By the time Marshall D. Teach and his crew returned to Water 7, the news had already spread across the world.
"You really pulled off something big, Captain." Pouf waved a newspaper in the air, unable to hide his excitement.
The cadres already knew that Teach, Redyat, and Nelson had gone to Impel Down. The goal had seemed simple enough: free Redyat's father, the legendary pirate known as the Red Count, Patrick Redfield.
No one expected Teach to go further.
He had released the criminals of Infinite Hell.
He had torn through Impel Down itself.
And he had defeated its so-called invincible warden, Acel.
The world had not merely shaken. It had flipped over.
"Is this our new companion?" Laffitte asked lightly.
His pale face and crimson lips gave him a ghostlike air. His gaze settled on the tall man standing behind Teach in a black jailer's uniform.
Shiryu of the Rain.
Laffitte's eyes gleamed.
Shiryu radiated bloodlust. Not the loud kind. Not reckless fury. It was dense, quiet, deliberate.
Familiar.
Slaughter was simply violence refined into art, and Laffitte had grown up surrounded by prisons and criminals. He could sense it like a shark smelled blood.
A kindred spirit.
Shiryu noticed the stare immediately. He turned his head, narrowing his eyes slightly as they locked onto Laffitte.
The two men studied each other without smiling.
Two killing stars.
Two men who enjoyed the act.
The rest of the crew also shifted their attention toward Shiryu. They could tell at a glance that he was strong. Very strong. A few of them were already itching to test him.
Wallace cracked his knuckles.
Gar grinned.
Slada's eyes burned with anticipation.
Teach found the scene amusing.
"You all should have a good exchange," he said with a lazy smile, putting slight emphasis on the word. "Get to know each other. And prepare a welcome banquet for our new companion."
Then he turned and walked toward the living room.
Redyat followed behind him with a knowing smile.
The Nightfall Pirates had booked out a luxury hotel in Water 7. The surrounding streets and even a small plaza had been cleared for their use. It was less a lodging and more a temporary base.
Inside, Teach sat before a large projection Den Den Mushi, watching live broadcasts from the New World.
Two great wars were unfolding.
Even he could still learn something from watching monsters clash.
Outside, the others understood exactly what "exchange" meant.
Combat.
Shiryu smiled faintly. "Fine. Where?"
"Follow me. There's open ground in the back," Wallace said, already heading outside.
Shiryu followed without hesitation.
Most of the crew poured out after them. Watching two monsters fight live was impressive, but watching your new crewmate potentially carve someone open was far more entertaining.
A few stayed inside.
Pouf lay sprawled on a couch, munching dried fish while watching travel footage.
Baccarat sat before a mirror, studying makeup techniques from top artists on screen.
Others headed toward the kitchen to start preparing ingredients for the evening's feast.
Outside or inside, the world kept moving.
And in the New World, the battles continued without pause.
The monsters had been fighting for days. Not hours. Days.
They showed no signs of exhaustion.
This was what true monsters looked like.
When Edward Newgate had clashed with Shiki, their Emperor's War ended in only a few days. Their overwhelming power crushed everything like dry leaves.
Back then, video Den Den Mushi technology was new and limited. Few people truly witnessed it.
This time was different.
Now the entire world was watching.
Two battlefields.
The highest level of combat power the sea could offer.
And on both fronts, the tide was clear.
The Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates were winning.
Silver Axe's silver armor was cracked and dented. Blood seeped through the fractures.
Wang Zhi's body bore burns from lightning and charred wounds from flame.
Across from them, Charlotte Linlin, known as Big Mom, remained terrifyingly intact. Her Iron Balloon body, reinforced with Haki, made ordinary attacks meaningless. She wasn't foolish enough to stand still and absorb damage either.
Wang Zhi was a master swordsman. His attacks were sharp, relentless. But he had failed to inflict any decisive wound. Minor injuries meant nothing against a monster like Big Mom.
On the other battlefield, Kaido stood like a calamity incarnate.
Silver Axe wielded a massive battle axe with terrifying brute force. He could break through Kaido's scales.
