"Blackbeard and the Golden Lion… actually joined forces to attack the great underwater prison—Impel Down?!"
At dawn, sword-sharp rays of morning light pierced through the darkness, restoring brightness to the world.
Red, who had just bought the day's newspaper from a News Coo, wore an expression of indescribable shock.
"This world is really becoming harder and harder to understand," he murmured.
After reading the entire report, he couldn't help but sigh.
Beside him, Roronoa Zoro frowned as he followed Red's train of thought.
"I remember you mentioning that on the lowest level of Impel Down, there are many terrifying criminals who left their mark on the world."
"Now that all of them have been freed by Blackbeard and the Golden Lion…"
"Their power should already be comparable to that of the so-called Four Emperors' crews—no, it might even surpass them, right?"
"That's not quite the case," Red said as he folded the newspaper, shaking his head with a light chuckle.
"Very few truly strong people are willing to live under someone else."
"Especially not under an aging Golden Lion and an unknown upstart like Blackbeard."
"Even if they… successfully tore through Impel Down from top to bottom."
As he spoke, a flicker of light flashed in Red's eyes.
To be honest, Blackbeard's repeated appearances—each time causing a bigger and more dramatic incident than the last—had already made Red start to suspect whether this man truly possessed some kind of overwhelming destiny or fortune.
After all, in a world that already had something like the Luck-Luck Fruit, adding a hidden concept like "fate" wouldn't feel out of place at all.
Just like the sudden storm that appeared when Roger was once surrounded by the Golden Lion's massive fleet.
The only problem was that this man, who seemed to be blessed by destiny, had now become a sworn enemy of the Straw Hat Pirates!
Red lightly tapped the tabletop, lips pursed as he sank into thought.
"We can't let Blackbeard continue developing unchecked. It's time to give this future tyrant something else to worry about."
Having made up his mind, Red waved one hand. From a mysterious Hyperspace Hole, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed it with practiced ease.
After only a few rings, the call was answered.
Before the other side could speak, Red grinned and said,
"Mr. Morgans, I've got a big piece of news for you—free of charge. Interested in hearing it?"
…
…
Meanwhile.
In the New World, aboard the Moby Dick.
Having just retrieved Jingudo and the other pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates were holding a grand victory banquet on deck.
Although their clash with the Marines had left the Whitebeard Pirates with heavy losses, piracy was a profession where one lived with their head tied at the waist.
Especially for a massive pirate crew like theirs, the death of comrades—while painful—was not something utterly unheard of.
Their sorrow had been left in the past.
As the freest beings on the seas, they would continue to sing loudly for the adventures yet to come.
Amid the crowd, Marco raised his cup high. His feather-like blond hair fluttered gently in the sea breeze as he shouted,
"Come on!"
"For the glory of the Whitebeard Pirates!!! Cheers!!!"
"Cheers!!!"
The pirates responded in unison, smiles blooming across their faces.
Just recalling how the so-called Hero of the Marines, Garp, had been sent flying by a single blow from Pops—his face frozen in disbelief—filled their hearts with indescribable satisfaction.
Not long ago, during the days when Whitebeard had been gravely injured, they had been chased all over the seas by Garp and Sengoku.
If Pops hadn't forced his wounded body to unleash his power once more, triggering massive tsunamis to drive back the pursuing Marine warships, they had no idea how long they would have been forced to flee.
But now, everything was different!
Pops' injuries had completely vanished, and his strength had surged dramatically.
Just from the shock and disbelief written all over Garp's face earlier, it was obvious how terrifying Pops' power had become.
That old man had come as a representative of the Marines to negotiate with the Whitebeard Pirates—yet after the deal, he insisted on "testing" them…
Only to be sent flying by Whitebeard's tremor power, terrifying the Marine fleet into immediate retreat as they scrambled to rescue the Hero of the Marines from the sea.
Though it was only a single clash, in that instant, it felt as though the sea and the sky themselves had been torn apart by two gods.
And in the end, Whitebeard's victory perfectly lived up to his title—
The World's Strongest Man.
And all of this was thanks to Ace's mysterious pirate allies.
The banquet raged on.
As the greatest contributor to this crisis being resolved, Ace found himself being force-fed drink after drink by his crewmates.
The most ruthless among them was Kingdew, the Eleventh Division Commander who had just been rescued.
After all, judging from the morning paper, if Ace hadn't brought back so many key Marine figures—giving the Whitebeard Pirates leverage to negotiate—
Kingdew might have encountered the Golden Lion and Blackbeard while at his weakest, right inside Impel Down.
Given the hatred between them, his chances of survival would have been nearly zero.
This sudden banquet also had another hidden purpose: to dispel the fear and unease lingering in people's hearts through celebration and revelry.
And so, the grand feast lasted a full day and night.
It wasn't until dawn the next day, awakened by the cry of a News Coo, that Marco finally stirred among the bodies sprawled across the deck.
Out of habit, he paid for the day's paper.
A brand-new issue of the World Economy News Paper landed in his hands.
Before he was even fully sober, his eyes were drawn to the massive headline splashed across the front page:
[Shocking! The World's First Dual Devil Fruit User May Be Born!]
And on the cover—
The man the Whitebeard Pirates hated with every fiber of their being.
Blackbeard!!!
In the photograph, Blackbeard—missing an arm—was draped in a Marine "Justice" cloak soaked crimson with blood. He laughed cruelly and arrogantly, one hand gripping the throat of a prison guard.
