Meanwhile…
It wasn't just Imu, the Five Elders, the World Government, and the entire upper echelon of the Marines.
At this very moment—
far away in the latter half of the Grand Line, deep in the New World—
those major pirates who ruled the seas there were also shaken by the sudden appearance of the "ranking video," each one causing an uproar within their own territory in turn!
In the New World…
Somewhere in a vast sea so broad you couldn't see its end.
This was the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Normally, no outsider pirate would even have the guts to set foot here!
Especially when they caught sight of—
that ship with a colossal hull, so massive in scale, and from afar shaped like a white whale—
the Moby Dick.
This legendary pirate ship…
not only in the New World, but across the entire world of pirates, no matter where it appeared—
it brought with it an incomparable, overwhelming deterrent!
Along with it came the identity and title of one of the "Four Emperors"—
Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man…
a terrifying pressure that seemed to bear down from afar, even without a single blow being thrown!
At this moment…
on the deck of the Moby Dick…
Whitebeard—Edward Newgate—one of the undisputed strongest beings of this era for decades!
Even though…
he was already a seventy-year-old man now!
Still, Whitebeard looked to be in good condition.
His towering body sat firmly upon an oversized captain's throne, and scars were visible across his front—everywhere.
They testified that in his youth…
he had fought countless strong enemies.
Battle after battle. War after war!!!
"Marco…"
"Jozu. Vista…"
Whitebeard lifted his head.
His imposing gaze locked onto the conspicuous, transparent screen floating above the Moby Dick.
"You lot tell me—what do you think this suddenly appearing screen means?"
About ten minutes earlier…
by routine, around this time every month—
Whitebeard would gather his "sons"…
for a family-style get-together—a relaxed feast meant for chatting, bonding, and sharing laughs.
But this time…
two people were missing.
One was…
Blackbeard, who a few months ago had killed Thatch, the former Fourth Division Commander, over stealing and secretly keeping the Dark Fruit—and had already fled as a traitor.
And the other…
was one of Whitebeard's most beloved sons.
The current Second Division Commander of the crew—Blackbeard's former superior—
and Luffy's brother—
Ace.
Yes.
To capture the traitor Blackbeard…
and bring him back to the Moby Dick…
Ace had already set out some time ago, traveling light, leaving on his own.
At present…
his exact location—
and whether he had tracked Blackbeard down—
was still unknown.
Whitebeard and the others had originally planned to use today's gathering…
to talk about how Ace was doing.
But who would have expected…
for no apparent reason—
a transparent screen would descend from the sky, shattering the calm without warning!
Alarms rang out across the Moby Dick without stopping.
And the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew—
every pirate aboard—
had their wary yet curious eyes tightly drawn to it.
And so…
this scene came to be.
"Pops…"
Marco raised one hand to his forehead, stared upward for a while, and spoke with extreme caution.
"I think this screen is seriously strange."
"It might be some kind of black technology from the Marines… or the World Government."
You had to understand—
in today's pirate world…
the Whitebeard Pirates, with Whitebeard himself personally in command—
and with a massive number of powerful fighters under his banner—
were unquestionably the strongest pirate crew in the world!
And for more than ten years, no one had dared invade their territory.
Even…
as powerful as the three Marine Admirals were—
unless two of them went together—
Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji… none of the three would dare come here on a whim,
lest a misunderstanding triggered an unnecessary conflict and battle!
Under those circumstances…
for a screen of unknown origin—something no one knew where it came from—
to descend out of nowhere…
the sheer unnaturalness of it put everyone on maximum alert.
Even Whitebeard—
who back then had gone to God Valley,
who had taken part in the siege against Imu's shadow,
and who had clashed head-on in battle with the demon-like Rocks after he was forcibly "turned"—
even Whitebeard, after all of that,
worldly, experienced, and long since steady of mind—
still felt an indescribable unease as he faced the transparent screen.
He had a feeling…
this mysterious thing that couldn't be attacked—
and was immune even to Haki—
its appearance…
would shatter the "Great Age of Piracy" that began after Roger's death.
After so many years…
it would once again plunge the world into turmoil.
And more than that—
every secret…
might be exposed because of this screen.
That was Whitebeard's instinct—
the moment he saw it.
Around him…
with Marco at the center—
more than a dozen Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates—
some watched on guard, while others had already drawn weapons and took up defensive stances!
And next…
if anything seemed off—
or if ominous subtitles and images appeared upon that screen—
then the moment Whitebeard gave the order…
the crew's core fighters would strike together!
No matter what—
even if they had to go all out—
they would stop this ranking screen!!!
Elsewhere, at the same time…
Totto Land—Whole Cake Island.
This was the territory of the Big Mom Pirates.
And also the "paradise" where another Emperor—
Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin—
normally lived.
"mam-mam-mam-mam…"
Inside the gigantic palace castle at the center of the island…
Big Mom opened her mouth wide, chewing sweets and desserts stuffed inside.
At the same time, she half-lidded her eyes and looked sideways—
utterly unconcerned—
at the transparent screen that had appeared abruptly just ten minutes earlier, not far in front of her.
"Mother…"
"We've tried many times…"
"This transparent screen isn't physical. It's some kind of virtual existence."
"It seems… it can't be destroyed by external force at all!"
A tall figure stepped forward.
His attire was distinctive, his face partly obscured—
"Number Two"—the Mochi-Mochi Fruit user—
Charlotte Katakuri!!!
Among Big Mom's many children…
he was the most outstanding overall—the strongest in combined ability.
On normal days…
when Big Mom fell into her senile haze,
and obsessively indulged in desserts—
Katakuri was the one responsible for taking over the daily operation of the Big Mom Pirates.
And just now…
when the transparent screen descended out of thin air—
it didn't appear only inside this palace.
