Meanwhile, deep in the New World, on Prawn Island.
Blackbeard's expression darkened as he finished reading the newspaper in his hand.
A few days earlier, he had heard that both the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates were making simultaneous moves against the Phoenix Pirates' territory. Blackbeard had immediately smelled opportunity.
Chaos like that is perfect, he'd thought. Time to fish in troubled waters and quietly build my strength.
Yet he had barely arrived on Prawn Island—intending to seize it for himself—when this news slammed into him like a bucket of cold seawater.
Across from him, Shiryu calmly wiped down his beloved blade, Raikiri, before speaking.
"Teach… what do we do now? Whitebeard—no, the Phoenix Pirates have already re-established themselves in the New World."
He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp.
"Even without Whitebeard, Marco and the other captains seem more than capable of holding onto a Yonko's throne."
Blackbeard's face grew grim.
He couldn't understand it.
He had lived among the Whitebeard Pirates for over twenty years—he knew their strength better than almost anyone. Marco had always been powerful, yes… but powerful enough to defeat Big Mom?
That should've been impossible.
Yet the truth was staring him in the face, and no amount of denial could change it.
Then, suddenly, Blackbeard threw back his head and laughed.
"Zehahahahaha! Don't worry, Shiryu!"
He grinned, teeth flashing.
"I'll admit it—Marco's strength is beyond what I expected. That bastard was far too low-key… even fooled me."
His laughter grew deeper.
"But it doesn't matter. As long as he's a Devil Fruit user, he'll be countered by my Dark-Dark Fruit."
Blackbeard's eyes gleamed with confidence.
"I won't lose to him."
Shiryu's expression didn't change. He'd long since grown numb to such bravado.
"Even if you could beat him one-on-one," he said coolly, "our crew is still too small."
He sheathed Raikiri with a sharp click.
"How do you plan to contend with a Yonko crew like that?"
His tone hardened.
"I followed you because I want to stand at the pinnacle of this world—not hide in the shadows forever."
For a brief moment, a trace of malice flickered in Blackbeard's eyes as he looked at Shiryu.
Then he suppressed it and laughed again.
"Zehahahahaha! Relax, partner."
"If our plan succeeds," he said confidently, "this entire world will soon be in our grasp."
Shiryu snorted.
"Hmph. You've said that before. And how did that turn out?"
Blackbeard remained unfazed.
"On the road to greatness, setbacks are inevitable! How can you see a rainbow without enduring wind and rain?"
He spread his arms wide.
"You've seen my abilities. What I lack isn't power—it's opportunity."
His grin widened.
"Once that opportunity appears, I'll soar."
Shiryu fell silent. He knew arguing further was pointless—and besides, he was already aboard Blackbeard's ship. Getting off wouldn't be easy.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Then why not return to the first half of the Grand Line? Our forces could grow much faster there."
He glanced toward the sea.
"The New World is the domain of the Yonko. You, of all people, should understand how terrifying Yonko crews truly are."
"There are only two paths here," Shiryu continued flatly.
"Defeat them and take their place… or submit to them."
"And as you are now," he added, "you don't have the strength to defeat any of them."
Blackbeard clenched his teeth, his expression sour despite knowing Shiryu was right.
Just then—
"Captain! Captain!"
Burgess came barreling over, excitement written all over his face.
"Great news! Guess who I just spotted down at the dock!"
Blackbeard frowned.
"…Who?"
Burgess's lips curled into a grin.
"The former Warlord of the Sea—Gekko Moriah."
The moment Burgess finished speaking, Blackbeard's face split into a wide, chrysanthemum-like grin.
"Zehahahahaha! Good—very good!" he roared. "What perfect timing! Just when I was worrying about finding a powerful Devil Fruit user, one comes knocking on my door!"
His eyes gleamed as he turned to Burgess.
"Tell me—how many of them are there?"
"Three," Burgess replied. "Including Gekko Moriah himself."
"Three?" Blackbeard raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
Gekko Moriah was a former Shichibukai and a veteran of the New World—someone who had been active for decades. How could a pirate like that have only two subordinates?
Even the Blackbeard Pirates, weakened as they currently were, still had five members. By comparison, Moriah's numbers seemed absurdly low.
Before Blackbeard could dwell on it further, Shiryu spoke up calmly.
"Ever since Gekko Moriah was crushed by Kaido over twenty years ago, all of his crew were killed," Shiryu explained. "After that, he stopped recruiting crew members altogether."
Instead, a cold glint flashed in Shiryu's eyes.
"He became obsessed with creating zombies."
"Zombies?" Blackbeard frowned slightly.
Though he had spent years laying low within the Whitebeard Pirates, that didn't mean he was ignorant of the outside world. He kept track of major players—but information on Gekko Moriah was notoriously scarce. All Blackbeard really knew was that Moriah had once challenged Kaido, failed miserably, and was later recruited by the World Government as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
As a former high-ranking official of Impel Down, however, Shiryu knew far more.
