Reactions to Raleigh's pirate massacre varied across the world.
However, everyone unanimously listed Raleigh as a dangerous figure.
On a small island in the Grand Line, a golden-red pirate ship was docked by the shore.
On the beach, Roger and his crew were eating meat and drinking.
Suddenly, Roger's Observation Haki seemed to detect something, and he looked up at the sky.
Whoosh!
Roger picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the sky.
Caw...
A News Coo wearing a newspaper boy's hat fell onto the island.
Seeing their captain's mischievous antics, First Mate Rayleigh facepalmed.
"Roger, it's not like we can't afford to pay."
Roger cheerfully approached the News Coo, took the newspaper from its bag, and proudly showed it off to Rayleigh.
Then, he opened the newspaper and started reading.
His expression grew increasingly strange, as if he'd discovered something unbelievable.
With a complicated look on his face, he said, "Rayleigh, remember that young Navy guy we encountered during our fight with the Golden Lion? The Devil Fruit user who could control wind."
Rayleigh nodded.
There had only been a few people present at the time, so he remembered him clearly.
"Didn't he defeat the Golden Lion?" Rayleigh asked curiously.
Roger handed the newspaper to his first mate and said, "This guy has already declared war on all the pirates in the world. He's so arrogant and so domineering! We should have eliminated him back then. Who knew he'd grow this fast? I thought he was just lazy."
Roger wore a betrayed expression.
Rayleigh's face was equally complex, as if he had something to say but hesitated.
Truthfully, he couldn't comprehend why Raleigh's strength had improved so rapidly—and it wasn't just Raleigh.
It seemed everyone around him was growing stronger at an alarming rate.
As the strategist of the Roger Pirates, Dark King Rayleigh held the authority to exchange intelligence with external sources.
After their battle with the Golden Lion, they had been forced to fight the pirates again.
Since then, both Roger and Rayleigh had developed a keen interest in Raleigh, who had performed most remarkably.
They had spent a fortune collecting all available information about the Marine.
But when the documents lay before them, they could hardly believe their eyes.
No one would believe a Navy officer who spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun could progress so quickly.
Had they not fought Raleigh personally, both Roger and Rayleigh might have dismissed him as a gilded, useless rich kid.
"This guy seems to be hiding some major secret!"
However, Roger and Rayleigh had more pressing matters at the time.
Moreover, Raleigh hadn't shown such extermination-driven intentions toward pirates back then. Perhaps his strength simply hadn't been sufficient.
But this recent attack on Zephyr's family made Rayleigh sense something unusual.
It was likely that the seas would once again be stirred by storms.
Roger sank into grim contemplation for several minutes before suddenly shifting his expression. Raising his bottle of rum, he shouted.
"Who cares about the Navy and pirates? We Roger Pirates won't get involved. Drink! Drink!!!"
...
Meanwhile, in another part of the sea, a pirate ship resembling a massive baleen whale was cutting through the waves.
Their destination was the G5 Branch in the New World.
On the bow stood a shirtless, exceptionally muscular man with slightly furrowed brows.
His most striking feature was the ivory-white mustache curving above his lips.
Indeed, this was the man hailed as the World's Strongest—Whitebeard.
His mood was far from cheerful.
Just days earlier, his beloved son Blenheim had been captured by the G5.
Reportedly, the G5 base commander, Sakazuki, had made the arrest personally.
The still-youthful Marco, standing behind Whitebeard, asked, "Pops, how could Blenheim get captured?"
Before Whitebeard could respond, Rakuyo and Haruta bowed their heads nearby.
With choked voices, they explained, "It's... it's all our fault. We were too weak. The G5 Navy is hunting pirates indiscriminately because Zephyr's family was killed by pirates. They're imitating Raleigh from the newspapers, building mounds of corpses with pirate skulls on G5 Branch islands."
"We'd just collected this month's protection fees when we encountered them. That G5 base commander Sakazuki is too powerful. Blenheim covered our escape and got captured."
After speaking, the two grew visibly distraught again, prompting Marco to quickly comfort them.
Whitebeard did not offer his sons immediate comfort. Instead, he gazed solemnly at the distant sea, narrowing his eyes.
