"Green Bull has been killed? What on earth is happening? Contact Sengoku immediately!"
"Sengoku resigned and has left Marineford."
"What? Sengoku has resigned? That's just great!"
"Damn it, it's Buggy the Clown again!"
"We still need to verify the truth of this matter. Do you think those underworld kings or someone from the World Economy News Paper spread fake news? Get in touch with Morgan."
"So, what's the deal with Big Mom? Where are they heading with such a massive fleet?"
"At the moment, there's no news from the CP0, and Stussy mentioned that they couldn't get close at all."
"Curse it! First Buggy, then Blackbeard, now Big Mom, and now Buggy again! Why can't these emperors just die like Whitebeard? Plus This Buggy is making trouble everywhere!"
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Purururu
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Akainu sat at the head of the table, with only two people occupying the four seats in front of him.
Kizaru and Fujitora exchanged glances.
"Fleet Admiral, shall we answer the den den mushi?" Kizaru pointed at the special Den Den Mushi on the desk.
Akainu, his cigar clenched between his teeth, exuded an aura of gloominess. He crossed his arms on the table and gazed at the newspaper lying there for a long time.
He still couldn't come to terms with the fact that the Green Bull had been killed!
He had assumed that the Green Bull might still be battling, considering that the Pirate Empress was no ordinary foe. After all during the first awakening of her Paramecia fruit power, she petrified an entire island.
A few years ago, the Hancock's bounty had already reached 1.6 billion Berries. Moreover, she possessed Conqueror's Haki and an Amazon Lily island on her back. It would have taken time for the Green Bull to subdue her.
However, what he didn't anticipate was the terrible news he received just a few days later. No one responded to the ten Den Den Mushis on the warships that he had connected to the Green Bull earlier.
This strongly suggested that the information from the "World Economy News Paper" was very likely true!
All warships led by Marine Admiral Green Bull had been obliterated. This was unprecedented in Marine history and had a deep impact.
Purururu
The Den Den Mushi continued to ring incessantly, and Akainu reluctantly picked up the receiver. As soon as he answered, a furious voice erupted from the other end.
"Sakazuki, you need to come to Mary Geoise immediately!"
"Sakazuki, you just became the Fleet Admiral and your first endeavour failed!"
"You Marines are all incompetent! You couldn't even capture a Shichibukai, and now you hit us with this massive surprise."
"Explain this to me, Sakazuki! Is this true?"
Akainu's expression soured. Kizaru was busy playing his nails, and Fujitora appeared to be napping with his head down.
This situation was worse than when Sengoku was in charge. At least back then, Vice Admiral Garp provided some comic relief.
Well, now both of those guys were as dull as dishwater. Aokiji had reported directly and then left, completely ignoring Akainu as the Fleet Admiral.
Upon hearing the Five Elders' comments, Akainu immediately responded unhappily, "Mind your words; I don't want to lose my authority. The matter is..."
Before Akainu could complete his sentence, he was once again interrupted by their outburst.
"Lose authority, you say!"
"How much is your authority worth? The Marine Marshal is just a puppet following our orders!"
"Why do you think they call you Fleet Admiral? It's only because we allowed you to become Marine Fleet Admiral!"
"Is the information reported by the World Economy News Paper accurate?"
As the Marine Marshal, even Akainu couldn't avoid being angrily berated in this manner, "What is the actual situation here?"
"All ten warships led by Green Bull were annihilated on Amazon Lily! World Economy News Paper claims that Buggy was behind it. Should we send someone to take him out? You're so powerful! Go ahead!"
"Defeat the Four Emperors and prove yourself!"
"Who would have thought that Buggy was in the Amazon lily? If he commands even the Empress of Amazon Lily, who in the world can challenge him?"
The Five Elders were equally furious upon hearing these remarks, wondering why he dared to talk back so audaciously. What was wrong with Akainu?
"No, how dare you speak like this?"
"Sakazuki, you bastard!"
"Remember your place and reflect on the actions of the Marines! It's disgraceful that a Marine Admiral was killed!"
"Incompetence! Utter incompetence! Marine's budget for this year will be reduced by 30%!"
Click!
Akainu was taken aback when he heard that the Marine's budget would be reduced by 30%, and he wanted to argue, but the 5 elders had already hung up on the other side.
"Damn it! Aramaki, couldn't you have made a call before you died?"
