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Alex left the chaos of the Summit War as effortlessly as he had entered it.
At the same time, the broadcast from the Transponder Den Den mushi, which had been transmitting the entire battle to the world, abruptly ceased.
But the terrifying image of Marineford in ruins—ravaged by war and the devastating power of the black hole—remained seared into the minds of viewers worldwide.
As people around the globe stared at the shattered island, they couldn't ignore the culprit who had escalated the destruction. Among the ranks of the Marines, resentment toward Alex simmered like a volcano ready to erupt, though there was no outlet for their fury.
Sengoku, tasked with leading the Marine forces through this ordeal, felt this frustration most acutely.
He stood silently, surveying what remained of the once-proud Marine Headquarters. The so-called "victory" felt hollow as he considered the chaotic era looming on the horizon and the terrifying reality of Alex wielding the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Unable to contain his emotions, Sengoku slammed his fist into the barren ground beneath him.
After a long, tense pause, he suppressed his despair and barked an order.
"Everyone! Begin rescuing the injured immediately!"
"Fleet Admiral," a Marine called out urgently, "the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates have fled from the port. Should we pursue them?"
Earlier, as Alex prepared to depart, creating the massive black hole, the surviving members of Whitebeard's crew had regrouped on the last surviving Moby Dick. They'd taken advantage of the chaos to make a swift retreat from the battlefield.
"No," Sengoku said firmly. "Focus on saving the wounded. The war is over!"
With his priority set on minimizing Marine losses, Sengoku shifted his focus to organizing rescue efforts. Under his command, the medical units stationed nearby surged onto the battlefield to tend to the injured.
Not long after, a swift clipper approached from the distant sea, flying the banner of Mariejois.
As the ship drew closer, it became clear just how catastrophic the situation was.
"...What the hell..."
The alternate admiral, Chaton, muttered under his breath as he surveyed the wreckage of Marineford. Shock rendered him momentarily speechless, even causing the toothpick in his mouth to fall to the deck unnoticed.
At the bow of the ship stood Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government. His expression was grim, his brows furrowed deeply as he absorbed the scale of the devastation.
Through the earlier broadcasts, Kong had seen enough to know that the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
Whitebeard's proclamation of a new era. Alex's terrifying mastery of Whitebeard's quake powers. It was a disaster on all fronts.
When the ship docked, Kong wasted no time finding Sengoku.
But the sight of his former subordinate hit him harder than the wreckage of Marineford. Sengoku, who had once carried the weight of leadership with unshakable resolve, now looked as though he had aged decades in mere hours. His face was pale, his posture weary, and his eyes bloodshot with exhaustion and grief.
"We lost this war," Sengoku said hoarsely, his voice trembling.
Kong's face darkened. "We arrived too late."
Sengoku shook his head slowly, as if dismissing the idea that it would have made any difference.
Chief of Staff Tsuru approached from the side, her tone calm but heavy with the weight of the truth.
"Even though we defeated Whitebeard's forces, the cost was far too high," she said. "And with his final words, Whitebeard has thrown the seas back into their most turbulent era. Decades of effort to maintain order… gone."
She paused, her gaze serious.
"Then there's Alex. The aftermath of his actions will be difficult to contain. In addition to wielding the powers of the Float-Float Fruit and the More-More Fruit, he now commands that strange darkness... and the destructive force of the Quake-Quake Fruit, capable of shattering the world itself."
"However, both the powers of darkness and tremors seem to be tied to our scientific research," Tsuru said, her tone grim. "Our team has been working on ways to infuse Devil Fruits into weapons or similar objects."
She paused, her expression darkening further.
"Whether it's the Quake-Quake Fruit or the strange dark Fruit, it appears their effects are being channeled through weapons. But it seems Alex has a way to amplify these abilities using the More-More Fruit."
Tsuru clenched her fists.
"Just imagine the destructive potential. If Alex combines the Tremor-Tremor Fruit with the amplifying power of the More-More Fruit, the results could be even more catastrophic than what Whitebeard was capable of. In Alex's hands, it's far more terrifying."
Her words hung heavy in the air. Tsuru's face reflected the weight of the situation. For her, Alex evoked memories of Rocks D. Xebec, the infamous overlord of the sea.
But Alex was different.
His strength, his strategy—both surpassed Rocks, and Rocks hadn't faced Alex's current advantage. Even in those days, Garp had been in his prime, and he'd still needed Roger's help to defeat Rocks.
As Tsuru's analysis sank in, both Sengoku and Kong fell into uneasy silence.
Kong, however, broke the tension, offering a sliver of reassurance. "There's something else you should know," he began, his tone deliberate. "The World Government has already taken steps regarding Alex's Sky kingdom. Our agents have infiltrated its inner circle and are working to disrupt their operations."
He gestured upward, as if to emphasize his point.
"Moreover," Kong continued, "to counter Alex's massive influence, one of the remaining Sea Emperors has agreed to cooperate with us to contain him."
This statement immediately caught Sengoku and Tsuru's attention, their eyes lighting up with renewed focus.
"Today's Four Emperors…" Tsuru began, thinking aloud. "There are only three left now. Aside from Kaido, who is clearly aligned with Alex, there's only one option left—Red-Haired Shanks."
Sengoku's eyes widened at the revelation. The irony wasn't lost on him. Shanks, Roger's chosen heir, now potentially working alongside the World Government.
"This," Sengoku murmured, "must be fate."
Before he could delve further into the thought, the sound of alarms echoed from the harbor.
A Marine rushed to report. "Another pirate ship is attacking Marine Headquarters—it's the Red Force, the flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates!"
Sengoku's expression tightened. The chaos was far from over.
After this fateful day, whispers of the legendary treasure, One Piece, ignited the flames of ambition across the world once again.
The Grand Line, particularly the Sabaody Archipelago, was abuzz with activity. Known as the final island before entering the New World, Sabaody became a gathering point for countless pirates dreaming of glory.
"Did you hear? One Piece is real—Roger's treasure!"
"Whoever finds it could even overthrow the entire world!"
"I'm going to claim it and become the next Pirate King!"
The square teemed with pirates, their eyes burning with determination as they shouted their dreams for all to hear.
The residents of Sabaody kept their doors tightly shut, fearful of the unruly crowd outside. They dared not step out, listening instead to the rowdy cheers of pirates echoing through the streets.
Deep down, the residents knew that the world was on the cusp of change.
The Great Pirate Era was reigniting, its flames stoked by new ambition and unbridled dreams.