News spread all across the world
Within hours, the entire world knew.
Marineford had survived but only barely. Sengoku was dead. Akainu was dead. Even Admiral Kizaru had vanished. Garp had retired from the marines shortly after the war as well. Admiral Aokiji stepped up to become the new fleet admiral, and former admiral zephyr was recalled to marineford to help manage things. However, the balance of power had completely tilted now that the marines were at their weakest point in centuries. Kuzan spoke with the world government, and they decided to begin a world drafting to replenish strength, before the allied countries and citizens lost complete faith in the marines.
The death of Whitebeard wasn't even the most talked about topic after the war.
It was the Akatsuki.
----------------------
In the New World, the announcement came first.
Marshall D. Teach was officially declared a Yonko, with a bounty of 2,247,600,000 berries.
The first person known in history to wield two devil fruits simultaneously.
He laughed when he heard it
"Zehahahaha! Took long enough!"
Teach and his crew quickly started taking over leftover territories that whitebeard used to own, while hunting down the remnants of his crew as well.
_________________________
The updated bounties of the Akatsuki were nothing short but terrifying.
People trembled in fear upon seeing those new bounties, not even a single one was under a billion.
The World Government made it clear that the Akatsuki was no longer just a pirate crew.
They were on par with, if not even more dangerous than the threat posed by the revolutionary army.
A direct enemy of the world itself.
Nagato's bounty shot up to a staggering 5,000,000,000 berries.
Higher than any active pirate. Almost as high as the now dead Whitebeard.
People stared at the number in silence.
Some laughed nervously.
Others tore the posters down.
Most simply froze.
Below it, the rest followed.
Enel, the second highest. His role in storming marineford with nagato, overwhelming Kizaru and killing multiple vice admirals was no longer deniable. His bounty shot up to a whopping 2.9 billion.
Kisame followed next, recognized as a true sea monster who flooded Marineford. His bounty was now 2.5 billion.
Sasori after him, the creator of the Big Mom puppet. The threat posed by him was now completely known after he revealed the ability to make puppets out of dead enemes. His bounty was now 1.9 billion.
Itachi's bounty had a great jump. His bounty jumped sharply after Marineford, the note attached short and unsettling:
"Extreme threat. Avoid direct engagement, never look into his eyes."
His bounty was currently 2.12 billion berries.
Every remaining member crossed the billion mark.
Deidara: 1.4 billion.
Hidan: 1.8 billion, his immortality was now known by all.
Kakuzu: 1.2 billion.
Konan: 1 billion.
A combined bounty of 19.82 billion bounties total in this group.
__________________
On Onigashima
Kaido stared at the newspaper in his massive hand.
The numbers didn't register at first. He read them again and again.
5,000,000,000.
His drunken grin didn't appear.
Instead, he slowly took a long drink from his gourd, then let it drop, shattering on the stone floor.
"So that old man whitebeard finally kicked the bucket.. and that bastard Sengoku" he muttered.
The All-Stars stood silently.
Kaido exhaled hard.
"That brat and his group killed Sengoku, Akainu, completely crushed Marineford… and walked away."
He laughed once before his eyes took on a strange glint.
"Good. Good. With strength like that, could he possibly be the joyboy king has been waiting for?"
His eyes sharpened, sober now.
"A man like that is worthy of fighting. King, begin getting our crew ready for war."
King stared at Kaido hesitantly, but in the end he didn't refuse and said "Yes boss."
___________________________
Onboard the redforce.
Shanks sat against the railing, the newspaper folded loosely in his hand. He wasn't smiling.
Benn Beckman stood beside him, cigarette lit, eyes scanning the bounty pages one by one.
"Five billion," Beckman said quietly. "That puts him at the top."
Shanks nodded. "Higher than anyone still breathing, aside from Dragon."
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
"They didn't just win," Beckman continued. "They dismantled the Marines' authority. Sengoku gone. Akainu gone. Garp retired, and we don't know what happened to Kizaru. Three, possibly 4 pillars removed in one war."
Shanks let out a slow breath.
"It seem's they've allied with Dragon as well."
Shanks said slowly. "If they ever face the world government without knowing what they're up against, the result could spell doom for the rest of the world.
Beckman seemed confused, not knowing what he meant but he continued to listen.
Shanks was the only one onboard the ship who was aware of the world government's ability to enslave and demonize, but he wouldn't dare spread that news, not yet.
Shanks closed his eyes briefly.
"I tried to stop it from escalating," he said. "But Nagato never intended to leave peacefully."
Beckman glanced at him. "You were sent flying."
Shanks gave a faint, humorless chuckle. "Yeah."
Another pause.
"So what now?" Beckman asked. "If they move again, it won't be small."
Shanks looked out over the sea.
"We don't interfere unless we have to," he said. "But if Nagato decides to spread his "pain" to those outside the world government…"
His grip tightened slightly on the paper.
"…then even we won't be able to sit back anymore. I have a feeling Kaido won't be sitting still in this period of time either."
The Red-Haired Pirates remained silent.
For the first time in years, it seemed like there may be a genuine threat to the world government, but only shanks truly understood how strong the government truly was.
I wonder what their next move will be.