"Captain Buggy, as expected of you! Just as you predicted, the situation has taken another dramatic turn.
But what should we do now? The Marines and Whitebeard Pirates have left—are we supposed to fight those monsters over there? Or do you already have another plan in mind?"
To clarify, there was a slight misunderstanding in the earlier assessment: the weakest people left on the shattered remains of Marineford weren't the Warlords of the Sea but rather the great Captain Buggy and his loyal followers.
Indeed, the legendary Captain Buggy had somehow survived the Four Emperors' devastating combination attack, and his followers attributed their survival to his secret intervention, further solidifying their blind devotion.
In fact, much of the credit for the Paramount War being broadcasted to the world belonged to Buggy.
Without the Den Den Mushi he carried, the world wouldn't have witnessed this spectacular and chaotic battle.
From Ace's true lineage being revealed to Wood's sudden intervention, the emergence of the Blackbeard Pirates, Whitebeard's return from the brink of death, and the arrival of Kaido and Big Mom, the twists and turns of this war were beyond imagination.
What had started as a battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marine Headquarters now seemed to herald the end of the world, as the entire sea watched in stunned silence.
The outcome of this war would undoubtedly shape the future of the seas.
If Kaido and Big Mom's pirate alliance triumphed, the world would descend into an era of unbridled chaos, with their respective crews becoming the sole rulers of the seas.
If Wood and Whitebeard's neutral faction prevailed, the balance of power on the seas would be completely reshuffled, an unpredictable outcome for the future.
And if the Marines emerged victorious, their reputation would soar to unparalleled heights.
Even though Marineford had been destroyed, defeating three Emperor-level pirate crews and successfully executing Ace, the son of Gol D. Roger, would give the Marines a monumental victory to boast about.
On paper, the Marine faction appeared to have a slight edge in strength.
Aokiji and Kizaru, while somewhat fatigued, were still combat-ready. Garp, Sengoku, and Gion remained in peak condition. Counting in terms of "Emperor-level" strength, the Marines had the equivalent of four or five Admirals' worth of power.
Kaido and Big Mom, while only two individuals, had the Sweet Commanders and All-Stars under their command, who collectively added another two Admiral-level equivalents.
With the Sweet Commanders and All-Stars holding off Aokiji and Kizaru, the balance between the Marine and pirate factions seemed relatively even.
Meanwhile, Wood and Whitebeard, representing the neutral faction, appeared to be the weakest on paper.
Both Wood and Whitebeard had Emperor-level strength, and Ruth, Wood's vice-captain, was comparable to an All-Star. However, Kaido and Big Mom had six high-level subordinates combined, whereas Wood's faction had only one.
But this balance shifted when two key figures, Jinbe and Boa Hancock, decisively sided with Wood and Whitebeard.
Their arrival bolstered the neutral faction considerably. Combined with Wood and Whitebeard's slightly superior power compared to Kaido and Big Mom, the three factions now stood evenly matched in a tense standoff.
Kaido and Big Mom, glaring at the Marine faction led by Sengoku, then turning to Wood and Whitebeard, couldn't hide their dissatisfaction.
They had expected to sweep in and reap the rewards after the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines exhausted themselves in battle.
However, the current situation had completely blindsided them.
On their way to Marineford, they had heard that Whitebeard had been killed, two of the Marine Admirals were critically injured, and Garp had been "knocked unconscious" by Luffy.
But now, everything was upside down. Whitebeard, who was supposed to be dead, was alive and well.
Among the Admirals, Akainu was absent, but Aokiji and Kizaru, who had supposedly been injured, appeared more than capable of fighting.
As for Garp, far from being unconscious, the old man was casually picking his nose as if this were just another day.
The battlefield was far more dangerous than they had anticipated. Kaido and Big Mom, despite their bluster, found themselves hesitating to act.
If they attacked the Marines, they risked Wood and Whitebeard taking advantage of the situation.
Conversely, if they targeted Wood and Whitebeard, the Marines might celebrate their misfortune.
After some deliberation, Big Mom and Kaido exchanged glances before turning to Wood with a proposal.
"Wood, boy, how about forming an alliance with us?
We're all pirates, after all. It's clear who the real enemy is, isn't it?
Without the Navy interfering, your business and influence could expand even further. Surely that's a more appealing prospect, no?"
Their initial plan had been to eliminate Wood along with everyone else.
But after witnessing the battlefield dynamics firsthand, they realized it was impossible to dominate the entire field.
If they fought the Marines, Wood and Whitebeard would seize the advantage.
If they attacked Wood and Whitebeard, the Marines would gain the upper hand.
