Early in the morning, the sky began to brighten across the vast expanse of the sea. On countless islands, kingdoms, and hidden corners of the world, pirate ships drifted as usual. The world seemed normal—people woke up, worked, and pursued their daily adventures.
Until the flow of time reached midday.
Flocks of News Birds from the World Economic Journal swarmed the skies. Those who spotted them immediately sensed something was wrong; the sheer number of birds was unprecedented. It felt as though a world-shattering event had occurred, and Morgans was desperate to broadcast it to every soul on the ocean.
In fact, that was exactly the case. When people spent 100 Berries to read the paper, they were stunned into a paralyzed silence, their eyes struggling to process the reality before them.
"Hey, this isn't real, is it?" "How is this even possible?" "Kaido of the Beasts actually won!" "Is the new era really here?"
In the Grand Line, specifically in the kingdom of Alabasta, panic-stricken shouts echoed through the palace. Igaram, the captain of the royal guard, rushed into the throne room clutching a newspaper. In his terror, his legs gave out, and he slid across the floor until he reached King Cobra.
The sudden intrusion startled Cobra and Vivi, who were mid-breakfast.
"Are you alright, Igaram?" Vivi asked with deep concern.
Igaram paid no attention to his disheveled state and thrust the paper toward Cobra, who sat in his wheelchair. Cobra's initially calm expression shifted to wide-eyed shock as he scanned the headline. With an incredible burst of strength, he stood straight up from his chair.
"How... how is this possible? Kaido actually did it?"
The headline was simple and terrifying: The New World King: Kaido of the Beasts.
Beneath it was a photograph. Kaido, the former Four Emperor and ruler of the New World, stood atop the Red Line, his body shimmering with golden scales. Behind him, Pangaea Castle—the center of the world's highest authority—flew the flag of the Beasts Pirates. The entire Holy Land, Mary Geoise, had been claimed as their territory. In the lingering smoke of the battlefield, the Beasts Pirates were seen capturing the Celestial Dragons one by one, while countless slaves cheered for their newfound freedom. A colossal rift spanned the horizon, and the magnificent Sun Tree Eve stood tall between heaven and earth.
"This... this cannot be real," Vivi whispered, covering her mouth in sheer disbelief.
Cobra clutched the paper tightly. He had been aware of Kaido's declaration of war against the World Government, but he had assumed such a conflict would last a very long time. He never imagined that after only a single night, the era of the sea would be fundamentally altered.
"Your Majesty, what do we do now?" Igaram asked.
Cobra didn't answer immediately. He read every word with a solemn expression until he reached the final sentence. "Go, Igaram. Bring out the television and the radio."
Igaram paused, then understood. These devices had been introduced two years earlier by Buggy the Clown, who had used his position as a Shichibukai to shatter the World Government and Marine monopoly on news. Though the government had spent two years strictly banning and jamming them, Cobra needed to see the truth. Igaram returned quickly with the equipment.
As he turned them on, a scene appeared that shocked them all. The screen displayed a massive island surrounded by towering rock walls, composed of six interconnected smaller islands.
"That is Wano Country!" Cobra exclaimed.
The screen displayed the words "Wano Country" in large letters, with a countdown timer below it: 64:53. Countless pirate ships surrounded the island, transporting prisoners in a steady flow. Though the images were distant, the silhouettes were clear: Celestial Dragons who once ruled the world, Cipher Pol agents who served as their lackeys, and Marines.
Cobra's brow furrowed. "I truly didn't expect it; Kaido actually won. Which means..."
To the common observer, this was simply a battle between Marines and pirates. But Cobra, as a descendant of one of the twenty founding kingdoms, understood the deeper truth: the defeat of the World Government represented the downfall of the monster secretly ruling from the shadows.
"Your Majesty, what do we do now?" Igaram asked again.
Cobra's resolve hardened. If Kaido truly possessed the power to defeat that monster, then resistance was meaningless.
However, Cobra's understanding was not shared by all. Across the sea, other descendants of the twenty kingdoms reacted with foolish, panicked defiance, desperately gathering armies to resist the new era. Many ordinary citizens were filled with fear, dreading a world ruled by pirates.
Yet, there were others whose eyes burned with fervor. These were people who had suffered at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. While they feared pirate rule, the downfall of their oppressors was intoxicating. The newspaper announced that the Beasts Pirates would publicly execute and try the Celestial Dragons in seventy-two hours.
For many, it did not matter who ruled the world, as long as the Celestial Dragons were held accountable. The prospect of seeing the masters of the last eight hundred years reduced to prisoners and facing their long-overdue end filled those who had been ravaged by them with joy. Their thirst for revenge made them far more willing to accept the rule of the Beasts Pirates.
As time passed, the landscape of the sea shifted dramatically. Yet, for now, these reactions were irrelevant to the Beasts Pirates, who were currently busy distributing the rewards of their victory.