"Boom!"
A massive explosion rocked the giant island, sending plumes of thick, black smoke billowing into the sky. Within minutes, the entire town was swallowed by a roaring sea of fire. At the edge of the destruction stood Edward Weevil—the man who called himself Whitebeard Jr. He spun his massive naginata with terrifying speed, the sheer physical power of his movements whipping up a localized hurricane that sent members of the Whitebeard Pirates flying like autumn leaves.
His eyes, dull and vacant, settled on Squard, the Captain of the Whirlpool Spider Pirates, who stood gasping for breath in his path.
"Those who harm Father are unforgivable!" Weevil bellowed. He raised his heavy blade high and brought it crashing down toward the pirate captain.
The sound of metal clashing echoed across the shore. Squard felt a violent sting in his hands as the impact rattled his very bones. His muscles trembled under the weight of the blow, and he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Despite the overwhelming power, Squard managed to roar back, "You are not the Old Man's son! Only those who sail under the Whitebeard flag are his true sons!"
"Mama, Mama! This guy says I'm not Whitebeard's son!" Weevil's gaze drifted toward a short, elderly woman standing nearby. She was draped in gold and silver jewelry and wore thick, garish makeup.
Miss Bakkin smiled cruelly. "How could that be, son? The Whitebeard Pirates are just playing house. You are his true flesh and blood, the one who inherited the bloodline of the strongest man in the world. I am the woman he loved most! You must be brave, my son, and take revenge on everyone who hurt your father!"
"I understand, Mama!"
At that moment, Squard felt the atmosphere shift. The monster before him began to radiate a dark, murderous aura that felt like it had been pulled from the depths of hell.
"I'm going to beat you to death!" Weevil screamed. His naginata, now coated in a dense, dark layer of Armament Haki, slashed downward.
Squard could no longer withstand the pressure. His sword snapped in two, and the naginata carved through his defenses, leaving a deep, bloody wound across his chest. Squard, a veteran pirate with a bounty of 210,000,000 Berries, collapsed into the dirt. He had failed to survive even two serious moves from the man claiming to be Whitebeard's heir.
Five minutes later, the island was nothing but ruins. The Whirlpool Spider Pirates had been completely wiped out.
"Mama, Mama, where do we go next?"
"We find the rest of the Whitebeard remnants," she replied greedily. "Only by eliminating them can you truly take your place as his son."
"I understand, Mama. Let's go! I'll beat them one by one."
"Ah! Don't forget to bring that captain along," she added, pointing at Squard's broken body. "You're a Warlord now, and since he was a member of Whitebeard's crew, he'll fetch a massive bounty from the Marines!"
Under the orange glow of the setting sun, Weevil dragged the barely-conscious Squard away, following his mother toward the next territory.
Meanwhile, on Karai Bali Island in the New World, a very different kind of Warlord was holding court.
Inside a brightly colored circus tent, Mr. 3 stared at Buggy the Clown with a look of utter confusion. "What is wrong with you, Buggy? We talked about this! We were supposed to go back to the East Blue, or at least stay in the first half of the Grand Line. Where did you find the nerve to come to the New World and accept an invitation to become a Warlord?"
The room was private, occupied only by the core members of the crew: Alvida, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3. Since Mr. 2 had escaped the chaos of the war alongside the others, he had chosen to stay with this strange group rather than head to the Okama Kingdom. They knew Buggy was not the legendary powerhouse the world thought he was, which made his new title even more baffling.
Buggy sat on his throne, looking unusually thoughtful. "I did want to run away at first," he admitted. "But after I saw that invitation from the Marines, I changed my mind. Don't you see? This is a huge opportunity!"
"An opportunity for what?" Mr. 3 asked.
"With this title, we can go anywhere we want! Other pirates won't dare to pick a fight with a Warlord, and the Marines have to leave us alone," Buggy explained, his eyes gleaming with greed.
The crew stayed silent for a moment as the realization sank in. Being a Warlord did have a lot of perks.
"But what if some big-shot pirates come looking for trouble?" Mr. 3 countered. "This is the New World, the territory of the Emperors!"
"That's why I have you and Mr. 2! Besides, we're 'legitimate' now. We can start a business just like Doflamingo did. Once the money starts rolling in, we can hire strong subordinates to do the fighting for us."
Mr. 3 tried to argue, but Buggy cut him off. "Do you really want to go back to being a common criminal? We're all escaped prisoners from Impel Down. The Marines know who we are. If we don't join them, they'll hunt us down until we're back in a cell!"
Mr. 3 finally nodded. It was true; the Marines wouldn't stop until they were captured again unless they had this protection. He looked at Buggy with newfound respect. "Since when did you get so smart?"
Buggy burst into a loud, high-pitched laugh, clearly proud of his plan.
Alvida smiled, leaning against her iron club. "It's a solid plan. People already think you were a core member of the Pirate King's crew and a sworn brother to the Yonko, Red-Haired Shanks. That reputation alone will bring in plenty of strong fighters and scare off the weak ones."
"Mr. 2, what do you think?" Mr. 3 asked.
"As long as I can keep practicing the Way of the Okama, I don't care what we do!" Mr. 2 twirled happily.
Buggy clapped his hands together. "Good! Now for the most important part. To hire the best mercenaries, we need money. Where are we going to get the cash to start this business?"
The room went quiet as they all thought. Finally, Mr. 3 spoke up. "The only person we know with that kind of money is... our former Boss."
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On a prehistoric island near the borders of Wano Country, a diverse group of warriors had gathered. Among them were the young General O-Tama, high-ranking officers of the Tobi Roppo, several Captains from the Beasts Pirates, and the priests who had followed Enel from the sky.
High above them, a massive shadow blotted out the sun. Kaido, in his terrifying azure dragon form, circled the island, his glowing eyes fixed on the people below.
"Starting today, I will personally train you," Kaido's voice boomed like thunder. "I will teach you everything there is to know about Haki. There is no faster way to learn than through the heat of battle. I won't kill you—but I will make sure you feel the full, overwhelming power of Haki until you can use it yourselves!"
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