New World, uninhabited island full of beasts.
"Damn it, Chris T. Aeridar, you've grown stronger! But I will avenge the Captain. I will definitely kill you!"
In the depths of the forest, a black-haired man stared intently at the newspaper in his hand, his eyes overflowing with murderous intent, yet a hint of unwillingness flickered within them.
His bare upper body was covered in various scars—sword wounds, gunshots, claw marks from wild beasts. His bronze-toned muscles radiated explosive power, and his entire being exuded an oppressive aura.
"Captain, dinner's ready!"
A shout echoed from outside the forest.
"Coming."
The man tore the newspaper to shreds, then turned and walked out of the forest. As he turned, a tattoo of a skull with dark brown wings and two crossed short guns was visible on his back.
...
Time flowed like water, years like shuttles.
The fall of the Clifford Kingdom and the crowning of Golden Ring Aeridar as king ignited a massive wave across the world.
It instantly fueled the ambitions of countless pirates, something neither the Five Elders and other high-ranking World Government officials nor Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the Marines had anticipated.
A vast number of kingdoms were attacked by pirates across the East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, North Blue, and the Grand Line. These included both World Government affiliated nations and non-affiliated ones.
These pirates all aimed to conquer a country, aspiring to become kings themselves, or perhaps to plunder an entire nation's wealth.
Suddenly, half the world was engulfed in war. Some even reported that at its peak, forty-three countries worldwide were simultaneously under attack by various pirates in a single day, with casualties reaching over a million, thirty-two of which were World Government affiliated nations.
The Holy Land Mariejois and Marine Headquarters, Marineford, were besieged by incessant Den Den Mushi calls, all pleas for aid.
The Marines were stretched thin.
All three Admirals were deployed, tirelessly striking down pirates.
More than half of the Headquarters' Vice Admirals, leading their respective fleets, raced across the globe.
Nearly every Marine branch and detachment worldwide was dispatched, solely to combat pirates and rescue the World Government affiliated nations. After all, not every country possessed a formidable military force, and these nations allied with the World Government naturally had the right to request assistance from the World Government and the Marines.
If aid wasn't provided, it was feared that the World Government and the Marines themselves might not be far from collapse.
"Damn it! This is all that bastard's fault! We never should've let him join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. We should've had Kizaru eliminate him at Water 7 at all costs!"
Sengoku raged in his Fleet Admiral's office in Marineford, his furious roars echoing throughout the entire Headquarters fortress, making many Marine soldiers shiver with fear.
"How could things have turned out like this? It's hardly worth it."
The Five Elders in the palace at Mariejois also harbored some regrets.
Various affiliated nations had suffered significant losses, and the Marines had sustained considerable casualties. The financial and resource expenditure was astronomical, leading to countless protests from numerous affiliated nations and the general populace against the World Government and the Marines, severely eroding their prestige.
However, what's done is done. No matter how displeased the Five Elders and Sengoku were, they wouldn't act against Aeridar. After all, in the current situation, Aeridar and his fleet's assistance were still necessary.
In reality, even Aeridar hadn't anticipated such severe consequences. Such a massive event hadn't occurred in the original history. It seemed the flutter of the butterfly's wings had already begun to shift the course of history, and what might happen in the future was now unpredictable.
Of course, it's also possible, as written in some primordial novels, that minor changes can occur, but major trends are immutable; what is destined to happen will still happen.
...
On a certain sea in the First Half of the Grand Line.
Boom, boom, boom...
A large ship with a white hull and gold patterns sailed swiftly across the sea. Cannonballs frequently crashed into the water on both sides, splashing waves that drenched the deck, as if the ship were being hunted.
Half a nautical mile from this ship, a large pirate ship with a pink and red bird's head constantly fired cannons at the vessel ahead, indeed giving chase. The flag on its mainmast bore the mark of Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Damn it, they're really sticking close, like a persistent piece of gum!" At the stern, Tesoro's face was grim, a five-meter-tall golden statue standing beside him.
Originally, Tesoro, upon discovering that his identity had been found out by Doflamingo, wanted to leave the New World. However, Doflamingo's informants still tracked him down, and he was subsequently attacked in the waters at the entrance to the New World.
Fortunately, he managed to escape the New World.
Afterward, the news of Aeridar's conquest of a nation spread throughout the world, plunging half the globe into war.
Tesoro planned to use this great chaos to extensively plunder gold and recruit subordinates. However, to his surprise, due to his Gold-Gold Fruit ability, he was seen as a mortal enemy by Doflamingo and ceaselessly pursued.
Six of his stronghold bases in the first half of the Grand Line had already been destroyed, and he himself was being relentlessly hunted by the Donquixote Family's executives.
"Half-Moon Funeral!"
A powerful wave of sword energy surged, easily splitting the sea in two, creating a chasm, and cutting towards Tesoro's ship.
"Bastard! You want to cut my ship open? Not a chance!"
Tesoro placed a hand on the golden statue beside him. Instantly, the golden statue transformed into a massive, fluid golden axe, which heavily struck down on the rapidly approaching wave of sword energy.
Rumble!
The giant golden axe instantly cracked with dozens of fissures, then shattered directly. Countless fragments exploded outwards, riddling half of Tesoro's ship's deck structures like a sieve.
On the Donquixote Pirate ship, Diamante, clad in a red cape and dressed like a tribal native, stood at the bow holding a Western longsword, snarling resentfully: "You damned thief! Daring to steal from the family! I'll definitely gut you!"
Tesoro's Ship.
"Damn it, that fashion-conscious savage, Diamante." Tesoro raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected an Elite Officer to be here. This was getting a bit tricky.
As an Elite Officer of the Diamante Army of the Donquixote Pirates, Diamante still possessed considerable power. At least for now, it would be difficult for Tesoro to win.
...
On top of a high tower in a New World Kingdom City.
"That brat from back then actually caused something like this... But, it's also a good opportunity for our Revolutionary Army to grow!"
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the sky. A silhouette on top of the tower was also illuminated, revealing a face with red tribal-like tattoos.
——————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!