A war between Emperors.
And not just any Emperors it was a declaration of war between the two strongest forces: Kaido and Whitebeard.
Naturally, news of this magnitude could not be suppressed.
Moreover neither Kaido nor Whitebeard had any intention of hiding it.
It was as though both sides truly intended to fight to the death.
As a result the news spread across the entire world at astonishing speed.
Shock.
Complete shock.
Anyone with even a little influence in the world felt like the world had gone insane.
Everything was spiraling far beyond expectations.
Temporary Marine Headquarters, Sabaody Archipelago.
"What do you all think about this?"
Sengoku placed the report about the war between Kaido and Whitebeard onto the table.
The Marines were already in complete chaos.
The failure at the Summit War had severely damaged the Marines' prestige.
Across the world, forces and individuals opposing the Marines had begun appearing one after another.
On top of that the Marines were still in the middle of selecting a new Fleet Admiral.
The entire organization was busy every second of every day.
At this point, even if another Warlord got beaten to death somewhere, they probably would not have had the energy to care.
And yet at the worst possible moment Kaido and Whitebeard had declared war on each other.
The impact of a war between Emperors was no less than the shock caused by the Summit War itself.
Even the current Marines had no choice but to squeeze out time to discuss countermeasures.
"They're all pirates anyway. Let them fight."
Akainu appeared completely unconcerned.
He did not think much of the war between Kaido and Whitebeard.
They were pirates.
If they wanted to tear each other apart and weaken themselves internally, then that was actually beneficial to the Marines.
"If this had happened before the Summit War, it might have been a perfect chance for the Marines to enter the New World."
Aokiji also gave his own assessment.
Regarding this matter the Marines truly had very few options.
The New World belonged to the Four Emperors.
Although the World Government maintained branches there, the extent of their influence was extremely limited.
Originally, the Marines' plan had been to kill Whitebeard during the Summit War and use that victory as an opportunity to expand their authority in the New World.
But now the Marines simply had no strength left to spare.
"We'll observe for now."
The discussion ultimately produced no meaningful result.
Sengoku could only sigh helplessly.
After thinking for a moment, he finally issued an order:
"Send Momousagi and her forces into the New World to monitor the situation."
"As for everyone else, prioritize restoring order in the Grand Line and the Four Blues."
Red Hair Pirates' ship.
An unexpected guest had arrived aboard the ship.
It was none other than the world's greatest swordsman "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk.
Shanks looked at Mihawk, his hand already twitching toward the sword at his waist.
"You here for a fight?"
"No."
Mihawk remained as cold and arrogant as ever.
There was not the slightest emotion in his eyes.
Originally, he and Shanks had been excellent rivals.
But after Shanks lost an arm, Mihawk had rarely dueled him again.
That did not mean Mihawk was stronger overall.
Rather in terms of swordsmanship alone, Shanks no longer posed enough pressure or threat to interest him.
"What do you think about Kaido declaring war on Whitebeard?"
Hearing Mihawk's question, disappointment appeared on Shanks' face.
"Don't tell me you came all the way here just for that?"
"Of course not."
Mihawk paused briefly.
In his mind, he recalled Luffy's performance during the Summit War.
Although immature to the point of seeming laughable compared to the first time they had met, his rate of growth was terrifying.
"I saw the future you spoke about."
"He…"
"Is very promising."
Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom Pirates.
"Tsk tsk."
"Lately, I haven't really had much appetite."
Big Mom rubbed her stomach.
Surprisingly or rather, unbelievably Big Mom once again was not eating anything.
For someone suffering from an extreme eating disorder, this was practically unimaginable.
"Mama."
Below her, the Minister of Candy looked at Big Mom with cold sweat running down his forehead.
"Kaido has declared war on Whitebeard."
"It sounds like he intends to fight Whitebeard to the bitter end."
"To the bitter end?"
"With just Kaido alone?"
Hearing the report, Big Mom revealed a look of disdain.
Only now did she finally pick up the cake beside her yet after taking one bite, she put it back down again.
"You think I don't know him?"
"He's just afraid that old man Newgate is developing too quickly, so he wants to suppress him."
"Do you really think wars between Emperors are that simple?"
Although Big Mom verbally dismissed the situation her behavior clearly revealed something else.
She was restless.
Uneasy.
Completely uncertain about how this situation would eventually develop.
"Then…"
The Minister of Candy cautiously probed further.
"What should we do?"
Even Big Mom herself had not decided yet.
She frowned and thought for a moment.
"We'll wait and see."
"Oh, right."
"Have Katakuri take people over there to observe."
"And remember this well—"
"They are only there to observe and gather intelligence."
"They absolutely must not get dragged into the war. Understood?"
"Understood!" The Minister of Candy immediately nodded.
Dressrosa.
Doflamingo sat upon his throne.
Most of the Donquixote Family executives stood below him.
"The sea truly is an interesting place."
Swirling the red wine in his glass, Doflamingo wore his trademark grin.
If one had to say who was both the happiest and most worried about Kaido declaring war on Whitebeard it was neither the Marines nor the islands caught between the two Emperors.
It was him.
He was happy because Kaido had spent enormous amounts of money purchasing artificial Devil Fruits from him.
But he was also worried.
If Kaido were to lose then his artificial Devil Fruit business would likely collapse along with him.
Without Kaido's protection even with his title as a Warlord, Doflamingo would never be able to stop the countless New World forces coveting his artificial Devil Fruit production line.
He was strong.
But in the New World without the protection of an Emperor, his strength simply was not enough.
"Then should we help Kaido?"
"Help?"
Hearing his subordinate's question, Doflamingo looked as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"A war between Emperor-level crews."
"Do you honestly think we can provide them with any meaningful help?"
"Then what should we do?"
"Sit back and watch?"
"Or hurry and contact Big Mom or Shanks?"
Artificial Devil Fruits were not some small-scale operation.
Whoever possessed that production line could rapidly increase the overall strength of their forces in a very short time.
No power in the world would refuse to cooperate with Doflamingo.
The only reason nobody approached him before was because Kaido stood behind him.
Doflamingo thought for a moment before replying,
"No."
"Not for now."
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