On a stretch of flat ground amidst the ruins of Marineford, the visual Den Den Mushi—the silent witness to history—left behind a solitary, fading shadow.
As news coos spread their wings and soared across the horizons, the full details of the battle were gradually becoming known to the entire world. Buggy and his crew, who had originally held the broadcast snails, had long since vanished.
Whitebeard was gone. Red-Hair was gone. All that remained in the harbor were the Marines.
The blow dealt to the Navy in this battle was profound. Even after mobilizing every ounce of military might they could muster, the war had ended in such a state. However, the flame of Justice in their hearts burned more fiercely than ever. The battlefield was a cold, heartless teacher; as their comrades fell one after another, many Marines underwent a sudden, painful maturity.
War is the ultimate catalyst. They had finally realized their own insignificance.
I must become stronger!
This was the lifelong vow of every Marine who had survived. Before this, they believed that while pirates were not weak, the Navy possessed the absolute peak of combined military power—with three Admirals who were titans capable of suppressing all opposition. They had clung to the dream of being heroes who saved the people and upheld justice despite their own low ranks.
Reality had delivered a staggering counter-punch. The Navy didn't just consist of the three Admirals; they were the Navy too! When the people truly needed their strength, they had been powerless to act.
The dream was over. It was time to wake up and grow strong—strong enough to be useful on a battlefield of this caliber. They would make the world know that the Navy could truly protect them.
"I see... so Blackbeard and his crew escaped..."
Amidst the ruins, Sengoku sat atop a large stone, letting out a helpless sigh. Standing before him was Admiral Aokiji.
"Yes. Blackbeard's ability is simply too bizarre..." Aokiji recalled the moment. When the Whitebeard Pirates gave up on killing Teach to make their escape, Aokiji had abandoned his pursuit of Sabo to go after the Blackbeard Pirates, following Sengoku's order.
At the shoreline, he had unleashed his full power against the traitors. He had managed to cut off several members, but ultimately, Blackbeard had found an opening.
"Blackbeard's ability is truly strange," Aokiji continued. "Even if I couldn't keep Teach himself behind, I should have had no problem capturing the rest. But Blackbeard released a void of absolute darkness. By the time I could react, they had vanished."
The only one left behind was Burgess, who had been frozen into an ice sculpture while trying to buy time for the others.
Sengoku glanced at the handcuffed brute, Burgess, then waved a hand dismissively. "Send him to Impel Down. Hand him over to Magellan."
"Understood." Aokiji nodded slightly. He had already removed his "Justice" coat, as it had been burnt beyond recognition. He looked better without it.
At that moment, a Marine official reporting nearby hesitated. "Fleet Admiral... there's more."
"What is it? Speak," Sengoku said, his voice weary.
"Sir!" the officer responded quickly. "Warden Magellan of Impel Down... because of the massive failure and the prison break, he wishes to commit suicide to atone for his negligence..."
"What!" Sengoku's eyes widened, and he barked, "Stop him! This was an unprecedented situation. While he bears responsibility, his crime is not a capital one. Impel Down still needs him."
"Yes, sir!"
"Also, regarding the Level 6 prisoners who escaped... issue new bounties immediately. Men from the sixth floor are monsters; if even one slips into a small nation, the chaos they cause will be unimaginable."
Though he bore the ultimate responsibility for the war's outcome, Sengoku knew he had to remain calm. He looked at Aokiji and sighed internally. He was getting old; it was time to leave the future to the younger generation.
"Um... about that..." the officer stammered, his face pale.
Sengoku's brow furrowed. "Now what?"
"Regarding the events at Impel Down... the World Government has ordered us to keep the prison break a secret from the public."
"WHAT!?" Sengoku stood up abruptly, his face a mask of disbelief. "Are you kidding me!?"
Even Aokiji's eyes reflected a rare flicker of shock, though he quickly returned to his usual stoic demeanor.
The same scene was playing out across the four great seas.
"What!! The Navy was defeated? How is that possible!" An old man clutched a newspaper he had just bought from a news coo, his hands trembling. "No... it can't be... it's impossible..."
"How could the Navy lose... this makes no sense..."
In another city, a woman shrieked in terror as she saw the image of Whitebeard on the front page—standing alone and dominant against the gathered might of the Marines.
"The world is ending..."
As the newspapers flooded every corner of the globe, the results of the war became common knowledge. Unsurprisingly, panic began to take root in the hearts of ordinary people. The Marine Headquarters, the strongest military force of the World Government, had been beaten by the Whitebeard Pirates!
And that was just one pirate crew! There were four such "Emperors" in the world!
Can the World Government still protect us? Countless people asked themselves this question, and the answer they found was a terrifying 'no.'
Of course, this was the view of the common folk. Experts saw the nuances. While the Navy had technically "lost" because the target escaped, that wasn't the real story. The Whitebeard Pirates had come for a rescue, achieved it, and left. It was natural that the Navy struggled against the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's absolute dominance at sea.
Furthermore, the war had revealed things far more significant than a tactical defeat. Fire Fist Ace actually had three brothers! And every one of them was a young powerhouse of incredible caliber.
The legendary "problem rookie," Straw Hat Luffy, was the son of the world's worst criminal, Monkey D. Dragon of the Revolutionaries. Fire Fist Ace was the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
What kind of upheaval would these four young men cause as they moved through the world together? No one could say for sure.
The only certainty was that the peace of the world was over.
On a small island far from Marineford, relatively close to the Sabaody Archipelago...
"You... who are you people!?"
A muscular man, blood dripping from his mouth, looked at the figures before him with pure terror. Around him lay a field of corpses. Men, women, even the elderly and children—judging by the small number, it looked like a single family had been wiped out.
"Zehahahahaha... it seems Heaven is still on my side after all... Hahaha!"
The man standing before the survivor was Blackbeard, who had recently fled from Marineford.
"My name is Blackbeard... the man who will own this entire world... Zehahahahaha!"
Hearing Blackbeard's arrogant laughter, the man's eyes turned blood-red. Those fallen around him were his family. He couldn't take it anymore. With a roar of grief, he lunged at Blackbeard with everything he had.
"Diamond Arm!"