Totto Land, Whole Cake Island - Big Mom Pirates Headquarters
Katakuri sat in his private chambers, the morning newspaper spread across the table before him. His normally composed expression flickered with genuine surprise as he read the headline for the third time:
MARINE TRIUMPH! PIRATE KING ROGER CAPTURED!
Disbelief had been his first reaction. Roger, arrested? Impossible. But the photographic evidence was undeniable: the Pirate King in sea-stone shackles, standing aboard a Marine warship.
What caught Katakuri's attention even more was the name of the man who'd made the capture.
Rodriguez Finn.
The same Rear Admiral, now Vice Admiral, who'd defeated him on Kenzan Island over two years ago. The man who'd shattered his perfect record and sent him into self-imposed isolation for intensive training.
"The Evil-Slayer Rodriguez Finn..." Katakuri murmured, testing the title on his tongue.
Perhaps Finn was the only person in the world who hated that epithet, because Katakuri saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, he could read the Marines' intention clearly in the choice of title. They were grooming Finn as their new icon, perhaps intending him to carry the banner that Garp the Hero had borne for so long.
Only two years, and he's grown this much? Strong enough to capture Roger himself?
Katakuri's grip tightened on the newspaper, red eyes blazing with renewed fighting spirit. For the past two years, he'd barely left Cake Island. That defeat had stripped away his arrogance and forced him to confront his own inadequacy. He'd trained relentlessly, day and night, preparing for the moment when he could face Finn again and reclaim his pride.
But apparently he wasn't the only one who'd been growing stronger.
A fierce grin split Katakuri's normally stoic face. "Actually, this is better. More interesting. You wouldn't be worth defeating otherwise, Finn..."
Elsewhere in the castle, Charlotte Linlin had also seen the news. Unlike her son's complicated feelings, her reaction was straightforward satisfaction. She'd never accepted Roger as "Pirate King," the title rankled her pride. Seeing him captured by the Marines was almost satisfying, despite the boost it would give Marine morale across the seas.
The ocean will become turbulent after this, she thought, already calculating. Perfect opportunity to expand Totto Land's influence.
Moby Dick - Whitebeard Pirates Flagship
Edward 'Whitebeard' Newgate, the man called the World's Strongest, held the newspaper with surprising delicacy for someone with hands that could crush mountains. His expression remained thoughtful as he studied the headline.
"Finn..." he murmured, testing the unfamiliar name.
Where had this person suddenly appeared from? The Marines were usually transparent about their rising stars, yet this Finn had apparently reached Vice Admiral rank while remaining virtually unknown outside Marine circles.
But Newgate's surprise faded quickly. He knew Roger had been suffering from an incurable illness, his time running short. Being captured now might well have been Roger's own choice, part of some larger plan only that madman could conceive.
No, what caught Newgate's attention was that title: Evil-Slayer.
His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to God Valley.
The world knew only the story the Marines broadcast, the one polished into legend and repeated for years.
Even he himself didn't truly remember God Valley. Not fully.
What lingered were shattered fragments, stubborn flickers of truth that refused to disappear completely.
He then realizes, everyone's memories of that day had been altered.
Back then, Garp and Roger had not yet been titans. They were rising names, yes, but not forces that should have been able to topple the monstrous crew Rocks had gathered. The outcome should have been impossible. And yet the Rocks Pirates fell, an era shattered in a single night.
Afterward, the world was told that Vice Admiral Garp had led the charge, that Roger had been his unexpected ally, that justice and fate had joined hands to strike down the greatest pirate in history. Garp became the "Hero of the Marines," a symbol hoisted high and paraded across every sea.
Whitebeard exhaled slowly. Even now, the memory felt wrong, blurred at the edges like old ink washed by rain. Something—or someone—had rewritten the narrative, not just in records, but in people. Even among the survivors, stories aligned too perfectly, details repeated with unnatural consistency.
Still, one thing was undeniable.
However the world chose to shape the tale, Garp had carried that title with dignity. He had lived up to it. Of all the lies surrounding God Valley, that part at least, Newgate could acknowledge without bitterness.
Now the Marines were creating another icon with a grandiose title?
Are they trying to nurture a new role model, just like they did with Garp?
If so, it revealed something important. This unknown Finn must be highly valued by Marine leadership. They must believe he had the capability and character to inherit Garp's legendary mantle.
Whitebeard had never considered Marine leadership foolish. Men like Sengoku and Kong weren't the type to gamble on empty propaganda. If they were genuinely positioning Finn this way, it meant the Admirals and Fleet Admiral themselves recognized something exceptional in him.
Perhaps someone even stronger than those three monsters, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino?
"Interesting," Newgate grinned to himself. "The Marines kept such a talented youngster so well hidden. Already a Vice Admiral, yet his name barely registers on the seas?"
"Pops," Marco said from nearby, his expression thoughtful. "If I remember right, Charlotte Katakuri was defeated by this Rodriguez Finn over two years ago."
"Katakuri?" Newgate's eyebrows rose slightly.
To someone at his level, youngsters like Katakuri were barely worth noticing. Even Charlotte Linlin herself only merited his attention as a fellow Emperor. But Marco paid closer attention to his own generation, particularly someone like Katakuri who'd been considered undefeated before that loss.
