Gern Reginald Sigmar, representing the Marines, took possession of Wano Country in a manner that was almost "peaceful"… and yet utterly impossible to resist.
Kozuki Sukiyaki's prostration became the final seal upon the nation's fate.
The dying embers of resistance were, for the moment, extinguished.
At the same time, the events of recent days could not be completely contained.
The World Economy News Paper—voice of global public opinion—moved swiftly.
Its president, Morgans, had long since bet everything on the coming wave of a "New Era."
So when fragments of information—gathered from countless channels, informants, and even a certain red-nosed source who refused to be named—began to converge upon his cluttered desk…
The "Big News" king trembled with excitement, feathers quivering.
Because he knew—
A historic moment had arrived.
Suppressing such news would be the greatest sacrilege imaginable for a man like him.
No—
He wanted to ignite the entire world.
And so, days later, news birds flooded the skies across every sea, scattering an unprecedented extra edition—one powerful enough to make the oceans boil and redraw the map of power itself.
The front page was split into multiple explosive headlines, each one worthy of dominating the world for months on its own:
[Marine "Hero" Monkey D. Garp Missing After Fierce Battle on Pirate Island Hachinosu! Fate Unknown—A Tearful End to an Era?]
[The Roar of the Worst Generation! Straw Hat Luffy, Trafalgar Law, and Eustass Kid Join Forces to Slay Emperors!Kaido of the Beasts and BIG MOM Both Defeated, Plunging into the Abyss!Monkey D. Luffy's Bounty Soars to 3 Billion Berries—The Fifth Emperor Is Crowned!]
The report vividly described the brutal battle on Onigashima—its details exaggerated in places—but emphasized Luffy's shocking Gear Fifth awakening and the historic feat achieved by the three captains.
Beside Luffy's new 3-billion-berry bounty poster, bold letters were printed:
"Fifth Emperor."
[The Might of Heavenquake! Fleet Admiral Gern Reginald Sigmar Defeats and Captures Two Titans—Red-Haired Shanks and Revolutionary Leader Monkey D. Dragon!]
This headline struck like a nuclear blast.
Though the accompanying photo was blurred, the silhouette was unmistakable—
Gern dragging both men like fallen giants.
The article painted him as an unstoppable force:
"Executing divine judgment in the name of the Marines, subduing two of the greatest threats to the world in a single stroke."
[Bloodless Conquest? Fleet Admiral Descends Upon Wano—Forces New Emperor Straw Hat to Yield! Former Shogun Kneels in Submission! Marines Secure Strategic Stronghold in the New World!]
Closely tied to the previous report, this article detailed how Gern, fresh from his overwhelming victory, marched into Wano and used sheer, undeniable power to force even the newly crowned Emperor Luffy into retreat—
culminating in Kozuki Sukiyaki's formal declaration of submission.
The Marines' influence was described as expanding across the New World at an astonishing pace.
In a single day, three Emperors—Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks—had "fallen" by different means.
The balance of the world had shattered.
Yet where old Emperors fall…
new ones rise.
In this chaos—this fleeting window of opportunity—
the Cross Guild, born from sheer coincidence, seized its moment.
Crocodile and Buggy understood one thing clearly:
Issuing bounties against the newly independent Marines—especially against a Fleet Admiral like Gern, who had just demonstrated Emperor-slaying power—would be suicidal.
It would also make them a universal target.
So instead, they chose a far more cunning approach.
Manipulate public opinion.
Create mystery.
Create fear.
Through carefully controlled channels—possibly in tacit cooperation with Morgans—they began spreading a series of half-true, half-fabricated "insider revelations":
[Awakening of the Chop-Chop Fruit?! The Crumbling of the Holy Land Mariejois!]
[Even Light Can Be Severed! The Truth Behind Admiral Kizaru's Severe Injuries!]
Kizaru's heavy wounds from intercepting the Red-Haired Pirates were attributed to some unknown method or figure within Cross Guild capable of countering even top-tier Logia users—exaggerating their threat through information asymmetry.
[Awakened Mr. 3! The True Power of the Wax-Wax Fruit! White vs. White—A Clash That Forced Former Admiral Aokiji to Withdraw!]
This piece elevated a former Baroque Works agent, suggesting his awakened abilities had reached a level that even Kuzan found troublesome—enhancing the organization's perceived depth.
[Even Mythical Zoans Can Be Tamed?! The World's Strongest Beast Tamer Emerges!]
[The Emperor of Clowns Brings Laughter to the World—Buggy the Genius Jester!]
This was the core of their propaganda.
By combining Buggy's inexplicable "achievements" at Marineford, his absurd luck, and the undeniable fact that Cross Guild now housed monsters like "The Lone Red" Redfield, Sir Crocodile, and the forcibly recruited Edward Weevil—
they crafted an image of destiny.
Of chaos.
Of a man who stood above all through sheer absurd inevitability.
And thus—
they crowned him:
"The Clown Emperor."
These exaggerated, half-truth narratives—combined with Cross Guild's very real high-level combat power and Buggy's almost supernatural luck—produced an unexpected result.
Fear thrives in the unknown.
And Cross Guild had cloaked itself in exactly that.
With the World Government in disarray, the Marines occupied with expansion, and other forces still reeling from shock—
Cross Guild rode the wave of chaos.
In the eyes of many—especially in the underworld and among wavering factions—
they were recognized as one of the new Four Emperors.
Filling the vacuum of power.
The calendar of the seas seemed to tear itself apart.
In a single day—
Three Emperors fell.
Old rulers faded.
New ones rose.
The Marines bared their fangs.The Worst Generation ascended.Cross Guild surged through deception and fear.
And on that day—
as newspapers rained from the sky and Den Den Mushi screamed across the world—
a new era, more chaotic, more savage than ever before…
descended upon the seas.
...
Want to unlock up to 60+ early-access chapters and exclusive novels and NFSW CONTENT ALSO? Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!
patreon.com/denji21