Thanks to the efforts of the World Economic News Agency, everyone from the celestial dragons to the common folk knew that the Whitebeard Pirates had decisively crushed the World Government's army of seventy thousand elites.
Even more, the Whitebeard Pirates had defeated the high and mighty Five Elders and taken them captive! This was an unprecedented event since the founding of the World Government, a true first by the Whitebeard Pirates.
The whole world was abuzz with this shocking news.
People realized that the seemingly invincible World Government could be so easily defeated.
That the esteemed Five Elders could be laid low like stray dogs, motionless on the ground.
That the World Government couldn't even defeat the Four Emperors of the New World! One bombshell after another left everyone's heads spinning, barely able to believe the news.
But the photos published in the newspapers, whether clear or blurry, close-up or distant, confirmed that this was no fake news.
It must be said, Morgans' undercover reporters were spread across the entire world.
Some close-up shots could only have been taken by someone on the inside.
This meant Morgans had spies either within the Four Emperors' crews, the World Government, or possibly even within the Revolutionary Army.
No matter how you looked at it, the news of the World Government's crushing defeat spread like a hurricane, unstoppable by any means.
And as days passed, the World Economic News Agency released even more information, further confirming the reality of this major event....
"Ahahaha! Roger!"
Garp, with a look of utter disbelief, slapped Sengoku's back hard while shouting excitedly, "Sengoku, did you see that? It's Roger! That guy Whitebeard actually brought Roger back to life, I could never forget that face! What a rascal!"
Sengoku, with a grim face, grabbed Garp's fist and knocked him to the ground with a counterpunch, growling, "Idiot! That hurts!"
....
After a heavy sigh, Sengoku, with a serious face, said, "I knew about this yesterday, the newspapers were already full of it."
Garp, nursing a lump on his head from the punch, scratched his head and stood up with an awkward laugh, "Ah? Yesterday's news? How did I not know?"
Sengoku rolled his eyes, "You, you slept through the whole day, impossible to wake up. In that case, you'd have to see ghosts to know."
Looking out the window with a worried expression, Sengoku continued, "The World Government's golden image has been shattered. Even though it still holds great power, many are no longer afraid of it."
"The whole world is about to enter a state of total chaos."
As a former Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku's eyes behind his glasses seemed to see into the future.
Sengoku went on, "The great pirate era that Roger started is nothing compared to the chaos that will come. This is the era of upheaval started by Whitebeard."
Garp laughed carelessly, "Let it be chaos then. You're already retired, no need to worry about all this stuff anymore!"
Sengoku clenched his fist, resisting the urge to punch Garp again.
He said solemnly, "This upheaval will be a change in the world order. It's even possible that the World Government will collapse because of it. A new entity like the World Government will emerge."
"Really..."
Sengoku felt a twinge of regret, thinking he had resigned too early.
Otherwise...
Perhaps this was the moment to implement 'Justice Over All.'"
What a pity.
He's already a retired old man, out of the limelight.
The future belongs to the young.
...
"How is this possible... How could pirates do such a thing? We are the noble Celestial Dragons! The Five Elders, they are the best among us... How could they possibly be defeated by pirates? It's impossible! How could those filthy, lowly commoners ever defeat the Five Elders?"
"Damn it! The 70,000 elite troops led by the Five Elders must all be worthless lowlifes! If there was even one competent subordinate among them, they wouldn't have lost to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"What do we do now? The pirates won't come and attack the Holy Land, will they? If the Five Elders couldn't stop them, what can?"
"Where are the Marines? Hurry up and call them to send all the admirals to protect us in the Holy Land!"
"How could this happen... How could this happen..."
For the Celestial Dragons, such groundbreaking news was like a bolt from the blue, causing a wave of panic among them.
The Five Elders are also Celestial Dragons, and their status among them is very high, even top-notch.
If even they were defeated by pirates, wouldn't the other Celestial Dragons fall into a state of panic, fearing for themselves?
Indeed, that's exactly what happened; most Celestial Dragons began to fear.
So much so that many tried to contact Marine Headquarters, asking them to send admiral-level forces to protect them.
Unfortunately, their requests fell on deaf ears at Marine Headquarters.
Messages dropped like stones into the sea...
...
"Fleet Admiral, it's another order from the Celestial Dragons at the Holy Land... They're demanding us to..." A Marine Vice Admiral with a face full of righteousness was indignantly trying to tell something to Kuzan.
But Kuzan raised a hand to interrupt him.
"We don't need to bother with them. If they really get annoying, just give them a random response. There are only two admirals left on our side, and the World Draft is just a plan on paper; we don't have the forces to send to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."
Kuzan's face was calm, even a suppressed smile at the corner of his mouth, one that seemed almost like a devil.
After choosing to defy the orders of the Five Elders, probably no one in the Marines wanted to see the World Government in trouble more than Kuzan.
Because only if the World Government was preoccupied with other misfortunes would they lack the resources to target the Marines, who had suddenly become a thorn in their side.
This way... Kuzan could buy a little more time.
More time to change the thinking of the Marines.
And to change the justice of the Marines.
What he didn't expect was that the World Government's fall this time was too great.
So great that even Kuzan was shocked when he first heard the news.
Who would have thought that the high and mighty Five Elders would become prisoners under the Whitebeard Pirates...