Akainu's expression darkened. Yet, no one in the office responded to his words. Kizaru continued to trim his nails, and Fujitora remained hunched over.
One could say that one of them was neutral, while the other was not inclined to support him.
As for Aokiji, he seemed even more aloof.
Akainu couldn't help but think that if it weren't for the Marine's lack of top combat power and Aokiji's retention of his subordinates, this guy would likely have left the Marines. Or at the very least, Garp showed no concern.
In the past, before Sengoku stepped down, Akainu thought about how impressive he was when he was going to cement his name by commanding the top five Admiral-level combatants, quelling the era of the Great Pirates.
However, one had died without accomplishing anything, while the other treated him as a stranger, spending his days sleeping and trimming his nails in the office.
The plan to abolish the Shichibukai had been proposed, but it only led to more major pirates in the sea becoming hostile to marines, and they couldn't be effectively dealt with.
At this rate, Marines would be in a dire situation. Akainu suddenly felt like he was the one who had been wronged. He now understood how challenging it had been for Sengoku.
Not only did he have to contend with the Five Elders, but he also had to manage a host of challenging individuals beneath him.
The entire Fleet Admiral's office fell into complete silence for a moment.
After a while, Fujitora seemed to wake up and reminded them, "Marshal, Big Mom pirates are making big moves. What should we do now? Also, a spy from Dressrosa reported that Buggy's Thriller Bark has left Dressrosa."
At the mention of Buggy, Akainu was nearly triggered and quickly asked, "Where is Buggy headed?"
Fujitora displayed a smile but then restrained it, "Judging by the heading, it's highly likely they're heading to Wanokuni. Given the situation of the Big Mom's fleet, I guess it's like Buggy Pirates teaming up with Big Mom to take on Kaido, right?"
"Impossible!" Akainu and Kizaru almost simultaneously vetoed the idea.
"Oh?" Fujitora looked at the two in surprise.
For the moment, they ignored him, but after a few seconds of eye contact, they both exclaimed in unison, "An alliance!?"
Akainu exhaled a long puff of smoke, maintaining a dignified expression, and said, "While it may be an alliance, it's not between the Buggy Pirates and Big Mom Pirates. It's an alliance between the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates!"
"Both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were former members of the Rocks Pirates. Even Kaido's Mythical Zoan Fruit was given to him by Linlin. That's why Borsalino and I are convinced there's no way Buggy and Big Mom are in an alliance!"
"What?!" Fujitora couldn't sit still when he heard this, "So, the Buggy Pirates were heading to Wanokuni to take on Kaido, and then Kaido decided to team up with Big Mom to eliminate the Buggy Pirates?"
"That's likely the case," Kizaru stopped trimming his nails and frowned, saying, "This is a truly extraordinary development. No wonder Morgan claims that times are about to become chaotic; it's quite alarming! Sakazuki, we need to prepare."
"Ah, I see," Akainu turned his cigar into ashes in the ashtray, looked at Kizaru, and stated, "Kizaru, you and Kuzan should go to Wanokuni to assess the situation. If the opportunity arises, when both Kaido and Big Mom are weakened, you should take action to eliminate one of them."
"Understood!" Kizaru promptly transformed into a golden light and disappeared from the office.
"Fujitaro," Akainu looked at Fujitora and added, "You should also be ready for battle at any moment. There might be a major conflict soon. I'll head to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, for discussions."
"Of course," Fujitora nodded solemnly and turned to leave.
Akainu let out a long breath while leaning back in his chair, his expression grave, and whispered, "The times are truly on the brink of chaos."
Wanokuni, Onigashima Island
"Hey, has this been confirmed, King?" Kaido stared at the newspaper, momentarily forgetting to drink his wine, and turned to King.
King nodded slowly and responded, "I contacted Morgan for verification and spent 10 million berri to confirm its authenticity. The green bull is dead! The Marines, Pacifists, and the ten warships following him all have been petrified."
"They're still in the jungle on the other half of Amazon Lily's island. Nearly half of the jungle has turned to stone, which is the work of the Pirate Empress. As for Godslayer Buggy, he's currently en route to Wanokuni."
Upon hearing King's words, Kaido let out a sneer.
"Just keep track of the time; Linlin and the others will be here soon. By the time Buggy's eerie ship reaches Wanokuni, we'll have a strategy in place. I can't wait to see how he deals with Wanokuni's 20,000 beasts."
