A few hours had passed since Totto Land fell silent.
High above the sea, the giant bird Pain had summoned beat its wings steadily, carrying the Akatsuki back toward New Amegakure. Most members rested quietly, some meditating, others silently processing the historic event. Sasori sat near the edge of the bird's back, calmly inspecting the sealed scroll now tied to his cloak.
Inside it was the corpse of Charlotte Linlin.Soon to be reborn as his ultimate puppet.
------------------------
Inside Marineford
Every admiral, vice admiral, and major strategic officer sat around the massive round table. The atmosphere was heavier than during the discussions of Ace's capture.
Sengoku slammed a stack of fresh reports onto the table. "…Big Mom is dead."
The room erupted.
Vice admirals shouted in disbelief.Some stood halfway from their seats.Even Garp stopped eating his senbei.
Tsuru rubbed her forehead, stunned after reading the information infront of her. "Linlin… defeated in her own territory? And her body stolen?"
Sengoku growled, pointing at the report. "Sasori of the Akatsuki stored her body in a scroll of some sort according to the report. They probably plan to use it as a spoil of war, but there's also a chance they may somehow weaponize it, or start experiments using her body."
Akainu's fist hit the table hard enough to crack it. "These scum are already strong enough to kill a Yonko. And her entire crew surrendered to them?! This is only strengthening them even further!"
Aokiji exhaled slowly. "Well… if they didn't surrender, they would have been wiped out too. Reports say that woman—Smoothie, Katakuri, all of them—didn't last 5 minutes once the Akatsuki starting attacking."
Garp finally set his senbei down. "…A Yonko crew kneeling to a single organization. This is troublesome. This is becoming like Rocks all over again"
Sengoku tightened his fists. "And that organization now controls all of Totto Land."
Murmurs surged across the room.
Kizaru leaned back, crossing his legs, expression unusually serious. "Ooh… how frightening. Especially considering something, Sengoku-san…"
Everyone looked toward him.
Kizaru's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "When I fought that red-haired one, Nagato, in Sabaody…He wasn't even close to this level."
He raised a hand slightly, recalling the memory. "He could barely graze me… and he didn't even have haki. But now? Reporting officers say he fought Big Mom head-on with a giant armor construct… infused with Armament so dense it seemed to swallow the sun."
He whistled quietly—a rare acknowledgment of danger. "To grow that fast… in just a few short months…Even among monsters, that rate of evolution is unnatural."
Aokiji nodded grimly. "His Observation is already advanced. His Armament is monstrous."
Akainu snarled. "Enough talk! Just tell me when we're mobilizing. If we allow that man to grow any stronger, he'll be worse than Rocks!"
Sengoku slammed the table again. "We can't attack recklessly! The Gorosei have already reviewed the situation."
The room fell silent.
A Cipher Pol agent stepped forward. "Orders from the Highest Authority. Do NOT engage the Akatsuki directly. Avoid contact until further notice. All forces are to monitor.Preparation for the war with whitebeard should begin quietly."
Akainu stood up violently. "Cowards…! We should be crushing them before they spread—"
Tsuru cut him off sharply. "With Big Mom dead, the balance of the world has shifted. If the Marines move too soon, Kaido will act. Even Shanks may act. It would be a great opportunity for most pirates in the new world or paradise. And keep in mind we're still about to go to war with Whitebeard."
Aokiji added "And if Nagato has truly become strong enough to kill Linlin…Then sending anyone short of all three admirals together is suicide."
Akainu glared at him. "So what?! We just let them take a Yonko territory and grow stronger?!"
Garp sighed.
"We don't have the luxury to start a new war. Especially not with Ace's situation still unresolved…"
Sengoku nodded gravely. "Exactly. One Yonko's death is already shaking the New World. Piracy will explode. Opportunists will rise. Kaido will likely move soon. Whitebeard could attack marineford at any time, we must stay focused on the execution coming soon."
His pupils tightened. "And now we have a new power—Akatsuki—rising faster than any organization in history." "We cannot afford a clash with them now—not when the world is already unstable.After a few moments of silence Sengoku orders Ink to reveal the new bounties.
A stack of bounty posters was placed on the table—the ink still fresh.
Sengoku read them one by one:
Nagato – 3,800,000,000 berries "His killing of a Yonko and defeating two Admirals' level of threat potential warrants it. He is now officially one of the world's most dangerous individuals."
Enel – 1,500,000,000 berries "For demonstrating island-level destructive capability and unprecedented mobility. He's currently the strongest under Nagato, atleast on paper since we haven't seen Itachi's true power."
Itachi – 1,100,000,000 berries "Reported to have defeated Charlotte Katakuri with a mere glance. His threat level is confirmed."
