In a remote sea of the latter half of the New World, a massive whale-shaped warship drifted across the waves.
At dawn, the cooks of the fourth division had begun preparing breakfast. Yet ever since the death of their head chef, Thatch, the atmosphere aboard the ship had grown heavy and stifling.
Second division commander, Fire Fist Ace, had gone alone to hunt down the traitor, Blackbeard Teach. The men of the second and fourth divisions, weighed down with grief, grew even more somber.
Whitebeard saw this, and the pain pierced his heart.
It was that bastard Teach who had destroyed the harmony the crew had maintained for so many years.
Since that day, Whitebeard's health had only worsened. His body now relied on constant oxygen and IV drips, even through the night.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Marco the Phoenix burst into Whitebeard's vast chambers, clutching a Den Den Mushi in his hands.
"Father! We've got news about Ace!!" Marco shouted, his face dark with worry. Though he hated to bring ill tidings to their ailing captain, the truth was unavoidable: the Souta Kiryuu Pirates were not enemies he could handle alone.
Even if he himself went all out—joined by more than ten division commanders—they still might not be able to overcome Souta's ever-growing might. Worse still, Souta's crew seemed to be closely allied with both the Revolutionary Army and the Beasts Pirates.
This matter could only be faced by Whitebeard himself.
"Speak…" Whitebeard's gravelly voice cut through the tense air. Seeing Marco's expression, he already knew it was bad news. Yet after weathering countless storms, his spirit remained calm.
"Both Teach and Ace… have fallen into Souta Kiryuu's hands. He says he wants to speak with you directly."
Marco handed over the Den Den Mushi with a solemn expression, then stepped aside in silence.
"Leave us. Clear the others out as well," Whitebeard commanded slowly. If Souta wanted to speak with him alone, he would grant it. He wanted to see just what kind of game this upstart was playing.
"Father…" Marco hesitated, worry etched across his face. But one stern glance from Whitebeard silenced him. Reluctantly, he withdrew and drove the other commanders and crew away from the quarters.
"Speak, brat! You dare lay a hand on my son—are you prepared for war?!"
As soon as Marco left, Whitebeard's killing intent surged, his voice booming into the Den Den Mushi. Did Souta think he was too old, too weak to lift his blade? To dare threaten him by seizing his son?
"Ehhahaha! I touched your son precisely because I want war!" Souta's mocking laugh came through. "But not with you. I'm inviting you to join me in a war on the scale of God Valley."
"For your foster son—Roger's boy—I want you to follow the eternal log pose to the target sea. Don't worry. Ace is eating and drinking well under my care. That eternal log pose will soon be delivered to your ship by a news bird."
Souta brushed off the old emperor's threats with ease. Compared to Kaido, Whitebeard was even easier to manipulate. Every one of his sons was his weakness.
"Who are you targeting?" Whitebeard's brow furrowed. The fact that Ace's true identity had been exposed meant he was in even greater danger. Could Souta be luring them into an ambush alongside Kaido?
"A critical World Government stronghold in the New World," Souta chuckled darkly. "There are treasures worth seizing there. But if you refuse me, I'll hand Fire Fist Ace over to the Government."
"You dare threaten me?!"
Whitebeard's tone turned ice-cold. A flicker of his Conqueror's Haki seeped into the air, rattling even the division commanders waiting anxiously outside his chambers.
"You don't have to come. But if you do, keep it discreet. Don't waste time calling in your allied fleets. After all, you've got plenty of Government spies aboard already." Souta's voice was sharp, mocking. "If my plan fails, Fire Fist Ace will be sacrificed on the spot."
What he wanted was simple: Whitebeard himself, and his core division commanders. The rest were nothing more than extras on the battlefield. When so many kings and Conqueror's Haki users clashed, no number of underlings would matter.
"I'll help you storm this Government stronghold. In return, you release Ace," Whitebeard growled after a long silence. Souta was forcing him to play the role of pawn. But for Ace, he had no choice but to bear the humiliation.
Yet once his son was freed, he swore Souta Kiryuu would pay the price.
"Of course! To 'invite' the world's strongest man, I've even done you the favor of capturing that traitor Blackbeard—and Ace has been well looked after these past few days."
Souta's laughter rang loud, his taunts deepening the blackness on Whitebeard's face.
Then Souta pressed Ace to shout into the receiver.
"Father, don't fall for his—" Ace's voice was cut off abruptly, his mouth silenced.
"Wait patiently for the eternal log pose to arrive. In a few days, we'll march to war together."
Souta's cruel laughter ended the call.
Whitebeard's massive arm trembled with fury, veins bulging like ropes.
"Souta Kiryuu!!"
His growl was low, but brimming with killing intent. The brat had crossed the line. He had dared lay hands on his son. Once Ace was rescued, Whitebeard vowed to smash Souta's crew to pieces.
Stepping from his chambers, Whitebeard's sons looked at him with worried eyes. Their father looked exhausted, but his spirit burned hotter than ever.
"Gurararara! What are you staring at? Hurry and get breakfast ready!"
He forced a booming laugh, masking his rage. Until the eternal log pose arrived, there was nothing more he could do. For Ace's safety, once it was in their hands, they would have to evade Marine surveillance and sail swiftly for the destination.
Like the Celestial Dragons, he too would move under the cover of night.
Elsewhere, Souta Kiryuu's mood soared. With Whitebeard settled, his plans had taken another step forward. Eternal log poses had already been dispatched to Totto Land and to the Moby Dick, carried by special news birds that could deliver them in a single day.
By the time Whitebeard and Big Mom set out for the target island, the timing would align perfectly.
Even if the Celestial Dragons had already begun their extermination tournament and slaughtered some of the "hares," there was nothing Souta could do. Coordinating the movements of so many powers took time. Arriving too early risked exposure—and could scare off the Celestial Dragons before the trap was sprung.
Back at God Valley, the massacre had lasted over a week before Ginny's brilliance in transmitting intelligence by Den Den Mushi had drawn both the Rocks Pirates and Roger's crew to the island.
Now, if Souta could bring three Emperors, the Golden Lion Shiki, and the Revolutionary Army together within a day or two of the tournament's start, it would already be a monumental success.
"All that's left is the east wind!" Souta roared with laughter, intoxicated by the grand strategy he had woven. His domineering spirit swelled higher, as though he held the world itself in the palm of his hand.
In that moment, his Conqueror's Haki surged to new heights.
With Robin and Dragon keeping communications steady through the Den Den Mushi, Souta's Ark Maxim rendezvoused with the Revolutionary Army's five-man strike force in a remote sea of the New World. Together, they set sail toward the target island.
The stage was set. The pieces were moving. A world-shaking war was about to begin.