Totto Land, Whole Cake Island…
CRASH!
A massive, fist-shaped dent appeared in the solid biscuit table. On her throne, Big Mom's face was twisted in a mask of pure fury as she glared at the newspaper crumpled in her hand.
"What is the meaning of this?!" she bellowed, her voice shaking the chateau. "What damn lies is that fool Morgans printing now!"
Perospero, her eldest son, carefully picked up a second copy of the World Economic Journal. The headline was plastered across the front page in bold, sensational print:
"SHOCKING! ROOKIE "LEVIATHAN' JERRY CLASHES WITH EMPEROR BIG MOM AND ESCAPES UNHARMED!"
The article beneath was even more infuriating. It painted a wild tale of how the newly change nickname 'Leviathan' Jerry had single-handedly defeated Sweet Commander Cracker, fought Sweet Commander Katakuri to a standstill, and was on the verge of victory when Big Mom herself was forced to intervene.
"This is utter nonsense! That meddling bird has gone too far!" Perospero hissed, his candy cane vibrating with his anger. The other children gathered in the throne room muttered in furious agreement, already plotting how they would make Morgans pay for this insult. At the very least, they would demand he hand over the reporter responsible for this work of fiction.
Wano Country, Onigashima…
In the smoky, sake-filled fortress of the Beasts Pirates, a similar scene played out.
BAM!
Kaido, in his human form, slammed his own enormous fist onto a stone table, shattering it to pieces. He tossed the offending newspaper aside and glared at Jack the Drought, who sat nursing a drink nearby.
"Hmph. It's this brat, isn't it?" Kaido grunted, his voice a low rumble.
"Yes… it's him," Jack admitted, his voice muffled with shame and rage. He conveniently left out the part about his devastating injuries, chalking the loss up to a moment of carelessness. "But I won't lose to him next time! I swear it!"
From across the room, King, the silent and imposing All-Star in black leather, glanced at Jack from behind his mask. "Is that so? Then you'd better make sure you don't embarrass us again."
"Of course not, Brother King! You have my word," Jack replied deferentially. He always showed the utmost respect to King and Queen.
"Worororo!" Queen, the rotund plague master, chortled with glee, his long braid shaking. "Don't be so hard on him! I believe in you, Jack!" He gave the hulking Fishman a hearty, bone-rattling pat on the back.
The New World, aboard the Moby Dick…
A figure with a distinctive pineapple-shaped haircut hurried across the deck, waving a newspaper.
"Dad! Pops, look!" Marco shouted. "Jerry's gone and stirred up Big Mom's hornet's nest, even got his nickname change from 'Dragon Fist' to 'Leviathan'!"
"Hah… figures," Ace said, swallowing a massive mouthful of food in one gulp. He leaned over Marco's shoulder to get a look at the paper, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I knew that guy couldn't stay quiet for long."
Whitebeard, sitting in his colossal chair, took the paper. His old eyes scanned the article in seconds. A deep, rumbling laugh began in his chest and erupted into his signature cry.
"Gurarararara! That boy certainly loves to cause a commotion!"
"Hey, Dad," Ace said, his eyes now gleaming with fiery ambition. "From now on, let me take the lead on all the away missions. I'm itching for a good fight!"
Marco patted Ace's shoulder with a knowing smile. "Don't worry, Ace. Your turn will come sooner than you think. We've got intel on a mission that we're just about to confirm."
"That's great!" Ace beamed. "I can't wait to get back out there." With his boundless energy, a life of inactivity was torture for Ace, though he had been diligently keeping up with his training since joining the crew.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford…
"Oh, for heaven's sake…" Fleet Admiral Sengoku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat behind his mountain of paperwork. "I knew this would happen. 'Fire Fist' joins Whitebeard, and this 'Dragon Fist' goes solo only to become an even bigger troublemaker, Damn Morgan even change his moniker."
Through the Marine's own intelligence channels, he had a much clearer picture of what had transpired in Totto Land. While the newspaper was wildly exaggerated, the core facts were undeniable: Jerry had defeated a Sweet Commander, fought another to a draw, and briefly gone toe-to-toe with Big Mom herself before escaping. The thought of another young, ridiculously powerful pirate emerging in this chaotic era gave him a splitting headache.
"Calm yourself, Sengoku," said Vice Admiral Tsuru, the great strategist, as she calmly sipped her tea from a sofa across the room. "At least this young man doesn't seem to be a violent, bloodthirsty sort. For now, we simply need to monitor his movements."
"Kyahahaha! That's your old problem, Sengoku! You worry about every single rookie!" Garp roared, happily munching on a rice cracker. "You need to learn to relax!"
"If I were as carefree as you, Garp, the seas would have descended into utter anarchy long ago!" Sengoku shot back, though he knew Tsuru was right. "For now, we watch and wait. We see what his intentions are now that he's no longer under Whitebeard's shadow."
For a time, the New World was in an uproar. The sudden rise of a pirate strong enough to challenge an Emperor head-on sent shockwaves through the political landscape. Civilians prayed the chaos wouldn't reach their shores, while pirates watched with bated breath, wondering if this was the start of a new era—and whether they could join in or profit from it.
Aboard the Black Star Pirates' borrowed ship…
"Wow! You've struck gold, Captain Jerry! You're rich!"
Skull held up the newspaper, his eyes wide with a collector's glee. Jerry, who had been wrapped in so many bandages he looked like a mummy and was lying by the railing fishing like a salted cod, suddenly perked up.
"Oh? What's that? Lay the good news on me!" he said, doing a nimble flip to a sitting position.
Skull handed him the paper. "The headlines are all about what happened in Totto Land yesterday. Take a look for yourself."
Jerry quickly scanned the article, a broad, satisfied grin spreading across his face. "Yes, yes, this is excellent. This reporter is very objective, very modest. He captured the essence of the events perfectly. Morgan even change my moniker, 'Leviathan' much more menacing. This is practically a historical document!"
As always, there was one person ready to pop his bubble. Deuce leaned over his shoulder, read the article, and gave him a deadpan look. "Bullshit. The entire article is a love letter to you. How is any of this 'objective'?"
"What do you mean? It's an objective love letter," Jerry retorted smugly. "As everyone can now see, I'm just that amazing."
As he spoke, a piece of paper slipped from between the pages of the newspaper and fluttered onto the deck. It was a new bounty poster. Under a handsome, defiant-looking photo of Jerry was a string of numbers that made everyone's eyes bug out.
800,000,000 Berries
"Woohoo!" Jerry cheered, snatching it up. "Now this is an overnight fortune! I'm almost tempted to turn myself in." He held the poster up, examining it closely. "Is this amount only a little less than the biscuit guy's? Not bad, not bad. After more than a year at sea, I'm finally not some small-time rookie anymore."
"Hey! What does that make us?!" Deuce grumbled, though he was secretly relieved to see that his own bounty hadn't been updated.
The mood turned serious as Skull, looking down at his own hands, spoke up quietly. "Captain Jerry… we're so weak. Are we just holding you back?"
The sudden shift in topic caught Jerry off guard. Seeing his confused look, Skull continued, his voice filled with a desperate resolve. "I want to ask… is there a way? A training method you can teach us, so we can get stronger, too?"
"Oh! So that's what this is about," Jerry said, a thoughtful expression replacing his smug grin. He looked from Skull's determined face to Deuce's anxious one. "Let me think…"