Reluctantly, Kaido and Big Mom decided to alter their strategy. Instead of targeting Wood, they sought to ally with him to eliminate the Marines, hoping to reshape the seas to their liking.
"This is a simple choice, really. There are three factions here, all seemingly equally powerful. If two of them clash, the remaining one will surely reap the benefits.
We're all smart people. Everyone wants to be the one who comes out ahead, which is why no one has made a move yet.
But waiting like this isn't an option either. If reinforcements from the World Government arrive, it's us pirates who'll suffer the most."
Teaming up with the Marines was out of the question. Though Kaido and Big Mom had their grudges against Wood, major players only cared about interests. There were no permanent enemies in their world.
Whitebeard was still alive, and the strength of Wood's neutral faction was far greater than they'd anticipated. Unable to eliminate him, the only option left was temporary cooperation.
After all, returning empty-handed was not an option. Taking Wood's wealth from his weapons company was no longer realistic, but wiping out the Marines and gaining notoriety was still achievable.
"Your proposal is certainly tempting," Wood replied with a faint smile. "And I do have quite a grudge against the Marines—they've always gotten in the way of my business.
But as everyone knows, I'm a businessman. I value integrity above all. Since I made a deal with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this time I'm standing with the Marines."
Hearing this, Big Mom and Kaido's expressions immediately darkened.
They had come here thinking they'd claim the spoils of war, but now they realized they'd walked straight into a trap, becoming the prey instead of the predator.
If Wood's neutral faction sided with the Marines, their pirate alliance wouldn't just fail to destroy Marine Headquarters—they might not even make it out alive.
"Think carefully, boy," Big Mom said, her voice low and menacing. "No matter how close your relationship with the World Government is, a pirate is still a pirate. You and the Marines are fundamentally on opposite sides.
If you help them deal with us, aren't you worried that once we're gone, you'll be their next target?"
Her words were calculated and cunning. After all, with the Whitebeard Pirates essentially dismantled after this war, they no longer deserved the title of "Four Emperors."
If Kaido and Big Mom were eliminated here, that would leave only the Red-Haired Pirates.
With three of the Four Emperors gone, the balance of power would be shattered. A dominant World Government wouldn't tolerate someone as wealthy and influential as Wood continuing to thrive unchecked.
"Utter nonsense!" Sengoku retorted, his voice firm. "We're not pirates. If we make a promise, we keep it. We won't turn on our allies."
Despite his confident words, Sengoku couldn't fully predict what Wood was thinking.
It had been twenty years since Wood was a mere Marine Captain. Now, he was a figure whose strength, influence, and power rivaled that of an Emperor.
While Gion firmly believed that Wood was on the side of justice, Sengoku, ever the strategist, had no such rose-colored view.
To put it bluntly, Sengoku's trust in Wood had diminished over the years.
Humans are driven by desires, and there are only so many things people crave: wealth, power, and women.
Wood already had an iron grip on the world's weapons trade, making him one of the most influential figures in the seas. He lacked nothing in terms of wealth, power, or women.
This made Wood's motives harder to gauge. Was he still loyal to the Marines? Did he still harbor a sense of "justice"? Sengoku couldn't be sure.
"Hah! Marines and trust? That's the biggest joke I've heard today!" Whitebeard interjected, his laughter booming.
"If you were talking about Garp, I might believe you. But you, Sengoku? You're no different from the rest. The whole Squard betrayal thing was your plan, wasn't it, 'Strategist'?"
Whitebeard's tone was laced with mockery. Having been stabbed in the back, he was the least invested in the current situation.
With the remnants of his crew safely evacuated under Marco's leadership, Whitebeard was effectively a dead man walking. Whether the Marines fell or Kaido and Big Mom perished, he would welcome either outcome.
That said, if forced to choose, Whitebeard would naturally side with Kaido and Big Mom to destroy the Marines.
After all, both he and Ace had been killed by the Marines, even if Blackbeard was the mastermind behind it all.
As tensions boiled over, the battlefield of Marineford erupted with violent energy.
Massive shockwaves swept across the entire sea, turning the ocean and sky into swirling vortexes. Above, the sky seemed to split apart; below, colossal whirlpools formed on the ocean's surface.
Even the enormous Sea Kings lurking in the deep weren't spared, their massive bodies torn to shreds in the chaos.
The final battle that unfolded on this day left no witnesses, save for Buggy and his crew.
Having fled Marineford aboard a commandeered Navy warship just as the fighting began, Buggy and his followers watched the cataclysm from a safe distance.
According to Buggy the Great, the battle that erupted at Marineford that day was the largest and most devastating he had ever seen.
Not even the legendary clash between Roger and Garp against the Rocks Pirates could compare, he claimed.
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