"Alright, we're heading out too!" Vale D. Drake stood up slowly.
"You guys stay with Ace and the others for now. We'll regroup in Wano Country."
"Got it!" Bell nodded emphatically, following Locke and the others as they boarded the Dick—the lead ship of the Whitebeard fleet.
Kuzan followed at a leisurely pace. Just before stepping onto the deck, he caught Drake's eye from a distance. The two shared a brief look, and Drake offered a casual hand signal.
"We're off."
Ace stood on the deck of the Dick, watching Drake and Kenshin walk into the Magic Protector. He smiled faintly. From this moment, the Dragon Flag Pirates split into two groups.
Drake and Kenshin headed for Big Mom's Whole Cake Island, while the rest followed Ace to sweep up the remnants of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Over the next three days, the Dick tore through the New World like a hurricane. At first, many resisted, but once Ace displayed his overwhelming might, the opposition surrendered almost instantly.
What truly sent shivers down the spines of the Blackbeard remnants was that the Dick didn't just carry the legendary Division Commanders. A man no one expected was also on board: former Navy Admiral Aokiji!
This absolute powerhouse, who had supposedly joined Blackbeard for unknown reasons, was now standing with the Whitebeard Pirates. For the Blackbeard crew, this was the ultimate nightmare.
If that wasn't enough, there were several young strangers whose strength defied their age. There was the "Witch" who could incapacitate crowds with a wave of her hand, the "Divine Man" who could shatter the earth with a single staff, and a swordsman whose draws were so fast no one lived to see the blade.
The influence Blackbeard had spent two years consolidating crumbled in a mere seventy-two hours. The prestige of the Whitebeard Pirates reached a new peak!
The news of the Whitebeard fleet's miraculous comeback and the return of Fire Fist Ace spread across the sea like wildfire. No—people didn't call him "Fire Fist" anymore. Now, he was known as "Flame Emperor Ace."
Rumors claimed that Ace, acting as a god of fire, had single-handedly broken the Blackbeard Pirates. The fact that he had sunk six warships with one strike was no longer a secret in the New World. The traitorous Admiral Teach had been executed by the Flame Emperor's own hands, cleansing the "family" of its greatest stain.
This news rocked the high commands of every major power. The Emperors, the Navy, the World Government, and the Revolutionary Army all launched investigations to verify the truth.
Blackbeard's rise hadn't been a fluke; he possessed the ambition, patience, and intellect to reshape the era. The leaders of the world had marked him as a massive variable for the future, only to be told he had been wiped out.
How could they not be shocked?
Morgans, the President of the World Economic Journal, put the war on the front page. It was a headline that shook the world:
"THE RETURN OF THE KING: FIRE FIST ACE REVERSES THE TIDE!"
The Blackbeard Pirates have been disbanded; Admiral Teach is dead, and his captains captured. Ace has returned, no longer as Fire Fist, but as the Flame Emperor!
Having slain the 'Fifth Emperor' Blackbeard alone and decimated a fleet with a single blow, his combat power is nothing short of terrifying. Portgas D. Ace has officially taken the position of Captain, succeeding the retired Whitebeard.
A NEW YONKO IS BORN: FLAME EMPEROR ACE!
Accompanying the report was a new wanted poster showing Ace in his Flame Emperor form. One glance was enough to leave a person breathless.
But it was the bounty at the bottom that truly petrified the world.
BOUNTY: 2.5 BILLION BERRIES!
This revelation staggered the New World, completely overshadowing other recent historic events—the downfall of Doflamingo, Admiral Fujitora's public apology, and the rise of the Straw Hat crew.
A certain island in the New World.
"Glug... glug... GAH!" A thunderous roar erupted from Kaido of the Beasts. He was frantically pouring sake down his throat, tears visible at the corners of his eyes.
Crash!
In a fit of drunken rage, Kaido hurled the half-full jug away. It shattered against the ground, spilling wine everywhere. None of his subordinates dared to move; if they breathed wrong, they'd become the target of his explosive temper. Serving under Kaido, one learned quickly that silence was golden.
"What 'Worst Generation'!? A bunch of brats think they can act high and mighty just because they beat a Warlord!?" Kaido roared, slamming his mace into the wall.
BOOM!
The force tore a massive hole in the structure. The surrounding pirates trembled, fearing the drunken giant might turn that mace on them next.
"Hmm!?" Kaido glared, his face twisting into a look of drunken sorrow. "Joker! Our dream of an army of ability users hasn't even been realized yet! How could you let yourself be defeated by a bunch of arrogant brats!?"
Before him lay the latest wanted posters for Luffy and Law. One subordinate hesitated, about to speak, when a frantic voice interrupted.
"Lord Kaido! Lord Kaido!..."
BOOM!
The messenger was sent sprawling by a sudden tremor before he even got through the door. Looking up, he saw Kaido staring him down with murderous eyes, the massive, cold black kanabo clutched in his hand.
The pirate swallowed hard, but clutching the latest newspaper, he mustered the courage to report: "Reporting to Lord Kaido! Big news... Blackbeard is dead!"
"WHAT!?" Kaido roared, hoisting the messenger into the air with one hand. "Say that again. And if you can't say it clearly, you have no reason to keep living."
"E-e-eh..." The pirate shivered violently. "Yes! The man who took Whitebeard's place, Blackbeard... he's dead! He was killed by Portgas D. Ace! No... they call him Flame Emperor Ace now. Here is the report!"
He held out the newspaper with a trembling hand. Kaido tossed him aside and snatched the paper. He opened to the first page, which detailed Ace's return and the destruction of the Blackbeard crew. At the end, it explicitly noted Ace's ascension as the new Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and the new Yonko.
Kaido's expression shifted. After a long silence, his gaze fell back onto Luffy's wanted poster.
"I remember... this Straw Hat kid, Luffy... he's Fire Fist Ace's brother, isn't he?"
"Y-yes..." the subordinate stammered. "They are brothers..."
Kaido's face darkened as he swung his kanabo, smashing everything around him into dust.
"Brothers! A fine set of brothers!"
BOOM!
BOOM!