But Kaido possessed near-immortal resilience. Wounds closed visibly. Blood dried. Flesh regenerated.
Silver Axe was not much weaker in raw strength.
But battles at that level were wars of accumulation.
Injuries stacked.
Stamina faded.
And both old overlords were in their sixties. Nearly ten years older than Newgate and Shiki. Their strength remained monstrous, but their stamina was betraying them.
They would not run.
Once members of the Rocks Pirates, they had stood above Kaido, who had once been an apprentice, and above Big Mom, who had once been a fellow cadre but still younger.
To lose to juniors was humiliation.
But time did not care about pride.
The outcome was almost decided. It was only a matter of when.
And beneath the surface of the New World, currents began to surge.
Other great pirates were already mobilizing. Ships quietly approached the territories of the Silver Axe Pirates and the Wang Zhi Pirates.
They were preparing to divide the spoils.
Even the Shiki Pirates had begun moving.
The Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates had already started swallowing territory, but their size made full occupation impossible. Vast lands would be left exposed.
Fat meat waiting to be carved.
The only force not moving for territory was the Whitebeard Pirates.
They had something else in mind.
Observers had already noticed it.
Whitebeard's forces were gathering.
Affiliated crews were being summoned.
The Moby Dick was sailing toward the New World entrance at G-1 Branch.
The target was obvious.
The Marines.
The World Economic News had clearly identified Shi as a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
And Whitebeard did not abandon family.
Even if Shi had defected, he had once sailed under Newgate's flag.
That was enough.
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku rubbed his forehead.
The pressure in the room was suffocating.
"What should we do next?" he muttered.
News confirmed that Whitebeard's fleet was approaching G-1. It would take days, but preparations could not wait.
The world's strongest man was coming.
They had almost forgotten about Shi. Originally, he had been meant as leverage. A piece on the board to restrain Whitebeard if needed.
Now he was the spark that ignited the blaze.
Sengoku regretted agreeing to the World Government's request to imprison Shi in Impel Down.
Had they truly not understood Whitebeard's character?
But back then, things were different. After the fall of the Rocks Pirates, the Marines dominated the New World. No one imagined Whitebeard would rise to this level.
Now they would pay for it.
And as if that were not enough, Teach had torn open Impel Down.
Freeing Redfield would have been bad enough.
But releasing criminals from Infinite Hell?
Decades of Marine effort erased in a single day.
The World Government was furious.
Impel Down had been breached.
The warden was gravely injured.
Shiryu of the Rain had defected.
It was a slap across their face.
Orders came down immediately.
Capture the escaped criminals.
Encircle and eliminate the Nightfall Pirates.
But reality was cruel.
The Marines did not have the manpower.
With Whitebeard's fleet advancing, every available force had to remain on high alert. Dividing strength against both the Nightfall Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates would only guarantee disaster.
For now, Teach would have to wait.
"What we don't know," a Vice Admiral said quietly, "is whether Whitebeard intends to strike Marineford or G-1."
"It should be G-1," another replied. "He wouldn't drag his family into the heart of our base if he can avoid it."
"Either way," a third added, "war is inevitable."
On the screen, Tsuru spoke calmly.
"Look at it from another perspective. This is an opportunity. Nothing displays Marine strength more clearly than war."
The room fell silent.
She was right.
The Marines were stretched thin. Pirates dominated headlines. The struggle for emperor status. The breach of Impel Down. The escape of legendary criminals.
Public confidence had shaken.
Morale had weakened.
A decisive victory would change that.
"Yes," Sengoku said slowly. "We need this."
Casualties would be heavy. But war always carried a price.
And perhaps this was their chance to reassert dominance in the New World.
Sengoku rose to his feet and slammed his palm against the table.
"Prepare for war. I will personally take action."
His aura flared.
He had fought Whitebeard for decades.
If no one restrained that monster, the losses would be catastrophic.
It was a pity that Monkey D. Garp was not present. He remained in the East Blue, occupied with some unknown matter involving a child. He would not arrive in time.
Sengoku inhaled slowly.
"Next, we begin deployment. Listen carefully…"