"The Whitebeard Pirates..." Kuzan leaned back in his chair, pulling down the eyepatch on his head, plunging everything into darkness as he closed his eyes to ponder: "They've done me a big favor!"
"I wonder what that high and mighty 'big shot' is thinking now, what kind of reaction will they have?"
As the Marine Fleet Admiral, Kuzan naturally knows many secrets of the World Government.
It's just that the other party is a bit too mysterious, even he has never truly seen their face, only a silhouette from behind.
...
Meanwhile...
"I'm not pleased," Imu said, standing in a dimly lit secret chamber, eyes fixated on an enormous straw hat before him. It was clear that Imu was aware of the Five Elders' defeat, and it was a particularly disgraceful one.
"Whitebeard..." Imu's gaze shifted, pondering, "Why do you, who haven't consumed that fruit, possess power that surpasses it? I'm puzzled."
Imu sought answers, but obviously... his five reliable subordinates had already fallen in the New World. No one was left to bring him useful information.
"Whitebeard, do you also aspire... to be king forever?" A soft murmur echoed in the chamber.
Imu, who had lived for so many years, could clearly see the unpredictable situation on the high seas. This was extremely unfavorable for the World Government and for Imu himself.
"Or should I have not sent people to the New World to hunt you down? Could this conflict have been entirely avoided?" The atmosphere seemed to quiet down.
Imu stood silently before the giant straw hat, not leaving for a long time.
...
In the New World.
The Whitebeard Pirates, having crushed the World Government's forces, naturally entered into a massive celebratory feast, with tens of thousands participating!
This included the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, the Whitebeard Grand Fleet, members who had joined from the Beasts Pirates, and others who had come from around the world to support them.
Even the Revolutionary Army was invited to stay and partake in the feast, signifying a certain connection between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army, two powers that normally had little to do with each other.
However, there was a minor incident at the feast: Douglas Bullet boldly challenged Whitebeard. The outcome was as expected; Bullet lasted less than half an hour before defeated by Whitebeard.
Bullet lay on the ground, battered and gasping for breath.
"Ha! I remember you, kid, from Roger's crew, right? If you want to challenge me, go train for a few more years!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, unscathed.
Bullet's breathing was heavy, and a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes. But then he remembered... he had challenged the strongest man in the world, a title even Captain Roger never held, and he felt at peace.
However, this did not mean he gave up on challenging Whitebeard.
"Whitebeard!" Bullet struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his face, and sneered defiantly, "Today is just the beginning. One day, I will defeat you and become the strongest in the world!"
The seriousness and fighting spirit in Barrett's eyes took Whitebeard by surprise.
Whitebeard's smile grew wider: "Ha, it looks like I'll face plenty of trouble in the future!"
If Whitebeard didn't care at all, he even boisterously proclaimed, "Come on then, kid! If you can defeat me one day, I'll even call you the strongest in the world myself!"
"Gurararararara!!!"
Just then, Marco's shout rang out from one side: "Pops, a ship is coming! It's the Red-Haired Pirates!"
"Oh?" Whitebeard laughed. "Shanks, that nosy little brat, has come too, huh!"
Then, Whitebeard turned to Roger in his Edo Tensei form.
"Roger, it seems I've brought you back from the afterlife just for a Roger Pirates reunion! You owe me one!"
Roger laughed heartily: "I'll pay you back next time!"
Immediately after, Roger gazed out at a ship in the distance, his eyes filled with a mix of nostalgia and reflection: "Shanks... I wonder where that little guy Buggy is. One riding on the coattails of an Emperor, the other unknown, is Buggy slacking off?"
Rayleigh, standing beside Roger, chuckled: "Buggy? During the Summit War broadcast, that kid made quite the splash, even managed to tick off Sengoku!"
"Oh?" Roger perked up, curiosity piqued.
"Tell me more!"
...
The Red-Haired Pirates.
"Captain Shanks, the Whitebeard Pirates have cleared a path for us to pass, they're not stopping us!" a pirate on the ship shouted.
Shanks stood at the bow of the ship, letting the sea breeze blow through his red hair, his only hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Shanks didn't respond to the crew member; he just quietly watched the distance.
You could see the anticipation in his eyes.
Just then, Beckman came up from behind. With a cigarette in his mouth, he said, "We're late... If we had arrived two or three days earlier, maybe we could have stopped their war."
Shanks shook his head helplessly: "I didn't expect the war to end so quickly, the Five Elders couldn't even hold out for a day. I also didn't expect the Whitebeard Pirates to have grown this strong, and now almost half of the New World's forces are related to Whitebeard."
"Ha!" Beckman laughed, changing the subject: "Captain, aren't you going to tidy up before going ashore?"
Shanks paused, touching his scruffy beard, puzzled: "Why?"
"Your old captain is on the island!" Beckman blew a smoke ring: "I feel like you're looking forward to seeing him again. It's been twenty years, don't you want to spruce yourself up?"
Shanks actually pondered for a moment, touching his chin.
What if his somewhat scruffy appearance made Captain Roger not recognize him? The uniquely minded Shanks hurriedly ran to the shower room in the cabin.
And without looking back, he shouted at Beckman: "I'm borrowing your new clothes!"
Beckman's face darkened.
...
...
(End of Chapter)