Very soon—
The news that Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, was heading to Marineford to confront the Navy head-on spread across the world.
In an instant, the seas erupted.
Everyone was shaken—including the other pirate crews.
The "Beasts" Kaido's Base
In the Beasts Pirates' territory, the executives gathered—faces heavy.
Because their "Governor" Kaido had just proposed a shocking plan:
On the day of Ace's execution, they would go to Marineford.
"Governor…"
A fat man asked in a deep voice, clearly uneasy.
"Are you sure you want to get involved in a direct clash between Whitebeard's crew and the Navy…?"
This man wasn't just "fat"—he was practically a round mountain.
He wore glasses, had purple lipstick, a golden ponytail tied up high, and a cigar dangling from his mouth.
One of the "All-Stars"—
Queen, called "The Plague" because he loved developing chemical weapons.
Kaido sat above them, silent.
The man he was now was nothing like the "young hot-blooded punk" of earlier years.
He was enormous—over seven meters tall.
Black hair draped to his shoulders.
Two long horns like a dragon.
A long beard like dragon whiskers.
A dragon-scale tattoo on his left arm.
Bare upper body, an X-shaped scar on his right side.
A purple jacket hanging at his waist with golden chains.
Wide dark-green pants tied with rope.
A purple fur cloak.
He sat there like a demon given flesh.
Just sitting—
he radiated pressure.
Seeing Kaido not respond, a figure wrapped head-to-toe in black—face concealed—glanced coldly at Queen.
"Questioning the Governor's order?"
His tone held displeasure.
This was another All-Star—
King, the "Wildfire," leader of the Calamities.
Bounty: 1.39 billion.
Cruel, powerful, fiercely loyal.
He never questioned Kaido.
Even if he didn't understand why Kaido would take such a risk, if Kaido decided—it would be carried out.
Queen snorted through his cigar.
"That's Marineford—Navy Headquarters. What does Ace's execution have to do with us? Why go?"
King's voice turned even colder.
"You're a burden. A coward."
Queen's face contorted, mouth stretching wide in exaggerated rage.
"You calling me a burden?! Then you're a freak who loves torturing people!"
"Enough."
A blunt voice cut in.
Two shadows stepped forward from the corner.
A huge man with blond hair tied into a ponytail and braids, a metal jawpiece, tusk-like ornaments—
Jack, the "Drought," spoke.
King and Queen both clicked their tongues and turned away, refusing to keep arguing.
Jack scratched his head.
He was brutal, but he treated King and Queen like older brothers—he always lost to them in verbal fights.
Farther back, the Tobi Roppo stayed silent.
Only Who's-Who stared at the All-Stars with undisguised ambition.
Becoming an All-Star… that was his goal.
The Coffin
Kaido kept drinking.
Then, with his right hand, he slapped the coffin beside him—
a coffin covered in terrifying carved demon faces.
That coffin—
the "coffin with the carved ghost mask."
Kaido stared at the familiar fanged demon face, and drank even more.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Captain…"
"Where the hell did you go?!"
More than thirty years ago, when Kaido first discovered this coffin, he'd been ecstatic.
He recognized the pattern.
It matched the pattern on Rōmu's "carved ghost mask."
Kaido launched a sweeping search across Wano.
Especially Kuri—
he nearly turned the land inside out.
But no matter how hard he searched, he found nothing.
He refused to give up.
More than twenty years ago, he went to the world's biggest entertainment city—Gran Tesoro—to find the "Underworld Emperor" Tesoro, offering huge rewards…
Still nothing.
After that, Kaido became increasingly unstable.
Sometimes he rampaged.
Sometimes he cried.
He had planned to endure—build power, then wage total war against the Navy, the World Government, the Celestial Dragons.
But after Whitebeard declared war…
Kaido decided he would no longer endure.
He would go to Marineford too.
Not to save Ace.
To settle an old account.
"All of You—Shut Up!"
Kaido's sobbing stopped instantly—replaced by a thunderous roar.
It was like lightning exploded in everyone's ears.
The hall froze.
Tobi Roppo, All-Stars—everyone turned toward Kaido, unsettled.
Because normally, Kaido wasn't harsh with his own men.
Even if subordinates talked back, he usually didn't care.
Even if they lost, he rarely blamed them.
So why was he suddenly furious?
"Listen carefully."
Kaido set down his jug and stood.
His gaze swept the room.
"There's no discussion."
"Gather your forces."
"We're going to Marineford—no matter what."
The moment he issued the formal command—
no one dared object.
Even if they didn't understand, even if they disagreed—
they snapped to attention and shouted in unison:
"Yes, Governor!! We'll mobilize immediately!"
Only after they left did Kaido sit again, fists clenched, teeth grinding.
"Captain…"
"This time… I'll settle the score with the Navy first!"