Kisame – 1,000,000,000 berries
Kakuzu – 990,000,000 berries
Deidara – 722,000,000 berries
Sasori – 650,000,000 berries
Hidan – 500,000,000 berries
Konan – 300,000,000 berries
The room absorbed the numbers, each one astoundingly high for a group that's existed less than a year.
Sengoku placed his hands firmly on the table.
"For now… we watch. We prepare for the Whitebeard War. And we pray the Akatsuki do not choose this moment to make their next move."
No one disagreed this time.
-------------------------
On Onigashima
"worororo hic…"
Kaido was slumped against a pillar of the Skull Dome, half a dozen empty sake barrels rolling at his feet. His face was red, but his eyes—those wild, beast-like eyes—were unusually sharp as he stared at the bounty poster in his hand.
Nagato – 3,800,000,000 Berries.
"Another monster… another damn MONSTER in the world!!" he roared, slamming the poster onto the floor so hard the stone cracked.
The Beast Pirates flinched.
Kaido laughed again—loud, booming, unhinged.
"Linlin's dead… Wororororo! That hag finally got crushed!"His laughter suddenly dipped, turning oddly… mournful.
"Linlin went and died before me…"
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, sniffing.
"But this Nagato brat…"A grin stretched across his face, savage and excited.
"…I wonder if he can kill me too."He stood up, wobbling, then burst into another thunderous, chaotic laugh.
"Will you kill me Nagato?!"
----------------
On the Red Force
Shanks held Nagato's poster between his fingers, wind blowing through his hair as he stared at the number.
"3.8 billion in… what? Months?"
Benn Beckman exhaled smoke, frowning deeply."Not just that. They killed Big Mom and took her entire territory without a single casualty."
Shanks' expression darkened—not angry, not afraid… but serious in a way he rarely ever was.
"That group… Akatsuki… they're changing the balance faster than anyone ever expected."
He handed the poster to Lucky Roo, who whistled.
Shanks rested his elbow on the rail, eyes drifting toward the New World horizon.
"If this keeps up… the era will shift before the war even begins."
His hand drifted to his sword.
"And I may have to stop them myself."
-------------
On the Moby Dick
The ship was silent.
Marco held the poster up to Whitebeard.
"Pops… this Nagato guy—he's the one who killed Big Mom."
Whitebeard closed his eyes for a long, heavy moment.
"…Linlin… dead…"
The crew swallowed nervously. The old emperor finally opened his eyes, voice deep.
"That brat was trouble the moment he entered the New World… but to think he would reach this level already."
He let out a rumbling breath.
"Marco… has the date for Ace's execution been confirmed?"
Marco exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… the Marines just broadcast it. It's set. No more delays."
The atmosphere tightened. Crew members clenched their fists, jaws locking. The looming tension of war settled over them like a suffocating fog.
Whitebeard stared out to the horizon, gaze heavy.
"So the Marines want to gamble everything…"A low, thunderous chuckle rumbled from his chest. "And now this Akatsuki group has shattered a Yonko's territory in a single day. The balance of power is trembling."
He closed his eyes again.
"But none of that matters. What matters is Ace."
The crew nodded, some fighting tears, others clenching their weapons.
Whitebeard's mustache quivered as he gave a final, resolute order:
"Prepare the ships. When the time comes… we'll turn marineford upside down and save Ace."
--------------------
On Baltigo
A tense silence hung in the strategy room as Dragon lowered the bounty sheet. The other commanders watched him carefully, unsure of what to say.
Koala swallowed. "Their rise is unbelievable. In just months they've taken down a Yonko. And Nagato—someone the world didn't even know a year ago—is now sitting at nearly four billion."
Sabo crossed his arms, brow furrowed. "They're dangerous… but they're also tearing down oppressive systems everywhere they go. If anything, they're destabilizing the same forces we've been fighting for years."
Dragon finally spoke up quietly.
"The world government is more threatened than ever. Marineford will erupt soon, Whitebeard will make his move… and now Akatsuki stands at the center of global attention."
He set down the papers.
"Whether we like it or not, Nagato's organization has become a new pillar of power. One that is independent of the Yonko… and unbound by the government."
Sabo blinked. "Are you saying…?"
Dragon's eyes hardened with resolve.
"We will attempt to contact the Akatsuki."
The room froze.
"We cannot ignore a force with this much momentum. If they remain neutral, they may become a future enemy. But if we form an alliance—no matter how fragile—we gain the world's strongest rising power as a buffer against the government."
He exhaled slowly, gaze sharp.
"I'll go to New Amegakure myself to talk."
The entire room went silent, their eyes widening.
For the first time in years, Monkey D. Dragon was about to make a big move.