The balance of power—had been broken.
Gale-force winds, crashing waves—
Foreseen upheavals were about to unfold, one after another, each more unpredictable than the last.
"I'm still thinking about it."
Shanks' right hand, which was holding a newspaper, slowly pressed down on his left shoulder—where his arm was missing.
That arm… he had wagered on the New Era.
But before that era could even begin, it had already been turned upside down by Maude.
A massive wave, beyond imagination, was about to crash down…
Whether or not to brace for its impact—that was what Shanks had to consider.
Hawkeye stood silent, watching Shanks in profile. From his standpoint, there was no doubt—he wished that Shanks' arm would grow back.
Only then could they settle their rivalry properly.
After all, missing an arm—even for a great swordsman, let alone someone who specialized in melee combat—was a crippling handicap.
Defeating a one-armed Shanks… was not the kind of victory Hawkeye wanted.
He longed to see Shanks whole again. But Hawkeye remained silent, unwilling to voice the thought.
He would never let personal desire sway Shanks' decision.
Neither spoke. Only the sound of the sea breeze and crashing waves filled the silence.
"…Let's not talk about that."
Moments later, Shanks suddenly stood and looked at Hawkeye with a smile. "Since you're here, why don't you stay the night?"
Hawkeye raised a brow.
Shanks casually slung his right arm over Hawkeye's shoulder with practiced ease, then began walking toward a distant cluster of buildings.
"Let's drink! And not stop until we drop!"
"…"
Hawkeye allowed himself to be led forward, silent for a moment before saying flatly, "Just a minute ago, you looked so serious. Now you seem… oddly cheerful."
"Haha, really?"
Shanks laughed heartily. "I just remembered something good. Want to hear it?"
"Not interested."
Hawkeye didn't even glance at him.
"Haha, it's been too long since I had a good drink. I've made up my mind—let's drink for three days and three nights straight!"
"Do you even have enough?"
"Hey, come on. If there's one thing I'm never short on, it's booze!"
"…"
And just like that, these two titans of the New World walked off together, bantering all the way.
...
New World – Totto Land Sea.
In this region, thirty-four islands were scattered across the seas like stars in the sky.
Each of these islands—spread across the surrounding waters—was a territory under Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom. Collectively, they were called Totto Land.
At the very center stood Whole Cake Island, Linlin's base of operations.
Right now—
The skies above Whole Cake Island churned with black clouds and howling winds.
Thick bolts of lightning slithered like dragons and serpents through the roiling clouds.
Many officers of the Big Mom Pirates stood on streets paved entirely with cakes, braving the stormwinds, their faces pale as they looked toward the central and tallest cake-shaped building in the city.
Even from this distance, they could feel the terrifying, predatory aura radiating from within—an aura that threatened to devour all in its path.
"I've never seen Mama this angry before…"
"Same. It's terrifying. I don't even dare go near her!"
"It's all that bastard Bacardi Maude's fault!!! If he hadn't… if he hadn't done that to Sister Smoothie… Mama wouldn't be this furious!"
"But I think her rage isn't just about what happened to Smoothie."
"Huh?"
"They say even Zeus has lost control because of her fury… I can't even imagine what the scene looks like inside. I just hope Brother Katakuri and Brother Perospero can hold her back…"
Charlotte Daifuku, wielder of the Puff-Puff Fruit, looked up at the cloud-streaked sky, anxiety plain on his face.
Hearing Daifuku's words, the nearby officers instinctively turned their eyes skyward, where the clouds swirled as if ready to rain down divine wrath. Their hearts sank in unison.
If those lightning bolts went unchecked, the entire Whole Cake Island might soon be reduced to scorched earth.
Most of those present were Linlin's own children.
Yet even the blood ties of kinship couldn't quell Linlin's rage—no, not even a little.
...
New World – Sea near Onigashima, Wano Country.
Coincidentally—
The seas here also roiled with tidal waves, black clouds tumbling overhead, lightning slashing through the sky.
Thunder boomed endlessly above Onigashima.
On the ground—
Countless members of the Beasts Pirates stared up at the storm-choked heavens, faces filled with fear.
Within those clouds, a massive dragon form slithered between bolts of lightning.
"Is… is Kaido-sama drunk again?"
