The plan had been flawless—perfect, even. They had even managed to restrict Tenma's control over the island itself. Yet no one could have imagined that Mama personally taking the field would still fail to bring him down, and that she would instead end up faintly at a disadvantage.
That single miscalculation caused the entire layout of the tea party to collapse completely.
What made Katakuri's heart pound even harder was Tenma's growth rate. He was clearly younger than Katakuri himself, and just six or seven years ago he had been nothing more than a lowly jailer in Impel Down—yet now he had grown to the point where he could stand toe-to-toe with Mama.
It simply defied common sense!
On the other side, Morgans's hands moved so fast they left afterimages as he scribbled furiously in his notebook. His birdlike face was brimming with excitement—this was a world-shaking, super headline!
"Queen of the Pleasure District" Stussy stared in the direction Tenma had departed, her throat dry as she unconsciously swallowed.
She had come carrying a mission from the World Government, originally planning to use this opportunity to force Tenma into becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Now, that plan looked like a complete joke.
After today, the title of "the Third Emperor" would no longer be empty hype—it would be a bloody, undeniable fact.
The earth-shattering battle that took place on Cake Island fermented overnight. By dawn the next day, it spread through the intelligence networks of all major factions and the news birds like a virus, reaching every corner of the world.
This time, the news traveled at an absurd speed. After all, most of the underworld emperors had been present in person, and the news tycoon Morgans had been right on the front lines.
The Big Mom Pirates had originally hoped to use these people to spread word of Mama subduing Tenma in all her glory. Instead, they ended up stealing a chicken and losing the rice—becoming Tenma's perfect foil.
As a result, the next day's headlines were terrifyingly detailed: not only lengthy analyses of the battle, but also large numbers of high-definition, in-your-face photos.
In the pictures were shots of Charlotte Linlin being blasted away, blood spraying from her mouth, as well as frozen moments of their world-destroying clashes.
The ferocity of the soul giant.
The cold gleam of Narumigiri.
The annihilating impact of Hakai.
And Tenma's godlike Great Swordmaster techniques, the towering waves raised by the Float-Float Fruit—
As well as the most worldview-shattering revelation of all: dual Devil Fruit powers!
The report concluded with a distant panoramic shot of Cake Island, utterly ravaged—a "masterpiece" left behind by the collision of two monsters.
In an instant—
The entire world erupted!
Who was Charlotte Linlin?
A veteran monster who had been famous for decades. The world's strongest woman. A pirate emperor with a bounty so high it made people's scalps tingle!
And Tenma—a newcomer who had only been at sea for a few short years—had managed to walk away unscathed from a head-on clash with her, even holding a slight edge.
This single battle sent him straight onto the altar of legend.
The New World's third Emperor—fully deserving of the name!
Even more terrifying was the solid confirmation of dual Devil Fruit powers. This not only explained how he had counter-killed two legendary pirates in Impel Down back then, but also shattered the iron rule that "eating two Devil Fruits means certain death," becoming the first precedent in history.
The Float-Float Fruit combined with the Momo-Momo Fruit—just hearing that combination was enough to inspire despair.
It meant destructive power even greater than Golden Lion's—
Islands falling from the sky.
Some newspapers even used bold, black headlines to declare:
"Tenma has become the second man since Whitebeard to possess the power to destroy the world!"
Tenma's momentum was unstoppable. He became the brightest star in the New World.
In these monster-infested seas, the situation had become crystal clear—only by attaching oneself to the strong could one survive.
Looking at the overly young new Emperor in the papers, most pirate crews who had still been on the fence began to waver. Fewer people wanted to take advantage of the chaos to raid Wano, while those lining up to pledge allegiance as subordinates formed long queues.
Just one day later.
Charlotte Linlin, whose injuries had mostly recovered, clutched that newspaper in her hand, shaking with rage.
"What the hell is all this garbage they wrote?! And these photos—did they deliberately choose angles where I'm getting blasted away?! If we'd really fought to the death, the one dying would've been that brat Tenma!!"
"These damn reporters—there's nothing they won't write for sales," Perospero said, startled stiff as he hurriedly echoed her words. "Next tea party, we'll definitely capture that birdman Morgans and roast him to vent Mama's anger!"
"Hmph!"
Charlotte Linlin snorted coldly. A flame sprang up in her palm, instantly reducing the newspaper to ashes. Her icy gaze swept across Katakuri and the other children, as if calculating something…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office was oppressive to the extreme.
Sengoku read the newspaper with a dark expression, then casually slammed it onto the desk, his face looking as though he had swallowed a dead fly.
"The idiots in the World Government completely botched the smear-by-praise plan! Now look—he not only wasn't suppressed, he stepped on Big Mom to rise to the top. The New World's gained another uncontrollable super bomb!"
"There was no helping it," Vice Admiral Tsuru, seated across from him, rubbed her temples with a weary look. "The battle on Cake Island was too big. Who could've imagined that in just a few years, that kid would evolve to this extent? Our worst-case prediction came true—besides Golden Lion's ability, he also ate Bondi World's Momo-Momo Fruit."
"Looks like the Punk Hazard matter will just have to rot in our stomachs."
Great Swordmaster-level swordsmanship, plus troublesome dual Devil Fruits—and strategic-level ones like Float-Float and Momo-Momo at that. It was nothing short of a nightmare.
"There must be a scheme behind this. Dual Devil Fruits… this breaks historical precedent," Sengoku said in a low voice, turning to look at Kizaru, who was trimming his nails in the corner. "Borsalino—was the situation on-site the same as what the papers reported?"
To prevent Big Mom and Tenma from forming an alliance, the Marines had deliberately sent this admiral candidate to observe undercover.
"Oh my, it really was terrifying," Kizaru said with his crooked mouth. Though his tone was lazy as ever, his expression was unusually serious. "A fight between monsters… The papers are basically accurate, but the feeling of that Conqueror's Haki collision on-site was much stronger. To be honest, the moment I saw Tenma playing with the sea like it was a toy, I knew there was no show to put on. If I'd made a move then, I'd have been turned into Swiss cheese by those two together."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his expression complicated. "Then it seems Tenma's rise is already an unstoppable trend."
The Marines' control over the New World was weak to begin with. That sea was pirates' backyard—reach too far, and your hand got chopped off.
"Actually, no need to be too pessimistic," Kizaru added leisurely, clearly enjoying the chaos. "No matter how much Tenma stirs things up in the New World, that sea is only so big. If he wants to dominate it alone, he's bound to step on other people's cake. Isn't this the age of heroes vying for supremacy? Compared to Tenma, I think that old man Whitebeard is even more troublesome."
"You brat…" Sengoku was about to scold him, but on second thought, the logic—crude as it was—made sense.
"That's true," Tsuru picked up the thread. "But we can't lower our guard against someone this dangerous. Tenma is too young—his potential is terrifying. None of us want to see a second Rocks D. Xebec, do we?"
At the mention of Rocks, the office fell into dead silence.
After a long while, Sengoku finally broke it.
"Then raise the surveillance level on Tenma. Send more informants to the Wano perimeter. Any movement must be reported immediately."
At that, Sengoku suddenly thought of something and looked at Tsuru. "By the way, where's Gion been lately? Haven't seen her in a while."
"Don't mention it," Tsuru said calmly. "She couldn't stand being pestered by that annoying Garp—I mean Gion—no, by Garp's protégé? Anyway, she volunteered to take a mission in the North Blue to clear her head."
More of a paid vacation than a mission—just like how Garp often used 'catching pirates' as an excuse to go back to the East Blue to see his grandson.
"The North Blue?" Sengoku frowned slightly. "Right—haven't you been keeping an eye on Doflamingo recently?"
"Yes," Tsuru nodded. "That kid hasn't entered the New World, but he's been stirring up a mess in the North Blue. The people above don't want him getting too out of hand."
Doflamingo's status as a Celestial Dragon wasn't a secret at their level.
"Perfect. I've got a suitable candidate—has some history with Doflamingo. Volunteered to go undercover, absolutely reliable. A junior I value highly."
"Oh?" Tsuru raised an eyebrow. "You mean… Rosinante? The one with the Quiet-Quiet Fruit?"
"Since there's no objection, it's settled," Sengoku coughed lightly, forcibly steering the topic back on track, his expression growing serious again. "Besides the tea party, there's another big problem brewing in the New World."
The Whitebeard Pirates vs. the Beasts Pirates.
Compared to the unexpected shock Tenma brought, the clash between these two old rivals was actually within the Marines' expectations.
After all, it was universally acknowledged that Whitebeard was stronger.
No matter who won or lost, pirates grinding each other down was always something the Marines were happy to see.
And reality unfolded exactly as the Marines had predicted. Two days after Tenma dominated the headlines, another bombshell detonated across the world.
Unlike Tenma's one-on-one clash with Big Mom, the Whitebeard Pirates had sailed their main ship straight to confront the Beasts Pirates.
The outcome was beyond doubt.
Whitebeard punched Kaido straight into the sea, once again showing the world what "the Strongest Man in the World" truly meant.
What surprised people, however, was that aside from that result, there was no large-scale bloodbath, nor catastrophic casualties.
Especially Kaido—fighting Whitebeard one-on-one, he had held out for three days and three nights before losing. That sheer toughness shocked the world.
In the end, Kaido retreated after defeat, and Whitebeard did not pursue him to the bitter end.
Thus, with this feat of standing against the world's strongest man for three days, Kaido of the Beasts not only lost no face, but firmly secured his position among the top-tier pirates.
The World Economy News followed up immediately with a sensational headline:
"Two Emperors Emerge Together — The New World Enters the Era of Four Emperors!"
Behind this newspaper headline, the World Government was once again pulling strings. Since Tenma could no longer be suppressed, they might as well acknowledge reality and use the concept of the "Four Emperors" to have these four monsters restrain one another, keeping the New World in a delicate balance.
New World, Wano Country.
Back on his home turf, Tenma was sprawled comfortably in a lounge chair. From his shoulders, arms, and calves sprouted several slender arms, giving him a professional massage.
"I thought that since Whitebeard made a move, he'd wipe out the Beasts Pirates completely. And this is it?"
Tenma casually tossed the newspaper aside, smacking his lips in disappointment.
Although the timeline had advanced a few years and Kaido hadn't been squatting in Wano, he still hadn't expected Whitebeard's handling of things to be so lukewarm.
Defeating Kaido without pursuing him clearly showed his concern over the massive casualties a death battle would bring.
The fact that he'd gone with only his main ship crew made it obvious—Whitebeard had never intended to start a full-scale war.
Tenma couldn't help but complain inwardly: when it came to saving Ace, the old man dared to bring his entire family to storm Marineford, even at the cost of total annihilation.
Yet now, facing the blood feud of Kozuki Oden—also "family," also a Second Division Commander—he chose this restrained, symbolic revenge.
Was it that dead family members weighed less than the living ones?
Or was it that learning Ace was Roger's son gave that bond a special significance?
Tenma closed his eyes, enjoying the massage, a faintly mocking curve at the corner of his lips.
The so-called "righteousness" on this sea was sometimes truly hard to understand.
He silently calculated, a playful smile forming at the thought of this mutually damaging outcome.
Just like the Marines watching tigers fight from the mountain, he'd be delighted if both sides smashed each other into pulp—the heavier the losses, the better.
"After all, Oden is already gone," Kozuki Toki said calmly, her hands never stopping as she organized documents.
When mentioning her late husband's name, there was no longer any visible sorrow on her face—only a still, dead-water calm.
"Exactly. The living can't be shackled by the dead," Tenma replied softly, a glint of approval in his eyes.
