"Eh? The old hag is dead?"
Kaido, still half-asleep, thought he had misread the news. He rubbed his eyes, looked again, and froze on the spot.
"Ahahaha! That old hag is actually dead! To think she was defeated by some rookie brat. Hey, hey, I'm going to die laughing! Hahahaha!"
Kaido suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter. Two streams of tears flew from the corners of his eyes like waterfalls; his laughing face looked uglier than if he were crying.
"Brother Kaido..."
King raised a hand, hesitating to speak, then lowered it again.
"Well... we'd better not disturb you."
With that, King turned and walked out, closing the door behind him and leading Queen and Jack away.
*Bang!!*
"Linlin! Uwaaa!"
*Bang!!*
"Stupid old hag! Good riddance! Hahaha!"
A series of muffled crashes echoed from behind the door, accompanied by Kaido's horrendous howling that sounded like a mix of crying and laughing.
Jack followed behind King and Queen, glancing back occasionally. He asked in confusion, "Is the Governor-General going to be alright? If we just leave him be, I feel like something terrible is going to happen. What if he goes on a drunken rampage on Onigashima..."
"Let him vent," King said flatly. "Even though Big Mom clashed with us quite a few times, she was an old acquaintance of his, after all."
Beside them, Queen pulled out a white handkerchief, his face covered in tears as he sobbed, "The loss of an old friend is bound to be heartbreaking! Just thinking about it makes me want to bawl my eyes out! Uwaaa!"
King: "..."
Jack scratched his head in confusion. "Why? Didn't Brother Queen hate Big Mom?"
"Idiot! I'm moved by the friendship between Brother Kaido and Big Mom! It's called loving everything associated with the person you care about, understand?!" Queen glared and cursed at him.
Jack shrank his neck and awkwardly waved his hands.
Meanwhile.
In the second half of the New World, the country of war, Elbaf.
Beneath the Treasure Tree Adam, on the Verdant Coast, sat a simple wooden tavern. To a normal human, the space inside could already be considered grandiose.
The Red Hair Pirates were gathered together, drinking merrily with several Giant warriors.
Red Hair and his top executives sat in a row at the bar. A newspaper lay quietly on the counter, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"To think Big Mom was actually defeated..."
"Isn't that the strongest rookie?"
"It really is him. With this, he has rightfully ascended to the throne of an Emperor of the Sea."
"Ace was still a step too slow, hahaha."
Reading the information in the newspaper, the executives chatted and laughed.
Next to the newspaper was the latest bounty poster for Allen's crew. The one on top prominently featured a close-up photo of Allen's face.
Yasopp grinned, picking up the bounty poster and waving it in front of Shanks, teasing, "A bounty of 4.5 billion Berries, Shanks. Not only did this guy take the seat of an Emperor, but his bounty even surpassed yours."
"Hahaha! Don't say that, Yasopp, or the boss is going to get mad in a second," Lucky Roux laughed heartily, holding his belly as he shoved a large slab of meat into his mouth.
Red Hair gave a helpless smile, rubbing his forehead with a sigh. "Hey, hey, hey, that's enough from you guys. I'm your captain, at least leave me some face."
"Hahahaha!!"
Everyone in the tavern raised their glasses and roared with laughter.
In no time, the News Coos flew across the globe, carrying this world-shaking news to every corner.
Big Mom, an Emperor who had ruled the seas for decades, had been unexpectedly replaced by a rookie pirate.
This news undoubtedly sent massive shockwaves throughout the entire world.
The first half of the Grand Line, on an uninhabited island in the Calm Belt.
"That guy is really strong. He's only been out at sea for a little over a year, and he's already become as amazing as old man Whitebeard."
In the forest, Luffy stood beneath a tree, holding the newspaper with both hands as he read earnestly and sighed in awe.
Nearby, Rayleigh sat casually on a thick tree root, holding a square hip flask.
Rayleigh tilted his head back for a swig, wiped his mouth, and chuckled. "I'm already surprised you know how to read, but to think you'd actually pay attention to outside affairs. What, do you know him?"
"Yeah, he's the captain of a friend of mine. We've met a few times before."
Luffy looked up and nodded at Rayleigh. He rolled up the newspaper, set it aside, and cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Alright! I've decided! Let's double the training today, Rayleigh!"
"Looks like you've been quite stimulated by this," Rayleigh said with a chuckle. He casually picked up a wooden stick leaning nearby and coated it in pitch-black Armament Haki. "Since you asked for it yourself, don't blame me for not holding back."
"Hehe, bring it on!"
The New World, Hachinosu.
Known as the "Pirate Paradise," this place gathered a massive number of outlaws and was the most chaotic lawless zone, once ruled by Rocks.
After the Battle of God Valley, the Rocks Pirates disbanded, and former crew member [Pirate Guru・Wang Zhi] took over, ruling it to this day.
At this moment, a sailboat slowly approached the port of Hachinosu from a distance.
On the ship, Law and Bepo hid in a concealed corner, poking their heads out to glance at the situation on the island.
Law then withdrew his gaze and looked down at the newspaper in his hand. "He sure moves fast. We entered the New World around the same time, yet this guy has already left everyone far behind."
"Captain, I remember Doffy having deep cooperative ties with him. The stronger this guy gets, the harder it will be for you to get your revenge," Bepo said with concern.
Hearing this, the corners of Law's mouth curled up. He smiled dismissively and said, "Doffy's partners aren't limited to just him. Don't forget, there's also Kaido."
"Now that he has become an Emperor, there's no way Kaido can ignore him. Doffy is caught in the middle now; he definitely won't be having a good time."
"There will always be a chance for revenge."
Thinking of the scene where Corazon died at Doffy's hands, Law's eyes gradually turned cold.
At the same time, on the Gloomy Forest Island in the New World.
A temporary camp was set up amidst the dark, eerie dead woods.
Captain Kid, Basil Hawkins of the Hawkins Pirates, and "Roar of the Sea" Apoo—the captains of three Supernova pirate crews—sat around a small round table.
"Plans can't keep up with the changing situation. Now that he's become an Emperor too, why don't we shift our target?"
"No matter what you say, I still insist on challenging Kaido of the Beasts."
"Wano Country is too far away. There's an Emperor right in front of us, so why must we fixate on Kaido?" Kid stared coldly at Apoo. "No matter how you look at it, Kaido isn't a suitable target. You're not trying to pull some kind of trick, are you?"
"Hey, don't spit baseless accusations, alright? Don't think I don't know about your grudge with the Demon Lion crew. If you ask me, you're the one bringing personal motives into this," Apoo retorted without changing his expression.
Seeing the two argue for ages without reaching a conclusion, Hawkins spoke up directly, his tone flat. "I don't want this alliance to disband before it even begins. If you can't decide, then let's draw lots. Fate will make the choice for us."