soldier.
Hundreds surged toward the submarines in formation.
And then—
without warning—
a song rose from the sea.
Deep, resonant, brimming with grief and majesty:
---
The ocean watches—where the world begins.
The ocean speaks—where the world ends.
Its direction is the right path.
Its guidance reveals the true world.
---
This was no ordinary melody.
It was the Ocean's Pride Anthem—a funeral hymn to fallen Marines.
A soul-stirring ballad passed down to honor the dead.
It announced the arrival of a man once feared across the seas—
Zephyr, the Black Arm, former Marine Admiral!
Behind him stood dozens of warriors in black marine coats—
all with a shared past:
each had lost family to pirates.
Now, they followed Zephyr's crusade.
"HA HA HA!"
"Die, Navy scum!"
"You dare challenge Big Mom's crew?! Your end is now!"
The pirates on egg-boats roared in defiance.
Homie cannonballs rained once more.
But then—
BOOM!
Zephyr moved.
He leapt high, sky-walking with explosive force—
then dove.
One punch.
Air cracked.
Pressure waves surged.
BOOM!
The sea exploded, vapor rising as shockwaves consumed dozens of egg-boats in a single strike.
"That's more like it, Zephyr-sensei!"
Shuzo, a Vice Admiral of the Vanguard, shed his coat.
His muscular frame and cybernetic arms—emblems of the Longarm Tribe—flexed with energy.
CLACK!
He launched forward, fearlessly charging into battle.
Moments later, one egg-boat shattered under his onslaught.
But Cracker's Biscuit Soldier retaliated—sending Shuzo flying dozens of meters with a single slash.
Even his steel-reinforced arms nearly broke under the force.
"Careful! These are Big Mom Pirates—we can't underestimate them!"
A blue-haired girl on a submarine—Ain—called out.
"Tch. I don't need your advice, Ain," Shuzo snapped, landing beside her.
"Just like the intel said—three top officers:
Candy Minister Perospero (700 million Berries),
Biscuit Knight Cracker (860 million),
and Snack (600 million).
All are serious threats. Mosa Mosa~"
Binz, the Mosa Mosa Fruit user, twisted his body, analyzing the situation.
"No matter who we face, we'll—"
Ain began—
"Wait a second!!!" Binz suddenly shouted, face pale.
From a distance—
a warship sped toward them.
Its emblem—clearly etched into the hull—was unmistakable:
The Beasts Pirates!