The New World.
News birds sliced through the clouds above the Grand Line, carrying newspapers stamped with bold black headlines. They descended upon one fearsome island after another, spreading a story that soon shook the entire sea.
"Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil, severely injured, limbs destroyed."
"Companion Miss Bakkin mentally incapacitated, both escorted to Impel Down."
Like cold water splashed into boiling oil, the news exploded across the pirate world, sending waves of shock everywhere.
And the first to feel that shock were the emperors of the New World, perched at the very peak of the sea's power.
Aboard the Moby Dick.
The salty ocean wind blew across the deck, rippling the sail that bore the iconic symbol of the white mustache.
Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, sat slouched on his throne-like chair. His massive body alone took up half the deck's space. In his hand was a jug of amber rum, which he swirled idly but did not drink.
Marco held a newspaper in his clawed hand, wings half-folded. His voice carried quiet weight.
"Pops… the news is confirmed. That Weevil guy was crippled by a Marine Commodore named Renzo. Miss Bakkin's gone completely insane."
The captains nearby fell silent. All eyes turned toward the man seated on the throne.
Everyone knew what Weevil represented: an impostor who had gone around using.
Whitebeard's name to commit atrocities. He had even slaughtered innocent people, including Zephyr's cadets from the Marines. For years, he had been a thorn in Whitebeard's heart.
Whitebeard finally lifted his gaze. Though clouded with age, his eyes were still sharp. His gaze swept over the photo of Weevil's broken form printed on the page. The corner of his mouth lifted in a faint, commanding sneer.
He raised one hand, and the power of the Gura Gura no Mi rippled subtly in his palm. The sea beneath the ship trembled for a moment, just barely, but not enough to cause waves.
It was his anger, carefully restrained. Not for Weevil's suffering, but for the desecration of the name "Whitebeard."
"Hmph… arrogant little fool."
His deep, thunderous voice echoed across the deck.
"Parading around under my name, slaughtering the defenseless… that kind of filth isn't even worthy of my attention."
Marco exhaled in relief, though he couldn't help asking,
"What about that Marine, Renzo? Should we look into him? If he could do that to Weevil, he's probably no ordinary man."
Whitebeard lifted the jug and took a long swig. Rum spilled from the corner of his mouth, tracing down the scars on his chest.
He shook his head slowly, eyes turning back toward the distant horizon.
"No need," he said calmly.
Then his gaze hardened as he looked around at his sons.
"Remember, our family isn't built on names. The next time someone dares to use mine to do evil… clean it up yourselves. I don't want to hear of it again."
The tension on deck eased immediately. The captains nodded, laughing among themselves again. The heavy atmosphere that had come with the news was swept away by Whitebeard's commanding presence.
The Moby Dick continued its voyage across the sea, its sails billowing proudly, as though nothing had happened.
For a Yonko, the fall of a pretender was nothing more than a grain of sand swallowed by the waves.
On Onigashima.
The air reeked of sake. Broken jars littered the floor.
Kaido sat shirtless against a massive barrel, his bulging muscles glistening under the torchlight. In one hand, he clutched a crumpled newspaper. His bloodshot eyes skimmed the words before a thunderous laugh erupted from his throat.
"HAHHAHAHA! Pathetic! What a useless piece of trash!"
He slammed the newspaper onto the ground and crushed it under his heel.
"Whitebeard's son, huh? Can't even handle a Marine brat, lost all his limbs! And this garbage dares to call himself Whitebeard's heir?"
King stood silently beside him, his black wings twitching slightly as he replied evenly,
"Lord Kaido, Weevil did possess considerable brute strength. He had gravely injured Zephyr… but no one expected him to fall to an unknown Marine."
"Brute strength?"
Kaido scoffed, grabbing another sealed jar and smashing the lid open with his hand. He raised it to his mouth and drank in heavy gulps, the liquor spilling down his neck and soaking his scars.
"Brute strength without brains is no better than a dog! What kind of trick did that Marine use, anyway?"