It covered the entirety of Whole Cake Island, in every location!
Even across the other islands in Totto Land's sea—
the same phenomenon appeared!
So…
the moment Katakuri realized something was wrong…
he rushed to Big Mom at once, hoping to discuss the screen with her.
"Whitebeard. Kaido…"
"Either those two are behind this."
"Or it's… the Marines, or the World Government!!!"
"And that person, too…"
After finishing her meal—
Big Mom's mind no longer felt muddled; she regained clarity.
And she began giving her opinion on the transparent screen.
At the same time, she also thought of—
Imu, the one hidden behind the scenes, secretly controlling everything.
After all…
back then.
When Big Mom was still young and beautiful—
as an officer of the Rocks Pirates—
she too had been one of the powerful figures who joined the siege against Imu.
She had seen it with her own eyes—
in a baffling situation—
Imu's enormous shadow had clearly been chopped into several pieces by Rocks.
And yet—
in an instant—
Imu was still able to…
easily "turn" and dominate Rocks—
a being so monstrously strong he was almost unbeatable in that era.
From that moment on—
after witnessing it—
Big Mom never again thought anything could be "strange."
So even now—
with the transparent screen appearing before her—
her attitude remained completely calm.
She only glanced at it a few times.
Then she withdrew her gaze, grabbed huge handfuls of sweets and desserts piled like a mountain in front of her—
and began eating again, her face twisted into a ferocious, brutal expression.
And in the end…
facing Katakuri as he waited for instructions…
Big Mom only dismissed him with a single line:
"No need to worry too much. Just watch and wait."
"Whatever this transparent screen is about to show… we can't stop it anyway, can we?"
At the same time…
Wano Country—Onigashima.
The territory of the Beasts Pirates.
What had happened beside Whitebeard and Big Mom—
was now playing out for another Emperor as well—
Kaido… "Teacher Kaido"!
"Hm?"
"A transparent screen that can't be attacked—almost virtual?!"
Kaido sat at the edge of a volcano.
His body was half-drunk, and clear dragon scales stood out on him.
Above his head rose huge horns.
Frowning, he stared at the nearby transparent screen with a wary gaze, his voice heavy.
Just moments ago…
about ten minutes earlier…
his three most trusted subordinates—
the "Three Calamities"—
King, Queen, and Jack!
These three All-Stars…
also infamous powerhouses of the New World.
From the first moment the screen appeared…
they had attacked it one after another, trying everything they could.
But the result was the same.
No matter what—
the Three Calamities' attacks couldn't shake the transparent screen in the slightest!
Even…
Kaido himself stepped in personally!
He grabbed his kanabo and unleashed a tyrannical Thunder Bagua!
And yet—
there was still no reaction at all!
Not a ripple.
Not the slightest disturbance.
Lightning charged with Conqueror's Haki burst through the screen and blasted into the ground, tearing it apart.
But even so…
the transparent screen still remained.
Floating in midair.
Filling the scene with an indescribable, eerie atmosphere.
It even sobered Kaido up immediately.
In a single instant, he snapped out of his drunken state and became fully clearheaded.
Only then did he truly realize—
this transparent screen wasn't ordinary.
It probably wasn't something that belonged to the pirate world at all!
"Hah…"
"No matter who's pulling strings behind the scenes…"
"Whatever's about to play on that screen… it definitely won't disappoint, right?"
After calming down…
Kaido's attitude wasn't rejection.
It was the opposite.
He welcomed it—and the excitement in him rose because of it.
At this moment, staring at the transparent screen…
Kaido felt it more and more—
the pirate world that had been calm for years…
was about to undergo an unprecedented, earth-shaking change because of it!!!
And at the same time…
the last of the Four Emperors—
Red-Haired Shanks!
At this moment, somewhere along the Grand Line…
on three remote islands…
the Red-Haired Pirates' ship—
the Red Force—
was anchored near the shore.
With Shanks at the center…
the crew's core officers and ordinary sailors alike took advantage of the clear weather—
and the fact that not long ago they had crushed an unknown pirate crew that tried to challenge them—
to hold a celebration banquet!!!
Only…
the pleasure brought by fine wine and roasted meat—
and the joyful atmosphere—
was interrupted by the arrival of the transparent screen!
Just like the other three Emperors…
facing this unknown-origin screen—
black as pitch, with no images playing yet—
Shanks immediately became cautious.
He ordered the crew to stop the banquet and instead discuss the screen.
"Beckman… what do you think?"
Beneath his hanging red bangs…
Shanks frowned, his expression solemn as he asked.
Beside him, as the vice captain—
Benn Beckman had investigated it again and again more than ten times.
In the end, he could only shake his head helplessly and admit the truth:
"I'm sorry. I can't see through it."
"This screen is too mysterious."
"I even think… whether it's the Marines or the World Government…"
"neither of them has the technology to support something like this."
"To casually project a screen out of thin air…"
"in any corner of the sea—whenever they want."
Beckman's tone was firm.
Like Sengoku, he was a man who possessed both strength and intelligence—
and he was also the brain of the Red-Haired Pirates.
On top of that…
he had followed Shanks in battle for years—
carving out a formidable reputation across the Grand Line.
With Beckman's experience and knowledge…
he naturally believed the "high technology" of this screen…
had already surpassed the current limits of the pirate world.
"So that means…"
Shanks raised his brows in surprise.
"This screen might soon show images that the whole world would never expect?!"
He couldn't believe it…
A day that looked ordinary and uneventful…
might actually be the moment the pirate world broke its peace—
and entered a massive turning point!
And as for this transparent screen…
and whatever it might show next—
even without realizing it…
Shanks' curiosity was deeply, thoroughly hooked!!!
He also hoped…
the screen would light up immediately—
and reveal content explosive enough to be worth all this tension!!!
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]