News-carrying ships and underground information networks cut through the waves across the globe at full speed, delivering white scrolls to every port, military base, and island they pass.
"A NEW ERA FOR THE MARINE: RED-EYED ADMIRAL DEFEATS CHARLOTTE LINLIN IN THE NEW WORLD!"
Somewhere in the Grand Line, a pirate ship sails at breakneck speed, pursued by a Navy warship.
A black iron ball whizzed past, narrowly missing the mainmast of the Oro Jackson. On the ship's deck, instead of panic, loud laughter erupted.
Gol D. Roger sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, letting the sea breeze wash over his face. In one hand he held a bottle of rum; in the other, he spread out the morning newspaper published by the independent journalists' union.
"Dahahahaha! Hey, Rayleigh! Check this out!" Roger tapped the paper enthusiastically, ignoring the cannon fire that kept blasting from the Navy ship behind them. "That red-eyed kid! He's really picking a fight with the Rocks crew!"
Silvers Rayleigh walked over, wiping the dust from his round glasses. He glanced briefly at the photo of Quentin Seven on the front page, then shifted his gaze to the photo of the kingdom's ruins.
"Defeating Charlotte Linlin?" Rayleigh snorted softly, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Newspapers always exaggerate the facts. If that kid had truly defeated Charlotte Linlin to the point of collapse, the kingdom in this photo wouldn't be left standing. Most likely, this was an evenly matched battle, and the Navy is using Charlotte Linlin's retreat as a narrative of victory."
"Still, holding back a monster of Linlin's caliber without suffering heavy losses… Quentin Seven has come a long way," interjected Scopper Gaban, who was sharpening his axe.
From the stern, a voice amplified by a loudspeaker cut through their conversation.
"ROGER! DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE TODAY!"
On the deck of the pursuing Navy ship, Vice Admiral Garp stood with one foot on the railing. He held an iron cannonball in his bare hand, ready to hurl it. However, Bogard had just handed him the morning newspaper.
Garp's eyes scanned the headline sharply. The hand holding the cannonball suddenly tensed. The veins in his neck bulged.
"That damn brat…" Garp muttered, torn between frustration and pride. He recalled the annoying illusion at Marineford, but at the same time, he admired the Seven's leap in power. "He directly challenged one of the Rocks commanders and came back alive? Bwahahaha! Keep firing! I won't let my younger brother outshine me!"
---
In the waters of the Calm Belt, a colossal ship pulled by two sea serpents lay anchored peacefully.
Inside the cabin of the Kuja Pirate Captain, the young Gloriosa placed a newspaper on her wooden table. Her face was tense. Across from her, Shakuyaku leaned against the wall, calmly lighting a cigarette. A thin trail of smoke curled from her lips.
"The Navy has acquired a new monster," Gloriosa said softly. "A man who can stand on equal footing with the monsters of the New World at such a young age. If he's ever assigned to the Calm Belt…"
Shakuyaku exhaled the smoke slowly. Her sharp eyes fixed on the photo of Quentin Seven. "This man is different, Gloriosa. Look at his eyes. Those aren't the eyes of someone who'll obey a superior's orders. Those are the eyes of someone who makes his own rules. We just need to make sure Kuja isn't in his path."
---
Far away in Paradise, the desert wind blew sand onto the balcony of the Royal Palace of Alabasta.
King Cobra, who had just ascended the throne, stood gazing at the horizon. The morning newspaper was clenched tightly in his hand. He didn't need to read the details to understand what the news meant.
The promise of protection made by the dark-eyed young man at the port back then was no empty talk. That man was building a real foothold of power in the New World. Cobra smiled; a heavy burden seemed to lift from his shoulders. For the first time, he felt a glimmer of hope that everything could change.
On the other side of the ocean, at a quiet military base in the Western Sea, Vice Admiral Komei sat alone in his office. His cup of green tea had gone cold. He read every line of the news in silence. No laughter, no broad smile. Just a long breath filled with relief.
"Keep climbing, son," he whispered into the empty air. "Set this ocean sky ablaze."