Queen, one of the All-Stars, having just returned from Udon Prisoner Mine, tilted his head back to see Kaido conjuring storm and fury in his dragon form.
King, another All-Star, guessed what Queen—whose head was clearly still full of Oiran Komurasaki—had missed. He furrowed his brow and tossed Queen a newspaper.
Queen barely caught it, flipped it open, and after scanning a few lines, his expression drastically changed. He gasped, "No wonder Kaido-sama is losing it…"
"Watch your words, Queen."
King glared coldly at him.
The word 'losing it' had no place beside a name like Kaido.
"Tch, King… You're so hopelessly stiff."
Queen clicked his tongue, then looked up at Kaido again, who raged above.
Sure, Kaido often turned into a dragon when drunk, rampaging about in a frenzy. But this time… this was different. This time, he was truly angry.
King said nothing more, focusing intently on the skies.
He was concerned Kaido might unleash his powers recklessly and destroy critical infrastructure on Onigashima.
Nearby, the Tobiroppo—Beasts Pirates' elite unit, just below the All-Stars—watched too.
Compared to King's concern, Sasaki seemed excited. Wearing his military cap, sharp teeth gleaming, clogs clacking beneath him, his hand resting on a long sword at his waist, he smirked slightly.
"Jack was killed by Bacardi Maude. Which means… there's an empty seat among the All-Stars."
That was what thrilled him.
With one All-Star gone, the vacant spot would logically be filled by one of the Tobiroppo.
And Sasaki, a former pirate captain, had set his sights on that seat long ago.
Even if Jack hadn't died by Maude's hand, he had been planning ways to challenge him anyway, since Jack was considered the weakest of the three All-Stars.
All he needed was a successful challenge—and the seat would be his.
Now, things were even simpler…
"Sasaki, your ambition stinks so much I can smell it from here."
Nearby, Who's-Who—a Tobiroppo with the Ancient Zoan Saber-Toothed Tiger Devil Fruit—looked at him with mocking disdain.
Sasaki turned to him with a cold smile. "Oh? Don't tell me you have no interest in that vacant seat?"
"Of course I do," Who's-Who said with his hands in his pockets, voice cool. "I'm just not shameless enough to let my ambition reek all over the place like you do."
"Hmph."
Sasaki scoffed. "You've gotten better at talking pretty, haven't you, Who's-Who?"
"…"
Who's-Who gave him a side glance and said nothing more, instead turning his attention to the storming Kaido above.
Though he had mocked Sasaki with words, Who's-Who knew full well: within the Beasts Pirates, this kind of behavior was perfectly acceptable.
Might made right. That was the creed Kaido had instilled in them.
As long as one had the strength to earn Kaido's approval, even mocking Jack's death in a moment like this… would be tolerated.
All eyes turned skyward, but among them, one figure kept his head bowed.
Page One, another of the Tobiroppo, clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding audibly.
"Sis..."
Within Page One's heart, murderous rage surged like boiling magma.
The "sis" he referred to—Ulti—had been taken captive by Bacardi Maude.
But from their perspective, even one of the All-Stars, Jack, had already been killed by Maude. Ulti's fate... was likely sealed.
RUMMMMBLE—!
Suddenly, a deafening crack of thunder roared from within the clouds.
Everyone's expressions tightened. They looked up toward the roiling storm clouds—where a burst of radiant light began to shine through.
"Huh? That's Kaido-sama's Bolo Breath!!!"
The moment the light appeared, Queen made the call.
"Bolo Breath…"
King's eyes narrowed. In a low, commanding voice, he ordered,
"Stay sharp. If Kaido-san unleashes that Bolo Breath in this direction, even if you have to throw your body in front of it—you will block it!"
"What?! That's Kaido-sama's Bolo Breath!"
"Taking that head-on… we'd be reduced to ash in an instant!"
Some of the crewmates glanced back at their main stronghold. Their faces paled with dread.
"Silence."
King swept his gaze across them. Twin pillars of flame ignited from his shoulders as he said coldly,
"Got a problem with that? Forget Kaido-san's Bolo Breath—I'll turn you to ash myself."
"…"
The atmosphere froze. Tension thickened like a fog.
