Sabaody Islands — Live Broadcast Plaza
"Unbelievable as it seems, that's definitely Roger—the Pirate King!"
"But how?! How could Gol D. Roger, who's been dead for twenty-two years, suddenly appear on that battlefield?"
"There's only one explanation for something like this—it has to be connected to Fairy Tail!"
"I agree. The resurrection of the Pirate King must be linked to Sugisawa Yuuto, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail!"
"Hey, look! Everyone on the battlefield is turning their eyes in the same direction!"
The crowd that had been buzzing about Roger's miraculous return suddenly noticed the shift in the battlefield's atmosphere.
"Over there—look at that man near the Four Emperors' Kaido of the Beasts!"
"Who is he? When did he even show up?"
"Why do all the top figures on the field look so stunned?"
"Their expressions… they're even more shocked than when they saw Roger appear!"
"Wait, that's the Pirate King! The only man in eight hundred years who conquered the Grand Line!"
"So who could possibly appear now that's even more shocking than the resurrection of One Piece himself—besides Fairy Tail's chairman, Sugisawa Yuuto?"
The reporters and spectators in the live broadcast plaza were in uproar, voices overlapping as they speculated wildly.
"The man who can make those legends look like that—he's no ordinary person," said Capone Bege, captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, his tone grim.
"Ababa, bababa… another big shot?" stammered Haiming Skulachman Apudao. "Impossible! I've seen the faces of nearly every great pirate of the last era in newspapers—but I've never seen this man before!"
"However," murmured Urouge, the strange monk from Sky Island, "look at the faces of those men—the Marine Marshal, the Hero Garp, the Five Elders of the World Government, even the gods' knights… and on the pirate side, Whitebeard, Roger, Rayleigh, and the Golden Lion Shiki. The changes in their expressions… they can't be faked."
"Who the hell is this man," muttered the Magician Hawkins, his brow furrowed, "that he can make so many giants of the old era look pale? He's even stolen the attention away from the resurrected Roger!"
"I've been watching," said Drake, the fallen Marine Rear Admiral. "Just like Roger, that man appeared out of nowhere. Which means… he might have been resurrected too."
"And he's no ordinary dead man," added Trafalgar Law, his eyes narrowing. "Judging from their reactions, whoever he was in life—his name once stood beside the Pirate King himself."
"Hey—hey! You've got to be kidding me!" shouted Killer Kira, his eyes widening. "Captain! Look over there! Kaido of the Beasts—and Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin—they just called that man… Captain!?"
Eustass Kid's jaw dropped. "What did you just say?!"
The words echoed across the plaza—loud enough for every ear in the Sabaody Islands to catch them.
And in an instant—
An uproar exploded across the sky.
Marineford — Naval Headquarters
The Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, standing closest to the Four Emperors' alliance, also heard the same word—
"Captain."
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield froze.
Then came the thunderous outcry—
a shockwave of disbelief that rolled like a tidal wave through the ranks.
"Nani!? What did you just say?!"
"Captain?! Did Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom both call that man Captain?!"
"This—this can't be real!"
"Those two are Four Emperors! There's no way they'd ever call anyone that!"
"I've never even heard—"
Gasps, curses, and cries of astonishment filled the air.
Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, whipped his head toward his father.
"Dad!!!"
Jozu, Vista, and the other veteran members of the crew turned to Whitebeard with questioning looks.
They had heard whispers before—rumors of something that had happened thirty-six years ago.
Something buried deep in the past of the man they called "Father."
Even Ace and the newer generation of pirates stood confused, not understanding what could shake the battlefield so deeply.
Whitebeard took a long, heavy breath. His great chest rose and fell as silence swept over his side of the field.
Then, slowly, he nodded—his voice low but firm.
"…That's right. There's no mistaking it."
"That man… is indeed Rocks."
"Captain Rocks."