The tattered, battle-worn cloak made him look like a demon returning from hell, ready to burn the world with his fury.
It had to be said—
Photographers in the pirate world truly loved their art.
But what shocked Marco wasn't the darkly handsome photo.
"No wonder that bastard Blackbeard was willing to betray the crew and murder his comrades just to get his hands on that Devil Fruit!"
"So he'd been plotting for the Dark-Dark Fruit all along!"
A sharp glint flashed behind Marco's glasses.
Realizing how critical this information was, he clenched the newspaper tightly and headed straight for Whitebeard's quarters.
…
…
Not long after, a high-level meeting of the Whitebeard Pirates convened inside the captain's cabin.
Despite accommodating all the division commanders, the room still felt vast due to Whitebeard's enormous stature.
Whitebeard sat solemnly upon the captain's throne, his expression grave—nothing like the joy of the previous night's banquet.
As the meeting's moderator, Marco spread out the newspaper so everyone could see.
The article detailed all known information about the special Logia-type Devil Fruit—the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Including its ability to nullify other Devil Fruit powers, absorb and transfer abilities, and its inability to allow elemental transformation.
This was Red's method for suppressing Blackbeard's "destiny."
In the intelligence he had freely given Morgans, Red had even listed the Devil Fruit powers Blackbeard might potentially seize in the future.
At the top of the list—
Whitebeard's own Tremor-Tremor Fruit, known as the most destructive power in the world.
Second was the Float-Float Fruit wielded by the Golden Lion, who was currently allied with Blackbeard.
Following that were powerful fruits such as the Fuse-Fuse Fruit, Soul-Soul Fruit, Op-Op Fruit, Shadow-Shadow Fruit, Love-Love Fruit, and more.
In total, Red listed ten Devil Fruit abilities, each with a brief description.
This report didn't just expose the Dark-Dark Fruit—
It also revealed intelligence on Devil Fruits possessed by the world's strongest individuals.
Though the article's core focus remained the Dark-Dark Fruit, it also speculated on Blackbeard's future targets.
From the moment this newspaper was published, the Dark-Dark Fruit—once shrouded in mystery—was completely laid bare before the world.
And its sheer terror was now undeniable.
At Red's insistence, Morgans personally polished the article, ending it with a vivid depiction of a future Blackbeard Pirates crew where every member wielded a powerful Devil Fruit.
The tone was neutral, almost educational.
But in the eyes of those who mattered, everything changed.
For example—
The Whitebeard Pirates.
"Pops! We can't wait any longer!"
In the silent cabin, Ace slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
In truth, he already knew much of this from Red.
But back then, they had been focused on their plan to rescue the crew through a diversion, so no one had fully grasped the danger.
Even Red hadn't expected Blackbeard to turn the tables repeatedly in such desperate circumstances.
Now, this report had awakened Ace's memories.
While others were still reeling from the article's shocking claims, Ace spoke firmly:
"Pops, Red once told me about the Dark-Dark Fruit. What he said matches this report almost exactly!"
"This is something we must take seriously!"
"Before, Blackbeard was alone."
"But now he's gathered a group of top-tier criminals who escaped from Impel Down!"
"If they gain Devil Fruit abilities under Blackbeard's power, they'll become an unstoppable force!"
"Instead of regretting it later, we should act now—gather intelligence on Blackbeard…"
"And kill him before he truly grows!!!"
"Hmm…"
Whitebeard exhaled two streams of white vapor through his nose and nodded.
Among true powerhouses, Haki stood above all else—
But there was no denying how troublesome powerful Devil Fruits could be.
Besides, killing the traitor Blackbeard was already on their agenda.
Without hesitation, Whitebeard turned his head.
"Marco. Go to the underground black market. In the name of the Whitebeard Pirates, issue a worldwide bounty."
"Any verified information on Blackbeard—reward: 100 million Beli!"
"If someone can directly locate Blackbeard and provide precise coordinates…"
"1 billion Beli!!!"
"Yes, Pops!"
Marco nodded immediately and left to make the arrangements.
Inside the cabin, Whitebeard continued assigning tasks to the other commanders.
Even without considering the Dark-Dark Fruit, a Blackbeard who had gathered so many powerful allies was already a serious threat.
Having nearly been caught off guard once, Whitebeard was now more serious than ever.
…
…
Meanwhile.
The intelligence published in the World Economy News Paper didn't just affect the Whitebeard Pirates.
Wano Country—Onigashima.
After hearing about the Dark-Dark Fruit from King, Kaido sat upon his grim throne. A thoughtful expression—rare for him—appeared on his ferocious face.
"A Devil Fruit that can freely steal other Devil Fruit powers?!"
"To think such a power exists in this world!"
"King!"
Kaido's deep voice echoed through the hall. King, one of the Three All-Stars known as the Wildfire, immediately bowed.
"Find a way to contact this Blackbeard. Ask him whether his ability can steal powers from Zoan-type users."
"Everything listed in that paper is Paramecia."
…
…
New World—Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamamama~"
"How fascinating!"
Big Mom sprawled across a massive soft bed, drool trailing from her lips as she stared at an enlarged newspaper scaled to her size.
"To steal others' powers and make them your own!"
"Katakuri! Hold a tea party for me. Invite that Blackbeard no matter what!"
"And while you're at it…"
"Ask him if he'd like to become my forty-second husband!"
"Mamamamama~!!!"
In an instant, Big Mom's lovesick laughter echoed across the skies of Whole Cake Island, sending chills down the spines of countless men living there.
(End of Chapter)