"Pops!" Teach called out around a mouthful of sauce, his face smeared but carrying a rough, convincing loyalty.
"If the Marines have a troublesome new brat, we can't just sit here and watch! That Fire Fist Ace kid has been causing trouble for us recently, and he's a Logia user, his strength is monstrous!"
The sudden pivot to the rookie confused the crew, but Teach waved his arms with frantic passion.
"If we don't take in fresh blood, we'll fall behind those uniform-wearing guys! Ace looks pretty good to me. If he wants to challenge the strongest, let him see how wide the world really is. After that... we turn him into our family!"
Whitebeard set down his wine bowl and stared out at the stormy sea.
He cared little about Marine prodigies, but Teach's argument struck a chord regarding the relentless, fiery rookie.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard chuckled, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Fire Fist Ace, huh? Marco, go take a look. If that fire-playing brat has potential... bring him aboard."
"Got it, Pops." Marco nodded as blue-green flames erupted from his back to form phoenix wings.
He spared Zaraki's image one last glance before leaping into the air and soaring toward the distant sea.
Watching the First Commander depart, Teach grabbed another cherry pie and took a massive bite to hide the cold smirk pulling at his lips.
The Dark-Dark Fruit might not be gone, or it might not even be in play yet, but he had to verify the rumor.
Dragging a high-profile rookie like Ace onto the ship would muddy the waters, creating the perfect chaos for his ambitions.
'Zaraki, huh... Zehahahaha,' Teach thought, chewing methodically beneath the shadow of his brow.
'Let's wait and see.'
...
Deep inside the skull-shaped castle on Onigashima, the stench of alcohol warred with the suffocating pressure of overwhelming Haki.
"Worororororo! Has that old bastard Sengoku finally gone senile?!"
Kaido's wild laughter shook dust from the ceiling as he sat like a mountain, tilting a giant wine gourd back to let alcohol flood his scale-covered neck and soak the cross-shaped scar on his chest.
He slammed the gourd down hard enough to crack the stone floor, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the young man in the newspaper with the grin of a beast finding fresh prey.
"A Marine trainee returning with the Shiki's swords? Only those hypocrites would write a half-hidden report and expect the world not to notice!"
"You're right, Boss!" Queen twisted his round body and chomped his cigar, waving his mechanical arm.
"It's just the Navy trying to cover up an internal scandal! Maybe they pushed this mascot out to scare the rookies. Muhahaha! If he dares come to Wano, I'll let him taste my virus machine gun!"
Leaning against a pillar, Jack added a dull grunt. "I'll sink him into the sea."
"Idiots. Don't underestimate him." King folded his black wings, breaking his silence. "Joker's intel says the power around that brat is strange. The report is sealed, but underworld rumors claim it isn't normal Haki or a standard Devil Fruit. A Marine connected to Garp and Sengoku guarded by this much secrecy is not a normal rookie."
"Joker..." Kaido's drunken eyes narrowed with a fierce, predatory light as he swayed to his feet, casting a massive shadow over his Three Calamities.
"As long as he builds my Zoan army, I don't care who becomes the marines new little monster."
He picked up his kanabo and gave it a casual swing, generating a burst of wind pressure that blew the cigar straight out of Queen's mouth.
"But if that brat dares reach his hand into my business..." Kaido bared his pale teeth as dark purple Haki erupted to plunge the castle's temperature.
"...I'll personally teach him that justice means nothing on this sea!"
...
Somewhere in the New World, the atmosphere at the Red Hair Pirates' tropical base lacked its usual cheer. T
he bonfire crackled, but no one bothered turning the roasting meat.
Shanks sat cross-legged on the beach with his black cloak tossed aside, his brows furrowed over the newspaper while his right hand unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword.
"Shanks, this isn't like you," Benn Beckman said around a plume of smoke, his eyes thoughtful. "He's just a new Marine. Even with a special ability, it shouldn't rattle you like this."
"You don't understand, Beckman." Shanks sighed and tossed the paper onto the sand.
The sea breeze caught a corner, exposing Zaraki's arrogant, shadow-draped eyes.
"I bet one arm on Luffy to secure the freedom of the next era."
He looked out over the crashing waves. "But Zaraki's appearance is too abrupt. He's tied to Garp, involved with Shiki, and wielding a power the World Government wants hidden. Luffy is like the sun on the sea, but this boy... I fear he might become a black blade in the Navy's hands, sharp enough to sever the era before it even begins."
Lucky Roux gnawed the meat off a bone. "Who cares! If he touches Luffy, we'll beat him up!"
Shanks offered a bitter smile, unable to shake the heavy unease in his chest.
On one side of the scale rested the future he had bet on; on the other, the Navy had just dropped a weight of terrifying, unknown mass.
The direction of this era was slipping beyond his expectations.
...
"MAMAMAMA!"
A shrill, manic laugh echoed through the biscuit castle on Whole Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin sat on a throne of pastries, drool pooling at the corner of her mouth before dripping onto the enlarged newspaper.
Her eyes held no anger, only pure, unfiltered greed.
"What perfect material! What a wonderful little monster!" Big Mom grabbed a handful of cream puffs and shoved them into her mouth, chewing the wrappers and all.
"A Marine brat who makes Sengoku hide the truth, makes Garp laugh like an idiot, and has the underworld whispering about the Dark-Dark Fruit! My collection in Totto Land is missing exactly this type!"
"Mama, he is under Marine Headquarters' protection," Perospero cautioned, licking his lollipop as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Attacking Marineford means war."
"Shut up, Perospero!" Big Mom slammed her hand onto the armrest, twisting the solid gold into a mangled knot.
"Send an invitation!"
A grotesque smile stretched her heavily painted face. "Tell that Zaraki brat that Totto Land welcomes interesting monsters. If he attends my tea party, I will prepare mountains of meat, wine, and sweets!"
Perospero's mouth twitched. "And if he refuses, Mama?"
Big Mom's grin widened to terrifying proportions. "Then I'll remember his name. A boy like that won't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, he will sail into the New World, and when he does... I want to see if his soul tastes as fierce as his sword."
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