The headlines of the World Economy News Paper screamed from every street corner and pirate cove, accompanied by a picture of a massive shadow falling from the sky.
"THE END OF AN ERA! LEGENDARY PIRATE SHIKI THE GOLDEN LION PLUMMETS TO HIS WATERY GRAVE!"
"NO TIME TO REST! AFTER DEFYING THE WORLD GOVERNMENT AT WATER 7, THE BLACK STAR PIRATES STRIKE AGAIN!"
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku crumpled the newspaper in his fist, his knuckles white. "Morgans, that bastard!" he seethed. "He always finds a way to make us look like fools..."
"Gahahaha, calm down, Sengoku!" Garp roared with laughter, slapping his thigh so hard it echoed in the office. "This is a good thing! The World Government wanted to spin this as Gion's victory, but you know she'd never agree to a lie like that." He punctuated his speech by grabbing a nearby teacup and loudly gulping down the entire contents.
Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru exchanged a weary glance. The man had a point, even if his delivery was infuriating.
Aboard the Moby Dick, the mood was far more celebratory.
"Everyone, get a load of this! Ace and his friends have been busy!" Marco the Phoenix's exclamation cut through the usual boisterous atmosphere of the main deck.
Several division commanders, just returned from their own duties, ambled over curiously. Marco held up the paper, a look of genuine surprise on his face. "They… they defeated the Golden Lion Shiki!"
Whitebeard, seated in his massive chair, took a long pull from his gourd of sake. He glanced at the front page, then looked up at the endless sky, a deep sigh rumbling in his chest. "Gurararara... So, that fool Shiki has finally left the stage as well? The tides of this era... they never stop surging."
On another island in the New World, where the Red Force was quietly docked, a one-armed man with brilliant red hair stared at the same newspaper, a thoughtful frown on his face.
A chorus of laughter rose from his crewmates. "Hahaha, don't look so old, Captain! We're all still young here!"
"That's right! If we're not old yet, then we'd better get the party started before we are!" one of his officers yelled, waving the paper as he rallied the crew.
"OHHH!" The suggestion was met with universal approval. For the Red Hair Pirates, a banquet was the answer to everything, even if they had just woken up from one that morning.
As the crew bustled about, Shanks held the paper, his eyes lingering on Ace's name.
"What is it?" Benn Beckman asked, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
"It's nothing," Shanks said, shaking his head as if to clear it of old memories. "Shiki... What happened back then... it's all in the past now." He tossed the newspaper into the air, letting the sea breeze carry it away. "Let's go!"
Beckman gave him a sideways glance. "What? You just litter now because you don't have to clean it up?"
"Huh?" Shanks paused, scratching his head as he watched the pages scatter. "I... I just thought it looked more youthful and cool, you know?"
Back on the Grand Line, the peaceful blue sky was suddenly torn apart. With a sound like a thunderclap followed by a colossal SPLASH, a pirate ship fell out of the sky and crashed into the ocean, sending a tsunami-sized wave radiating outwards.
Cheers and curses erupted from the deck, shattering the tranquility of the sea.
As the ship bobbed to a stop, a trembling Carina stood up from her reinforced seat, holding a dizzy Kotatsu in her arms. She pointed a shaking finger at Jerry, who was high-fiving an ecstatic Carrot and a grinning Ace.
"Hey! You idiot fisherman!" she shrieked. "You can obviously control the descent! Why do you have to make it a high-speed nosedive every single time!?"
"Ahahaha! It's a free roller coaster and bungee jump all in one! Isn't it exciting?" Jerry laughed, gesturing to Brook, who was massaging his spine, and Deuce, who was slowly prying his white-knuckled fingers off his chair. "See? Everyone loves it!"
"Yes, yes, Sister Carina, it was so much fun!" Carrot chirped, jumping up and down in agreement. Ace nodded enthusiastically beside her.
Carina pointed a trembling finger at Deuce. "Do they look like they're having fun?"
Amidst the groaning crew, only Cavendish remained perfectly composed, calmly adjusting his ruffled collar as if he hadn't just fallen ten thousand meters.
Jerry just blinked and gave himself a thumbs-up. "It's fine! The truth is often only understood by a select few! We are the enlightened ones!"
After the crew finally recovered from their re-entry, Jerry gathered everyone. "Alright," he announced, holding up a small, plain wooden box. "Time for an important announcement. This will decide our next steps."
"Ooh! Are we finally dividing up all that gold?" Carina's eyes instantly began to sparkle.
During their stay in Skypiea, the Shandians and Skypieans, who considered gold little more than a useful building material, had told them to take whatever they wanted, save for the Golden Belfry itself. The Black Star Pirates had returned with a truly staggering haul, enough to nearly fill Jerry's system storage space to its absolute limit.
Jerry waved a dismissive hand. "Hey, don't worry about the gold! What's yours is yours!" He sighed dramatically, looking up at the sky. "Honestly, after acquiring so much wealth, I've realized my old days of fishing for a living were far more fulfilling. It turns out... I have no interest in money at all."
"Boss Jerry," Skull said, his skeletal head tilted. "Are you... quite sure you could make a living by fishing?"
Carina's eyes went wide. "Then give me your share!" she shouted excitedly. "I don't find it burdensome at all! Having gold makes me very happy!"
"Hehe, don't take an old man's words so seriously," Jerry chuckled, rubbing his temple. "What I want to talk about isn't the gold. It's this."
He casually tossed the small box in his hand and then slowly opened the lid.
The crew leaned in, and a collective gasp filled the air. Even Cavendish, the man who had been utterly unimpressed by a literal mountain of gold, couldn't stop his eyes from bulging.
Nestled inside the cheap box was a pear-shaped Devil Fruit. Its skin was a brilliant, shimmering gold, covered in the signature swirl patterns and a series of irregular, sharp-looking thorns. Most striking of all, the stem was shaped like a perfect bolt of lightning.
"Hehe," Jerry said, a triumphant grin on his face as he picked up the fruit. "I found this after the battle. If I'm not mistaken... this is Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"WHAT!?" the crew screamed in unison. They had all witnessed its terrifying power firsthand. A power that, if not for Ace's own formidable abilities, would have annihilated them all in an instant.