"Gekko Moriah is the user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit," Shiryu said. "He can sever other people's shadows and implant them into corpses, creating zombies that cannot die."
He continued, "On the surface, it may look like there are only three of them. But once a battle begins, he can instantly summon an army of zombies."
Shiryu paused, then added meaningfully,
"It's an extremely troublesome ability… but for us, it might be exactly what we need right now."
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes.
"Are those zombies truly undying?"
"They are," Shiryu nodded. "They're corpses. They don't feel pain, and they don't fear death."
Then he added calmly,
"Of course, they do have weaknesses. Seawater and salt. If salt is thrown into their mouths, they can be purified."
"Zehahahaha! So that's how it works!" Blackbeard burst into laughter.
"As long as there's a weakness, everything becomes manageable!"
He turned toward his crew, his grin stretching wider.
"Alright, boys—it's time to move!"
His voice dropped, sharp and commanding.
"We absolutely cannot let Gekko Moriah escape."
—
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick, Marco and the others had successfully reunited with Vista and the rest of their forces. With Marco's victory over Big Mom now shaking the world, the Beasts Pirates had already withdrawn from Nanku Island. After all, the island had been turned into a toxic wasteland—utterly worthless to them.
"Damn that Jack…"
The crew stared at Nanku Island's current state. It was painfully obvious that the island would be unusable for quite some time.
Standing at the railing, Jinbe observed the thick clouds lingering over the land and said gravely,
"The poison gas here will probably take several days to dissipate."
Marco nodded, his expression heavy.
"The gas in the air will eventually be scattered by the wind. But the poison that's already seeped into the soil…"
He shook his head. "That won't be so easy to remove."
Ace clenched his fists, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Those bastards! Marco, let's head straight to Wano Country. We can't just let this go."
"Yeah!"
"Let's settle the score with Kaido once and for all!"
The crowd echoed Ace's indignation. Although the island had been reclaimed, it was effectively dead land for the foreseeable future.
Marco raised his hand, silencing everyone.
"Don't worry," he said firmly. "Kaido will pay for this—sooner or later."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"But before that, we must deal with Wang Zhi."
His voice turned cold.
"That fence-sitter stabbed us in the back during a critical moment. If we leave him alone and march out on another campaign, he'll do it again. That kind of threat cannot be ignored."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Marco continued without hesitation,
"I plan to officially declare war on the Wang Zhi Pirates and bring Beehive Island completely under the control of the Phoenix Pirates."
He scanned the commanders around him.
"Does anyone object?"
The commanders exchanged glances. Ace was the first to grin.
"You're the Captain now, Marco. Just give the order."
"That's right," Vista added with a smile. "Just say the word."
"Good."
Marco didn't waste another second.
"I hereby order the main Phoenix Pirates and all affiliated crews to leave behind basic defensive forces on their respective islands. Everyone else is to gather at Shihblan Island ten days from now."
He paused, then added with a sharp edge to his tone,
"Spread the word that the Wang Zhi pirates betrayed us. Even pirates need a cause for war. This isn't cruelty—it's retribution."
"And don't let Wang Zhi try to hide behind Pops' name."
The crew nodded solemnly.
Marco's voice rose, carrying authority.
"Let the news spread. This will be the first war of the Phoenix Pirates as an officially recognized Yonko crew."
He looked around, eyes burning with resolve.
"We must win. Failure is not an option."
Before long, the news of the Phoenix Pirates declaring war on the Wang Zhi Pirates swept across the New World.
Shock rippled through countless factions.
Not long ago, Marco—the newly crowned Yonko—had defeated Big Mom, one of the old-generation Yonko. And now, he was moving against the Wang Zhi pirates.
It had to be said: the Wang Zhi Pirates were no weaklings. They had occupied Beehive Island for decades, transforming it into an impregnable fortress. Among forces below the level of the Yonko, they were widely considered the strongest.
Any single Shichibukai would likely struggle to stand against them.
However, once Marco revealed Wang Zhi's betrayal, most parties understood the reasoning behind the war.
That said, in the world of pirates, right and wrong were secondary. Taking advantage of chaos was practically tradition.
As a result, few truly cared about the outcome of this conflict—not the other Yonko, and not even Marineford.
After all, Marco had already demonstrated Yonko-level combat power. With the Phoenix Pirates at his back, crushing the Wang Zhi seemed inevitable.
The only reason Wang Zhi had managed to dominate Beehive Island for so long—aside from his own strength—was that his territory had been completely enveloped by Whitebeard's lands.
To attack him in the past meant crossing Whitebeard's domain.
In that sense, Wang Zhi should have been grateful.
Yet Whitebeard had been gone for only a few months when Wang Zhi seized the opportunity—launching a sneak attack on the Phoenix Pirates' heartland while their main force was occupied with the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates.
Such treachery was unforgivable.
Deep within a bunker on Beehive Island, a white-haired old man slammed his fist down and growled resentfully, "Damn Marco… he actually dares to declare war on me."
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