Up in the sky—the glow intensified.
A searing hot beam of spiraling fire burst forth, slicing through the clouds like a divine spear. It blazed across kilometers of sky, aiming straight for the distant ocean.
BOOM!
The Bolo Breath struck the sea at an angle. Its explosive power erupted the moment it hit, sending a titanic wave surging upward.
The seawater scattered by the impact hadn't even fallen back down before it was vaporized by the intense heat—rising in thick, white-hot steam.
"Good…"
Seeing that Kaido still had the clarity of mind to vent his fury toward the sea, most of the Beast Pirates secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But—
Kaido, thoroughly enraged by Bacardi Maude, showed no signs of calming down.
Until that fury subsided, Onigashima remained one breath away from being annihilated by Kaido's apocalyptic power.
Many still felt a gnawing sense of dread.
"It's all that bastard's fault… Bacardi Maude!!!"
Nearly everyone present cursed the man responsible for all of this in their hearts—the one and only Bacardi Maude.
...
Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office.
Behind his desk, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki sat with a cigar between his teeth, his gaze fixed coldly on a few bounty posters and a newspaper.
Among them—Maude's bounty poster.
Beneath the photo, one number stood out boldly: 1.98 billion Berries.
Even in the New World, that figure was among the highest.
But from this day forward, that number would become history.
In light of the recent Dressrosa Incident, the relevant departments were preparing to reassess Maude's bounty.
Not only his—but the bounties of his entire crew.
Those with existing bounties would be reevaluated.
Those without would be issued new wanted posters.
Among the newly targeted: Kuzan, the former Admiral Aokiji—now a member of Maude's crew.
Sakazuki stared coldly at Maude's photo.
The Dressrosa incident, just concluded, had already begun to spread across the globe—thanks to the efforts of Morgans, the so-called "Emperor of the Press."
A man who believed that "dead pirates sell the best headlines," Morgans had poured considerable effort into his coverage of the chaos—especially the deaths of major pirates like Blackbeard and Jack the Drought, felled by Maude's hand.
Thanks to Morgans' storytelling, those pirates—though gone—would be remembered.
Or more precisely: remembered by how they died.
"Blackbeard Pirates… Donquixote Family…"
Sakazuki let out a cold chuckle.
Pirates killing pirates—nothing could please the Navy more.
So, Maude's actions in Dressrosa? No real threat to the Navy for now.
The ones who should be enraged were the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, whose top officers were taken out.
And the angrier they got, the better. The Navy would leverage that fury to drive Maude's bounty even higher.
If Maude's crew, Big Mom's crew, and Kaido's crew tore each other apart in an all-out war, the Navy might just laugh themselves awake in their sleep.
"Ain't entirely a bad thing having you out there in the New World… Bacardi Maude."
Sakazuki muttered to himself, then turned his gaze to another old bounty poster—over two decades old.
The poster belonged to Douglas Bullet, the "Demon Heir."
From today, even his long-stagnant bounty would be adjusted.
And along with him, several Level Six inmates—monsters who could no longer be ignored—were also due for bounty revisions.
Including Bullet, these criminals were poised to stir chaos across the New World.
What the Navy needed to do now was keep all that fighting and bloodshed confined strictly to the pirates' side.
...
Somewhere in the New World.
Sunlight streamed down. The ocean was calm.
For once, the Thriller Bark—usually hovering high in the sky—had landed on the sea.
Most of its hollowed-out sections were now filled in with solid rock. From afar, it resembled a small island.
The graveyards, ruins, and forests on board—
All of it was slated for renovation.
A new prison facility would be added, and ample space left for a long-range firepower system, yet to be finalized.
It was a massive undertaking—but with Maude's army of zombie laborers, everything was running smoothly.
"You guys work fast."
Along a walkway paved with black stone from Raijin Island, Maude strolled, holding a newspaper with the Dressrosa Incident front and center. A faint smile curled his lips.
Not far away, a News Coo was begrudgingly distributing newspapers to the Maude Pirates' crew.
Law reached out with ROOM, pulling a paper directly from the bag.
After a moment, he furrowed his brow as he often did—and looked silently toward Maude.
"So now… the whole world knows the Gura Gura no Mi is in our hands."
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