The moment Rocks recalled the name of that Devil Fruit, his gaze toward Chopper became one of undisguised contempt.
That's right—Chopper's fruit was the utterly useless Human-Human Fruit.
Even just tacking on a suffix could've turned it into a god-tier fruit, but no—this one was the original, no-frills version of the Human-Human Fruit.
Naturally, Rocks lost all interest in Chopper. Without hesitation, he kicked Chopper hard. The reindeer went flying into a tree and passed out cold.
A newspaper fluttered out from Chopper's body. Rocks bent down, picked it up, and casually glanced over it.
Right there on the front page was the shocking headline: the Navy and the Four Emperors were about to go to war at Marine Headquarters. Rocks couldn't believe his eyes.
Gradually, his expression turned exaggerated, and he shouted,
"What kind of joke is this!? Has the whole world gone insane!?"
Once he calmed down, he started wondering whether he should get involved in the war. But as the image of Kaito surfaced in his mind, he shook his head.
"No way. With that monster around, I'd better lay low for now."
With that, Rocks turned around and left. He knew that under the current circumstances, building up his own forces was more urgent than ever!
...
The death of the King of Drum Island barely made a ripple in the world.
After all, everyone's attention was now squarely on the Navy.
In the seven days leading up to the war, the entire sea seemed to fall into eerie stillness—an unmistakable calm before the storm.
Finally, the appointed day arrived.
...
Countless Navy soldiers stood solemnly on the shore, staring out at the ocean.
Of the Shichibukai, all but Doflamingo were present. The other six stood at a slightly elevated platform, heads lowered in silence.
Only Hancock occasionally turned her head to glance at the center of the higher platform, where the four Navy Admirals were seated.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru were positioned in a triangle formation around Kaito, whose seat was right in the middle—and noticeably higher than the others, like stars orbiting the moon.
Technically, all Admirals held equal rank. But this arrangement made it clear: among equals, Kaito's status was still above the rest.
And yet, no one in the Navy voiced any objections.
They all accepted it as a given.
Anyone who didn't like it? Well, they were welcome to go spar with a Four Emperor and see how that worked out.
The four Admirals sat in their chairs, exuding presence far beyond the standing officers around them.
Akainu and Kizaru sat with one leg crossed, arms folded or hands clasped loosely.
Aokiji slouched, legs spread, arms lazily resting on the armrests.
As for Kaito—he sat as usual, one leg crossed, cheek resting against one hand, eyes closed as if dozing.
Everything unfolding at Marine Headquarters today was being broadcast live across the world via Den Den Mushi.
And what people most wanted to see… was Kaito.
...
Cocoyashi Village.
A group of villagers sat together, holding their breath as they stared at the image projected by the Den Den Mushi.
The moment the feed switched to Kaito, the crowd erupted in excitement.
Nami tugged excitedly at Nojiko's sleeve and shouted,
"Nojiko, look! It's Kaito! He's so cool!"
Nojiko hadn't taken her eyes off Kaito once. Smiling, she patted Nami's head and said,
"I see him. Kaito looks like he's sleeping."
"Hmph! He's totally faking it—but I love that! Hehe!"
Unlike the two sisters, Bell-mère looked far more serious.
She knew all too well what this war meant.
Staring at Kaito on the screen, she muttered,
"Kaito... you'd better be careful."
...
Mary Geoise, inside a grand palace.
Shalria was also watching the Navy Headquarters' broadcast. The moment Kaito appeared, her cheeks flushed, and the Kaito plush in her arms was squeezed so hard it looked like the head would pop off.
In all of Mary Geoise, aside from the Elders and a few others, only Shalria seemed to care this much about the upcoming war.
The rest of the Celestial Dragons continued living their indulgent, oblivious lives.
Shalria ordered two black-clad attendants to move the Den Den Mushi screen closer to her. She didn't stop until her face was practically pressed against the feed, then finally told them to halt.
The two attendants wiped sweat from their foreheads and quickly looked away. They dared not look at Shalria any longer, because right now, the noble Lady Shalria was puckering her lips and leaning toward the image of Kaito.
Suddenly, the screen shifted—to a wide shot of the ocean. Faint dark shapes were approaching Marine Headquarters.
Shalria's expression froze.
She jumped up from the couch and shrieked at the attendants,
"Dammit! Notify Marine Headquarters! Tell them to point the Den Den Mushi at Kaito! I don't want to see anything else!"
The attendants were drenched in cold sweat but didn't dare defy her command.
One of them gritted his teeth, pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and tried calling Marine Headquarters directly.
But there was no response.
Because...
The war had already begun!
...
The first of the Four Emperors to arrive at Marine Headquarters was none other than the man known as the "Strongest in the World"—Whitebeard.
Standing proudly at the bow of the Moby Dick, he wielded one of the Supreme Grade Blades: Murakumogiri.
Beside him stood Marco, captain of the 1st Division. As he stared solemnly at the looming Marineford, he asked,
"Pops, the others haven't arrived yet. What should we do?"
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes toward the high platform where Kaito sat, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Don't worry about them. Let me give the Navy a little welcome gift first! Gurararara!"
With that, Whitebeard bent his arm, the muscles bulging grotesquely, then swung powerfully in Marineford's direction.
The air cracked like glass beneath the force of his punch, spreading out in spiderweb-like, glowing teal fractures—followed by a terrifying shockwave.
The calm ocean exploded into towering waves. A massive tsunami, hundreds of meters tall, surged toward Marineford like an unstoppable mountain.
Darkness engulfed the entire island. Everyone at Marineford stared in horror, paralyzed by the apocalyptic force descending upon them.
...
The Den Den Mushi feed returned to the Admirals' platform.
Seeing the tsunami about to consume Marineford, Aokiji could no longer stay seated. He rose from his chair, preparing to freeze the oncoming wave.
But just then—
Kaito, who had been pretending to nap, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
His deep violet Rinnegan flared with rippling energy. Eleven tomoe swirled within them like dark pearls, glowing faintly with an otherworldly light.
Whether they were Navy officers or ordinary people watching from around the world, everyone who saw this felt an inexplicable sense of calm.
Some young fans wearing Rinnegan-colored contacts even stood on tiptoe, eyes shining with anticipation as they stared at Kaito on the screen.
Under the gaze of all, Kaito's expression remained perfectly calm.
His deep voice rang out, echoing in everyone's hearts—
"Almighty Push."