The entire world stirred.
Golden Lion Shiki threw his head back in laughter as he held the fresh newspaper. His roar felt like it could tear through the clouds.
"This is great. I'll wait for you in the New World, Jiehahaha!"
Far across the sea, inside Whole Cake Island's towering cake castle, Big Mom cackled with just as much enthusiasm.
"Haha, I want to marry him."
In other corners of the sea, the remaining overlords scoffed, though their narrowed eyes betrayed caution.
"Little brat, don't get too full of yourself. If you want to be an overlord, come challenge us first."
None of them planned to dismiss the report. Every one of them would be watching the battle footage tomorrow. If the newspaper reflected reality, then the Nightfall Pirates had just gained a terrifying new contender.
In North Blue, Doflamingo read the headline and cracked into a wild grin.
"Fufufufu, so this is what you're up to? Quite the show. You really went that far for a Devil Fruit."
He tossed his head back and laughed.
"His power is impressive. Seems like I still need more strength. I have the money now, but for something like this, I need to go myself."
Even without the video, he could see the gulf between him and Teach. The footage tomorrow would make the difference even clearer. And with the stakes this high, he would never trust one of his subordinates with such a transaction.
Inside Phantom Street, Queen Stephanie stared at her own copy of the paper. Surprise flickered across her face.
"The Kraken Kingdom, destroyed just like that. He didn't say a single word about it. I wouldn't have reported anything to the people above."
She pulled out her Den Den Mushi and dialed Teach's number. The snail didn't respond.
"No signal. It must be blocked," she muttered. "The Nightfall Pirates can't do that. Which means..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Tirisfal Kingdom. They're the only ones capable of sealing an entire island from all communication."
She leaned back with an amused smile.
"Interesting. They must be occupying the Kraken Kingdom by now. Looks like CP0 failed their little project. I can't say I dislike that outcome."
Still, annoyance prickled through her.
"And what about trust? That bastard didn't even tell me. All those Devil Fruits are still sitting with me. If he didn't want them, he could have just said so."
On a beast-infested island deep in the New World, Mobius held the newspaper with both hands, nodding with admiration.
"As expected of Boss Teach. We should be able to set sail soon."
Voss, standing beside him, spoke calmly despite his youthful appearance and cold, snake-like eyes.
"This might be the wrong time. The New World is heating up. The calm won't last."
Mobius shrugged.
"We can operate in weaker regions and avoid territories of the big names. As long as we hide our Devil Fruit powers, we won't attract trouble. And if things get messy, we can always contact Mostima."
Voss considered this and nodded.
"Alright. Then let's continue fighting."
He vanished in the next breath, aura completely erased.
Elsewhere, Loya and Annie read the news on Seth Island. Annie had joined the island's guard force, and her raw strength quickly made her a rising star among the soldiers. The name Queen Annie had begun circulating. Loya, meanwhile, fought under Mostima's banner, earning her own new title: Thorn Woman.
Far across the sea on White Sand Island, the White Bird Pirates maintained their calm. Even so, Mostima's bounty had climbed to 680 million Berries.
Inside a normally empty conference room, the atmosphere had completely changed. Two monstrous figures sat there, radiating pressure thick enough to make most of the crew tremble.
One was eight meters tall, covered in dense golden hair, crowned with two golden horns. His presence alone felt like a wild god.
A second figure stood silently behind him, seven meters tall, muscular, wrapped in animal hide with pale fur on his arms. His crimson eyes swept the room with killing intent strong enough to silence every breath.
"They aren't enemies, Sarika," said the golden-haired man.
At his words, the towering savage closed his eyes, and the room finally exhaled.
Ares had returned from Beast Island. His presence had grown so intense that even Mostima felt pressure from him. The giant behind him was Sarika, a former Earth Dragon with a shell-like hide and monstrous strength. Subduing Sarika had taken countless battles, but Ares eventually broke the creature's will and fed him the Human-Human Fruit, Savage Form. Only then had Sarika accepted the name Ares gave him.
Ares stared at the newspaper. His hands trembled slightly from excitement.
Teach had grown stronger.
He could not wait to fight him again.
"Wait for tomorrow's footage," Ares murmured with his eyes closed.
Mostima nodded and sat down as well. With nothing else to do, they would simply wait for tomorrow's broadcast.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, the atmosphere was explosive.
"How did this happen without a single report reaching us?" Fleet Admiral Kong roared. His fists slammed the table.
Every Marine present held a newspaper, and every face carried shock.
Borsalino crossed his legs with a lazy grin.
"A young monster, only eighteen. This sea keeps getting scarier."
Kuzan's eyes narrowed.
"He stayed quiet for so long, then did something like this."
The meeting devolved into chaos until a loud snore echoed through the room. Everyone turned toward the source.
Garp slept openly in his chair, snoring as if trying to make sure the whole room heard him.
Sengoku finally snapped.
"Garp. Show some respect for the occasion."
Garp blinked awake and stretched.
"Huh? What is it? Is the meeting over? Can I go?"
"Sit down. No sleeping."
"Alright, alright." Garp reached into his drawer, tore open a bag of senbei, and started crunching loudly.
Sengoku sighed and turned to Tsuru.
"Report."
Tsuru adjusted her glasses and spoke with calm authority.
"We finally received intelligence. The entire Kanosfa Island was blockaded, which prevented any transmission. The only force capable of that is the Tirisfal Kingdom."
She continued.
"And now the Tirisfal Kingdom has fully occupied the Kraken Kingdom."
Sakazuki scowled.
"They must have colluded with pirates. That country should be erased."
"Sakazuki, enough!" Sengoku snapped.
Tsuru continued without batting an eye.
"There is no proof that the Tirisfal Kingdom colluded with the Nightfall Pirates. Furthermore, the Kraken Kingdom was part of their territory over a hundred years ago. Reclaiming it is considered internal affairs. We Marines cannot interfere."
Her voice hardened slightly.
"And the Tirisfal Kingdom is not a typical kingdom. Even three Admirals together would struggle to subdue it. Their crown prince, Kateroj von Mainz, possesses Conqueror's Haki and the Logia-type Air-Air Fruit. He is considered an overlord-level monster even within the New World."
Silence spread across the room.
Kong shifted the topic.
"Enough about the Tirisfal Kingdom. What about the Nightfall Pirates?"
Sengoku folded his arms.
"They are a significant threat. Even if Morgans exaggerated, their potential is undeniable. Their cadres are all under twenty, and their training methods include martial arts, sword arts, the Marine Six Forms, and Haki. If left unchecked, they will become one of the greatest pirate forces in the world."
Tsuru nodded.
"And their captain, Marshall D. Teach, possesses Conqueror's Haki and now the Dark-Dark Fruit. Leaving the Whitebeard Pirates and forming his own crew shows his ambition. He is intelligent and strategic. He must not be allowed to grow."
Kong raised a hand to silence the room.
"Then we wait for tomorrow's battle footage. After that, we reconvene."
The meeting ended with an uneasy silence, leaving only one truth hanging in the air:
The world had changed, and the Nightfall Pirates were now at its center.