The residents of the Three Islands were left speechless with shock.
Nagato flew off in the direction Violet had indicated.
Meanwhile, the shadow clones stationed on Moasi and Odu to guard against any high-bounty pirates also took to the sky.
Shadow clones couldn’t share information with each other, but through the shared vision of the Rinnegan, Nagato’s shadow clones were fully aware of the situation. Therefore, they flew towards the designated location at full speed.
Nagato had deployed his shadow clones to guard Moasi and Odu, in case powerful pirates worth hundreds of millions or even billions attacked. However, the current situation was different.
The enemy approaching was a Yonko!
Nagato needed to focus all his energy and attention, leaving the defense of the Three Islands to Cyrus and the others.
This was their assigned duty and the reason why Nagato had delegated authority to them in the first place.
Flying over the sea, Nagato’s speed wasn’t particularly fast.
This wasn’t because the shadow clones had drained his chakra. Since noon, his condition had fully recovered.
However, he needed to wait for Kaku’s warship, following behind him.
Compared to Kaido’s exaggerated ship speed, the warships’ speed was much more reasonable, traveling at a quarter of Kaido’s speed, approximately 40 kilometers per hour.
In fact, this was already an incredibly fast speed, considering that all nine warships were built to military standards.
With both parties moving towards each other, they would meet in about ten hours!
While Nagato and Kaido moved towards each other, the battle at Marineford had come to an end.
Time: 8 PM.
Across the Four Seas, the Grand Line, the Sabaody Archipelago, numerous Marine branches and fortresses, and even the New World, people gathered around screens, radios, and Den Den Mushi, waiting for the final news.
Buzz… Buzz… Hum!
Despite severe interference and damage from the battle at Marineford, a broadcast signal finally transmitted the announcement:
“In the war at Marineford Bay between our Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates, we encountered fierce resistance from the Whitebeard Pirates, taking more time than expected…”
“But thanks to the righteous and valiant efforts of the Marine Headquarters soldiers, the infamous Whitebeard Pirates and their affiliated crews have been completely defeated. Our Marine Headquarters…”
“Has achieved a complete victory!”
“Hereby announced to all!”
The war, which began with the public execution at 3 PM, had finally concluded!
The only deviations from the original timeline were the participation of Supernova Eustass Kid and the less-than-impressive performance of Boa Hancock, who failed to meet the standards of a Warlord.
However, one was barely a notable player in such a grand war, and the other hadn’t significantly impacted the original timeline. Thus, neither could alter the outcome of this war.
Whitebeard’s second division commander, son of the Pirate King, the most notorious bloodline, Portgas D. Ace, narrowly escaped execution but was killed on the spot by Admiral Akainu!
The legendary great pirate from the previous era, the strongest Yonko, Whitebeard, was killed in battle!
This was the truth the world received.
And the world erupted.
“Fantastic! The Marines are invincible!” Marines in the Four Seas, as well as soldiers in branches and fortresses in the Grand Line and the New World, celebrated with cannon fire, their cheers even louder than the explosions. “Hail to the heroes! Oh—!”
In the Sabaody Archipelago, which witnessed the entire war through live broadcast:
“Wonderful!”
“That’s so great!”
“The legendary pirate, Whitebeard, has been defeated!”
“Hooray, hooray!”
People in the Grand Line and the Four Seas were also swept into a wave of joyous celebration!
Meanwhile, on the stage named the War of the Best—Marineford, six ships were anchored nearby, possibly bearing the fate of the new pirate era.
These were the ships of the Supernovas: Drake, Capone, Urouge, Bonney, Apoo, and Hawkins.
“In just a moment,” Capone took a deep drag on his cigar, exhaling smoke, “Whitebeard’s territory will be engulfed in chaos and bloodshed!”
“The key player is Blackbeard,” Urouge smiled. “They’ll undoubtedly become major figures soon!”
“The New World is ruled by the Yonko: Red-Haired, Kaido, Big Mom. Now the balance is broken…” Apoo tilted his head. “What will happen next?”
The Supernovas and their crews discussed, revealing their ambitions.
In fact, the issues they debated might have already been answered by their opponents, the Marines.
Marineford.
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you’re here!” Marine Headquarters Major Brannew found Sengoku sitting alone in the ruins, saluted, and said, “The situation at Impel Down has been confirmed!”
“Is Magellan okay?” Sengoku asked without looking up.
“He’s gravely injured and on the brink of death. The medical team is focusing on treating him,” Brannew said while maintaining his salute. “He’s a serious man, constantly talking about taking responsibility. If he could move, he might even commit seppuku to apologize.”
“Tell him not to do anything stupid!” Sengoku shouted, then asked, “What exactly happened in the prison?”
