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If no Celestial Dragons had died, the battle between Arthur and Kaido might have been reported differently. But there is no "if" — three Celestial Dragons were killed, and they died early in the war.
The news hit the world like an atomic bomb, spreading shock everywhere. After the World Government's approval, the details of the incident were carefully filtered before being reported.
Why were the Celestial Dragons on the island through the portal of the Angel Empire? It was because they admired the beauty of the Sky Island and wanted to visit it.
How did they die? When Arthur met the Celestial Dragons for the first time, Kaido attacked. In the sudden chaos of the battle, Arthur, the King of the Angel Empire, did his best to protect them but failed.
However, in the fight, Arthur battled Kaido for ten days and nights, eventually defeating him! After this, Arthur was recognized worldwide as a top fighter, earning the title "King Arthur."
Despite his victory, Arthur felt deep guilt for the deaths of the Celestial Dragons and promised that the Angel Empire would open the Sky Island's gates for them in the future.
But aside from the details of the fight between Arthur and Kaido, most of the report was a compromise between the World Government and Arthur.
The World Government agreed to this compromise because, after returning to Marine Headquarters, Admiral Aokiji informed Fleet Admiral Sengoku about everything, including Arthur's powerful angel army. Meanwhile, Garp also reported seeing Jessica fly and use her powers to manipulate objects, sharing her abilities with Sengoku.
When Sengoku heard all this, he was silent for a moment.
Although the Golden Lion Shiki was an enemy of the World Government, Sengoku couldn't help but feel a bit troubled by the news that someone else now possessed Shiki's Devil Fruit powers.
"I can't believe Golden Lion died in such a strange way. I always worried he might return one day, but now, there's one less enemy from our era," Sengoku sighed before heading to Mary Geoise.
Regarding Arthur, Sengoku knew he had to discuss this carefully with the Five Elders. Such a powerful individual should not be turned into an enemy — pushing Arthur into a hostile camp would be a huge mistake.
Arthur's strength, combined with the resources of the Angel Empire, could instantly make him the Fifth Emperor, a pirate on par with Whitebeard. His victory over Kaido could attract more pirates to his side.
Alternatively, Arthur could be driven to join the Revolutionary Army, and while this isn't the Marines' direct concern, the Revolutionary Army is the World Government's biggest threat. If that happened, it would be disastrous.
Arthur joining the Revolutionary Army, along with his powerful army, would make them much stronger. And with the special products from Sky Island, like those empty shells, the Revolutionary Army would gain a huge advantage.
Sengoku explained these risks carefully to the Five Elders. Although they were wise enough to understand these things themselves, hearing Sengoku say it made the situation feel more urgent.
Sengoku's diplomatic skills were impressive, and his words often carried a lot of weight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen to his current position, leading the Marines almost independently of the World Government.
Sure enough, the Five Elders were not too concerned about Arthur potentially becoming the Fifth Emperor, comparable to Whitebeard or the Golden Lion.
But when Sengoku mentioned the possibility of Arthur joining the Revolutionary Army and the advantage of Sky Island's products, the Five Elders began to reconsider.
Then, another piece of news came that finalized their decision to calm the Celestial Dragons.
Three days earlier, five of Arthur's legions, along with a fuwa fuwa no mi user, had attacked Kaido's base. In the battle, Jack the Drought was defeated and sunk to the bottom of the sea a day and a half ago.
King, the Fire, managed to escape as a Pteranodon thanks to his Devil Fruit, but he was gravely injured.
Queen, the Plague, was captured, and after some discussion, it was decided to hand him over to the Marines in the New World.
When this news reached the Five Elders, their silence grew even longer.
Sengoku, upon hearing it, felt a brief moment of satisfaction. But then, his heart grew heavy.
The Angel Empire not only has Arthur, a world-class fighter, but also several commanders with near-Admiral strength. Its legions cannot be underestimated.
Given enough time, they could rival a pirate crew on the level of the Four Emperors without needing any outside help.
And is what we've seen of their power really all they have?
Sengoku couldn't believe it. Even the Marines have never fully shown their strength, so how could the God of Sky Island, who has ruled over all Sky Islands from the first half of the Grand Line since he was eleven, reveal all of his secrets?
