At this moment,
it wasn't only Whitebeard.
Several other Four Emperors—Big Mom, Kaido, Red-Hair, and the others…
after watching that previous segment,
and after learning in advance the rumor that the Summit War was about to erupt,
all had their own different reactions.
And within their respective territories, they began discussing it with their subordinates—
"Ma… Ma… Ma…"
Totto Land, Whole Cake Island
At the very center of the island, inside that enormous palace—
right now,
in front of a table piled high with all kinds of sweets and candy,
Big Mom raised her eyes. Her gaze, which had seemed somewhat vacant and dull before, now surged with a fierce excitement.
She chewed sweets in huge mouthfuls while speaking in that sharp, grating voice:
"Heh heh heh…"
"Whitebeard going to war with the Marines? That kind of thing is one of those unprecedented, earth-shattering events! It's thrilling!!!"
The revelation of this "news" completely stirred Big Mom's emotions—she was intensely interested.
And more than that… she was looking forward to it!
She longed for the ranking video to show the Summit War!
Better yet—she wanted it to fast-forward straight to the Summit War happening, and play the entire war from beginning to end!!!
"Yes…"
Not far in front of her,
Katakuri nodded, his expression equally complicated as he said, "A Yonko going to war with the Marines! That's something that has never happened before! Once war erupts, the balance of the seas will change completely!"
"And at the same time, taking advantage of this incident, our Big Mom Pirates can also take the opportunity to go out and seize more territory!!!"
Within the Big Mom Pirates,
as the most outstanding powerhouse in both ability and strength,
Katakuri was Big Mom's most trusted child—without question!
And most of the time,
the decisions of the entire Big Mom Pirates were also decided by him alone!
Therefore,
when the Summit War—
such an unprecedented major event—
was unexpectedly exposed ahead of time by the ranking video…
with his keen instincts, "Kata" immediately had ideas flooding into his mind—restless, eager to move!
Because…
in this war,
no matter whether Whitebeard or the Marines… whichever side ultimately won—
the structure of the seas
would undergo a world-shaking transformation because of it.
And by then, the Big Mom Pirates—or any other Emperor crew—
could simply sit back and reap the benefits!
They could expand their territory through plunder, stomping down other pirate crews' forces!
To this,
Big Mom had no objections.
She also believed that the Summit War would become a fuse—
and later,
the root cause of turmoil across the entire Grand Line and the whole world's oceanic balance!!!
"Katakuri…"
"Just be patient and wait—keep watching."
After swallowing all the sweets in one go, Big Mom bared a vicious grin and said with a thick, resonant tone:
"I believe that in the future, it won't just be Whitebeard and the Marines going to war! It's very likely… there will be even more explosive news! And afterward, it'll keep getting exposed one by one!!!"
Her laughter was shrill.
It made people's hair stand on end just hearing it.
Big Mom's mood and state were no longer sluggish or vacant.
At this moment, it was as if she had returned to her younger days—spirited and soaring, back in the posture of a great pirate!
And her ambition, along with that greedy desire—
now began swelling and breeding inside her without end.
A strong person's instincts—her so-called sixth sense—
also made Big Mom certain:
this ranking video wasn't limited to just this level.
After this,
in the next rankings to come,
there would definitely be even more explosive news, once again shaking the entire sea!!!
Likewise,
far away over in Wano Country—
that massive "Land of Oni," surrounded by volcano ranges—
Kaido and the Three Calamities,
after finishing the segment just now,
felt emotions that were both surprised… and wildly delighted!
Everyone, without exception, looked forward to the future eruption of this clash among top-tier powerhouses!!!
"Boss Kaido…"
"This is unbelievably good news!"
"Once the Whitebeard Pirates get dragged into war, we can freely plunder all of their territory in the New World!!!"
A tall black silhouette,
under the glow of the surrounding magma, cast a long slanted shadow across the ground.
King the Wildfire crossed his arms, his eyes deep as he spoke.
"Yeah…"
Beside him, Queen curled his lips into a grin, his eyes burning as he nodded along with a savage smile:
"Not only that—we're going to give them a push from behind and let the flames of war spread across the whole world!"
Those words
were practically Queen saying out loud what Kaido truly wanted.
Yes.
Queen was right.
For many years now, given Kaido's arrogant, domineering personality—
and his ambition for power and influence—
he had long been accumulating strength.
By expanding and arming the Beasts Pirates…
and by occupying Wano as his base—
Kaido craved
to use artificial Devil Fruits to forge an army of Zoan users—
a monster corps with overwhelming combat power—
so he could launch conquest and war and dominate the pirate world!!!
Only…
due to limitations in strength,
even though Kaido himself was terrifyingly strong—recognized as the World's Strongest Creature—
the overall combat power of the Beasts Pirates,
viewed across the entire pirate world,
still wasn't quite top-tier.
Even with the Three Calamities, they were still a notch short.
Therefore,
taking that into account…
even though Kaido himself had, many times, gotten drunk and rampaged at Marine Headquarters—only to be captured—
he still hadn't truly launched a full-scale war against the Marines.
But now—
with this "Summit War," exposed ahead of time through the conversation between the Okama King and Luffy—
for Kaido, it was nothing less than a perfect opportunity!
It was enough to make his emotions
instantly surge into exhilaration—into excitement!!!
"A colossal, unprecedented war at Marine Headquarters… triggered by the execution of 'Fire Fist,' huh?"
A low, rough voice
came out of Kaido's mouth as he spoke, his eyes blazing hot.
At this moment,
Kaido's thoughts were the same as Big Mom's!
He also hoped—
that the Summit War would erupt!
He was already impatient—
desperate to witness with his own eyes the legendary scenes that might happen in that war…
Whitebeard, in the middle of that war, very possibly clashing in battle against the Three Admirals!!!
Finally,
among the Four Emperors,
Red-Hair Shanks and his crew
also held a heated discussion because of the Summit War news.
Only…
out of a neutral stance,
and because Luffy was involved—
Shanks didn't have too many complicated thoughts.
He thought of only one thing:
If it came to that point…
if the Whitebeard Pirates truly slaughtered it out with the Marines at Marineford—
then,
what would his future self and the Red Hair Pirates do at that time?
Would they step in and help in time?
Was it possible…
that they too would enter this war—
becoming Whitebeard's allies,
challenging the Marines together, and even…
the World Government?
(End of Chapter)
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