“From the outcome, LEVEL6 suffered the most…”
Brannew described Blackbeard’s brutal actions of making prisoners fight to the death, and Sengoku’s expression grew darker.
“So, Blackbeard took the most powerful criminals from the world’s most dangerous prison,” Sengoku finally raised his head, looking at Brannew.
“Yes,” Brannew nodded, then added, “But he took only four prisoners, while the number of disappearances from LEVEL6 far exceeds that number!”
“Is that so?” Sengoku rubbed his temples. “That means other prisoners escaped from LEVEL6 as well.”
Sengoku immediately ordered, “Quickly confirm the number and names, and issue a global bounty. Any LEVEL6 prisoner infiltrating a country will cause unimaginable harm!”
After he finished, Brannew remained silent for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Sengoku frowned.
“The World Government…” Brannew lowered his head, “Demands that the LEVEL6 incident be concealed. If the matter escalates, it will damage the World Government’s credibility.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Sengoku roared with anger, ready to berate and override this order when Brannew spoke again.
“And…” Brannew raised his head again. “There might be an even more significant event happening now…”
Sengoku, still fuming, shouted, “What could be worse than this?”
Brannew locked eyes with the Fleet Admiral. “Dressrosa’s king, Warlord of the Sea, ‘Six Paths’ Nagato’s whereabouts have been confirmed.”
“He’s currently in the New World…” Brannew solemnly said, “To be precise, he’s in Whitebeard’s territory!”
“What’s he doing there?” Sengoku struggled to control himself, but his voice involuntarily trembled slightly as he asked this question!
“According to reliable sources, and after repeated confirmation…” Brannew gritted his teeth, then answered, “He’s taking over Whitebeard’s territory.”
“As of now, the Black Knife Fleet in the outer regions of Whitebeard’s territory has rapidly seized fourteen islands. Of course, they originally had no relation to Dressrosa’s king…” Brannew continued delivering bad news. “But intelligence indicates that among the three leaders of the Black Knife Fleet, one is a former CP9 member, executor of the Dressrosa incident a month ago, and current Dressrosa official, Rob Lucci!”
Sengoku couldn’t help but lower his head, pressing his hand against his eyes.
Brannew continued, “More importantly, the core three islands of Whitebeard’s territory, Ando, Moasi, and Odu, are now entirely under the control of Dressrosa’s military!”
“Damn… it…” Sengoku muttered through gritted teeth. “Damn it! Damn Seven…”
Overcome with anger, Sengoku couldn’t even find the right words to curse Nagato!
Dressrosa’s king? That’s a title of respect.
Warlord of the Sea? Nagato never cared for it, just a token for negotiations!
Six Paths? Nagato? What nonsense!
Even in his fury, Sengoku couldn’t find a proper insult, almost making him choke with frustration!
The information from Brannew was enough to make him deeply vexed and angry.
The Marines fought a bloody battle, paying countless prices, at best achieving a pyrrhic victory.
If it were just that, it would be manageable. After all, they executed Ace as planned, and even forced Whitebeard to his death. These outcomes could be touted as significant achievements.
But comparisons are the root of all problems.
Blackbeard did nothing in the war, didn’t participate, but instead plundered Impel Down, bolstering his strength while significantly tarnishing the government’s and Marines’ reputations. Given that Ace was captured by him, it seemed as though the Marines had been played by him from start to finish.
Nagato was even more detestable. The government and Marines thought they had leverage over him, also trusting him more due to his non-pirate status. But the one they thought they had control over ended up benefiting more than Blackbeard!
Sengoku couldn’t find balance.
The Marines fought a war, but the biggest rewards went to others!
And both were Warlords of the Sea, following the same tactics! Whether they planned it together or coincidentally, it only made the government and Marines look exceptionally foolish!
“Hu—!” After a few deep breaths, Sengoku regained his composure, his face dark as he asked, “Is there no reaction from the New World? Red-H
aired came here, but what about Kaido and Charlotte? Are those two just watching that bastard act?”
His words reflected the depth of his anger.
He was now hoping that the Marines’ greatest enemies, the Yonko, would take action against Nagato.
“Uh… oh!” Brannew was equally stunned by Sengoku’s words, but quickly recovered and answered, “Indeed!”
Brannew reported the latest news: “The Yonko, ‘Beast’ Kaido, has set sail for Whitebeard’s territory!”
Silence.
The furious Sengoku, upon hearing the answer he wanted, fell silent.
After a long pause, he gave a new order: “Mobilize all forces in the New World to closely monitor the situation there. Any movement in that sea area must be reported to me immediately!”
“The world’s focus…” At this moment, Sengoku’s demeanor showed he had fully regained his composure as a Fleet Admiral. “Has shifted!”
Become a Patron read up to 40 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
