The currents changed that day.
Though the seas were calm, every creature beneath the waves trembled — as if the ocean itself knew that wrath was coming.
News traveled faster than the wind. Before the ink dried on the front page, the entire world already knew.
"FISHMAN ISLAND RAIDED. SLAVERS STRIKE UNDER GOVERNMENT FLAG — HUNDREDS TAKEN."
The world didn't believe it at first.
Fishman Island had been under the protection of Nyx D. Ada, one of the Four Emperors — the first of them.
But the headlines didn't lie, and neither did the screams echoing from the deep.
In every corner of the seas, people stopped what they were doing, staring at the news in dread.
The silence that followed was heavier than thunder.
———————-
THE NEW WORLD — MOBY DICK
The waves slapped lazily against the hull of the Moby Dick, but no one dared speak.
The air was thick with tension until a low, rumbling laugh broke through it.
"Gurararara… the fools have finally lost it," said Whitebeard, his great frame shaking as he read the newspaper. He crushed the page in his hand until it tore. "They touched her waters."
Whitebeard then slammed his sake bottle down, froth spilling across the wood. "They poked the Empress herself." he rumbled, his voice like shifting mountains.
Around him, the commanders muttered nervously.
Marco frowned. "Pops if the reports are true, the Celestial Dragons sent slavers under government flags."
"Idiots." Whitebeard's mustache quivered with a grin that was not quite humor.
"She'll drown them in their own blood. And when she does, the tides will change again."
A newcomer frowned beside him, hands twitching slightly. "Fishman Island… wasn't that one of Ada's territories?"
Whitebeard nodded, eyes narrowing. "Aye. She claimed it years ago. Neptune and her go way back."
He took a long swig of sake and set the bottle down with a thud. "If this is true… she'll bring hell to the surface."
Vista, sitting nearby, looked uneasy. "She'll really go that far?"
Whitebeard gave him a look — half amusement, half warning.
"Vista, listen. The sea itself fears that woman.
"If someone harms what she calls hers… she won't stop until even gods bleed."
He looked toward the horizon, where the currents shimmered like silver.
"Even I wouldn't stand between her and vengeance."
The ocean wind howled in agreement.
—————————
TOTTO LAND — WHOLE CAKE ISLAND
Within her candy-scented palace, Big Mom tore the newspaper in half with a shriek.
"Mamamamama! Those arrogant pigs!"
She stuffed a piece of cake into her mouth, crumbs flying.
"MAMAMAMAMAMA! Those arrogant little worms! Taking slaves from Ada's seas? Have they all gone mad?!"
Perospero nervously picked up a shard. "Mama, if Ada retaliates—"
"If?" Big Mom's laughter shook the hall, frosting dripping from her lips. "She'll do more than retaliate. She'll erase whoever did this."
Her eyes gleamed with dangerous delight. "But maybe… just maybe… that chaos will open doors for me.
"If the World Government starts burning, I'll build my empire over their ashes!"
Her laughter echoed, wild and unhinged.
"MAMAMAMAMA!"
————————
ONIGASHIMA — WANO
The newspaper fluttered to the ground, sliced in two by a drunken slash.
Kaido leaned back, laughing so hard the walls rattled.
"WORORORO! Those Celestial bastards just kicked the sea itself!"
King crossed his arms. "You think she'll strike back?"
"She's Ada," Kaido growled, grin stretching wide. "She doesn't forgive — she hunts."
He took another drink and let the sake run down his chin. "I wanna watch it happen. Let her tear down the Red Line. The world's overdue."
He turned toward King and Queen, grin splitting his face. "If Ada's pissed, then the whole world's gonna burn."
King's wings flicked slightly. "Would you join her cause?"
Kaido laughed, deep and cruel. "Join? No. But when she starts breakin' the world, I'll drink to it!"
He lifted his jug. "Here's to chaos!"
—————————-
MARINEFORD — MARINE HEADQUARTERS
Panic.
Dozens of Den Den Mushi lines screamed at once, voices overlapping across the command center.
"Headquarters! We've confirmed the slavers bore Government insignia!"
"What?! Who authorized it?!"
"No one knows! The orders came from Mariejois, but the signature doesn't match any current official!"
The halls of Marineford were chaos — until Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice cut through it all.
"QUIET!"
The noise stopped instantly. Every Marine turned as Sengoku, face taut with fury, slammed his hands onto the table.
"Whoever allowed this has just signed a death sentence for hundreds of people — and maybe for the rest of us too," he said grimly. "Fishman Island is under Ada's protection. You know what that means."
Tsuru stood nearby, hands clasped behind her back, voice sharp but calm. "I've already received confirmation. Queen Otohime was injured during the raid. Fishmen and mermaids have been taken. Many are children."
Sengoku's jaw tightened. "And what of Ada?"
"Her ship was last sighted in the New World's northern route," Tsuru replied. "If she's heard of this—"
"She has," came Garp's voice from the corner.
Everyone turned. Garp stood with his usual casual slouch, but there was no humor in his eyes.
"She's already moving," he said simply.
Sengoku's face darkened. "And you say that like you've seen this before."