What's lost is lost. Clinging to past shadows is meaningless—grasping the present and the future is the true way forward.
After this ordeal, the former lady had become far more clear-headed, and acting in line with his intentions came ever more naturally to her.
"How's Wano's acceptance of foreign reading material like newspapers now?" Tenma turned his head, his gaze falling on the graceful figure of Robin.
Wano had once been a sealed iron barrel—even flies couldn't get in.
After Tenma had deliberately given Morgans a heads-up, the news bird had been overjoyed.
Stacks of newspapers rained down on this never-before-exploited market like snowflakes, sending the World Economy News's sales skyrocketing.
"The response has been extremely enthusiastic—bordering on fanatic," Robin reported gently as she spoke, her hands continuing to sort through the messy scrolls alongside Toki.
"The people are absorbing overseas information at an astonishing speed."
"Especially the sections about you, my lord. Everyone straightens their backs with pride when they read them."
"Didn't a new Four Emperors ranking just come out?"
"In the hearts of the people, you've long since secured the top spot—the number one Sea Emperor."
As she spoke, Robin's fingers danced deftly across the files. After days of hands-on guidance from Kozuki Toki, she now handled these tedious administrative affairs with ease.
As the Shogun's chief steward, how much work there actually was depended entirely on that lord's mood.
Aside from summarizing trivial local matters from various regions, most of the time Robin's Hana-Hana Fruit ability had degenerated into Tenma's personal massage device.
According to Tenma's crooked logic, this too fell under the steward's mandatory duties.
Robin didn't believe a word of it—but her body still obediently complied.
After all, this warm, tangible family atmosphere—free of schemes and loneliness—was something she truly cherished.
She was genuinely grateful to Tenma for giving her a harbor she could finally dock in.
"I see."
Listening to Robin's report, Tenma's expression remained calm as he accepted it matter-of-factly.
That was only natural. Which Emperor-level pirate crew wasn't like this?
Just as Whitebeard's sons revered Newgate like a god, it was only fitting that Wano's people worshiped him as their shogun.
But honestly speaking, Tenma didn't care much for the empty title of "number one Sea Emperor."
From the moment he began scheming to seize Wano, his vision had already gone far beyond this blue sea.
Even now, standing at the pinnacle of pirate power as a New World Emperor, this was merely a small milestone on the map of his grand ambition.
His ultimate goal was that lofty seat—
To replace the World Government and become the true king of the world!
Only that position was worthy of the words "ambition realized."
And only at that height could one continue to break through limits in this cruel world and plan for a far more distant future.
A man's name is his shadow.
Now that he had firmly secured his throne as a New World Emperor, many actions that once required caution could now be carried out openly and on a grand scale.
Tenma's thoughts drifted to the Devil Fruits he'd been keeping in reserve. A wild plan began to grow in his mind like weeds.
If that madwoman Big Mom could host some All-Nations Tea Party, eating sweets and drinking tea—
Why couldn't he, ruling over Wano, use the Fire Festival as a pretext to create an even more explosive event?
For example, using those precious Devil Fruits as bait to host a world-shaking martial tournament!
It was a stroke of genius.
Of course, meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, roads walked one step at a time. The timing still needed to mature.
At the very least, before that much-anticipated tournament began, he had to raise the nation's hard power and let the true foundation of the Oniwabanshu resound across the seas.
Because of Tenma—the foreign butterfly flapping its wings without restraint—the original course of history had long since been twisted beyond recognition.
Unlike the step-by-step rhythm of the original timeline, the year 1503 of the Sea Circle Calendar was destined to be an extraordinary year recorded in history.
Tenma stepped on Big Mom's face to rise, ascending to the throne of the New World.
Kaido clashed head-on with Whitebeard, his reputation soaring as well.
And together with the ruthless man who had dealt with "Wang Zhi" of the former Rocks remnants occupying Pirate Island—
The New World's fourth Sea Emperor had finally taken his seat.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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