"His expression when he sees me joining forces with Linlin will be priceless, don't you think so too? Worororo...!"
The other members of the Beast Pirates erupted in excited laughter.
From their perspective, no other Yonko in this world could withstand their might when joined by their old rival, Big Mom. Their combined forces were unquestionably superior.
In the New World, on the Isle of Elbaf, Shanks was abruptly awakened by Beckman, who had a newspaper in hand.
"Shanks, it's time to wake up. You need to take a look at this; something big has happened!"
Shanks, still groggy from sleep, sprang up from the ground upon hearing Beckman's words. He looked at his comrade with a smile and said, "Ben, it seems it will truly be interesting when you say something big."
As Shanks glanced down at the newspaper, his cheerful expression quickly faded. His eyes widened as he took in the headline.
"Buggy killed a Marine Admiral!? He wiped out a Marine fleet. What on earth is this guy up to?"
Beckman urged him to read further, tapping the newspaper and saying, "Read on..."
Shanks began to read and was taken aback by the news. He looked up at Beckman and asked, "Have our intelligence officers been exposed?"
Beckman replied seriously, "If nothing unexpected happened, Kaido and Big Mom allied advance. Otherwise, the Big Mom Pirates couldn't have reached Wanokuni so quickly."
"Buggy, Buggy, you never fail to surprise me!" Shanks said, rubbing his temples. "If this continues, the world will truly descend into chaos."
Beckman inquired, "Shanks, do you plan to go there?" His tone was confident.
Shanks responded, "I won't intervene in Buggy's conflict with Kaido. You previously mentioned that Buggy has his adventures, and we shouldn't interfere unnecessarily."
Beckman was puzzled by Shanks' words. Shanks smiled and explained, "But we'll stop by on our way to Wanokuni. I respect Buggy's choices, but I won't stand idle if anyone tries to exploit their mutual troubles."
Beckman chuckled, "You're as remarkable as ever, Shanks!"
On the Amazon Island, inside the royal palace, Hancock held Granny Nyon in front of her, vexed.
"You said Master Buggy would call me, but he's already set sail. He didn't mention taking me with him! Gloriosa, you better explain."
Hancock's grip tightened, and she said, "Hancock, you foolish girl! Release me; I can't breathe!"
Nyon frantically fiddled with her short legs.
"Sister, let's put Granny Nyon down first," urged the two sisters with helpless expressions.
"Hmph! You'd better give me an explanation, or I'll kick you out of the island today!" Hancock stomped the ground angrily.
Granny Nyon turned around, ready to make up a story, expressing that she didn't want Hancock to take part in the battle with Kaido. She emphasized how dangerous it was.
But before she could utter a word, Hancock kicked her, and she tumbled out of the window.
Sandersonia, standing nearby, laughed, "Sister, our Granny Nyon is just looking out for your well-being."
"I know," Hancock sighed, "but they helped save our Amazon Lily from being wiped out by the Marine Admiral. Can we simply do nothing? We can't be too Lazy. Sister Shakky is no longer our Amazon Lily queen, and we can't rely on her and Rayleigh for everything."
"Come on, Sandersonia, it will be quicker if we sail directly from the Calm Belt to Wanokuni. The warrior spirit of our Amazon Lily cannot die with our generation. If we shy away from it because we fear death, the Amazon Lily will perish sooner or later. Get ready to set sail!"
In response to the Empress's words, all the combatants of the Kuja Pirates shouted with enthusiasm, "Yes!"
Granny Nyon, who had fallen to the edge of the stairs below, sighed and took out a Den Den Mushi. She walked away with the help of her staff.
When people around the world saw the Newspaper they were completely shocked.
A Marine Admiral was killed by a pirate, the first in the history of the world government and the Marines.
To their amazement, the man who killed the Marine Admiral was now heading to Wanokuni to face another Yonko.
What shocked them even more was the possibility of the upcoming Battle of the Three Emperors, making it a war even bigger than the Summit War. It could even be compared to the naval battle between the Golden Lion and Roger in the Edd War.
The eyes of the world were fixed on Wanokuni.
But while the rest of the world was on edge, Buggy didn't make his way directly to Wanokuni. He had spotted something unusual—a giant elephant walking in the sea—Zou!
READ 1 ARC AHEAD ON P*TREON.C*M/MARIONI