"Sakazuki... you magma brat, better not do anything foolish that shouldn't be done."
If possible, Whitebeard had no desire to clash with the Navy.
But if they dared harm his sons, then even at the risk of an all-out war, Whitebeard would settle accounts with Sakazuki.
...
Meanwhile, at the G5 Branch base, Sakazuki sat sternly in his office chair, staring at the man before him who stubbornly refused to speak.
"Your silence is useless. I've already investigated all your records."
Blenheim, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, skilled in left-handed swordsmanship, and one of the earliest captains to follow Whitebeard.
"Oh, according to your terminology, he should be your 'father', right?" Sakazuki sneered.
"Hahahaha, how ridiculous! Pirates—trash that only brings destruction to others—actually crave having family! You don't deserve it at all!"
Sakazuki's words dripped with killing intent.
Though he held no particular regard for Zephyr personally, he felt extraordinary rage that pirates would dare attack Navy family members.
Everyone had a family, including Sakazuki himself.
Thus, whether they belonged to the moderate or hardline factions, all Marines harbored deep hatred for pirates who violated this code.
In the world of one piece, most would settle scores only with their opponents.
Few would target the family members of the other side, especially when those family members were ordinary civilians.
This was why Sakazuki had launched massive pirate hunts after reading the news.
Of course, it also related to Raleigh's methods.
After seeing Raleigh's approach, Sakazuki suddenly realized that mounds of corpses could be quite effective at intimidating pirates.
So, he decided to emulate Raleigh, planning to build a mound of corpses at the G5 Branch.
Buru buru buru buru...
The Den Den Mushi dialed out, getting picked up after two rings.
"Hey, Sakazuki-senpai, what's up?"
Raleigh was currently lying on a deck chair aboard his warship, drifting aimlessly along the Grand Line.
"Raleigh, its been a while. I wanted to ask you something—are you free now? Would you be able to come to my location? I've captured Whitebeard's son to lure out Whitebeard." Sakazuki declared this confidently, utterly convinced of his judgment, as this was the conclusion he'd reached after repeated analysis.
"What?!"
Thump.
From the sound through the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki could swear Raleigh had fallen right off his deck chair.
Before Sakazuki could speak, Raleigh's frantic voice came through.
"Senpai, what are you doing? That's Whitebeard! I understand you want to avenge Zephyr-sensei wife, and I get that you want to kill pirates, but why choose to bait Whitebeard of all people? Even if we manage to lure him out, we can't take him down! We might even get taught a lesson by him."
Raleigh seemed highly reluctant to participate.
This matter was completely different from their previous battle against the Golden Lion.
On one side was Whitebeard—whose combat prowess was explosive, and whose physical condition and stamina were at their absolute peak.
On the other was Golden Lion Shiki—who had fought Roger, had a steering wheel stuck in his head, and whose stamina had been less than one-tenth of its peak after battling natural disasters.
To be honest, even with two Vice Admirals, if Whitebeard was determined to escape, they wouldn't be able to catch him.
"It's not just you. I've already reported this to Fleet Admiral Kong," Sakazuki countered. "With Admiral Sengoku and Borsalino coming together this time, Admiral Sengoku will lead the main assault while the three of us take care of the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders."
Hearing Sakazuki's explanation, Raleigh felt somewhat relieved.
Thankfully, Sakazuki hadn't conceived the suicidal idea of two Vice Admirals taking on an Emperor alone.
With Sengoku leading them, plus three elite Vice Admirals with top-tier Logia abilities, they needn't fear even if the entire Whitebeard crew came attacking.
Thinking this, Raleigh decided to take the risk.
Still, he couldn't help asking curiously, "Aren't we calling Kuzan? I feel his abilities could be useful."
Sakazuki snorted coldly. "Kuzan is temporarily unavailable. Rumor has it Vice Admiral Garp found Roger's trail again and dragged Kuzan off somewhere."
Raleigh nodded.
That sounded exactly like something Vice Admiral Garp would do.
Garp was exceptionally persistent when it came to Roger; no matter how important other matters were, they'd be set aside the moment Roger was spotted.
