A fleet of nearly one hundred World Government warships completely filled the port of Marineford. On the deck of the lead vessel, Admirals Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru stood shoulder to shoulder with Staff Officer Crane and Garp, who were huddled together. The five of them were bowing their heads, taking a furious scolding from a burly, imposing old man across from them—Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, Kong.
"The Marine Fleet Admiral was killed right in Naval Headquarters, in front of the whole world! Is this how you bastards protect Marine's honor?!" Kong roared, gesturing at the corpse of Sengoku beside him. "Especially you, Garp! You useless piece of shit! You couldn't even keep Blackbeard from escaping. Is that how you avenge Sengoku?!"
"Commander-in-Chief Kong, we underestimated Blackbeard," Garp said, his voice full of a weary loneliness. "Sengoku…"
Kong cut him off. "Shut your mouth!" he bellowed. His harsh gaze fell on the parasol shading Garp's head, and a fresh wave of rage erupted from his heart. "You still have the nerve to argue? Don't you even look in a mirror to see what the hell you look like now? Marine's respect… you've fucking lost it!"
In truth, if Adrian had taken the shadow of anyone else—even one of the Admirals—Kong wouldn't have been so furious. But Garp was different. His status was too special. He was the "Marine Hero," the "Legendary Marine," "Garp the Fist." Every one of those titles was promoted by the Marines as a symbol of justice. And now, this man had, in front of the entire world, lost his shadow to the remnant of a dead pirate king. He had become a "cripple" who could no longer walk in the sun. Kong wanted to punch the old fool right now. How could you be even more of a failure than I even thought of?
"And the three of you! Not only did you failed to capture that boy with multi-fruit abilities, but you also let the Dragon and the Straw Hat kid get away! Are you even worthy of being Admirals?!"
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru exchanged glances, then all looked at Garp. The message was clear: Fleet Admiral Kong, you should be asking Vice Admiral Garp about that…
Kong's tirade eventually subsided, and his anger eased slightly. He turned to Staff Officer Crane. "Crane, I want to hear your assessment of the danger of Adrian, the multi-fruit ability user."
Her answer was concise. "Yonko level."
"Hmm, as a multi-fruit ability user, given time, he could certainly reach even above the Yonko level in the New World. I agree with that," Kong said, nodding heavily.
However, Crane shook her head solemnly. "I wasn't factoring in his devil fruit abilities just now. My assessment is based solely on the strategic calculations and methods he displayed during the battle."
"What?!" Kong's expression changed instantly. "Crane, aren't you overestimating him? He's just a kid who isn't even twenty years old…"
"Commander-in-Chief Kong, the situation at Impel Down has just been confirmed," a headquarters Commodore with green hair, Brannew, reported, rushing onto the ship. "The prisoners from floors LV1 to LV6… all of them died in prison."
"What did you say?!"
This time, even Garp and the three Admirals couldn't stay calm. Even the most ruthless Akainu showed surprise. There were at least a few thousand of prisoners in Impel Down. How could they all have died in a single day? What on earth had happened?
"And judging from the scene, it seems to have been done by the former Warlord, 'Corpse Collector' Adrian…" Brannew continued. "I will confirm this with Director Magellan after he wakes up. He is seriously injured and has fallen into a coma. The medical team is currently trying to resuscitate him."
Recalling the haunting video—the eerie, haunted-house-like prison filled with a line of black coffins—Brannew subconsciously shuddered. Hell is empty, and the butcher is on earth, a phrase popped into his mind without warning. It's too terrifying. How serious is that guy's killing intent? Even though every person locked in Impel Down was a heinous villain, the thought of the bloody massacre of thousands of people still terrified Brannew.
"He went to Impel Down after all," Crane said, as if a puzzle piece had clicked into place. She let out a long, faint sigh. "No wonder a rebellious monster like Bullet is willing to submit to him. This kid's methods are more clever and ruthless than I ever imagined…"
"Commander-in-Chief, 'Red the Aloof,' Patrick Redfield, has appeared in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago, and the Marines patrolling there… have all been killed," another communications officer hurried over to report before anyone had time to process the Impel Down news.
"It seems a troublesome monster has been unleashed," Kizaru said, unable to find the humor this time. He and the others knew the name of "Red the Aloof." In the old days, Redfield was a monster on par with Roger and Whitebeard.
Bullet, Redfield… when these names, which they had hoped to forget, reappeared, they finally realized the truth. They had thought the fall of Whitebeard was the end of an era. But now, it seemed it was only the beginning.
For a while, the faces of Kong and the other Marine high-ups were shrouded in a thick haze. The Summit War was over, but the new storm it had raised was just beginning.
Morgans, the "King of News," was pacing back and forth, caught in a massive dilemma. As a senior journalist, he was facing an unprecedented test and choice. The incredibly dramatic Summit War had just concluded, bringing with it a flood of massive news stories: The World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard, was dead. Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku was dead. Pirate King Roger's son had been successfully executed. "One Piece is real!" The multi-fruit ability user, Adrian… The Revolutionary Army had suffered heavy losses…
Major breaking news was sprouting up everywhere, like toads after rain. Morgans no longer knew which to headline, because each one deserved a huge front page all to itself.
But his biggest internal conflict was the huge sum of money the World Government had sent him. It was an unspoken demand: the World Government wanted him to downplay the impact of the three most shocking stories: "One Piece," "Adrian," and "Sengoku was killed."
"President, which news story is going on the headlines?" an assistant asked.
"Though I am a miser, more importantly… I am a journalist!" Morgans finally made up his mind. "How can such an important event be kept a secret?!" He waved his hand. "Immediately prepare a double-headed edition for me! The headline will be: 'The Old Era Falls, and the New Generation Rises—Adrian, the New Emperor Who Aspires to the Sea!'"
Early the next morning, as the news birds carried the paper across the world, a whole bunch of explosive news reports swept across the globe like a hurricane.
The most prominent was the report on Adrian, who had killed Whitebeard and held the multi-fruit ability. This new Warlord, a supernova of less than half a month, had instantly attracted the attention of the whole world. Everyone knew his rise was inevitable. Some had even already started calling him an "Emperor."
Second was Whitebeard's final confirmation of the great secret treasure, "One Piece!" This was the news that pirates and ambitious people all over the world had hoped for the most. No one doubted the truth of Whitebeard's last words, for he was the man who, after Roger, had come closest to the One Piece.
The third big story was Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku's heroic death at the hands of the former Warlord, Blackbeard. Other headlines followed: "Pirate King Roger's son, Fire Fist Ace, Successfully Executed," "The Summit War: The Road to the Whitebeard Pirates' Destruction," "Shocking! The Impel Down Prison Reduced to a Prisoner's Graveyard, and a Mysterious Butcher Bloodbaths Tens of Thousands of Pirates…" and "Straw Hats' Rescue Mission Successful, Revolutionary-Army Severely Damaged, and Many Commander Heads Killed…"
Almost at the same time as the reports appeared, Adrian's new bounty was announced to the world.
The number sent a shockwave across the globe.
"Adrian: 3 Billion Baileys!!!"