Clunk—
The line went dead.
Ryuk lowered the Den-Den Mushi and turned toward Vice Admiral Kain with an amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, it seems the negotiations were successful. We're partners now, aren't we? You should be happy you just gained a powerful ally."
His tone was smooth, almost teasing.
Kain's jaw tightened. Inside, he was conflicted disgusted, even. Not just him, but every Marine around could feel the bitter taste of hypocrisy burning their throats. Because of the World Government's twisted Shichibukai system, the Marines were forced to cooperate with pirates vermin who should be rotting in Impel Down, not walking free under government protection.
But what could he do? He was just a Vice Admiral, bound by orders and hierarchy. Even if he were an Admiral… even if he were Fleet Admiral himself, could he really change the system? No. The answer weighed heavy in his chest. All he could do was sigh and follow orders.
"Tch…" Kain clicked his tongue in annoyance before forcing a professional smile onto his face.
"Well then, I'm as happy as you are," he lied smoothly. "Now, hand over Fire Fist Ace."
"Oh, he's all yours," Ryuk replied lazily, his expression unreadable. With a flick of his wrist, he threw Ace toward the ground in front of the Vice Admiral as if he were nothing more than discarded cargo.
Ace's body hit the dirt with a dull thud. Blood stained his lip, his head hung low, and his wrists were raw from the previous restraints. Despite his condition, the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed he glared at the Marines with silent fury.
"Bring the Seastone chains. Now!" Kain barked, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Yes, sir!" the Marines shouted in unison.
A group of soldiers rushed forward, one carrying the gleaming gray chains forged from Seastone. They bound Ace's wrists and ankles tightly, locking him in place. The moment the chains clicked, Ace's strength seemed to vanish. He could barely raise his head now.
"Good. That's secure," Kain muttered.
Ryuk dusted off his coat and gave a half-smile.
"Well then, I guess our business here is done. We'll be taking our leave now, Marine-san."
His voice carried a mix of mockery and politeness a tone that only deepened Kain's irritation.
"Go," Kain said coldly. "You're free to leave."
Ryuk could sense the disgust radiating from the Vice Admiral he could see it in the man's stiff shoulders and clenched jaw. But he didn't care. The opinions of others meant nothing to him. He'd gotten what he came for.
"See ya~" Ryuk said with a light wave and a grin, his tone almost cheerful.
"Let's go, Lafitte."
The two pirates turned. Nue emerged from Ryuk's shadow. Ryuk jumped on its back, and Lafitte did the same. Their figures started fading into the horizon as the wind picked up. The Marines stood in silence, watching as Nue emerged from the shadow and as they disappeared silently into the mist.
---
A Day Later
Breaking News — "Fire Fist Ace Captured!"
"Big news! Big news!" yelled Morgans, his voice echoing through the bustling newsroom of the World Economy Newspaper.
The enormous albatross-man flapped his wings excitedly, his sharp eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
"Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Fire Fist Ace has been captured by the Marines!"
He slammed the front page of the freshly printed newspaper onto his desk, grinning wide.
"Print it! Spread it across every island! Every sea! This is world-shaking news!"
Moments later, thousands of seagulls each carrying newspapers soared into the skies, scattering in all directions across the Grand Line and beyond. From the calm East Blue to the stormy seas of the New World.
------
"Heh heh heh! Escape successful!" Dr. Hogback cackled, his crooked grin stretching from ear to ear as the fog-drenched shadows of Thriller Bark loomed in the distance.
"Sheesh… I was sweating until the very end!" Absalom muttered, wiping his brow in irritation.
"Hmph," Hogback grunted, his grin widening as he adjusted his glasses. "I heard something rather interesting from the three zombies who used to serve under Lord Moria. According to them, Kuma came to deliver an announcement about who would replace Crocodile as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
He paused dramatically, then leaned closer, lowering his voice. "But that's not the important part. The new Warlord… is someone named Blackbeard. Believe me, this man has done some truly nasty things." He pulled out a folded newspaper, the World Government's insignia stamped across the top. "Just read this article."
Absalom snatched the newspaper from Hogback's hands, scanning it quickly before reading aloud in disbelief, "Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Fire Fist Ace. Captured by Marines."