"It doesn't matter. Even without Vice Admiral Garp and Kuzan, the three of us can handle Whitebeard's crew, not to mention we have Admiral Sengoku backing us up."
Hearing Sakazuki's confident words, Raleigh's heart swelled with excitement.
Right, even without Admiral Sengoku, there were still the three of them.
Who says three elite Vice Admirals can't take down an Emperor's crew? Especially when they were all Vice Admirals with Admiral potential.
"Sakazuki-senpai, hold on tight. I'm heading there immediately."
Raleigh ended the Den Den Mushi call, summoned his adjutant, and ordered their ship to advance toward the G5 Branch.
Fortunately, their naval warship wasn't too far from the base to begin with.
...
Sakazuki's several calls set the Navy in the Grand Line into motion once more.
On a massive naval warship, Sengoku stood on the deck, dressed in his crisp suit.
When his peripheral vision caught Borsalino snoring loudly on a sun lounger, the corner of his eye twitched several times.
His Vice Admiral was truly skilled at slacking off, always armed with righteous-sounding excuses.
It almost made it seem like Sengoku was the one at fault for disturbing him.
Sengoku now somewhat regretted not having chosen Kuzan or Sakazuki as his subordinate back then.
Though Sakazuki was a bit too radical, given the current situation, some radicalism wouldn't hurt.
Still, Sakazuki's choice of the G5 Branch—a place where he could constantly temper himself—earned much admiration within the Navy.
As reports of constant victories from the G5 Branch reached headquarters, all the residents celebrated and praised Vice Admiral Sakazuki's bravery.
'Sigh.'
'How can there be such a gap between equally talented Navy officers?' Sengoku thought.
But then, considering who's Borsalino's brother is, perhaps they both came from the same mold.
...
Just as everyone was rushing toward the base, the approaching Whitebeard Pirates were spotted outside G5 waters.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
Three massive horn blasts alerted everyone inside the naval base to prepare for battle.
"Pops, we've been spotted. What should we do?" Marco's youthful voice rang out.
Whitebeard waved his large hand dismissively. "So we're spotted? Charge forward, smash through their defense perimeter, and rescue Blenheim."
As Whitebeard approached the sealed harbor, Sakazuki emerged from his office, dragging a bloody figure behind him.
tanding on the walls of the G5 Branch base, the Navy stood ready for battle.
Although the number of pirates was far fewer than their own forces, the opposing side had a monster like Whitebeard Edward Newgate.
Their own Vice Admiral Sakazuki was indeed formidable, but he was only a Vice Admiral—not yet promoted to the rank of Admiral.
Soon, Sakazuki's figure appeared at the forefront of the fortress walls, quietly awaiting the pirates' arrival.
Whitebeard's ship had not advanced far when its path was blocked by rockets fired from the G5 Branch.
The moment he laid eyes on Whitebeard, Sakazuki felt an immense pressure bearing down on him.
He shook his head, casting the sensation aside.
If his guess was correct, Whitebeard had just unleashed a Conqueror's Haki shockwave targeting all the Navy personnel.
Many had already felt its overwhelming power.
Sakazuki, however, remained completely unfazed, treating the Conqueror's Haki as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
Seeing Sakazuki's absolute composure, a flicker of surprise crossed Whitebeard's eyes, and he shout loudly.
"No wonder you've become the commander of the G5 Branch at such a young age. Truly remarkable."
"But let's get to the point," Whitebeard continued, his tone rumbling across the water. "I've come mainly for my disappointing son, who I hear has been captured by you. Let's negotiate. We can offer intelligence or wealth in exchange for my son's life."
Whitebeard spoke humbly.
Having drifted across the seas for so long, his goal was always to gather like-minded individuals as family—this was why he enjoyed taking on sons.
Hearing this, Sakazuki couldn't help but laugh.
Without another word, he dragged Blenheim up from below like a dead dog, looking mockingly down at Whitebeard on the ship's deck.
"Whitebeard, let's skip the nonsense. Your son has endured severe torture, but to be honest, he's still alive."
Whitebeard's massive hand clenched, then slowly relaxed.
Having rushed here with great effort and seeing his son still breathing, he had no intention of striking the first blow.
Otherwise, his son would surely die at the hands of the Navy before he could reach him.