---
New World. Bee's Nest Island.
The air inside the Rocks Pirates' main headquarters felt frozen. The music, the clinking of glasses, and the raucous laughter that usually filled the room had vanished. Hundreds of pirates held their breath, not daring to make even the slightest sound.
In the center of the room, a muscular young man with a pair of horns on his head gripped his iron kanabo so tightly his knuckles turned white. Kaido, still an apprentice, stared at the newspaper on the table with anxious breaths.
"Sister Linlin… defeated?" Kaido's voice was hoarse, tinged with deep disbelief. He knew the woman's strength well, even though they'd only just met. An invulnerable physique, pure destructive power.
The fact that Charlotte Linlin had been held at bay—or even pushed back—by a young Marine caused Kaido's perspective on power to shift.
His eyes narrowed sharply. 'Haki alone isn't enough,' Kaido thought. 'I need more than just Haki. I need the power of a Devil Fruit… A Mythical Zoan.'
In the corner of the table, Edward Newgate downed the sake from his large bowl in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and laughed dismissively.
"Gurarara! Don't be foolish, Kaido. Do you actually believe what's written in that newspaper?" Newgate glanced at the paper. "There's no way Linlin lost that easily. At best, that Navy brat managed to block her attack and escape before Linlin really went berserk. But..." Newgate narrowed his eyes. "...the ability to survive Linlin and retreat with a full force intact—that's not something an ordinary soldier could do."
At the far end of the main table, sitting in the shadows that partially hid his face, Rocks D. Xebec remained silent. His spiky black-and-white hair stood stiffly on end. He paid no attention to his crew's debate. His eyes were fixed on a single small detail in the report.
The involvement of the Golden Lion, Shiki.
"He used Shiki's arrival to end the battle," Rocks muttered, his voice so soft yet resonant it made the wooden floor tremble. "He read the momentum. He gauged the limits of Linlin's strength, took what he needed, and left without losing his footing."
Rocks leaned back slowly. A thin, cold, and anticipatory smirk formed on his face. This wasn't just about strength. The Navy had just produced another Garp.
"The Mythological Zoan Devil Fruit Model Susanoo? Known as the God of Destruction," Rocks muttered under his breath. "Based on the Davy clan's legacy passed down through dozens of generations, no such Devil Fruit has ever been recorded, let alone one bearing the name of a God."
Rocks D Xebec knew that the Devil Fruit eaten by the Red-Eyed Vice Admiral bore the title of the God of Destruction based on intelligence he had placed within the Navy, but to his knowledge, there were only four known Gods: the Sun God Nika, the Rain God Zaza, the Forest God, and the Earth God.
Where did this God of Destruction come from?
---
The Holy Land of Mary Geoise. The Hall of Authority in Pangaea Castle.
The five elderly men who held the world's highest authority stood and sat in the same formation. Silence enveloped the marble hall. Cipher Pol intelligence reports lay scattered alongside a stack of newspaper clippings.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn tapped the tip of his wooden staff against the floor, the rhythm slow and menacing.
"He's hiding his potential too deeply," Saturn said coldly. "G-5 is now acting like a new Marineford under his banner."
"His abilities have improved drastically in just one year… our intelligence hasn't been able to determine exactly how much potential he's hiding," added Saint Marcus Mars from near the window, his arms still folded. "But withstanding Charlotte Linlin's attack and managing to defeat her proves that his mentality isn't that of an ordinary Navy soldier."
Saint Topman Warcury clenched his jaw, his thick mustache trembling slightly. "That's the problem. Kong has given him too much freedom. A blade that's too sharp and independent can tear through its own sheath."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter stared at the document. "For now, let him cut down the weeds in the New World. The Rocks Pirates are getting too arrogant. If this young man can serve as a counterbalance, we'll use him."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro opened his eyes halfway, his gaze as sharp as the sword leaning against his chair.
"Make sure Cipher Pol monitors his every move in G-5. If this sword starts to turn against us…" Nusjuro touched the hilt of his sword gently. "…we'll break it before he realizes just how sharp he is."