For a moment, silence hung in the cold night air, broken only by the creaking of their small escape ship cutting through the mist.
"Fire Fist Ace, huh?" Hogback said at last, the corners of his mouth curling up again. "He's one of Whitebeard's top men… The government really pulled off a major victory this time."
"That's for sure, Doctor," Absalom replied, his tone more serious now. Even he could sense the gravity of what this meant.
"This…" Hogback said, his voice turning grim as he looked out over the dark ocean, "this could signal a massive change in the pirate world. "
The world erupted.
In the bustling ports, in royal palaces, in dim taverns, and on pirate ships swaying across the seas disbelief and fear spread like wildfire.
"Fire Fist Ace?" one merchant said. "Are they saying he's been imprisoned by the Navy!?"
Tavern
In the back of a crowded tavern, a grizzled pirate slammed his drink down.
"That's insane! If the Marines dare attack Whitebeard's crew, they're declaring war on the strongest man alive!"
Across the table, another pirate scoffed, eyes narrowed. "Where the hell did these Blackbeard Pirates even come from? Never heard of them before, and now they suddenly beat Ace? The Second Division Commander of Whitebeard? That guy's bounty alone was 550 million berries!"
"Yeah," another added, shaking his head. "First time they show up out of nowhere, and they pick a fight with Whitebeard's family? Either they're mad… or they're monsters."
A drunk old sailor muttered darkly into his mug, "Who knows. Pirates like that they're all scum anyway."
---
Dressrosa The Royal Palace
Inside the grand hall, sunlight poured through the golden glass windows.
On the throne sat the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo better known in the underworld as Joker.
His grin was as sharp as his sunglasses' edge. "Blackbeard, huh?" he mused, tapping his chin. "Is he the one replacing Crocodile as a Shichibukai? Blackbeard… never heard much about that guy. Is there something worth mentioning?"
Trebol, his ever-loyal subordinate with the dripping nose and distorted grin, stepped forward.
"Doffy, that guy captured Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, Fire Fist Ace and handed him over to the Marines!"
"Oh? Captured Ace alive?" His laughter began to build, low and throaty. "Fufufu… haheeheeha! Now that's interesting."
His fingers curled, and the faint glimmer of his invisible strings danced in the light.
"With Whitebeard's pride, he won't sit still and watch one of his sons get executed. He'll go to war with the Marines… and when he does—"
His grin split wide, teeth flashing.
"—the world will shake again!"
He leaned back in his throne, laughter echoing through the gilded chamber.
"Fufufu… stay low for now, Trebol. A grand show's about to begin."
"Understood," Trebol replied, bowing slightly with his sickly smile.
---
Somewhere in the New World The Red-Haired Pirates' Ship
The sun was setting, painting the ocean crimson as the Red Force drifted with the wind.
Ben Beckman stood near the rail, reading a freshly printed newspaper while smoke curled from the end of his cigarette.
"Shanks," he said quietly, his tone serious. "Your guess was right. Something big has happened. Fire Fist Ace was captured by the Blackbeard Pirates and handed over to the Marines. And get this Blackbeard's now a Shichibukai."
Shanks turned, the ocean breeze pushing his red hair across his scarred face. His single hand rested on the hilt of his sword as his expression darkened.
"Blackbeard… so he's not Teach anymore. He's Blackbeard now," Shanks said, his lips curling into a humorless smirk. He rubbed at the scar over his left eye a wound that still stung in memory.
"This isn't as simple as it looks," Shanks said finally, voice low. "He won't be satisfied with just the title of Shichibukai. That man… he's only just begun."
Beckman exhaled smoke, his gaze distant. "Yeah. The capture of Ace and Blackbeard becoming a Warlord it's the perfect spark. A direct clash between Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world… and the Marines."
He took another drag of his cigarette, eyes narrowing.
"So you're saying," Shanks murmured, "that becoming a Shichibukai wasn't his goal… the real goal is to start a war."
Beckman flicked the ashes into the wind, his tone quiet but certain. "Maybe. Or maybe there's something else behind it. Maybe it's just coincidence?"
Shanks' gaze turned toward the horizon, where the sun sank beneath the waves. The ocean seemed unnaturally still.
"Just what in the hell are you planning, Teach…" he whispered.
