Akainu Sakazuki was furious.
Since becoming Fleet Admiral, not only had he failed to rein in this chaotic era, the turmoil had only gotten worse.
Because he hadn't managed to kill Uchiha Chiyu, the Celestial Dragons and the World Government had criticized him again and again.
Only now did he finally understand the humiliation and crushing pressure that Sengoku had endured all those years as Fleet Admiral…
This position was nothing like the glorious seat he'd once imagined.
Kizaru Borsalino, the veteran admiral, sat there without the slightest hint of panic in the face of Akainu's anger. He still had one leg casually crossed over the other as he spoke in his usual lazy drawl.
"So… Uchiha Chiyu killed Kaido, huh?"
"What a terrifying man…"
"If that's the case, even sending a single admiral probably wouldn't be enough to stop him anymore."
"Unless, of course, two admirals went together."
Sakazuki's voice was ice-cold. "If killing Uchiha Chiyu is possible, then I don't care if all three of you go at once!"
"But if we throw everything at him, and still come back empty-handed—or worse, defeated—then the Navy's reputation will be completely destroyed!"
"Can the three of you guarantee that you'll definitely kill Uchiha Chiyu?!"
Kizaru only shrugged.
Fujitora stayed silent.
Even Ryokugyu Aramaki, a hardline hawk and one of Akainu's most loyal supporters, couldn't bring himself to claim he was certain.
"Fleet Admiral, at this point, no matter what, we have to act," Aramaki said. "If it comes to killing Uchiha Chiyu, I'll be the first to charge in at the very front. But I'm afraid his strength has already reached a level where I alone can't take him down…"
Sakazuki turned to Fujitora. "And you? What's your opinion?!"
Fujitora's voice was deep and steady. "From what I've heard, after killing Kaido, Uchiha Chiyu shut down Wano's factories, stopped polluting the skies, the land, and the water, allowed the country to rest and recover, and pushed for growth. He personally announced to the world that Wano was opening its borders. The people of Wano adore him—they're united in their support."
"A man like that can't be described with something as simple as 'pirate.'"
"Right now, his power is immense, yes—but more importantly, his image and prestige in the eyes of people all over the world have reached their peak."
"It's not just civilians—even within the Navy itself, his loyal followers and fanatical believers are growing in number. That kind of influence isn't something you can suppress with force alone."
Sakazuki's glare sharpened. "What exactly are you trying to say?!"
"It's very simple," Fujitora replied. "I have no reason to make a move against Uchiha Chiyu."
The words almost made Sakazuki explode. "What did you just say?!"
But Fujitora didn't flinch. "I may be an admiral, but I follow my own sense of justice. Of course, you can order me to act—my duty as a naval officer means I'll carry out those orders—but that doesn't mean I'll believe such actions are just. And if I recall correctly, Fleet Admiral Akainu, you didn't exactly obey every command Sengoku gave you back in the day either, did you?"
That shut Sakazuki up for a moment.
At the admiral level, giving orders was more like making negotiations—back then, he'd been no different.
The worst part was, Fujitora was right.
The frenzy surrounding Chiyu had become more than admiration—it was like a religion, spreading across the world, harder and harder to contain.
Worse still was the Navy's own internal instability and division.
Most of the Undying Legion's strength… came directly from the Navy Sakazuki himself commanded.
A bitter irony if there ever was one.
Under mounting pressure, Sakazuki sometimes found himself having strange thoughts.
Especially when dealing with the Gorosei—the five decrepit old men who held supreme power in the World Government.
They always found some sarcastic or cutting remark to throw at him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
And why, he wondered, did the Navy have to handle all of this?
Uchiha Chiyu killed a Celestial Dragon—so what were the Gorosei doing?
The Celestial Dragons had their God's Knights, but those "protectors" hadn't made a single move!
Back when he was still an admiral, Sakazuki had been able to act with near-complete freedom.
Now, as Fleet Admiral, his hands were tied, forced to stand there and take the Gorosei's scolding—a suffocating situation for a man with his temper.
Then, an idea began to take shape in his mind.
"One dead Celestial Dragon isn't enough to make them take Chiyu seriously?"
"In that case…"
A slow, cold smile spread across his face.
Akainu might prefer to act head-on, but he wasn't above using schemes.
Back during the Summit War, he'd managed to trick Whitebeard's men into wounding their own captain—and he'd taken great pride in that.
This time, his plan was to intensify the Celestial Dragons' and the World Government's hatred of Chiyu—until they were forced to move against him themselves.
And he already had a plan in mind.
…
After Chiyu killed Kaido and took control of Wano, the World Government reissued his bounty.
From 4 billion berries, it jumped straight to 5 billion—tying Whitebeard Edward Newgate for the second-highest bounty in history, behind only the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
With both Roger and Whitebeard gone, Chiyu now held the highest bounty in the entire world.
Black Arm Zephyr's bounty rose from 2.5 to 3 billion.
Boa Hancock's went up to 1.5 billion, Trafalgar Law's to 1.3 billion.