Based on Sengoku's years of experience and intuition, he was certain Arthur had hidden powers.
"If we can't completely destroy the other side, we can't hold them accountable," Sengoku said in a serious tone. "The truth is, Arthur did nothing wrong, so we have no choice but to take a step back."
He then laid out his thoughts and guesses. The enemy's army could fly, and some were as strong as Admirals. Even if the three Admirals launched a large-scale attack, much of it would be blocked. Any survivors could become a real threat in the future.
After considering everything, the Five Elders had to admit that their only option was to back down while trying to save face. This wasn't the first time they'd been forced into such a situation in recent years.
"Sengoku, we'll negotiate with the Celestial Dragons. You handle the talks with that stubborn Arthur," the Five Elders commanded. "Make sure the Celestial Dragons can step down from this gracefully!"
Sengoku left Mary Geoise feeling optimistic about his mission.
"I'll also meet Arthur and discuss a trade deal for those Sky Island products," he thought. "If we can outfit most of our warships with Sky Island technology, our ability to pursue pirates will improve. At the very least, the Four Seas will become more stable."
A year ago, Sengoku had tried to broker this deal, but Arthur had mysteriously disappeared. By the time they located his whereabouts again, Arthur had moved on, and the Sky Island's gates wouldn't open for nine more months. So, the deal had been delayed until now.
Meanwhile, on Sky Island, Arthur lay on a soft cloud in his shrine, watching training sessions of fruit users through a video Den Den Mushi, occasionally using radio waves to offer guidance. Beside him was Nojiko, her blue hair and slightly dark skin catching the light as she gently massaged Arthur's back while curiously watching the scenes.
For more than a year, Nami had been on the moon, only returning briefly to help Arthur create weather phenomena before leaving again. Over time, Nojiko, who had long admired Arthur, fell in love with him. They had become close, sharing everything except the final step in their relationship.
Arthur was pleased with the surprise attack on Kaido's territory. The only real loss was letting King escape. After all, his army had mostly fought beasts and strange creatures before this; it was their first battle against a true powerhouse, so some setbacks were expected.
Still, the outcome had exceeded his expectations, and he was sure the World Government would be weighing its next steps.
In the Calm Belt, near Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock rarely paid much attention to the news, but today she was reading a newspaper with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Three Celestial Dragons died in a clash between the King of the Angel Empire and Kaido?" she muttered, her usual calm shattered as she covered her mouth with excitement.
Her two sisters, who had already read the report, glanced at their eldest sister with tears of joy, their lips curling with satisfaction.
Three Celestial Dragons, dead. They couldn't be happier.
"Big sister, according to what we heard from Sabaody Archipelago, those Celestial Dragons didn't visit the Angel Empire with good intentions. They were trying to take over," Marine gold said from the side.
"Hmph!" Boa Hancock frowned. "It seems like they were working with the World Government. That's their usual tactic! How pathetic, using someone so powerful as a servant for the Celestial Dragons!"
Her mind drifted back to when her Conqueror's Haki had been overpowered by Arthur a year ago, and a flicker of annoyance crossed her face.
Across the world, the deaths of the Celestial Dragons were on everyone's lips, overshadowing even the news of Arthur's defeat of Kaido.
Celestial Dragons killed? This hadn't happened in 800 years. Many were secretly pleased, though no one dared show it openly.
In the New World, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Shanks all laughed upon reading the news.
At the same time, Doflamingo, lounging in the heights of Dressrosa's palace, grinned wickedly as he read the report.
"Three of those fools are dead? It seems they made a very stupid move this time. Fufufufu~"
Though he was no longer a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo understood their mindset. Apart from the part about the battle with Kaido, he knew most of the report was a cover-up, and he could guess what had actually happened.
"But still... Arthur is that strong?" Doflamingo's smile faded as he thought about it. Kaido was someone even he feared, and yet Arthur had defeated him. It made Doflamingo uncertain about how to proceed with their relationship.
This was news that would shake the world — a super event in 800 years!
Before this, Celestial Dragons had only been humiliated. But now, three of them were dead. This was an event that would go down in history.