The morning sun rose over a world forever changed. In every port town, on every ship's deck, in every noble's manor and pirate's hideaway, the same headline screamed from the front pages of the World Economic Journal. The newsprint was still fresh, the ink smelling of disaster and deceit.
REVOLUTIONARY ARMY'S REIGN OF TERROR! GERRMA 66 ANNIHILATED, KINGDOM LIES IN RUINS!
Beneath the bold, black letters, a grainy artist's rendering depicted the proud, technological spires of the Germa Kingdom engulfed in flames. Smaller images showed the Vinsmoke family, their faces crossed out in a stark, brutal red. And dominating the center of the page, a new, freshly printed bounty poster sent shockwaves across the globe.
WANTED
MONKEY D. DRAGON
DEAD OR ALIVE
3,508,219,743 Berries
The number was astronomical, a figure that dwarfed even the bounties of the Yonko. It was a declaration. A price tag on revolution itself.
The New World, Onboard the Moby Dick
The deck of the great white ship was unusually quiet. The boisterous laughter and clinking of sake cups that usually marked the morning were absent. Instead, the Whitebeard Pirates stood in clusters, their faces grim as they passed around a single copy of the newspaper.
Whitebeard himself, Edward Newgate, sat in his customary throne-like chair on the main deck. A young crew member nervously approached, holding the paper out to him. "Pops... you need to see this."
Newgate took the newspaper, his massive hands making the broadsheet seem small. His eyes, usually filled with a fatherly warmth, narrowed as he scanned the headline. A low, guttural growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through the very planks of the ship.
"Dragon..." he rumbled, the name heavy on his tongue. "To attack Germa directly... This is not his way."
Marco the Phoenix, his first division commander, landed softly beside him, his expression troubled. "It doesn't make sense, Pops. Dragon's always been about the long game, about turning people against the World Government. Slaughtering a kingdom, even one as rotten as Germa... it only makes him a villain in the eyes of the public."
"Exactly," Whitebeard grumbled, his grip tightening on the paper until it began to tear. "This stinks of a setup. The World Government needed a monster, and they've just built one out of thin air." He looked up, his gaze sweeping across his crew, his family. "They're using this to justify a war. A war to crush anyone who dares stand against them. Mark my words, this is just the beginning."
Totto Land, Whole Cake Chateau
The air in Totto Land was thick with the scent of sugar and fury. In her opulent throne room, Charlotte Linlin, the Emperor Big Mom, sat surrounded by her terrified children. She held the newspaper in one hand, a chunk of the table in her other, which she took a large bite out of, splintering the wood.
"GERMA?!" she shrieked, her voice echoing like a banshee's wail. "MY GERMA?!"
Her body quivered with a mix of rage and grief. "I was going to marry one of my child into that family! I was going to get their technology, their armies! They were going to be MINE! And that scaly faced Dragon just burned it all down?!"
Her oldest son, Perospero, stepped forward cautiously. "Mother, please, calm down. This is actually a perfect opportunity. With Germa gone, their scientific advancements are up for grabs. We can send our forces to the North Blue, claim the ruins, and salvage whatever technology remains. We can turn this tragedy into our triumph!"
Big Mom stopped chewing, her eyes wide. A slow, greedy smile spread across her face, replacing the rage. "MAMA...MAMA...You're right, Perospero! You're so smart! If Dragon wants to destroy my toys, I'll just go pick up the pieces! Get the ships ready! You are going to the North Blue! Go Find everything you can, Everything in those ruins now belongs to Big Mom!"
Wano Country, Onigashima
High on the volcanic island of Onigashima, Kaido the King of the Beasts sat alone in the skull-shaped dome, surrounded by empty sake barrels. He let out a thunderous, drunken laugh that shook the very foundations of his fortress. One of his subordinates had thrown the newspaper at his feet, and he stared at it with bleary, amused eyes.
"WOROOOROORO! LOOK AT THAT!" he roared, pointing a massive finger at Dragon's new bounty. "FOUR BILLION! ALMOST FOUR BILLION BERRIES! WHAT A JOKE!"
He slammed his fist on the floor, creating a crater. "The Revolutionary Army? Destroying Germa? Don't make me laugh! Dragon is a cockroach who hides in the shadows, whispering poison in people's ears. He doesn't have the guts for a real fight! This is the World Government's doing! They got scared of their own shadow, so they lit a fire and blamed someone else!"
He took a huge swig from a fresh barrel. "But this bounty... this is interesting! They want him so bad, they will pay a king's ransom! Maybe I should go find this 'terrorist' myself! Bring his head to Marie Geois! What a glorious chaos that would cause! BAHAHAHA! A fine party, indeed!"
Somewhere in the Grand Line, Red Force
On the deck of the Red-Haired Shanks' ship, the atmosphere was somber. Shanks sat quietly, his good eye fixed on the newspaper in his hands. Benn Beckman stood beside him, smoking his cigarette, a deep frown etched on his face.
"This is bad," Beckman said, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Really bad. They're painting a target on Dragon's back so big, every bounty hunter in the world will be gunning for him."
Shanks said nothing for a long moment, his gaze distant. Finally, he sighed, a sound heavy with sorrow. "They're twisting the narrative, Benn. Turning a fight for freedom into an act of terror. This will divide people. It will make them afraid."
He folded the newspaper gently. "The World Government is afraid. They're afraid of Dragon, and they're afraid of the truth. So they're creating a lie so monstrous, no one will dare question it." He looked out at the horizon, his expression grim. "This war they want... it's coming. And it will be bigger than anything we have ever seen."
Baltigo, Revolutionary Army Headquarters
The mood in the command center of the Revolutionary Army was not one of triumph, but of cold, focused fury. The newspaper lay spread across a large central table, Dragon's bounty poster staring up at them like an accusation.
Dragon himself stood at the head of the table, his face an impassive mask, but his eyes burned with a cold fire. His commanders were assembled: Sabo, the Chief of Staff, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white; Koala, her face pale with shock and anger; and Hack, whose fishman features were contorted in disbelief.
"This is a declaration of war," Sabo snarled, slamming his fist on the table. "Not just on us, but on the very idea of revolution. They're calling us terrorists to justify hunting us like animals."
"Who could have done this?" Koala asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Germa was powerful. To wipe them out completely... and frame us for it? The resources required..."
"It's not the Marines," Hack stated firmly. "Sengoku is a dog of the World Government, but he's not a fool. He wouldn't authorize something this blatantly deceptive. This comes from higher up. Much higher."
Dragon finally spoke, his voice low and resonant, cutting through the tension in the room. "It doesn't matter who pulled the trigger. What matters is who benefits." He gestured to the newspaper. "The World Government has its scapegoat. They have unified the terrified kingdoms under their banner of 'justice'. They have the pretext they need to expand their military control indefinitely."
He looked at his commanders, his gaze intense. "They have handed us the mantle of the villain, expecting us to either be destroyed by it or to become it in truth. We will do neither."
He picked up the bounty poster, staring at his own face. "They want a monster? They want a terrorist? We will give them something far more terrifying. We will give them the truth. This lie has woken a sleeping giant. From this day forward, we do not hide in the shadows. We fight. We expose. We show the world who the real enemy is. Let them come. Let them see what happens when they poke the revolutionary army."