Queen waddled closer, belly jiggling, holding a half-eaten hunk of roasted meat.
"Word is, he made Weevil 'too lazy to move', slowed his attacks until he couldn't even fight back. Then he disabled all four limbs. Sounds like some kinda Devil Fruit power, maybe a paramecia-type."
Kaido lowered the jar with a belch, his face twisting into disdain.
He lived for raw, brutal combat, for the thrill of clashing head-on with the strong.
And this so-called "make the enemy too lazy to fight" ability? To him, it was an insult to the very idea of battle.
"Tch. Boring."
He kicked an empty jar aside and turned toward the execution platform deeper within the hall, where a few disobedient pirates awaited his "lesson."
"These sneaky weaklings who hide behind tricks… even if they're strong, they'd never dare face me on Onigashima. Weevil got what he deserved. He wasn't even worth fighting."
King and Queen exchanged glances, both silently sighing.
To Kaido, there were only two kinds of people in the world: the strong and the worthless.
For now, both Weevil and that mysterious Marine belonged to the latter category.
The rowdy noise of the island carried on. Laughter, drunken shouts, and the smell of meat filled the air, as if Weevil's destruction were nothing more than another punchline in Kaido's endless drunken rampage.
On Whole Cake Island.
The rich scent of cream filled the great hall.
Charlotte Linlin sat on her enormous candy throne, gripping a caramel pudding so tightly that her fingers turned white.
The pudding's edge had been crushed, caramel shards falling like brown sugar snow.
Perospero stood before her, wearing his usual fake grin, though his tone was cautious.
"Mama, you've seen the news about Weevil. That Marine named Renzo didn't hold back, left him with nothing."
Big Mom finally shoved the pudding into her mouth. Her chewing was sharp and angry, as if the sweet dessert had turned bitter on her tongue.
She cared more than anyone about blood and authority.
Weevil daring to call himself "Whitebeard Jr." was already an affront to an Emperor's dignity.
Being destroyed by an unknown Marine only made it worse, humiliation by association.
"Worthless trash," she hissed, voice shrill and imperious.
"Waving around the Whitebeard name without the strength to back it up, he deserved what he got. That Renzo… he's from Marine Headquarters, yes?"
"Yes, Mama."
Perospero handed her a folder of extra reports.
"Apparently, he's been slacking at Headquarters for a while. This time, he volunteered to capture Weevil. His stated reason was… uh… 'Weevil was too noisy.'"
"Too noisy?"
Big Mom blinked, then burst into a laugh so loud that the candy chandeliers overhead trembled.
"HAHAHAHAHA! A Marine who hunts pirates just because they're noisy? What an amusing little man!"
But her laughter faded quickly, replaced by a sharp, calculating glint in her eyes as she surveyed her gathered children.
"Still… a Marine strong enough to cripple Weevil could be trouble. Perospero, look into this, Renzo. Find out everything, his weaknesses, his likes… even what desserts he enjoys."
Perospero froze, then understood her meaning instantly.
If Renzo truly posed a threat, perhaps he could be bribed or manipulated. And if not, they'd find a way to crush him all the same.
"Understood, Mama."
He bowed deeply.
Big Mom picked up a slice of strawberry cake and took a dainty bite, her gaze drifting toward the sea outside the window.
Waves lapped gently against the shores of Whole Cake Island. In the distance, the candy factories continued their work, everything moving in perfect, sugary order.
To her, Weevil's fall was merely a small diversion.
What truly mattered was the Marine who could fell such a beast, and what that said about the hidden strength of Marine Headquarters.
"Remember," she said around a mouthful of cake, voice thick but commanding, "Anything interesting on this sea… must become ours. Otherwise…"
She smiled coldly, licking a drop of cream from her finger.
"…it becomes decoration on my cake."
The Queen of Sweets returned to her indulgence as Whole Cake Island's spy network quietly came alive, tendrils already reaching toward Marine Headquarters.
As for Red-Haired Shanks?
He was still partying, utterly unbothered.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu