95. Big News That Shocked The World
Crocodile's face twisted into a cruel smile.
His voice filled the room, each word striking Hyogoro deeply.
Crocodile's thoughts were clear now. He couldn't fathom why the legendary crewmates of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, would be so foolish to trust their enemies.
Were these really seasoned sailors? Even kids should know better in these harsh waters.
"You know nothing, and you've never seen Lord Oden," Kushiro yelled in frustration.
Unable to counter Crocodile's words, he repeated empty phrases to steady his resolve.
Kushiro was intelligent, but his stubbornness blinded him. He saw much but chose to ignore it.
"Enough of this nonsense," Bullet interrupted, his face twisted in disgust as he vanished.
Hyogoro's eyes narrowed as he drew his sword.
The clash echoed in the room. Hyogoro's body shook upon impact, but he held firm.
Bullet remained composed, grinning viciously as he pushed down with force.
With a deafening crash, Bullet overpowered Hyogoro, sending him unconscious and crashing to the ground.
Orochi, wearing a sycophantic smile, shivered. Hyogoro was his strongest warrior, yet he fell so easily.
Bullet's strength was unmatched, even surpassing General Wano.
Byrnndi World's expression froze. Bullet's power was fearsome, likely the strongest among them.
Their alliance was loose, united by shared goals rather than individual strength.
Bullet flicked blood from his hand disdainfully. He despised this country and its samurai, seeing them as weak braggarts.
Bullet had been raised in the Land of Neverending War, where weakness meant death. He detested weakness, especially when it led to the demise of the strong, like Gol D. Roger.
Kozuki Oden, in particular, irked him. Despite his power, Oden lacked the courage to fight and instead trusted his enemies—a despicable trait in Bullet's eyes.
That's why Bullet despises Kozuki Oden the most.
This fool insulted strength and disrespected tradition.
In fact, everyone present, even Hawkeye, deemed Kozuki Oden a complete idiot.
Just blindly trusting the enemy was foolish enough without considering their own strength.
"Now that the country's fallen, get that cannon ready for me," World declared.
"I care not for power. Build me a submarine, and I'll challenge the New World's toughest," Bullet chuckled madly.
His strength hadn't peaked yet; only when he fully unleashed his combined fruit abilities would he be at his strongest.
"Since there's no one else, I'll take control of this country. That idiot Kaido's management is too brutal," Crocodile smirked.
At that moment, he felt like the owner of Baroque Works again.
"Your name's Kurozumi Orochi, right?" Crocodile approached the snake with a gentle smile.
"I need your assistance," Crocodile continued.
"I'll do whatever you ask, even if it means villainy," Orochi humbly agreed.
A master of manipulation, Orochi acted meekly before the Cross Union's monsters.
"You won't need to die. Just once is sufficient," Crocodile's warm smile belied his true intentions.
Orochi's flattering grin froze as Crocodile's golden hook pierced his heart.
"Borrowing your corpse," Crocodile chuckled.
In Crocodile's eyes, this country was simpler than Alabasta.
The population and area were smaller, and its king, like the previous one, was unpopular.
Crocodile saw an opportunity, thanks to Kaido and Orochi's pressure, to easily control Wano.
His plan was straightforward: use Orochi's death as an initial influence, then improve the lives of Wano's people to gain their loyalty.
After Alabasta, mastering Wano was a simple task for Crocodile.
Meanwhile, at sea, Kaido's ship bore signs of a fierce battle.
Wrapped in bandages, Kaido's expression was grim.
Beside him, his top lieutenants, King and Jack, were also wounded.
The Beasts Pirates had suffered heavy losses, with only a few surviving cadres.
Despite Kaido's swift return upon hearing of Wano's fall, they had lost a significant battle.
He never expected these monsters to form an alliance and defeat Kaido.
After all, the Summit War had recently ended, with the Straw Hat Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates as the main players.
The escape from Impel Down involving World and Bullet was swiftly suppressed by the World Government and Marines due to its negative impact.
Morgans had the information but prioritized the Straw Hat Boys' involvement in the Summit War, so news about Bullet remained silent.
Even the underground networks lacked substantial information.
Few escaped from Impel Down, mostly those from the Cross Union, explaining why the World's allies didn't intervene.
Hawkeye and Gekko Moria later joined the Cross Union, further controlling the information.
Kaido was caught off guard by the Union's establishment.
In a direct confrontation, his chances were slim; only Bullet and Hawkeye posed a real threat.
Once engaged, the remaining Beasts Pirates couldn't match the Union's strength.
World and Hawkeye alone could overpower all cadres, not to mention Crocodile, a formidable Shichibukai.
King, the strongest Beasts Pirate, paled in comparison.
His fleet lost significance after losing Wano.
In the New World, the weak align with the strong, a universal truth.
"What now, Boss Kaido?" King inquired.
Kaido contemplated, recalling a woman from his past who treated him like family.
"This era demands alliances for survival," Kaido declared.
He understood the need for unity in turbulent times.
Though perceived as reckless, Kaido possessed strategic depth.
The Cross Union taught him a valuable lesson: power alone wasn't enough.
The era of lone Emperors was over; alliances were the new norm.
Days later, under the warm sun, the crew set sail towards their next target: Kaido's road poneglyph.
Their first stop? Whitebeard's territory, seeking Ace and others for Wano's coordinates.
"Luffy's just wiped out," Luffy panted, collapsing onto the railing and letting his arms dangle.
Chopper and Usopp were equally exhausted after enduring the monstrous storm.
Thousand Sunny barely survived the explosion, giving them a close call in the New World's unpredictable waters.
"The course may have shifted slightly, but we shouldn't be too off track," Nami reassured, checking the charts and their compass.
"Huh? Look, a news bird," Jinbei exclaimed, spotting a white seabird with a hat and bag—a World Economic News carrier.
"I wonder what big news it's carrying," Jinbei mused, flicking a coin into the bird's pocket, prompting it to deliver the newspaper with a chirp before flying off.
Nobody knew how these birds were trained to be so human-like, a well-guarded secret of Morgans, ensuring the dominance of World Economic News.
"What's this?" Jinbei's tone shifted as he perused the headline.
"What's up, Jinbei?" Luffy leaned in, curious.
"Kaido's been defeated," Jinbei revealed, shocked.
"And it happened the same day we took down BIGMOM," he added.
"Who could've done it? Marco's crew?" Sanji questioned, sceptical of the matchup.
"No, it was the Cross Union guild who took down Kaido, crushing the Beasts Pirates head-on," Jinbei clarified.
"The Cross Union? Never heard of them. How could they be so powerful in the New World?" Zoro wondered, gripping his sword instinctively at the mention of Hawkeye.
"The Cross Union includes Byrnndi World, Douglas Bullet, and Mihawk, along with Crocodile and Gekko Moria—a lineup of heavyweights," Jinbei explained, causing concern among the crew.
Each member was a formidable figure in their own right, explaining Kaido's defeat.
"Hawkeye," Zoro's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Crocodile," Robin's expression turned thoughtful.
"Moria," Brook uttered calmly.
"They're all familiar faces. It's surprising to see them joining forces," Sanji remarked, lighting a cigarette.
"With Kaido gone, we'll be facing a stronger Cross Union," Jinbei concluded, his tone grave.
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