The death of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, was sothing no one in the world had anticipated.
Unsurprisingly, the explosive news spread rapidly through various channels across the Grand Line. At first, many dismissed it as baseless rumor or Marine propaganda—until Big News Morgans' World Economic Journal confird it with front-page coverage. Only then did the world begin to accept the reality of a fallen Emperor.
But with Kaido's death, another na was etched into the world's consciousness—that of the man who had accomplished the impossible.
In the temporary base of the Donquixote Family in North Blue since their retreat from the New World, Doflamingo stared at the day's newspaper with a steadily twisting expression.
"FAKE NEWS!" he roared, hurling the paper across the room with such force that it embedded into the wall. "It must be fabricated! How could Kaido—who could kill with a single blow—possibly be defeated by that brat?! Morgans must have been bribed by the Marines to publish this propaganda!"
The Donquixote Family executives exchanged nervous glances, none daring to contradict their increasingly agitated young master.
Eventually, Trebol—who had followed Doflamingo longer than anyone—gathered the courage to speak up.
"Ne, ne, ne... Young Master," he began cautiously, his voice nasally as ever. "It appears to be legitimate. Along with the newspaper report, they've released footage of Monkey D. Luffy's battle with Kaido. Would you... like to see it?"
Doflamingo had been stubbornly refusing to believe the reports. At Trebol's words, his face darkened further, veins pulsing visibly at his temples.
If it had been just newspaper articles, he could have dismissed them as fabrications. But video evidence from a Visual Den Den Mushi? That was much harder to deny.
After watching the edited footage of the confrontation between Luffy and Kaido, Doflamingo had no choice but to accept the truth. The annoying kid who had once crossed his path had grown into sothing beyond his comprehension—beyond his reach.
Without hesitation, he issued orders to all Donquixote Family mbers: they would abandon their temporary base imdiately. It was ti to find so forgotten corner of the world and disappear until the storm passed—or until everyone forgot about Doflamingo altogether.
In the first half of the Grand Line, aboard a massive, ominous ship shrouded in perpetual mist, an atmosphere of unexpected celebration had taken hold.
"KISHISHISHI!" The distinctive laugh echoed through the halls. "FINALLY! HE'S FINALLY DEAD!"
Gecko Moria danced around his grand chamber, tears of vindictive joy streaming down his pallid face. "Kaido, you bastard! After you slaughtered so many of my comrades... soone finally put you in the ground! Do you see this, everyone? That monster is finally gone!"
Watching her master's unrestrained celebration, Perona—one of Thriller Bark's top officers—felt the weight of years lifting. She dabbed at tears of her own.
"Horohorohoro~ This is wonderful, Master Moria! All our fallen comrades must be rejoicing wherever they are."
The other Mysterious Four mbers shared in the sentint, genuinely happy to see Moria experiencing so closure after decades of harboring his grudge against Kaido.
After dancing himself to exhaustion, Moria raised his hands high and declared:
"My faithful servants! Today we FEAST! This is truly a historic occasion!"
"HOORAY!" The cheer echoed throughout the massive ship as zombies began preparing for an impromptu banquet.
In the New World, aboard the Moby Dick, Edward Newgate—"Whitebeard"—examined today's newspaper and the accompanying battle footage. Unlike Doflamingo's fear or Moria's vengeful glee, the world's strongest man threw back his head in hearty laughter.
"GURARARARA!" His booming laugh caused the ship to vibrate slightly. "So Kaido failed even with Linlin's cooperation! Well, that saves the trouble of hunting him down."
On the massive deck of the Moby Dick, only Whitebeard's laughter broke the silence. His division commanders remained pensive, each processing the implications of this seismic shift in the balance of power.
Among them, Marshall D. Teach—the future "Blackbeard"—studied Luffy's photo in the newspaper with a complex mixture of envy and frustration in his eyes. If he had managed to obtain the Devil Fruit he'd sought for so many years, perhaps it would be his image captivating the world instead.
But after decades of waiting, there had been no sign of his coveted prize. Was he destined to remain hidden aboard Whitebeard's ship forever, his ambitions slowly withering?
As Teach questioned his path, Marco the Phoenix replayed the battle footage once more. He watched intently as Luffy masterfully controlled his awakened powers, combining them with advanced Conqueror's Haki to match Kaido blow for blow. The video culminated with the young Vice Admiral's lightning-wrapped hand piercing straight through the Emperor's heart.
When the footage ended, Marco couldn't suppress a concerned sigh.
"That kid is simply unbelievable," he muttered, drawing the attention of nearby commanders. "The last report we had of him, he'd tead up with Aokiji, Kizaru, and Garp just to drive Kaido away. Even then, they barely managed to injure him."
Marco shook his head in disbelief. "Now, rely half a year later, he's grown powerful enough to defeat an Emperor single-handedly. Looking at his age..." He paused, the implication hanging heavy in the air. "Could the coming era belong to the Marines?"
His words cast a shadow over the gathering. While Whitebeard's crew had never directly conflicted with Luffy, their fundantal positions—pirates versus Marine—ant they were natural adversaries.
Now a monster had erged within Marine ranks, while pirates had lost one of their greatest symbols of power. If given enough ti, how much stronger would this young Marine beco? Would there still be a place for pirates upon the vast blue seas?
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