Movements Everywhere
At the same time—
Shiki began moving too.
His floating island drifted silently toward Marineford.
Luffy and the others moved as well—sailing in a stolen Navy warship after breaking out of Impel Down.
Naturally, the Navy learned of all these movements.
Intelligence streamed into Marineford.
Marineford — Sengoku's Office
Sengoku had just arrived when he received the report.
He stared at it, eyes trembling, drawing in a deep breath.
"What the hell is going on?"
In such a short time—
from the moment the Navy announced Ace's public execution—
the situation had snowballed into a force capable of overturning an entire sea.
Aside from Rōmu and Rocks themselves…
this was almost approaching the scale of God Valley.
Sengoku's teeth clenched.
"Kaido… Shiki…!"
Whitebeard declaring war—he could understand.
But why were those two getting involved?!
Beside him, the three Admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru—held the reports with grim faces.
"It's terrifying…"
"Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaido…"
"If Big Mom shows up too, won't this basically be the Rocks Pirates all over again?"
Akainu crumpled the report in his fist, furious.
"Damn it!"
"Kaido—this bastard!"
"I knew this 'Four Emperors balance' was bullshit!"
"The moment it matters, they all show up to cause trouble!"
Aokiji raised a finger, cold mist forming.
He froze the crumpled paper into powder as he spoke flatly:
"And this is the 'public execution' you were so sure about."
For once—
Akainu didn't immediately snap back.
His expression shifted, stormy and dark.
Aokiji continued, voice steady, listing what was coming:
"Whitebeard's crew has about 1,600 men, divided into sixteen divisions. Every commander is formidable—especially the top ones, who are close to Admiral level."
"On top of that, Whitebeard has forty-three allied pirate crews—around forty to fifty thousand."
"The Beasts Pirates have the three All-Stars, the Tobi Roppo, the Numbers, and more. Plus Hawkins' crew, Apoo's crew, Drake's crew—together around thirty thousand."
"The Flying Pirates…"
"And even the Straw Hats—after breaking out of Impel Down—their strength has increased. Crocodile and Jinbe are with them."
"Even Buggy—the clown we ignored—turns out to be one of Roger's former crewmates, and he and Shanks once called each other brothers."
The more Aokiji spoke—
the heavier the air became.
Akainu finally slammed his fist on the table.
"Enough!"
The Old Heroes Arrive
At that moment—
the door banged open.
Two massive figures entered.
"Sora-senpai!"
Sengoku's face lifted—relief flashing across it.
Even the Admirals stood, bowing slightly in respect.
Because the man who entered was now the World Government's Commander-in-Chief:
Kong.
He didn't speak much—only nodded.
And behind him, walking in with him—
was Garp.
Kong took the seat at the head of the table—Sengoku's seat.
His "mountain" eyebrows twitched.
Everyone sat again.
"I know the situation."
Kong spoke calmly.
"I didn't expect executing Ace would cause waves this big."
The room fell silent.
Then, unexpectedly—
the one who least wanted Ace executed, Garp, sighed and spoke first.
"Whitebeard, Shiki, Kaido—three major pirate forces moving at once…"
"This isn't happening because of Ace."
Sengoku and Kong both frowned.
"You mean…?" Sengoku asked carefully.
Garp pushed his chair back and stood, hands planted on the table, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"You can guess it even without me saying it."
"What kind of thing would make monsters who've been quiet for over forty years move like this?"
He didn't stop.
"Whitebeard might be moving for Ace."
"But the other two?"
"They should've stayed legends."
"But you—"
"You shouldn't have ignored that man."
Rōmu.
The name hit like a hammer.
Kong and Sengoku's hearts tightened.
A bitter smile crept onto both of their faces.
Yes.
They had been thinking the same thing.
And for the new generation Admirals—
the reaction was even more violent.
In their minds appeared a towering emerald Buddha—
and the terror of that day.
Akainu clenched his fists, unconsciously lowering his gaze toward his chest.
That old scar—the wound he'd inflicted on himself to tear free from Rōmu's suppression—
burned like fire.
He had tattooed a huge rose over it to hide it.
"Damn it…"
He covered his chest, teeth grinding.
"But Rōmu is dead!"
"So why would they take risks this big?!"
Sengoku's voice shook.
He was one of the few who had personally fought Rōmu.
That name shook him hardest.
Garp exhaled and steadied himself.
"Sengoku."
"You know what Rōmu means to Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shiki."
"For other pirates, the ultimate dream is Laugh Tale… One Piece…"
"But for those three?"
"Rōmu's weight in their hearts is greater than all of that."
"There's no comparison."
"This war…"
Whitebeard saving Ace is the spark—
but for the monsters of the old era—
it's a chance to take revenge.
Revenge…
for that man.
Hearing that, Kong, Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji—
all wore the same expression:
a helpless, bitter smile.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto