Sabaody Archipelago, Area 11.
The moment the Blackbeard Pirates were discovered, countless Marines swarmed in, surrounding them in a sea of rifles and justice.
And yet, Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard himself—stood calmly in the center, lips curling into a dark grin.
Ever since devouring the Yami Yami no Mi, ordinary Marines were nothing but insects in his eyes.
The crowd of Marines suddenly split down the middle, making way for a towering figure cloaked in heat and smoke.
A crimson silhouette stepped forward—
Admiral Sakazuki, code name Akainu.
"Zehahahaha… I've no intention of fighting the Marines just yet," Blackbeard drawled, baring his teeth.
"But I have a secret powerful enough to shake the world. I'll trade it to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Akainu took a slow drag of his cigar, eyes like embers.
His voice, wrapped in Armament Haki, slipped straight into Teach's ear.
"You mean Ace's secret, don't you?"
Teach's grin faltered. His pupils constricted sharply.
"No… impossible!"
That secret—Portgas D. Ace's bloodline—was his trump card, his insurance, the cornerstone of his plan.
If the Marines already knew, then his entire gamble would collapse before it began.
Akainu's voice turned cold as magma dripped from his arm.
"Nothing's impossible. Prepare to die."
"Wait! I can help you catch Ace!" Teach shouted desperately.
"Marines don't conspire with pirates." Akainu sneered, and his molten fist swelled several times its size before crashing down like a meteor.
BOOM!
The world went red. Lava poured like rain.
Gunfire erupted from all sides as Marines opened fire in a blinding storm of bullets.
Teach's eyes went bloodshot. His fear melted into madness.
"Then let's fight!!"
He threw open his arms—
and the ground itself turned to darkness.
A surge of black smoke erupted, devouring everything nearby before regurgitating it all back in chaos.
Buildings shattered.
Flames and shadows collided.
The earth itself screamed as molten rock turned the field into scorched hell.
Even Akainu paused briefly, his eyes narrowing.
"A fruit never before seen…"
Then, the black tide beneath Teach's feet began to spread, swallowing Marines and buildings alike.
"Consider this my parting gift, Akainu!"
The next instant, everything that had been devoured—splintered buildings, shattered bodies, screaming soldiers—
was vomited back out in one horrific wave.
Limbs, viscera, charred wreckage rained down across the battlefield.
Even the iron-willed Akainu's brow furrowed at the stench of blood and smoke.
By the time the Marines regained focus, the battlefield was empty.
Teach and his crew had vanished into the darkness.
A shadowed alley, somewhere on Sabaody.
The Blackbeard crew staggered through smoke and rubble, gasping, singed, barely alive.
"Captain… what now?" Burgess rasped, still shaking from the fight.
Teach's expression was dark as pitch.
"The Marines knowing Ace's lineage doesn't mean the Four Emperors do."
Burgess and Doc Q exchanged uneasy looks.
"So you mean…"
Teach's grin returned, sharp and cruel.
"If we can't escape Sabaody, then we make the world burn with us. Only chaos can open a path."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi, its shell glossy black.
A moment later, a deep, matronly laugh echoed from the other side.
"Mamamama… Blackbeard?"
"Big Mom," Teach said, voice low and slick. "You've been eyeing Fish-Man Island, haven't you? I've got just the distraction you need.
Ace—Whitebeard's second division commander—is Roger's son. The Marines are already hunting him down."
He ended the call, a shadow creeping across his grin.
The dark sea beyond shimmered faintly under the moonlight, as if countless unseen tides stirred below.
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.
A mountain of cakes sat untouched before Charlotte Linlin, her sweet tooth forgotten.
Katakuri entered the room, face grave.
"The intel checks out. The Marines have deployed a full armada—and even sent an Admiral after Ace."
Big Mom's eyes glimmered with glee.
"Mamamama… So that fool wasn't lying."
"To send an Admiral… just to catch one of Whitebeard's men—"
Her grin split wider. "Spread the news. Tell the world—Ace is Roger's son!"
She pulled out another Den Den Mushi—one with twin horns and a low growl in its tone.
"Linlin?"
"Kaido," she purred. "Didn't you say you wanted the greatest war this world has ever seen? Well, here's your spark."
She recounted the situation, her laughter rolling like thunder.
The other end went silent for a long while.
Then came the gravelly reply:
"I don't need you to teach me how to start a war."
Big Mom only laughed harder and hung up.
She knew that tone—
Kaido was already moving.
As her fleet spread the news across the world, the seas erupted into chaos.
By nightfall, every major power—the Marines, the Four Emperors, the Warlords, the Revolutionaries—
had turned their gaze toward Sabaody Archipelago.
The storm had begun.
Back at Ron's Tavern.
When Ace left, Rayleigh lingered only long enough to finish his drink before slipping into the night.
Ron was just locking up when the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Customers Ace and Rayleigh have completed their confessions.]
[Ding! Related individual detected: Whitebeard.]
[Notification: Edward Newgate will soon visit the tavern.]
Ron's fingers paused on the lock, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"So… the old man's coming too, huh?"
He leaned against the doorframe, looking out at the flickering harbor lights.
"The whole sea's holding its breath.
Looks like the real story is about to begin."
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