New World – World Economy News Headquarters.
Explosive headlines were pouring out from the pen of a bird-man whose wings scratched furiously against the parchment. That man was none other than Morgans. He had witnessed firsthand Elior's overwhelming victory over Kaido, and now he was doing what he did best: turning the world upside down with ink and headlines. As the most powerful news mogul alive, Morgans' influence rivaled even that of the World Government itself.
In the original timeline, it was Morgans who crowned Luffy as the Fifth Emperor. Now, he was about to shake the seas again.
"Kaido, crushed by a single blow!"
"The Beast Pirates fled like beaten dogs!"
"Red-Haired Shanks intervened—and was still forced to retreat!"
"Two Yonko, forced back by one man!"
"A new emperor is born!"
Of course, the news wasn't entirely accurate. But facts never sold papers — legends did. Sensationalism was Morgans' lifeblood, and the more chaos he stirred, the more Bellys poured in. Kaido should count himself lucky he wasn't there in person, or Morgans would've ended up stewed in sake and served with ginger!
The narrative stomped all over Kaido and even poked at Shanks, building Elior into a mythic figure. And with pictures to back it up—authentic, vivid, and damning—how could the world not believe?
The newspaper was guaranteed to be a bestseller.
Morgans' newsbirds flapped their wings and scattered across the world. And since the event happened in the New World, those living there would see the headlines before anyone else.
Aboard the Moby Dick, somewhere at sea.
Whitebeard had already set sail. He received a newspaper dropped from the sky. He said nothing—but his silence carried weight. The mood aboard the ship was heavy. This wasn't the time to be distracted. They were days away from waging total war against Marineford to rescue Ace.
The era was collapsing.
And nobody could stop the avalanche.
On the other side of the sea… a wounded Kaido sat fuming.
Still far from returning to Onigashima, Kaido was reading the headlines with bloodshot eyes. His rage boiled over. Though he had been defeated, the papers painted him like a clown—humiliated, crushed, and discarded.
"GET ME THAT DAMN BIRD!!"
"I'LL TEAR HIM APART MYSELF!!"
Spurt! He coughed up a fresh mouthful of blood. Even his fury couldn't hide the truth—Elior's punch had left him needing serious recovery time.
Elsewhere, on Whole Cake Island…
"Ma-ma-ma-ma... Kaido, defeated?" Big Mom sat reading the news with wicked delight. Her voice, like the screeching of an old witch, echoed through her castle, making the hair stand on the necks of her children and servants.
"A new emperor, huh? How fun! This is so fun!"
"The article is exaggerated, but if Kaido was wounded, that means this Elior is no small fry!"
"Perospero!"
"Yes, Mama! I'm here!"
"Bring me Kaido's Den-Den Mushi. I want a little chat."
"But Mama…"
"Do you want to die, Perospero?"
Her cackling resumed, and the whole of Totto Land felt the chill.
Aboard the Red Force, Red-Haired Shanks' ship…
Shanks set down the paper, a rare frown crossing his face.
"Beckman... this man, Elior — he could accelerate the collapse of the entire era."
Shanks had always feared imbalance. The four emperors represented a fragile equilibrium in the New World. If one fell, it wasn't just a power shift — it was a chain reaction that could throw the entire world into chaos.
"The most likely candidate to take the empty throne... or maybe he already has" Beckman added, grimly.
They too set sail for Marineford. Shanks had no intention of joining the bloodbath — he wanted to end it. But in the shadows, he feared one more player far more than Kaido or Big Mom.
Blackbeard. The true vulture of war.
Back in Dressrosa…
Doflamingo's sunglasses slid down his nose as he read the front page. His expression froze in disbelief. Kaido, the unkillable beast, defeated?
Kaido and Doflamingo weren't even comparable. They lived in different dimensions. But now? Kaido had been wounded and forced to retreat.
"So there's another monster in the New World now… tsk."
The chill of dread crept through Doflamingo's veins. But then, a knock on the door.
Trebol waddled in, mucus trailing behind him. "Young master, it's time. The warships are waiting."
"Understood."
As one of the Shichibukai, Doflamingo had answered the World Government's call. He would join forces with the Marines and confront the Whitebeard Pirates at Marineford.
The others would be arriving soon as well.
Meanwhile, in Baltigo, home of the Revolutionary Army…
"We move today."
Dragon put the paper down. His expression was unreadable, but the spark in his eyes was real. The world had entered its most chaotic era yet.
Their preparations were complete. They were ready to strike Impel Down.
There, deep inside the prison, Ivankov waited — already contacted by Dragon. Their plan: storm the facility, break out Luffy and Ivankov, and vanish before the Navy even realized what hit them.
Ivankov was fired up.
More surprising than the mission, however, was the truth he had learned:
Dragon had a son.
Luffy.
Ivankov couldn't believe it. But he didn't care. He would save Luffy, no matter what. As for Ace? Dragon had no intention of getting involved. The one escorting Ace to Marineford… was none other than Garp himself.
It was a delicate moment in history. Timing mattered.
The balance of power teetered on a knife's edge.
Elior's name and image had already circled the globe. And with it, the phrase echoed louder and louder from every island, port, and tavern:
"A new emperor has risen."
And why wouldn't people believe?
He was the man who publicly executed a Celestial Dragon — then forced them to admit they were pigs. Literal pigs.
He had humiliated the most untouchable elites of the world... and earned the worship of everyone who hated them.
Elior had become more than a pirate.
He had become a symbol.