"I have," Garp muttered. "God Valley. When someone crosses her line, she doesn't just hit back. She erases."
Zephyr stepped forward, arms folded. The old instructor's voice was heavy. "Even with our current forces, we can't handle her head-on. Her crew alone — Bullet, Mihawk, Enel, Fisher Tiger… any one of them is a nightmare."
Across the room, the three Admirals stood in grim silence.
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses. "Aah… so scary~. If she comes for us, I'd rather not be on the front line."
Aokiji exhaled, his breath cold as the ice creeping from his feet. "They should've known better. Fishman Island's been her territory for years. Whoever ordered that attack just lit a powder keg."
Akainu clenched his fists, smoke curling from his lips. "If she retaliates, we'll stop her. Pirate or not, she doesn't get to decide justice."
Sengoku shot him a glare. "Justice?!" His voice thundered across the war room. "This isn't about justice, Sakazuki! This is about survival!"
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Tsuru sighed softly. "Send word to Cipher Pol. We need to know who authorized this before Ada finds out. Because if she finds them first…"
Her voice trailed off. No one needed her to finish.
———————-
MARY GEOISE — THE HOLY LAND
In the grand marble chamber, the Five Elders stood in council.
A Cipher Pol agent knelt before them, trembling as he presented the sealed order.
A shattered report lay on the table, its ink still fresh.
"How could this happen without our approval?" spat the Elder with the sword.
"The command carried your sigil, honored Elders," the agent said. "But our archives show no record of approval."
The Elder with the sword slammed his cane against the floor. "So someone forged our authority! But who would dare?!"
The bald Elder adjusted his glasses, voice calm but tense. "Or perhaps… one of the Celestial families issued it independently."
The Elder with the scar sneered. "Arrogant fools. They think they rule the world, but they've just angered the sea itself."
The monk-like Elder looked up toward the great stained-glass window showing the Red Line bathed in sunlight.
"If Ada retaliates," he murmured, "she'll make the Holy Land her target."
The others turned to him sharply.
"She wouldn't dare," said the Elder with the sword. "Even she must know what that would mean."
But his words lacked conviction.
Silence fell again, broken only by the ticking of a golden clock.
Finally, the cane-bearing Elder spoke, voice barely above a whisper.
"Still… prepare for every possibility. Cipher Pol must trace this to its source. If she discovers the truth before we do…"
He didn't finish.
Because deep down, every one of them already knew what would happen.
————————
BALTIGO — THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY BASE
The wind howled across the cliffs of Baltigo.
Dragon stood before a long table covered in maps and reports.
The newspaper was crumpled in his hand, the ink staining his fingers.
"Fishman Island…" he said quietly. "They actually did it."
Ginny stood beside him, trembling with anger. "Those monsters — they took hundreds! Even mermaid children!"
Ivankov's expression darkened. "Ooh, this stinks of the nobles, Dragon. Even I didn't think they'd stoop this low!"
Dragon's gaze remained fixed on the paper. "They always stoop lower when the world starts to wake."
He turned toward the window, staring out at the storm forming on the horizon.
"She warned them," he murmured. "Told them the world was sinking. And now they've handed her the reason to drown it."
Ginny hesitated. "Do you think she'll really…?"
"She'll retaliate," Dragon said simply. "She'll burn Marie Geoise if she has to. And when she does…"
He closed his eyes, voice dropping to a whisper.
"…the people will finally see what kind of world they've been serving."
Lightning cracked outside, and for a heartbeat, it illuminated his face — grim, calm, and filled with sorrow.
———————-
THE GRAND LINE
All across the seas, chaos spread like ripples in a storm.
In taverns, in the underworld, in pirate dens and kingdoms alike — the same whispers echoed.
"They attacked Fishman Island."
"Nyx D. Ada's territory."
"They're dead men walking."
Even pirates who once cursed her name now lowered their flags in silence.
The bounty hunters stopped hunting.
The merchants halted trade routes near the Red Line.
The seas themselves seemed to still, as if awaiting the inevitable.
————————-
DEEP BELOW — THE ORO JACKSON
Beneath the crushing pressure of the ocean, the legendary ship sailed through shadow and coral light.
Inside the captain's quarters, Ada sat alone — the newspaper spread across her desk.
The candle burned low, casting sharp lines across her face.
The headline bled red across the page.
Her fingers tightened. The edges of the paper crumpled.
Outside, the crew prepared in silence. No one dared speak; even Enel's usual arrogance was gone.
They could all feel it — that quiet, suffocating calm before the storm.
Ada rose slowly, her dress whispering across the floor.
Her voice, when she finally spoke, was soft enough to chill bone.
"The world has taken what's mine again.
This time, I'll take something back."
The candle flickered out.
——————-
The Oro Jackson descended deeper into the currents.
The sea kings watched from afar, parting instinctively as if the ocean itself knew to make way.
From above, the light of the surface faded — until only the faint glow of the ship's lanterns remained.
And as the world above argued, plotted, and whispered in fear…
The sea itself held its breath.
Because it knew what was coming.