On the shore, A-Bing watched the Magic Protector gradually fade into the distance, her beautiful eyes shimmering with waves of shock.
The Dragon Flag Pirates! To the members of the Dark Clan, this name was the most sacred existence. Since the battle two years ago, no one had seen the entire crew appear together; now, under her witness, they had set sail once more. To say she wasn't excited would be an absolute lie.
Beside her, Bernice's eyes were slightly moist. "Big Sis, Bell has grown up, you—" A-Bing began, but Bernice interrupted her.
"A-Bing, I'm not worried; I'm happy. Bell has finally found the path he wants to walk, and with the Captain by his side, there's nothing to worry about." Bernice turned around. "Let's go. The Captain entrusted the Dark Clan to me. Although our momentum has already begun to overshadow the Donquixote Family, it isn't enough!"
Over the past two years, the development of the Dark Clan had sent shockwaves throughout the entire underworld. Since their defeat, the Donquixote Family had not launched any large-scale attacks against them, and the Dark Clan held the upper hand in their occasional skirmishes. Bernice's goal was to annex all of Doflamingo's underworld influence. Notably, the capital the Dark Clan could now provide Vale D. Drake far exceeded his imagination.
On Ge Isle, a lonely island not far from Wano Country. This was originally territory belonging to the Whitebeard Pirates, but shortly after the great war between the Whitebeard and Blackbeard crews two years ago, it was occupied by another Emperor, Kaido of the Beasts.
In these two years, Blackbeard wasn't the only one striking at the Whitebeard fleet; every Emperor except Red-Haired Shanks had made a move, though they avoided direct confrontation. Big Mom and Kaido had both seized significant portions of the territory formerly belonging to Whitebeard. Ge Isle, being closest to Kaido's domain, was occupied by the Beast Pirates in less than a day. It was one of the largest and most resource-rich islands in Whitebeard's former territory. Due to its proximity to Wano, the island's climate was erratic—one region might be in the depths of winter while the next was in the heat of summer.
In the southern part of Ge Isle lay an endless desert. A young man draped in a red coat walked slowly through the dunes. The air, shimmering with visible heat waves, felt to him like a gentle spring breeze. He moved with the ease of a casual stroll, yet every step was as stable as Mount Tai, even in the shifting sands. His light footsteps eventually blurred into afterimages as he moved forward with incredible speed.
Before long, he reached a town. Despite the long trek through the desert, his breathing remained perfectly steady, and he hadn't broken a single drop of sweat. Entering a restaurant, he began to wolf down plates of food, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Hey, did you hear? Blackbeard is launching a total offensive against the Whitebeard Pirates. He's serious this time."
"I heard. This looks like the end for them."
The young man stopped eating. This was none other than the eldest of the brothers, Fire Fist Ace. Since being taken away by Whitebeard two years ago, he had vanished from public view. Upon his return, he had intended to visit Wano first, but the news paralyzed him.
Bang! Ace grabbed the speaker and lifted him up, his face devoid of emotion. "Tell me. What do you mean by the Whitebeard Pirates being destroyed?"
"Who... who are you? Why should I tell you!?" the man blustered, though his palms began to sweat under Ace's steady, piercing gaze. Gulping in fear, he stammered, "It's the Blackbeard Pirates. They're launching their final general offensive."
"Hmm?" Ace's brow furrowed. He set the man down. "Tell me everything that has happened to the Whitebeard Pirates over the last two years."
As the man recounted the two years of conflict and the continuous defeats of the Whitebeard fleet, Ace's expression darkened until it was black with fury. His presence began to draw the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Since the Beast Pirates now ruled this land, news of someone causing trouble quickly reached the local overseer.
"Teach..." Ace dropped money for his meal and turned to leave.
Outside, chaos erupted as footsteps and the sound of hooves approached through the dust. "Surround the restaurant! I want to see who dares cause trouble on Lord Kaido's turf!"
Ace realized he was surrounded. "I was careless," he muttered. With his current Observation Haki, he should have sensed them long ago, but his mind had been entirely consumed by the crisis facing his crew. Furthermore, these people were simply too weak to trigger his internal alarms.
"Boss Boniu, that's him!" a lackey shouted, pointing at Ace. A burly man sitting atop a horse-like mount glared down. "Kid, you're the one causing trouble in Lord Kaido's territory?"
"Move," Ace said. He had no patience for them while his family was in danger. Boniu, outraged that someone would disrespect the Beast Pirates on their own turf, raised a massive axe.
"Let's see what you've got!" Boniu swung the axe toward Ace.
Ace tipped his hat, revealing eyes devoid of emotion, and simply reached out a single hand. Boniu grinned cruelly, thinking he could cleave through a single hand with his axe.
BOOM!
The axe never felt like it hit anything. Instead, a violent explosion erupted. Flames burst forth from the restaurant entrance, spreading outward in waves like an ocean of fire. Screams filled the street as Ace walked calmly through the inferno toward the distance.