Although the World Government and the Marines had repeatedly attempted to suppress the news of Aokiji's death and Akainu's serious injury, the truth swept through the world like a hurricane. Everyone was left in shock once again. As Marine Admirals, Aokiji and Akainu were considered the pinnacle of Marine combat power—the strongest blades against the Yonko and against evil itself. Yet, in a confrontation with Adrian, one had been killed and the other gravely wounded.
The truth was almost unbelievable. Adrian's name was once again at the forefront of every conversation. He had faced Whitebeard head-on during the Summit War, then captured Dressrosa, beheaded the Warlord Doflamingo, and buried 50,000 World Government coalition troops at sea. Now, he had attacked two Marine Admirals, resulting in one death and one injury. One earth-shattering event after another led everyone to a single realization: Adrian was both terrifying and utterly mad. This ambitious man was destined to usher in a new, uncontrollable era. Not even the World Government could stop him.
In the northwest of the Calm Belt, on the uninhabited island of Rusukaina, Silvers Rayleigh stared at the newspaper with a somber and pensive expression. "Even a Marine Admiral…" he murmured, his heart filled with a mixture of awe and concern. Adrian's growth rate was truly terrifying, and his actions surpassed even those of Roger. This man was a genuine lunatic. The thought that his disciple, Luffy, would one day have to face such a person filled Rayleigh with a deep sense of worry.
Yet, to his great satisfaction, despite Luffy's foolish demeanor, his potential was astonishing. His physical strength was almost monstrous. No matter how badly he was injured, all it took was a good meal, and he would be back to normal in a few days. If he hadn't confirmed that Luffy had a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, Rayleigh might have even suspected him of being a Zoan devil fruit user. This glimmer of hope gave him some confidence. If Luffy were given enough time to grow and gain experience, there might be a chance for him to surpass that man.
"Mr. Rayleigh, any news about Ace?" Luffy asked, his mouth full of a huge piece of meat.
"Are you an idiot, kid? How many times do I have to tell you?" Rayleigh roared, black lines appearing on his forehead. "That man is called Death Song now, and he's no longer the Ace you know!" Luffy had many good qualities, but his complete lack of common sense was a constant headache.
"Hey, isn't that the annoying guy…" Luffy's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at the newspaper. "Ah, his bounty has risen to 5 billion berries?!" The food in his mouth suddenly lost all its flavor. He yelled in outrage, "Why is his bounty increasing so fast? I have to hurry up and get stronger! I still haven't avenged Sabo!"
With that, Luffy stuffed the piece of meat, which was bigger than half his body, into his mouth and ran off into the forest to begin a new round of training.
"Luffy, if you want to catch up with that man, you'll have to work even harder," Rayleigh said, deciding he needed to push Luffy into hell mode.
"No problem, Mr. Rayleigh, let's go!" Luffy ran back like a puff of smoke, his eyes shining with determination.
In the New World, on Sphinx Island, the once peaceful and tranquil town was now filled with the sound of weeping and wailing. After Blackbeard's perfunctory funeral for Whitebeard, his true greedy nature was revealed. Not only did he loot all the treasures left behind by Whitebeard, but he also plundered the personal belongings of the town's residents.
"C-Captain Teach, isn't this too much?" the former captain of the 13th division, 'Water Buffalo' Atmos, said with a pained expression. "This is Dad's hometown. His spirit in heaven…" His words, however, were laced with fear of Blackbeard. The former Whitebeard Pirates were truly terrified. Between Blackbeard's brutal "disobey and die" tactics and the relentless pursuit by the Marines, many of them had already been killed. If it weren't for Blackbeard's double Devil Fruit ability protecting them, they likely wouldn't have survived at all. Everyone was angry, but no one dared to speak out.
"What's wrong with his hometown?" Blackbeard growled, his face contorted in a ferocious expression. "Can't you see the losses we've suffered recently? I need money to feed all you scoundrels. Or… do any of you have a better way to get us out of this predicament?" The members of the Whitebeard Pirates lowered their heads in fear.
"Wehahaha, Captain, come here quickly! I found the Road Poneglyph!" Burgess's excited roar came from a distance, and Blackbeard's eyes lit up. He had chosen to bury Whitebeard on Sphinx Island not only to steal the treasures but also to get his hands on the Road Poneglyph. It was widely known that there were 30 Poneglyphs scattered across the world, including nine historical Poneglyphs related to the Void Century, three Ancient Weapon Stones, and four crucial Red Road Poneglyphs that recorded the coordinates for the final island, Laugh Tale.
Blackbeard had been after the Road Poneglyph in Whitebeard's possession for a long time. But after taking over Fish-Man Island, Whitebeard had sent the Poneglyph with Marco and the others to Sphinx Island, so Blackbeard never got a chance to see it. Today, he finally had his wish fulfilled.
"Hahaha, old man, you really did hide it here… Now I'm one step closer to becoming the Pirate King!" Blackbeard stood in front of the Red Poneglyph, laughing maniacally. As soon as he found the other three Road Poneglyphs, his dream would finally be a reality. By then, no one would be able to stop him from dominating the world. For some reason, Adrian's face suddenly appeared in Blackbeard's mind. A shudder of terror instantly ran through him.
Damn it. I've fled so far, and you're still haunting me! Sooner or later, I will kill you!
"How is the contact with the Revolutionary Army?"
"Captain, since the Summit War, their commander has mysteriously disappeared. We haven't been able to locate them yet."
"Damn it. If it weren't for the fact that this group of cannon fodder is still useful, I wouldn't even bother with them…"
While Blackbeard was plotting how to use the Revolutionary Army to his advantage against Adrian, the latter was busy devising a way to use the artificial Devil Fruits known as SMILE to get the upper hand on Kaido.