The Battle of Marineford had been a cataclysm, a confrontation of unprecedented scale. Whitebeard's pirates, led by Edward Newgate, had faced the full force of the Marine to save Portgas D. Ace, the 2nd division commander, sentenced to execution for being Gol D. Roger's son.
Luffy had plunged into the heart of the battle alongside the Impel Down escapees, defying admirals, Shichibukai, and Marines in a desperate attempt to free his brother.
But the event that had left a lasting impression, beyond the titanic battles, was the sudden appearance of Gojo Satoru. Emerging from the depths of the frozen bay, his pirate ship had shattered the ice, and his flag – a skull with blindfolded eyes framed by an infinity symbol – had caused panic. Gojo, with a mind-boggling audacity, had displayed three Celestial Dragons chained, treating them as slaves before the world.
His verbal confrontation with the World Government, where he hinted at secrets about the One Piece and buried truths, had sent shivers down everyone's spines. Then, in a calculated act of cruelty, he had executed the Celestial Dragons with a snap of his fingers, erasing their heads as if they were nothing.
This act had caused unprecedented chaos. The Marines, led by Sengoku and supported by admirals Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, had tried to regain control, but Gojo's crew – Sukuna, Maki, Yuki, Choso, Yuta, Naobito, and Yaga – had wreaked havoc before retreating. As he left, Gojo had issued a declaration that rang like an ultimatum: "Two years. In two years, I declare war on the World Government."
Despite the efforts of Luffy and Whitebeard's pirates, tragedy had struck. Ace, freed from his chains, had fallen to Akainu's magma fists, protecting Luffy in a final act. Whitebeard, weakened, had stood against the admirals and Shichibukai, unleashing shockwaves that had cracked the ocean. In a final breath, he confirmed the existence of the One Piece, reigniting the flame of piracy, before succumbing to a rain of blows, standing tall until the end.
As the battle seemed lost, Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, had appeared with his crew, ending the conflict with his mere presence. In a calm yet unwavering tone, he had ordered the cessation of hostilities, saving Luffy and the survivors of Whitebeard. Sengoku, reluctantly, had agreed, and the war had ended in a mix of mourning and upheaval.
Two years after Marineford, the pirate world had undergone a radical change.
At the same time, thousands of leagues away, on an anonymous island in the New World, a ship with a black hull floated in the shadow of a cliff. Gojo Satoru, seated on the bow, gazed at the horizon, his black blindfold still covering his eyes. Sukuna, leaning against a mast, sharpened his claws with a smirk.
"Two years, huh? You really plan to bring down Mariejois, Gojo?"
Gojo burst into laughter, a sound both light and menacing. "Bring down? Oh, Sukuna, I'm going to do much more than that." He stood up, his coat billowing in the wind. "The world is a cage, and I have the key."
Maki, sitting nearby, adjusted her glasses. "Don't get lost in your grand speeches. We have work to do."
Naobito, a bottle of sake in hand, chuckled. "Work? You mean war! It's going to be quite a party!"
Yuki, playing with a strand of hair, smiled. "As long as there's chaos, count me in."
"Let's head back now, the others must be waiting for us," said Yuta.