---
Aboard the Moby Dick
"Ace… how could he…? I can't believe this!"
"That bastard Teach… he actually handed Ace over to the Marines."
"You bastard Teach! Have you forgotten everything the care, the brotherhood, the years we spent together under the same flag?! How could you turn on your own family not once, but twice?!"
The angry voice of a crewmate echoed across the deck of the Moby Dick. The mighty ship rocked gently under the calm sea, yet everyone aboard could feel the tension boiling in the air. The newspaper bearing the shocking headline trembled in their fists none of them could accept what they were reading.
After Thatch's death, they had sworn vengeance against Teach. He was a traitor, a murderer who had turned his back on the Whitebeard name. But now, after all this time… he had gone even further. He had handed Ace their brother, their commander over to the Marines.
The deck was filled with rage. Some slammed their fists against the railings, others cursed Teach's name.
Marco clenched his fists, his usual calm replaced by fury. "That bastard… Ace went after him to make things right, and this is how it ends?" His voice cracked with anger. "This isn't just betrayal it's spitting on pop's pride!"
Vista gritted his teeth, eyes dark with disbelief. "After Thatch… now Ace…
The air grew heavy with silence until a sound shattered it.
BOOM!
The very air seemed to split apart as cracks formed in the sky itself. The Moby Dick groaned under the immense pressure of an invisible force. The ocean trembled violently, waves crashing against the hull as the crew looked toward the towering figure standing at the center of the deck.
Whitebeard—Edward Newgate stood up from his throne-like chair, veins bulging on his massive arms. The medical syringes attached to his body trembled as his muscles tensed. His expression was one of pure fury, his aura suffocating.
With a growl, he clenched his massive fist and slammed it forward space itself shattered with a thunderous crack, sending shockwaves through the clouds.
The sea split. The sky itself tore open.
The world's strongest man was angry.
"Of course we won't sit back and watch Ace be executed!" Whitebeard's voice thundered across the ship, shaking every soul to the core.
He ripped the syringes from his body, letting them fall uselessly to the deck.
"Inform every division, every ally, every island under our flag prepare for war!"
His voice was a roar, filled with authority and fire.
"The Whitebeard Pirates will wage war against the Marines themselves!"
"We'll bring Ace back no matter what it costs!"
---
Thriller Bark.
"Huh? You don't know what a Vivre Card is?" Lola asked, her pink curls bouncing as she turned toward the Straw Hat crew.
Before anyone could answer, she grinned and reached into her tattered dress, pulling out a small sheet of curious-looking paper. "Well then, let me tell you!" she said, holding it up between her fingers.
"This isn't ordinary paper. You can wet it, burn it, and nothing will happen to it! If you take your nail clipping to a certain ship, they'll mix it into a special sheet of paper for you. That's what we call a Vivre Card also known as Life Paper!"
Her voice was cheerful, but the crew around her looked astonished. Straw Hats exchanged confused glances. None of them had ever heard of anything like this before.
Luffy, who had been staring intently at the paper, suddenly tilted his head. "Wait a second…" he said, digging a hand into his hat. "I've seen paper like that before."
Nami blinked, realization dawning. "I was thinking the same thing! The paper that Ace gave you… it's the same kind of thing, isn't it?"
Luffy pulled a small, wrinkled piece of paper from inside his straw hat and held it out. "Oh, so that's what he meant," he said with a faint, nostalgic smile. "It's right here."
The paper was scorched and shriveled, as though burning slowly from within.
Lola's eyes widened the moment she saw it. "Hey, let me see that," she said, taking the paper gently from Luffy's hand.
"This is without a doubt Life Paper," she murmured, her expression turning serious. "But there's something I forgot to tell you. The life force of its owner is directly connected to the paper itself. If it burns or shrinks…it means that person's life is fading away."
Her words struck like thunder.
Luffy froze. His eyes widened. "This… belongs to someone you know?" Lola asked quietly.
Luffy clenched his fists, "Yeah," he said softly. "It's my big brother's."
She looked back at the half-burned paper, then at Luffy. "I'm sorry to say this," she said gravely, "but… this person's life is on the verge of being snuffed out."
The world seemed to stop.
"WHAT?!!!" Luffy shouted.