Chapter 74

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At the same time, as the albatross carrying "big news" that would send shockwaves around the world started to take flight towards various global destinations, the surprise first recipient of the message was:

In the New World, Wanokuni, Ghost Island, there were gasps and hisses accompanied by an outburst of anger. "That bloody bastard with red hair! If Big Brother Kaido hadn't been absent, how could that guy have overturned our subordinate's ship!"

This scene unfolded within the base camp of the "Hundred Beasts" pirate group on Onijima. Currently, the three disasters - King, Queen, and Jack - were wrapped in bandages, nursing their injuries, with King's being the least severe.

As Jack the Drought's words hung in the air, 'Plague' Queen, his body half-swaddled in bandages, suddenly stood up, slapped Jack hard on the head, and scolded him fiercely, "You idiot, that guy is Redhead Shanks, a Four Emperor as renowned as Captain Kaido himself! He's not an ordinary opponent, yet you led the 'Giver' subordinates to engage his ship recklessly, causing us to lose one-fifth of the thousands we'd gathered for battle! You're lucky to be alive at all, you fool!"

With a banded-up head, Jack the Drought quickly admitted his mistake, "Yes, I was wrong, Brother Queen."

Despite their significant defeat, Jack realized that without his fish-man blood, and if the Red Hair Pirates had exerted their full strength, he might not have survived. King intervened with a deep voice, "This defeat should prompt us to reassess our power. When Mr. Kaido returns, the Red Hair Pirates won't have such luck."

As everyone prepared to recover, not expecting to launch any large-scale attacks for a week, something significant occurred. A newspaper landed on Ghost Island. Upon seeing it, King, his face obscured by a mask, scoffed disdainfully at the retreating albatross, "Coward..."

The world's various forces had a love-hate relationship with these albatrosses. They appreciated the accuracy of the news, albeit sometimes disclosing sensitive intelligence that caused significant losses within the underworld. The Beasts Pirates' notorious exposure could be traced back to the World Economic News. Killing the albatrosses was a problematic choice, as Morgans would cease selling newspapers to the perpetrator and release all their information to the public.

Holding the newspaper, King glanced at it, curious about the Summit War's outcome. Then, his expression hidden under the mask, shifted starkly. "What the hell is this?!"

Queen, noting King's reaction, asked, "Did the Whitebeard Pirates foolishly challenge the Naval Headquarters to their demise, and we now have a result?"

But the news was different - it was the World Government that had made a surprising move in the first half of the Grand Line. The vast entity had taken advantage of the Summit War to divert global attention. By the time the world took notice, the conflict was over. The newspaper reported that the force dispatched by the World Government had been defeated, with even 'Kong,' the Generalissimo of the World Government Army, falling to a single opponent.

In Dressrosa, a tremulous voice echoed over the sunflower field. "D-Doflamingo! The World Government has been defeated." Torre Pole, a high-ranking official in the Donquixote family, was holding a newspaper that detailed an unexpected turn of events.

Doflamingo, dark-faced with wrath and disbelief, questioned where the failure had occurred. As a Celestial Dragon.Descendant, he was deeply aware of the World Government's immense prowess. He had believed that if the World Government themselves intervened, Bai Ye was as good as dead, just like how the Rocks pirates had been eradicated. Now, news of their defeat had thrown Doflamingo's assumptions into disarray, given the presence of numerous formidable forces and a mysterious new entity of inscrutable power.

Doflamingo had no doubts that the first half of the Grand Line could be completely devastated. However, even though the World Government took action as he had guessed, the outcome was both the most undesirable and the least expected. The World Government forces had been defeated. Doflamingo's forehead bulged with veins as he read about the so-called "new era" in the newspaper published by the World Economic News. His face darkened.

He began to think... actually, considering that monstrous man who easily surpassed human comprehension, perhaps a new era really was upon them. Doflamingo had predicted the World Government's failure. With the prestige the World Government had built up over centuries backing the Marine government, he knew the moment Morgans released such news, it would shatter their reputation like the previous Marine government. All of the World Government's carefully constructed public image could now be the foundation for the 'sinner's' notoriety in the wider world.

Doflamingo's thoughts turned to Kaido. He considered the consequences if that abyssal monster learned that it was Doflamingo's Donquixote family that had provided him with accurate information. The thought alone made Doflamingo break out in a cold sweat. Such a revelation could pose a threat rivaling any of the Four Emperors in the New World, perhaps even exceeding the former sea overlord 'Rocks' pirate group. Doflamingo wanted to avoid facing that at all costs.

Meanwhile, in the Sabaody Archipelago at the bottom of the sea, news brought by an albatross was spreading rapidly. After half a day, the supernovas began to calm down, reflecting on the terrifying encounters they had just experienced: the Summit War, Emperor Kaido, boiling seas, tsunamis, the legendary 'One Piece' Roger's right-hand 'Pluton' Rayleigh, and the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki. Most pirates on the islands had given up, their ambitions crushed under the realization of the immense gap between their strength and the top monsters.

While they trembled in fear, Urouge of the Supernova touched the back of his head, lamenting the dangers of the New World. Even as a 'supernova', the strength he had honed was nothing compared to the true apex predators of the New World. Despair filled him as he realized the impossibility of victory against such beasts. It was then that 'Mad Monk' Urouge felt the overwhelming sense of danger from a man walking towards the Sabaody Islands on the sea.

Kid of the Kid Pirates suddenly pointed out something, asking what was happening. Hawkins, pulling out tarot cards, revealed an unsettling prediction: a 100% defeat rate. It was clear that a man of significance was approaching—a terror even the Marine government could not hold back.

As they watched the man, alarm bells rang in their minds. The scale of the confrontation they were about to face was beyond anything they had envisioned. The notion that this single man could cause such havoc in the Grand Line left them in awe and dread. Kid looked toward Mariejois, a holy place above the Sabaody Archipelago, his thoughts racing. The very idea of facing this monster was madness.

At that moment on the sea, only an hour's journey from Marineford, the man, Bai Ye, released a massive wave of power that enveloped the entire Sabaody Archipelago. From the beginning, Bai Ye had no intention of wasting time with those of little consequence. The World Government was close at hand, and it was time to get straight to the point.