Franky's skyrocketed to 1 billion—not because of his combat power, but because the World Government suspected he had nearly complete knowledge of the ancient weapon Pluton.
Smoker's bounty climbed to 1 billion, Hina's to 900 million.
The others saw increases as well.
Even Wano's former Nine Red Scabbards, now under Chiyu's banner in the Undying Legion, received bounties.
Ashura Doji: 1.1 billion.
Nekomamushi and Inuarashi: 1 billion each.
Denjiro: 800 million.
Kawamatsu: 600 million.
The combined bounty of the Undying Legion's mid-to-high-ranking officers now exceeded 20 billion berries.
As the Undying Legion's power continued to grow, more and more people came to join them.
Chiyu had entered his second phase of expansion—and this time, it was all in preparation for the final battle.
His enemy?
The entire world.
…
Meanwhile, beyond Chiyu's sphere of influence, the seas were just as chaotic.
Without Whitebeard, his crew hunted Blackbeard relentlessly, seeking revenge.
But Teach was cunning—knowing he wasn't yet strong enough to face them head-on, he hid, while quietly expanding his influence.
Much of his weakness could be traced back to Chiyu's impact.
Because of Chiyu, the Shichibukai system had been abolished early.
Because of Chiyu, Impel Down had been left in ruins, eliminating Teach's original plan to recruit a wave of powerful prisoners.
And because he wasn't strong enough at Marineford, he hadn't dared seize Whitebeard's quake fruit—and when Whitebeard died, the fruit reincarnated somewhere unknown.
Still, Teach wasn't idle.
He ran into the Kid Pirates—Captain Kid and his formidable first mate, Killer.
He couldn't recruit them outright, so he proposed an alliance, tempting Kid with secrets about Laugh Tale.
Eventually, Kid agreed.
Teach then reached out to other Worst Generation pirates—Apoo of the On Air Pirates, Hawkins of the Hawkins Pirates, Capone Bege of the Fire Tank Pirates, and Urouge of the Fallen Monk Pirates.
The group, under Teach's leadership, became known as the Destroyer Alliance.
Alongside Teach's original crew—Burgess, Van Augur, Lafitte, and Doc Q—they now had six Worst Generation captains as allies.
With this force, they entered the New World and challenged the Whitebeard Pirates directly.
Under Marco's leadership, the Whitebeard crew—Jozu, Ace, Vista, and others—faced them in a massive battle even bloodier than the war in Wano.
The ocean ran red, ships lay in splinters, and bodies floated everywhere.
In the end, both sides were devastated.
The Whitebeard Pirates lost three division commanders and over ten allied captains, with casualties exceeding ten thousand.
The Destroyer Alliance lost Apoo and Urouge outright, and several other high-ranking figures were severely injured.
But Teach himself was barely touched.
Even his original crew only suffered injuries—no deaths.
In the aftermath, the alliance members became increasingly dependent on Teach's protection, effectively turning the Destroyer Alliance into an extension of the Blackbeard Pirates—no doubt exactly as he had planned.
With the Whitebeard Pirates weakened, the Blackbeard Pirates surged ahead, surpassing them and taking their place as one of the Yonko.
Elsewhere, Monkey D. Luffy—destined in another timeline to be the central figure—entered the Grand Line with only Zoro, Sanji, and a few others.
Nami and Usopp's fates had been altered.
Luffy had heard about Marineford, but couldn't arrive in time to help Ace.
Later, learning Ace had been rescued—and by Chiyu, no less—relieved him greatly.
He saw Chiyu as a benefactor, even if Chiyu's absolute anti-pirate stance meant they'd fight if they met.
Along the way, Luffy picked up X Drake and Jewelry Bonney—each hiding major secrets.
Drake was a SWORD captain disguised as a pirate, aiming to wipe out piracy entirely.
Bonney was seeking to save her father, Bartholomew Kuma, now a mindless slave of the Celestial Dragons.
Eventually, the Straw Hats reached the New World and decided to challenge Red-Haired Shanks—Luffy's mentor.
But they were far from ready.
Before they could even meet Shanks, they were defeated by Benn Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roo.
Beckman told Luffy they weren't strong enough to take on a Yonko.
Luffy hated it, but couldn't deny it.
Zoro wanted to challenge Mihawk—currently traveling with Shanks' crew—but Mihawk never appeared, leaving him frustrated.
Even so, their abilities caught the world's attention.
Blackbeard tried to recruit them, but Luffy refused.
The fight that followed left the Straw Hats on the losing end—until the Whitebeard Pirates appeared and pulled them out.
Reunited with Ace, the Straw Hats allied with the Whitebeard Pirates.
…
In the New World, five great powers now dominated:
Chiyu's Undying Legion, the Red-Haired Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, the Blackbeard Pirates (Destroyer Alliance), and the Whitebeard–Straw Hat Alliance.
They had divided the seas, the territories, and the strongest fighters among themselves.
The stage was set for the final confrontation.
And the curtain was about to rise.