The New World — a sea ruled not by the World Government, but by chaotic forces: the Four Emperors, notorious pirate crews, and the shadows of the criminal underworld. Even the Marine Headquarters struggles to maintain control here; the balance lies not with justice, but with power.
It was a bright, sunny day — though for the Whitebeard Pirates, there was no joy in the sunlight.
"Pops! All our forces have assembled!"
"Once we've coated the ships, we can sail to the first half of the Grand Line!"
Marco, engulfed in blue phoenix flames, descended from the sky and landed beside Whitebeard. The old man sat with his usual sake, but his heart wasn't in it. His face was heavy, his aura subdued. Ace... Ace had been captured.
Even now, Whitebeard blamed himself. If only he had stopped Ace from going after Teach... He'd felt something was off. Teach had been with the crew for years — Whitebeard knew the man. Even without a Devil Fruit, he was dangerous. And now, he had consumed the most sinister logia — the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Still, he had let Ace go.
Now Ace, his beloved son, sat in Impel Down, waiting to be publicly executed at Marineford. Beheading — in twelve days.
Whitebeard was furious. And so were his sons.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, aside from Ace and the late Thatch, every division commander had assembled, waiting for the order.
They would storm the Marine's fortress. They would show the World Government: the Whitebeard Pirates were not to be trifled with.
"Pops! Red-Hair's here!"
A crewmate ran across the deck, breathless.
"…Hmph?"
Whitebeard stirred like a lion woken from slumber, eyes narrowing.
Moments later, Shanks boarded the Moby Dick, carrying a massive sake jug.
Among the yonko, meetings were rare — the emperors avoided each other unless the situation was dire. Their separation kept the world in balance. If they ever united, the World Government's so-called order would crumble in a heartbeat.
"Whitebeard, I came to stop this war before it begins."
"What did you just say?!"
Whitebeard's voice thundered with rage as he drew his massive naginata, Murakumogiri. With a roar, he lunged at Shanks. Shanks drew his blade in response.
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded from their clash, rocking the Moby Dick and sending waves surging. The sky itself split apart.
"Pops! And Red-Hair—!"
Marco and the others could only look on in awe. Vista glanced up. The sky had been torn in two.
"Oh my god... the heavens are cracking!"
The Emperors' clash shattered the sky before it shattered bones.
"If I don't go save Ace, are you going to do it? Shanks—I don't like men who meddle" Whitebeard roared. "I'm Whitebeard!"
His Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, knocking unconscious several crew members nearby.
For Whitebeard, titles meant nothing — not treasure, not status, not Raftel, not even the Pirate King. What mattered were his sons. Harm them, and you were already dead.
If Elior had been here, he would've mocked Red-Hair for trying to play peacekeeper. If you're that obsessed with peace, why aren't you a Marine?
Shanks was rumored to have deep ties to Mary Geoise — perhaps even a Celestial Dragon himself, unlike Doflamingo. The Five Elders had granted him rare audiences, after all. Some believed he was their chosen one.
And yet… he couldn't even protect Luffy, who now faced the same fate as Ace.
But all that had been overshadowed.
Because of Elior.
News of him had taken over the headlines, silencing even the Supernovae.
The negotiation was doomed. Whitebeard would not back down.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, Big Mom and Kaido, the most destructive of the emperors, were also moving.
"If Whitebeard dies, Fish-Man Island is mine" Big Mom said with a grin.
She thought of the island's sweets, and instantly, the acid in her stomach — more corrosive than sulfuric — bubbled and spilled to the floor, burning holes with thick smoke.
Of course, that only worked if Whitebeard truly died.
"Mom, here's the latest paper — and a bounty poster. A pirate crew appeared from nowhere, publicly executed three Celestial Dragons, and was declared as dangerous as the Yonko themselves. The captain, Elior, has a bounty of two billion beli! And Douglas Bullet, the so-called Devil's Heir, who tried to cause chaos on Whole Cake Island, is also with him!"
Charlotte Perospero handed her the paper.
"Hmmm?"
Big Mom snatched the paper with interest.
"Impel Down, huh? He broke out of there?"
"Exactly."
"And he's just a brat!"
She glanced at the picture of Elior. He looked too young — a mere boy.
"Still… his crew looks powerful."
"Perospero," she said, her tone now deadly, "what matters now is whether Whitebeard returns to the New World."
Perospero paled. One wrong word, and she'd end his life, family or not.
...
On Onigashima...
Kaido drank deeply.
"He's just a kid. Don't interrupt my drinking over something like this."
Jack stood before him, holding the newspaper and bounty posters.
"But Lord Kaido..."
"Get lost. Jack, prepare for war!"
Kaido was ready to intercept Whitebeard himself. If the old man wanted to ruin the Marine's plans, Kaido would ruin his.
And so, each of the Yonko made their moves, plunging the already unstable New World into even deeper chaos.