The first Supernova to make waves was Urouge, the Worst Generation's lowest-bounty member.
Poor Charlotte Snack, released from petrification by Hancock because of Pudding at Link's merciful order.
Since Hancock was a top-tier powerhouse, Charlotte Linlin did not punish Charlotte Snack.
But in the end, a highest-ranking officer of a Yonko crew with a bounty of 600,000,000 berries lost again.
And not to another Yonko officer, but to a newcomer who had only entered the New World from Paradise not long before.
Though that newcomer belonged to the Worst Generation beside the world's strongest man, everyone knew Link and Teach were beings on a different level from the rest of the Worst Generation.
A newcomer—the lowest bounty among the Worst Generation.
Once the news spread, it instantly reignited the Worst Generation's heat.
Members of the Worst Generation beyond Link and Teach finally entered the New World's sightlines.
An enraged Charlotte Linlin could no longer hold back and struck Charlotte Snack from the list of top officers.
The Big Mom Pirates' "Sweet Four Generals" became the Sweet Three Generals.
With Urouge firing the first shot, Supernovas led by Eustass Kid began challenging veteran pirates, letting the Worst Generation's brilliance bloom.
These active youths posed a huge threat to pirates barely scraping by in the New World.
Even major pirate crews—and the Yonko—cast appreciative looks their way.
Many big names who loved talent wanted to recruit these seedlings unlike any past Supernovas—full of vigor and gifted.
Even the Yonko Kaido set his sights on X Drake, who had eaten the Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Allosaurus.
But the Supernovas' flash of brilliance was only a moment.
They had yet to grow, had to start from zero in the New World, and potential still needed time to cash out.
The figure who should have tied Link for first last year—the other legend-maker—finally refused to be outdone and showed the world power that breaks the rules!
When the calendar turned to June of Sea Circle Calendar 1521.
A piece of news shook the entire world, and the New World, brimming with fresh blood, shifted again.
The headline read—"The Settling War! The Whitebeard Pirates Suffer Total Collapse; The Blackbeard Pirates Seize All Remaining Whitebeard Territory, Succeeding the Man of Whitebeard—Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach!"
On the front page, Teach wore an evil smile—black mist coiling in one hand, transparent white shockwaves in the other.
Low-profile for most of the year, the Blackbeard Pirates quietly used the Pirate Game to build a super fleet.
This time, learning from his previous rout, Teach launched no high-profile campaign; he chose a killing blow, leading the Blackbeard Pirates to defeat the Whitebeard Pirates under Marco and Ace.
Relaxed for half a year, the Whitebeard Pirates clearly did not expect Teach's ambush, had no time to summon affiliates scattered across the New World, and stood no chance against the Blackbeard Pirates.
In that battle, the Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy casualties; Marco and Ace vanished after defeat.
Third division commander Diamond Jozu was slain; his Paramecia Diamond Fruit was taken by Teach and bestowed upon first division captain and fighting champion Jesus Burgess.
Seeing the Whitebeard Pirates thoroughly beaten, many affiliate crews—once conquered by Whitebeard but never truly loyal to Marco and Ace—accepted reality and lowered the Whitebeard flag.
From then on, the Whitebeard Pirates were not even a great pirate crew.
Teach, who seized most of Whitebeard's territory, once again proved himself a rule-breaker—now a dual-fruit user with the strongest Paramecia monster in hand.
The next day, the Marines issued Teach's new bounty.
[Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach — Bounty: 3,032,000,000 berries, Dead or Alive.]
Since the other Marineford protagonist had already climbed to the top as the strongest man of the new era,
Teach's sudden rise shook the world and drew utmost attention from the World Government and the Marines.
His special threat level—having helped Link seize a trove of top-tier Devil Fruits and made the Impaling Lord Pirates nigh unsolvable—far surpassed the original course.
Thus, instead of the original 2,247,600,000-berry surge after defeating Whitebeard remnants, Teach's bounty broke the 3,000,000,000 mark at once.
A figure that stands above great pirates.
Grabbing the hook, Morgans gave Teach a boost in the World Economy News Paper the very next day.
The headline—"Bounty 3,032,000,000 Berries—The Man Who Broke the World's Rules: The Fifth Emperor of the Sea Is Born!"
The news instantly made Teach the world's focus.
And for once, no one refuted or questioned it.
Because the Blackbeard crew indeed met Yonko conditions.
Their captain was not only a Logia user but also held the strongest Paramecia, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Their territory was the former realm of the world's strongest pirate crew.
If Link had stepped on Whitebeard's corpse to rise, then toppled legends to take the throne Whitebeard had held for decades as the strongest,
then Teach also stepped on Whitebeard's corpse to rise, proved himself by taking Whitebeard's territory, and at last let the Blackbeard Pirates replace the Whitebeard Pirates.
Without Link, Blackbeard would be the new fourth Yonko.
But now, Blackbeard shattered the New World's balance—the fifth Emperor of the Sea.
With Teach and the Blackbeard Pirates atop the summit, the already crowded New World had an even smaller cake.
Wherever you went, you could see a Five Emperors flag.
For newcomers to survive and expand, they had to challenge the apex—like Crocodile once did.
Eustass Kid and the others were indeed preparing for that.
But none of this affected Link's crew in their special sea zone for the time being.
One day, Karina and the others finally heard good news.
After half a year in seclusion, Link emerged from the lab.
Hancock's perfect clone was born!
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