"Gurararara!" Newgate's legendary laugh rolled across the deck. "Seems my instincts were right. I'd like to meet this Finn, see what makes him special enough that the Marines think he can fill Garp's shoes..."
He stood from his seat and walked to the bow, gazing out at the New World's turbulent waters. His expression grew more contemplative, almost melancholy.
"Roger... what are you planning? Even knowing you've been captured, I can't shake this feeling that the seas are about to explode..."
After a long silence, his laugh returned, deeper and more knowing. "Gurararara! After twenty years of relative calm, is the tide of the era about to sweep in again?"
Marco joined him at the railing, curiosity evident in his voice. "Pops, what do you mean?"
"Nothing concrete, son. Just watch the seas carefully and experience what comes. The ocean will provide everyone with answers soon enough." Newgate smiled enigmatically.
Merveille - Golden Lion Shiki's Headquarters
The floating islands of Merveille drifted through the clouds above the New World, a testament to Shiki's Devil Fruit mastery. The Golden Lion himself had just finished inspecting Dr. Indigo's latest experiments, his mood buoyant with visions of future conquest.
His grand plan was already in motion. Merveille possessed unique properties, specifically a special plant called 'IQ' that could stimulate accelerated evolution in animal brains. Over the years, the island's wildlife had transformed into vicious, oversized monsters of terrifying strength.
Shiki intended to weaponize this discovery, creating an army of enhanced beasts that could overwhelm any opposition. In a way, it was his answer to the Ancient Weapons themselves.
Can't find Ancient Weapon? Roger won't cooperate? Fine. I'll create my own superweapon.
That was Shiki's philosophy in a nutshell. Never accept defeat, never surrender to circumstances. If the world wouldn't give him what he wanted, he'd forge it himself through sheer audacity and will.
"Indigo, accelerate the research," Shiki said as they walked through the laboratory complex. "Whatever you need, money, personnel, equipment, I'll provide it. Just rob it if necessary."
He glanced down at his chief scientist's ridiculous squeaking shoes with obvious annoyance. "And for the love of all that's holy, can you change those damned shoes?"
Indigo pretended not to hear, his painted face impassive. Their relationship was deep enough that he knew Shiki's complaints about the shoes were more ritual than genuine anger.
"Speaking of personnel," Indigo said in his peculiar high-pitched tone, "there is a research group known as MADS operating outside legal jurisdiction. Their chief mind is a scientist named Vegapunk—a prodigy, far ahead of the rest of the world. He hails from Baldimore, on Karakuri Island. If we could bring him under our banner, this entire plan would progress exponentially faster."
Currently, Vegapunk hadn't yet been absorbed by the Marines. He ran an illegal research group studying bloodline factors, working alongside other down-on-their-luck scientists. Among them was one Vinsmoke Judge, though neither had achieved prominence yet.
"Vegapunk?" Shiki frowned, the name meaning nothing to him. His world consisted of strength and power. Scientists operated in realms beyond his comprehension.
"They say he possesses a brain five hundred years ahead of human civilization," Indigo explained. "Truly exceptional."
"Fine, then find him and bring him here," Shiki nodded decisively.
Before Indigo could respond, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor. A subordinate ran toward them, newspaper clutched in trembling hands, his face pale with fear.
"Admiral! Admiral Shiki! Something terrible has happened! Roger, the Pirate King Roger, he's been captured by the Marines!"
Shiki's mood, so buoyant moments before, shattered like glass. He snatched the newspaper and read the headline, his expression cycling through disbelief, confusion, and mounting rage.
"Impossible... how is this possible..." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the menace in it made everyone nearby step back. "That bastard... the man who defeated even me... captured by the weak, pathetic Marines?"
Indigo noticed the subtle warning signs immediately: Shiki's eyes turning bloodshot, veins bulging at his temples, his breathing becoming harsh and irregular.
The Admiral's losing it.
Indigo took a careful step backward, and his caution proved wise. The next instant, Shiki drew his pistol and shot the messenger through the chest. Blood sprayed across the pristine laboratory floor as the man collapsed without a sound.
"You all know how powerful Roger is!" Shiki roared, his voice echoing off the walls. "How could someone like him be captured by those incompetent Marine bastards?!"
"Boss, please calm down!" Several officers rushed forward, trying to placate him.
It was unfortunate, really. Their Admiral excelled in almost every way: incredibly powerful, brilliant in strategy, ambitious to a fault, proactive and decisive. He could legitimately be called a first-rate hero of the seas.
The problem was Roger. Anything involving that man turned Shiki into a raving lunatic who couldn't think straight.
"Rodriguez Finn..." Shiki's eyes focused on the name in the article, his expression twisting with recognition and fury. "That brat! I should have killed him back in North Blue when I had the chance!"
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles went white. Without another word to anyone, he turned and strode toward the exit with single-minded purpose.
"Boss, where are you going?!"
Shiki didn't answer. He walked out onto the open sky, looked up at the clouds drifting overhead, and spoke with cold finality: "If Roger has to die, it should be by my hand. Nobody else's. Nobody!"
The Float-Float Fruit's power activated. Shiki's body lifted into the air, rising faster and faster until he vanished into the cloud cover above Merveille.
The Great Pirate Golden Lion Shiki had set out.
His destination: Marineford.
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