Chapter 30: A World on Edge
The news wasn't just a report; it was a tremor that forced every major power to reassess the board.
On the Moby Dick, the debate among Whitebeard's commanders was heated. "The battlefield is chaos," one argued. "Maybe he was trapped, cornered. Couldn't disengage."
"Possible," another conceded. "And Rayleigh is old. Older than Pops. This new Admiral is, what, in his twenties? The timing is just bad luck for a legend past his prime."
"Don't be a fool!" a veteran snarled, slamming a fist on the railing. Memories of clashing with the Oro Jackson were still vivid. "Age doesn't matter for a monster like that. He's Pluton. Underestimating him is how you die."
Whitebeard let the arguments wash over him, his gaze distant. Finally, his voice cut through the noise, deep and decisive. "Jozu."
"Yes, Pops?"
"Any contact from Ace yet? This news… it sits poorly with me."
Marco shook his head, his usual easygoing demeanor tight with concern. "Nothing. He might be in one of those climate zones that disrupts Den Den Mushi. But Ace is strong, Pops. He can handle himself."
"Perhaps," Whitebeard rumbled, not sounding convinced. "But the Marines are moving with new confidence. Marco, put the fleet on high alert. Secure our territories. The balance has shifted."
He then grinned, a flash of his old, piratical spirit. "And Marco. Take a squad. Go rough up some of Kaido's outposts."
A newer commander blinked. "Why, Pops?"
"Because I'm in a foul mood, gura gura gura!" Whitebeard's laughter boomed across the deck, a stark contrast to the grim order.
In the fortified land of Wano, within the skull-shaped fortress of Onigashima, Kaido's roar echoed down the halls. "The Fourth Admiral?! Heh! So he dug out that old badger Rayleigh? Interesting! Means he's got real teeth! That CP0 offer about the weapons… maybe we should talk more!"
From her isolated prison, Yamato strained to hear. "Fourth Admiral? Who is it?!"
Elsewhere, the All-Stars convened. King, encased in his suit, spoke coldly. "A sudden power spike in the Marines is never advantageous."
Queen, wobbling his massive frame, scoffed. "Bah! We're in Wano! Let their fleet try to reach us! The waterfalls would smash them to splinters!"
Jack merely snorted, his mammoth tusks gleaming. "I'd like to test this 'Black Crow' myself. See if his feathers can stop my tusks!"
In Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin looked at the newspaper picture of Levi, a strange, acquisitive glint in her eyes. "Fufufu… Such a powerful, young man. That Sengoku fox never invests poorly. A shame he's a Marine. He'd make fine blood for strong children… or perhaps a splendid new husband!" The surrounding ministers broke into a cold sweat, not daring to utter a word of the logistical nightmares such a "courtship" would entail.
On the high throne of his granulated sugar empire, Doflamingo chuckled, a sound like grating stones. "Black Crow Admiral… Hehehe… Impressive. But in this world, even Celestial Dragons have a price. Everything has a price."
In the shadowy corners of the underworld, brokers and information peddlers recalculated. "Tsk tsk tsk, a high-value client emerges," purred Du Feld, the Loan Shark King, blowing a smoke ring. "An Admiral of that caliber… we could offer very favorable terms."
An underling whispered, "But Boss… Admiral Aokiji still owes us 500 million Berry…"
"Fool!" Du Feld snapped. "500 million is marketing! An Admiral who defeated Rayleigh is a walking advertisement for our reliability!"
At the top of the Happy Street pleasure district, Stussy of CP0 studied Levi's photo, a frown on her beautiful face. "So young. So unknown until now. An intelligence oversight… or a deliberately buried asset?"
The reactions within the Marines themselves were starkly different. Akainu, on his own warship, stared at the report, his jaw set like iron. "He captured Rayleigh…" It was a statement of fact, but the implication—that this new, unknown quantity had achieved a feat of absolute justice—was undeniable.
Aokiji, elsewhere, let out a long, foggy sigh. "A grand achievement right out of the gate…" The weight of the changing times felt heavier.
In Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock crushed the newspaper in her hand, her beautiful face contorted with fury. "That despicable Marine! To imprison those who dared defy the Celestial Dragons… and Rayleigh-sama!" Her loyalty to her savior and her hatred for the World Government collided into pure, unadulterated rage.
And in his lonely castle, Dracule Mihawk looked up from his wine, a spark of keen interest in his hawk-like eyes. "Rayleigh… defeated. I wonder… is he a swordsman?"
But the shockwave hit hardest on a certain red-haired ship.
The atmosphere was grave. Shanks stood at the bow, his usually cheerful face set in hard lines, his single arm gripping Gryphon's hilt until his knuckles were white. The newspaper lay at his feet.
"We're going," he stated, his voice leaving no room for debate. It wasn't a question. "We're getting him out."
A cheer rose from some of the younger crew, eager for a fight.
"Not you," Shanks said, his gaze sweeping over them. "This isn't a brawl for newcomers. This is a war with the entire Marine hierarchy."
He looked out at the horizon, towards the direction of Impel Down. "Rayleigh-san… wait for me. The Captain said we all had our parts to play. You can't exit the stage yet." His thoughts also touched on the other name in the report—Luffy. And you, kid… you've gotten yourself into the deepest water.
His first mate, Benn Beckman, exhaled a plume of smoke, his expression the epitome of weary resolve. "Two things first, Captain. We need to see Whitebeard. And we need to stop Kaido from capitalizing on the chaos."
Shanks nodded. "Then we move. Every second counts."
Beckman didn't reply with words. He simply raised his rifled musket, took aim at the empty space ahead of the ship, and fired.
BANG!
The bullet didn't travel far. Instead, it seemed to pierce the air itself, ripping a swirling, unstable vortex in the fabric of space—a temporary, violent shortcut through the seas.
"After you, Captain," Beckman said, lowering his smoking weapon.
Without hesitation, Shanks stepped towards the chaotic portal, his cloak billowing. The rescue of a legend, and the prevention of a wider war, would begin with a journey through torn space and a confrontation with an Emperor. The world, still reeling from Levi's display of power, was now bracing for the inevitable, explosive reaction.
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