In the terrifying sailing ship shrouded in thick fog within the Devil's Triangle—
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gekko Moriah, was, as usual, living a life of ease and indulgence under the service of his loyal subordinates.
However,
this comfortable life was abruptly shattered by a scream laced with shock, fury, jealousy, and deep resentment—erupting the moment a zombie subordinate handed him a newspaper.
"What are you… are you kidding me?!"
"Bastard! Idiot! All you know how to do is print garbage!"
"That damn guy… how could his son be this powerful?! I don't believe it! I refuse to believe something this absurd!"
...
Gekko Moriah's face twisted in rage, his already monstrous features contorting even more, making him look like a true demon.
He roared and cursed, eyes scanning the newspaper in disbelief.
The more he read, the more conflicted his expression became.
At times terrified, at times furious—murderous one moment, panicked the next...
And then—Bang!
Fat and furious, Moonlight Moriah suddenly stood up from his throne and ripped the newspaper into shreds.
"Kaido!"
"I won't accept this!"
"I refuse to believe your son can trample over me!"
"I won't allow it! I won't allow you to have such a powerful son!"
Spreading his arms wide, Moriah let loose a sinister wave of murderous aura. It surged through the haunted castle like a cold tidal wave.
The zombie subordinates, sensing the suffocating pressure, immediately curled up and trembled where they stood.
"Five Emperors?"
"Hehehe… Kaido..."
"Just wait. Your son… will definitely become my zombie!"
Glancing down at the torn pieces of the newspaper and the fragmented photo strewn across the floor, Moriah's slanted eyes glimmered with a hideous and twisted smile.
Five Emperors?
He didn't believe it.
It was already unbearable to be beneath Kaido.
He would never tolerate another—especially not his son.
As the thought festered in his mind, Moriah's face twisted with malice, clearly plotting something vile and cruel.
...
Time passed, and news birds continued to deliver their papers across the sea.
Gradually—
Not only the three great powers, but also forces like the Dark Emperor of the New World, Germa 66, and various nations around the globe learned of the shift in the New World's balance.
Through newspapers and covert communications—
From the New World to Paradise, and even the distant Four Seas—the story of Ragnar spread like wildfire.
Soon, more and more people and powers across the Grand Line and beyond began to understand:
The sea had changed.
The era of the Four Emperors was over.
Because of one name, the New World entered the Era of Five Emperors.
Because of one name, the world order that had stood for twenty years was shaken.
Because of one name, the title of "World's Strongest" and the ownership of the throne were, for the first time, contested.
Ragnar!
As his name carved itself into the hearts of pirates, kings, and marines alike—redefining the tides of the world—a terrifying undercurrent began to churn across the Grand Line.
Even the most reclusive powers and the slowest minds began to turn their attention to this new storm.
To him.
To the man riding the tide of a new era.
And those who once witnessed the dawn of the Great Pirate Era...
They understood one thing deeply:
Whenever a man strong enough to stir the era appears—
The world order will be rewritten.
Whether one chose to cling to isolation or charge forward through the chaos, there was no longer a choice.
Eyes had to turn toward the New World.
Toward the new Emperor.
And among them, kings and heroes with unfulfilled ambitions had already begun to move—
Before they even realized it, the era had gone mad.
For example, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—
Donquixote Doflamingo.
After receiving classified intel ahead of the World Economic News through spies embedded in the Navy, he quickly set sail for Onigashima, taking several top officers of the Donquixote Family with him under the pretense of greeting the new emperor.
"So this is Onigashima...?"
"What the hell is that thing standing over there?!"
"A weapon?"
"From this distance, it looks at least three hundred meters tall."
"Trebol, are you kidding me? Not even an ancient giant could wield a weapon that massive!"
…
As their ship docked at the edge of the now-renamed Onigashima Pirates' territory, every member of the Donquixote Family stood frozen in place.
Even from afar,
the colossal silhouette looming over the island—a monstrous weapon towering like a mountain—drew their eyes and rattled their nerves.
"Trebol... you were right."
"That's no monument. It's a weapon."
"The new emperor's weapon."
Doflamingo withdrew his gaze from the sky-piercing three-pronged trident, its polished edges gleaming under the sun.
But behind his signature grin and the veil of his sunglasses, his eyes were filled with something rare—
Fear.
A man who could wield such a weapon… one that dwarfed the giants of Elbaf…
What kind of monstrous strength would that require?
He couldn't fathom it.
But then, he remembered the item he had brought along—his trump card.
And with that thought, the unease in his heart slowly began to settle.
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