"Quick! Faster! I want every single line connected to me immediately! Crank the signal output to its absolute maximum!"
Deep within the bustling headquarters of the World Economic Journal, the "Big News" Morgans was in the midst of a frantic meltdown. He roared wildly at his subordinates, his bird-like face flushed with an intensity that bordered on madness. His feathers stood straight up, trembling with pure, unadulterated agitation. In front of him, a massive projection screen dominated the room, broadcasting the chaotic and legendary battle unfolding on Onigashima in real-time.
The footage was staggering. It captured the descent of a colossal, black warship—a vessel so gigantic it looked like a myth come to life—and the world-shattering clash of Conqueror's Haki between Aaron Kyle and the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido. Following that display of raw power, the screen showed legendary figures jumping off the ship's deck like falling dumplings, each one immediately engaging the Beasts Pirates' Lead Performers and executives in fierce one-on-one combat. Every frame made Morgans shake with excitement, his mind flooded with inspiration that felt like a volcanic eruption.
"My god... oh my god!" Morgans muttered, his voice cracking as he stared at the screen with wide, unblinking eyes. "This is it! This is the big news that will make the entire world tremble in its boots!"
What was he witnessing? The legendary man himself—the taboo of the sea, the "Wave Guiding King" Aaron Kyle—was no longer acting alone. He had finally stepped out of the shadows, bringing with him a crew that officially announced his dominance to the world.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman, 'Hawkeye' Dracule Mihawk!" Morgans shouted, checking off the names like a madman. "The 'Sand Crocodile,' Sir Crocodile! The 'Heavenly Yaksha,' Donquixote Doflamingo! 'Moonlight' Gekko Moriah! The 'Golden Emperor,' Gild Tesoro! And even the 'God' of Skypiea, Eneru!"
With every name Morgans uttered, his heart hammered against his ribs. "He's lost it! Aaron Kyle is absolutely out of his mind! What kind of pirate crew is this supposed to be? This isn't just a crew; this is an alliance of Kings!"
Unable to contain himself any longer, he snatched a Den Den Mushi from a nearby desk and began screaming orders to his branches across the globe. "Listen to me! I want this footage broadcast indiscriminately to every corner of the world right now! No deletions! No censorship! I want every living soul on this great sea to witness this historic moment with their own eyes!"
"But President!" one of his subordinates stammered, his hands shaking as he held a stack of papers. "If we do this, we'll offend both the World Government and the Beasts Pirates! They'll come for us!"
"Offend them?!" Morgans let out a high-pitched, manic laugh. "That is exactly what I'm hoping for! For news this big, I'd gladly trade my life! Now, give me a headline! The headline will be—'Wave Guiding King Descends on Wano Country! World Tree Pirates Declare All-Out War on Kaido of the Beasts!'"
He paused, then shook his head violently. "No, no, no! That isn't explosive enough! Change it! It should read—'A New Emperor Ascends! The Legendary Pirate Aaron Kyle Leads a Monster Army to Dominate the Seas!' Zoom in the camera! Focus on those faces! My goodness, look at that monster lineup!"
Following Morgans' frantic command, the public broadcast Den Den Mushi across the world flickered. Boring advertisements and mundane news reports were instantly cut off, replaced by the grim reality of Wano.
On a certain island in the Grand Line, a local tavern was filled with the usual rowdy crowd of pirates drinking themselves into a stupor. Suddenly, the image on the wall-mounted Den Den Mushi screen changed. It revealed the colossal black warship blotting out the sky above Onigashima.
"Hey, look at that. Is this a promo for some new play? Those props look pretty realistic," a rookie pirate laughed, leaning back in his chair.
However, the old pirate sitting next to him didn't laugh. He crushed his wine glass in his hand, his eyes fixed on the man standing at the ship's bow. "No... that isn't some special effect," the veteran whispered, his voice trembling with fear. "That's the 'Wave Guiding King.' That's Aaron Kyle! That legendary man... he actually did it. He formed a crew."
When the screen showed the moment Aaron Kyle and Kaido's Conqueror's Haki clashed, splitting the very clouds above them, the entire tavern fell into a deathly silence. Not a single person moved. Mouths hung open, and wine glasses slipped from numb fingers, shattering loudly on the wooden floor.
At the Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the atmosphere was just as tense. In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku was rubbing his temples, dealing with a mountain of paperwork. Suddenly, an intelligence officer burst through the door, looking pale and panicked.
"Fleet Admiral! This is terrible news! Please, you have to look at this!"
