The next morning, the sun rose as it always did, bringing with it the day's first wave of activity across the world's oceans.
Diligent early-rising News Coos spread their wings across the Grand Line and beyond, carrying fresh newspapers to every corner of civilization. Despite the World Government's best efforts to suppress certain information, people in countries around the globe learned of the shocking events that had unfolded in distant Alabasta.
"What?! A World Noble Celestial Dragon was beaten into a coma?! Is that even possible?!"
"How audacious can pirates get?!"
Citizens everywhere expressed wildly different reactions—some secretly cheered behind closed doors, others trembled with fear at the implications, and many simply stood in stunned disbelief. While their outward responses varied dramatically, deep down most people shared a single, overwhelming thought:
Complete madness.
Those two words echoed in countless minds across the world, impossible to dismiss or forget. Simultaneously, an indescribable emotion began growing in many hearts—something that might have been hope, or perhaps simply the recognition that the supposedly untouchable weren't quite as invulnerable as they'd always claimed.
This marked the first time in recent memory that Celestial Dragons had suffered such a direct, public assault. While similar incidents had occurred in the past—such as the chaos on God's Island years ago—the relevant information had always been successfully suppressed or distorted by government censors.
However, this attack had taken place in Alabasta's capital city, witnessed by countless civilians and Marine officers alike. For various political and diplomatic reasons, the World Government couldn't simply destroy the entire kingdom to silence potential witnesses.
With a characteristic grin and flourish, Morgans spread his wings and sent the freshly printed newspapers flying in all directions, ensuring maximum distribution of this explosive story.
Throughout the New World, pirates entrenched in their various territories smiled with different meanings after reading the headlines. The more experienced crews quickly dismissed the news from their thoughts—they all had their own complex schemes and territorial concerns, and the beating of a single Celestial Dragon, while entertaining, wasn't significant enough to alter their long-term strategies.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco was reviewing the intelligence reports that had been handed to him by their information network, his expression growing increasingly concerned.
"They're causing trouble again," he muttered under his breath. "Though at least Ace wasn't specifically mentioned in this incident..."
The phoenix was genuinely worried about his friends and family. Jerry's group had only recently departed from Whitebeard's protection, and already they were making international headlines for increasingly dangerous reasons. Marco studied the latest bounty updates for the Black Star Pirates, his frown deepening with each poster.
"Pops, is it really okay for them to keep escalating like this?" he asked, turning toward his captain.
After hearing the complete story, Whitebeard took a long drink from his sake bottle and burst into his characteristic booming laughter. "Gurararara! What's the problem with that? Can that brat cause more trouble than he already has by beating up Celestial Dragons?"
The world's strongest man wasn't particularly concerned by these developments. He had crossed the World Government himself plenty of times over the decades, and direct confrontation with World Nobles was hardly unprecedented territory for him.
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in the main conference room with his head in his hands, speaking in a weary tone that suggested this conversation had become depressingly familiar.
"It's them again! Just as we predicted from the beginning—that pirate crew might not seem particularly malicious, but they're absolutely incapable of staying out of trouble."
He began counting off incidents on his fingers. "First it was Gecko Moria from the Seven Warlords, then they caused chaos in Water 7, then they somehow defeated Golden Lion Shiki, and now they've directly assaulted Celestial Dragons..."
"Bwahahaha! That's certainly true," Vice Admiral Garp laughed while munching on rice crackers, completely unbothered by the situation. "But I'm about to take a long vacation, so it's none of my business anymore!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru shot Garp an irritated glare before tapping the conference table with her finger. "What's Borsalino's status? Any updates from his pursuit?"
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, his expression grim. "Reports indicate he's still tracking them, but I suspect the situation is more complicated than a simple chase."
Admiral Akainu snorted dismissively, his face maintaining its usual expressionless mask. "Borsalino failed to capture them during their last encounter. This time, with unlimited ocean to maneuver in, his chances are even slimmer."
The Black Star Pirates' ability to escape across open water had apparently become well-known throughout Marine intelligence circles. Not only were officers at Akainu's level aware of their capabilities, but many lower-ranking personnel had studied their tactical patterns as well.
Even so, immediately following the assault on the Celestial Dragons in Alabasta, the World Government had dispatched Kizaru for pursuit operations, primarily because his light-based abilities made him the fastest responder available.
For several exhausting days, the Black Star Pirates had played an elaborate game of hide-and-seek with Admiral Kizaru across the vast ocean. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of underwater escapes and desperate evasion tactics, Brook's least favorite color was no longer visible on the horizon.
"See? I told you he couldn't stick around forever," Jerry announced as he brought their ship back to the surface under the moonlit sky. After scanning the area with his Observation Haki for half an hour without detecting any threats, he spread his hands with a prophetic expression. "He captured plenty of other pirates during his patrol—more than enough to justify reporting back to his superiors."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely brilliant," Carina replied with heavy sarcasm. "Then why exactly did we spend more than three days being chased by that admiral?"
"Ah... I see! He wanted overtime pay!" Jerry suddenly snapped his fingers as if struck by divine inspiration. "That makes perfect sense!"
"I have a more pressing question," Deuce interjected, looking around at their surroundings with growing confusion. "Where exactly are we?"
The ocean stretched endlessly in all directions around their ship—calm seas without wind or waves, and no identifiable landmarks or reference points anywhere on the horizon.
Jerry wagged his finger with mock superiority. "You wouldn't understand, would you? What kind of part-time navigator are you? Completely unreliable."
He then straightened his chest and lifted his chin with exaggerated confidence. "Why don't you ask the magical conch shell... I mean, ask the new generation trendsetter?"
"Fine, oh wise 'Trendsetter,'" Deuce replied with an eye roll. "Where are we right now?"
Jerry glanced around theatrically before announcing with supreme confidence: "Hmph! Based on my expert observations, we are most likely still somewhere on the Grand Line."
"Get lost! Everyone knows that grass is green—why are you stating the obvious!" Carina's forehead developed a prominent vein as she roared at Jerry in frustration.
Jerry abandoned his playful demeanor and addressed his crewmates in a more serious tone: "Ahem, well, I don't know our exact coordinates, but we're definitely closer to Twin Capes than we were before."
"Even though I took numerous detours to avoid Kizaru over the past few days, our general heading has been consistently westward." He pointed toward the star-filled night sky above them. "The wind patterns here have calmed down, and the weather has stabilized significantly. We've probably entered the territorial waters of some island. Let's rest for the night and see what tomorrow brings."
"Alright, it's getting quite late anyway," Deuce agreed with a tired nod. "We should probably call it a night."
Ace blinked and rubbed his stomach expectantly. "Huh? Aren't we going to throw a party to celebrate our escape?"
"Yohohoho! Soul King's band, requesting permission to assemble!" Brook announced enthusiastically.
The skeleton musician had been proposing the formation of a crew band for weeks now. He was proficient with numerous instruments, Carina had considerable singing experience from her performer background, Deuce could play piano reasonably well, and even Skull had picked up basic skills with a few different instruments over the years.
Upon hearing this suggestion, Jerry claimed with completely unwarranted confidence that his familiarity with fishing rods and lines meant he could probably handle an erhu or violin. This was, of course, complete nonsense—he had no musical foundation whatsoever.
Cavendish declared that his Rumble-Rumble Fruit made creating dramatic lighting effects trivial, and his royal upbringing had included basic musical education, so he could contribute both atmospheric enhancement and actual instrumental skills.
As for Carrot and Kotatsu, Brook cheerfully assigned them to "freestyle entertainment"—essentially encouraging them to dance and play however they felt inspired.
By the end of their discussion, everyone realized that Jerry and Ace were the only crew members with absolutely no relevant musical talents. Of course, both were perfectly capable of forcing their way into any performance through sheer determination and creative problem-solving, though there was no guarantee their contributions would actually improve the overall experience.
The pirate crew's impromptu celebration soon kicked off on the deck under the stars. For occasions like this, their new ship featured several convenient amenities: a retractable barbecue station, hidden folding stools, and various other party supplies that Deuce had specifically requested during the design phase.
As the evening progressed with music, food, and laughter echoing across the calm waters, none of them could have predicted that their peaceful respite was about to lead them toward one of the most significant encounters of their journey.