"Pluton! The legendary Ancient Weapon! It actually… it actually appeared! And it wiped out the entire Buster Call fleet with one shot?!"
"What?!"
"Are you kidding me?! A Buster Call?! That's five Vice Admirals!"
The entire tavern instantly fell into a dead silence, with only heavy breathing remaining.
The pirates scrambled to pass around the newspaper, every face filled with disbelief and extreme shock.
"Straw Hat? Luffy? Where did these newcomers come from?!"
A burly man wearing a captain's hat slammed the newspaper onto the table, his face full of envy and greed. "I've been adventuring on the Grand Line for over ten years, and I've never heard these names! Why do they get to have Pluton?!"
"Exactly! Those incredibly powerful Ancient Weapons should belong to us!" another pirate with a scar on his face roared, his eyes red, as if Pluton was rightfully his.
Greed and envy quickly replaced the initial shock, and the atmosphere in the tavern became feverish and dangerous.
"Damn it! We can't just let this go!"
"Find them! Kill those ignorant new kids!"
"Steal Pluton! With that ship, the entire New World will be ours!"
A group of pirates, their minds clouded by desire, drew their weapons, pounded on tables, and let out frenzied shouts, as if they already saw themselves controlling Pluton and dominating the Grand Line.
At the tavern counter, an old man with glasses and flowing silver hair slowly put down the newspaper in his hand.
The wine glass in front of him remained untouched.
"Straw Hat… Luffy, huh?" Rayleigh murmured to himself, a barely perceptible smile, tinged with reminiscence and amusement, playing on his lips. "Heh, the little guy Shanks chose… he's truly something else."
He picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, his gaze seemingly piercing through the tavern walls, looking out at the endless Grand Line.
"To even build Pluton… this commotion is far more impressive than our time."
There was no hint of greed or fear in his tone, only the calm of witnessing the surging tide of an era, and a touch of approval and expectation for an old friend's choice.
...
In the central square of a non-World Government affiliated country, the warm sunlight failed to dispel the heavy and uneasy atmosphere.
The latest issue of the World Economic News was dropped by a news bird, like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of all passing citizens.
"Look! The latest newspaper!"
"What major event happened? Why is the headline so terrifying?"
People quickly gathered from all directions, forming an increasingly dense circle, vying to read the shocking headline and report on the front page.
The noisy discussions gradually gave way to a death-like silence.
A simply dressed mother clutched the edge of the newspaper tightly, her fingers white from the effort, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Pluton… Pluton? That… that legendary Ancient Weapon capable of destroying the world… has actually… appeared?"
"It's not just appeared!"
An old scholar with glasses next to her adjusted his slipping spectacles, his face pale, pointing to the details of the report,
"It… it destroyed the entire Buster Call fleet with one shot! Five Marine Vice Admirals, so many warships… they were vaporized before they could even get close!"
"Oh my god… what kind of power is this…" a young merchant murmured, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "This is no longer a war we can comprehend…"
Panic, like an invisible plague, quickly spread through the crowded square. People looked at each other, seeing the same terror and disbelief in each other's eyes.
"Pluton has appeared…" an old man leaned on his cane, his voice hoarse and full of worry. "This Grand Line, I'm afraid it will never be peaceful again."
His words echoed everyone's sentiments.
Great power brought not reassurance, but deeper fear. They were just ordinary citizens, seeking only peace and prosperity.
"What… what will happen to our kingdom's future?"
"What will the World Government do? Will it trigger an even bigger war?"
"Will we… be dragged into it?"
No one could answer these questions.
They could only stand helplessly in the square, looking at the sky that was still blue but seemed to hide endless storms, their hearts filled with deep fear and confusion about the unknown future.
The shadow of the Ancient Weapon had already fallen upon every ordinary person's heart.
...
New World,
In a certain tumultuous sea, a pirate ship with a ferocious design and a skull flag was cutting through the waves.
Inside the captain's cabin, several renowned pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million were passing around the latest World Economic News.
When they saw the sensational headline and accompanying image on the front page, the previously noisy atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Bang!
A short-tempered, burly captain slammed the newspaper onto the studded wooden table, the solid wood surface instantly cracking in several places. Veins bulged on his forehead, his face terribly grim, and he squeezed out words through clenched teeth:
"Pluton…! That thing that only exists in legends, it's actually been built?! And with one shot… it vaporized a Buster Call?!"
Next to him, a grim-faced captain wearing a tricorn hat said nothing, only staring intently at the blurry mushroom cloud image in the newspaper, his fingers unconsciously tightening, cracking his wine glass.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes flickering with disbelief and deep apprehension:
"With this kind of power… is the Grand Line about to welcome a new 'Pirate King'?"
These words were like a giant stone dropped into still water, stirring up a thousand waves, and the cabin fell into an even longer, suffocating silence.
Every pirate leader present looked incredibly solemn.
They had fought for many years, shedding blood to come to the New World from the first half of the Grand Line, enduring countless life-and-death trials. What was it all for?
Wasn't it for that ultimate goal, the Grand Treasure ONE PIECE on Laugh Tale, and the supreme throne of the "Pirate King"?
And now, an unknown new pirate crew had gained power capable of crushing everything?
Then wouldn't their years of dreams, their life-risking struggles, become a huge joke?
"Are you kidding me!!!"
Suddenly, a pirate captain stood up abruptly, smashing the nearby wine cabinet with a punch, sending glass and wine splattering everywhere.
"I've been adventuring in the New World for over ten years, enduring countless life-and-death situations! ONE PIECE should belong to everyone! How could it be so easily 'reserved' by a newcomer?!
I'm not reconciled! I absolutely refuse to be reconciled!"