The giant monitor Den Den Mushi on the wall flickered to life. The Marine promotional video was gone, replaced by the gloomy, lightning-scarred battlefield of Onigashima. When Sengoku saw the row of terrifying figures standing behind Aaron Kyle, his face went pale.
"That bastard... he actually gathered all those monsters under one banner," Sengoku muttered. The rice cracker in his hand fell to the floor and shattered. His eyes were wide with a horror he hadn't felt in decades. The last time he had seen a lineup of such overwhelming power, the world had nearly ended. The floodgates of his memory burst open, and a name that made the World Government shake with fear surfaced in his mind. "Rocks D. Xebec!"
In the nearby conference room, the three Marine Admirals watched the same broadcast. Borsalino, better known as Kizaru, was casually crossing his legs and filing his nails while humming a lazy tune. When the screen switched, he stopped mid-stroke. He pushed his sunglasses up his nose, and for the first time, a genuine look of surprise touched his lazy features.
"Oh my... how scary," Kizaru drawled. "A lineup like that is practically enough to destroy the world."
Sakazuki, or Akainu, didn't share the humor. He clenched his fists so hard that smoke began to rise from his skin, his arms turning into bubbling magma. He stared at Aaron Kyle with a hatred that felt like it could melt the screen. Beside him, Aokiji Kuzan stood with his arms crossed, his expression uncharacteristically grave. "Well," Aokiji sighed, "it looks like things have officially spiraled out of control."
High above the sea in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Room of Authority was thick with a suffocating tension. The four highest authorities of the World Government sat in silence, watching the live broadcast. The man who had once caused a massacre in their very halls and killed one of their own was now stirring up the world again.
"Aaron Kyle..." Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro spoke, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. "He is far more dangerous than we previously estimated."
"He must be eliminated. No matter the cost!" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn hissed. His eyes gleamed with a malicious light. His regenerated leg felt a phantom itch, a reminder of the humiliation he could never wash away.
"The world's attention is currently fixed on Wano," Saint Topman Warcury noted calmly. "We cannot afford to act rashly while everyone is watching."
"Let them fight," Saint Marcus Mars added coldly. "Aaron Kyle and Kaido are both blights upon this world. If they injure each other, it serves our interests perfectly. Order CP0 to monitor the situation closely. In the meantime, have the Marine fleet gather near Wano's borders. We must be ready to intervene the moment a winner is decided."
Meanwhile, at the Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Monkey D. Dragon stood before a massive world map, his eyes locked on the projected footage.
"Eeeh! That Aaron Kyle boy is totally reckless!" Emporio Ivankov cried out from the side, his massive head shaking in disbelief. "He went straight for a war with Kaido!"
A light laugh rang out from the shoulders of the giant Kuma. The pink-haired Jewelry Bonney was busy stuffing a slice of pizza into her mouth. She patted Kuma's head and asked, "Hey, Dad, do you think you could beat a guy like that?" Kuma merely offered a polite, silent smile, choosing not to answer the difficult question.
"That's just who he is," Dragon said, his voice low and steady. "From the moment he defied the heavens at Mary Geoise, I knew this world would eventually be turned upside down because of him."
In a remote stretch of the New World, aboard the Red Force, a banquet was in full swing. The air was thick with the smell of roasted meat and expensive rum. Shanks tilted his head back, draining a bottle of sake, about to joke with Lucky Roux when the Den Den Mushi in the cabin flickered.
The music and shouting stopped instantly. "Hey! Who's messing with the news?!" a drunken pirate yelled. But he fell silent as he saw the black warship on the screen.
"Captain..." Yasopp whispered, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Is that Mr. Aaron Kyle?"
Shanks set his bottle down. The noise of the party seemed to vanish, replaced by a heavy silence. He looked at the man on the screen, his drunken haze disappearing. A complex smile spread across his face, and he took another slow sip of sake.
"He actually made it this far," Shanks murmured. He scratched his red hair, looking at his first mate, Benn Beckman. "Hey, Benn, if we run into my brother Aaron at sea, should we fight him first, or just hand over all our sake and hope for mercy?"
The crew burst into laughter, the tension breaking instantly. But Benn Beckman didn't laugh. He pulled a cigarette from his pack and lit it, exhaling a long cloud of smoke as he stared at the monsters standing behind Aaron Kyle.
"The 'Yggdrasil' Pirates..." Beckman muttered. "The World Tree... that's an incredibly arrogant name. But looking at the monsters he's gathered... I suppose he's earned the right to use it."
On that day, from the smallest villages in the East Blue to the highest peaks of Mary Geoise, one name echoed across the ocean: Yggdrasil. The World Tree Pirates had arrived, and the sea would never be the same.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion
