Chapter 137 137: The Four Emperors
At the same time, upon the shimmering sea…
The Red Force, the Moby Dick, and two Marine warships sailed out of the waters of Marineford.
Red Force
On the deck of the Red Force—
Buggy angrily grabbed Shanks by the collar, his red nose practically smashing into Shanks' face.
"Shanks! You still dare show your face in front of me?! Do you know how much I hate you?!"
Shanks simply laughed heartily.
"Buggy! Long time no see!"
"Don't play dumb with me! If you hadn't started talking to me back then, I wouldn't have lost my treasure map and I wouldn't have become a Devil Fruit user!!"
Buggy's face was full of grievance.
"Alright, alright."
Like he was calming a child, Shanks pulled an old treasure map from his coat and spread it out before Buggy.
"Look what this is."
SWOOSH!
Buggy snatched it instantly and stuffed it into his clothes.
"Fine! I'll forgive you this time!"
"But next time we meet, I'm definitely going to kill you, Shanks!!"
Buggy threw out the threat and boarded one of the Marine warships.
The moment he stepped onto the ship, he was met with a crowd of prisoners staring at him with sparkling eyes.
"Did you see that?!"
"Captain Buggy treated Red-Haired Shanks like that!!"
"Captain Buggy!! We'll follow you forever!!"
Another Warship
"Mr. 2… are you really going to the Kamabakka Kingdom?"
Mr. 3 asked, a trace of reluctance in his eyes.
"Yes."
Bentham (Mr. 2 Bon Clay)'s eyes were filled with longing.
"Kamabakka Kingdom… that's the holy land every okama dreams of!"
Then he looked at Mr. 3 with concern.
"You're the one sailing the seas. Be careful out there!"
Soon the two warships parted ways, heading in different directions.
Red Force
Shanks sat at the bow, letting the sea wind blow across his face.
"Boss, it's been ten years since you last saw Luffy. Aren't you going to check on him?"
Lucky Roux, still holding a piece of meat, asked.
Shanks froze for a moment and looked up at the sky.
"…Yeah."
"I'd really like to see him again."
Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
"But if we met now… it wouldn't match the promise we made."
"Hahahaha!"
The crew burst into laughter.
"Boss, that's obviously just you pretending!"
"You're dying to see Luffy but acting like you don't care!"
"Boss, you're hilarious!"
"You—You guys!!"
Shanks immediately jumped up and tackled Lucky Roux, snatching the huge bone-in meat from his hand and biting into it.
At that moment, he looked nothing like one of the world's strongest men.
Moby Dick
Unlike the cheerful mood on the Red Force, the Moby Dick was shrouded in overwhelming grief.
The pirates sat silently on the deck, lifeless.
Every now and then, memories of the past surfaced—
The laughter.
The battles.
The camaraderie.
And tears inevitably followed.
Soft sobs echoed across the ship.
The two great ships sailed forward…
Toward the New World.
Marineford
Meanwhile, medical treatment for the wounded continued.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, his body wrapped in bandages, sat beside the ruins overseeing the situation.
This war had severely weakened the Navy.
Garp, Aokiji, and Kizaru were heavily injured.
Akainu had nearly died several times and barely survived thanks to the efforts of more than ten world-class doctors.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the situation in Impel Down has been confirmed."
A Marine officer began reporting.
"How is Magellan?"
"Severely injured and in critical condition. He lost an arm… which may affect his strength permanently."
"…I see."
"And there's more."
The officer's body trembled.
"Almost all the surviving prisoners from Level 6 of Impel Down have joined the Blackbeard Pirates."
"What?! What else?!"
"According to Magellan… 'Devil Heir' Douglas Bullet has escaped from Impel Down!"
"What?!"
Sengoku's face turned pale.
The one man who absolutely should never have been released…
had escaped.
"Immediately issue a worldwide bounty!"
Sengoku made his decision.
"About that…"
The officer hesitated.
"The World Government has ordered us to conceal this incident. If the news spreads, it could damage the government's credibility."
"…Credibility?"
But releasing someone at the level of a Four Emperor…
could plunge the entire world into panic and chaos.
"Damn it…"
"The World Government is truly… foolish."
Sengoku cursed inwardly.
Holy Land — Mary Geoise
Inside the council chamber.
Five elderly figures stood or sat in silence, each emitting a suffocating aura.
Yet they shared something in common—
Large portions of their bodies were partially destroyed.
Blood stained the floors and sofas.
Silver lightning flickered constantly within their flesh.
Their expressions were dark.
And within their eyes… lurked deep fear.
After a long silence, Saint Topman Warcury spoke.
"Now that Nika has appeared, Lord Imu has ordered us to eliminate him."
"Does anyone have a plan?"
The room fell silent.
A plan?
The five of them together had nearly died.
What plan could there possibly be?
"Isn't Whitebeard dead?" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said slowly.
"Then let's push Straw Hat Luffy onto the throne of a Four Emperor."
"Let Kaido and Big Mom deal with him."
The others' eyes lit up instantly.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"In that case… let's prepare the bounty poster."
"What amount would be appropriate?"
"I think…"
The meeting room suddenly became lively.
It seemed Saturn had proposed a brilliant solution.
But in reality—
They simply needed a scapegoat.
If the plan failed…
Saturn would become the one to take the blame.
Though the Five Elders appeared united, each secretly harbored their own schemes.
One Day Later
News of the Navy's victory spread across the world.
The death of Whitebeard shocked the seas.
"Wow! The Navy is unbeatable!"
"Respect to the heroes!"
"That Whitebeard is dead! That's great!"
"To celebrate the Navy's victory, everything in our shop is half price today!"
Across the Four Seas and Paradise, people celebrated wildly.
Even though Ace surviving was a disappointment to some…
Whitebeard's death made them feel safe.
But the New World was different.
Countless pirates began targeting Whitebeard's former territories.
Civilians suffered greatly.
"Hahaha!!"
"The New World's Four Emperors—Whitebeard, Red-Hair, Kaido, and Big Mom!"
"Now that one of them has fallen, the balance has been broken!"
"A new era is about to begin!!"
Standing at the bow of his ship in a raging storm, Eustass Kid laughed wildly.
"Boss, I think you should take a look at this."
Killer spread a bounty poster before him.
The moment Kid saw it—
His smile disappeared.
Then—
"Hahahahahaha!!"
He burst into manic laughter.
The Supernovas, after witnessing the Paramount War, now decisively sailed toward the New World.
They carried boundless ambition and dreams.
And they were ready to face the chaos of the new age.
New World
Kaido drank heavily.
Big Mom devoured cake.
In their hands… each held a bounty poster.
Both were silent.
But those who knew them well understood—
This was the calm before the storm.
"Wororororo!!"
"Mamama!!"
An indescribable aura exploded from their bodies.
It shot skyward like a pillar piercing the heavens.
In an instant, Onigashima and Whole Cake Island were engulfed in black-and-red light.
Their overwhelming Conqueror's Haki froze the very air.
Cracking sounds split the atmosphere as black lightning flickered across the sky.
King, Katakuri, and the others stared blankly at the terrifying pressure.
A deep sense of powerlessness filled their hearts.
Before the level of the Emperors of the Sea…
all others were like ants.
Two Bounty Posters Spread Across the World
"Flame Emperor" Gol D. Ace
Son of the Pirate King
Bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
The second poster showed a figure with white hair like flames, white cloud-like ribbons floating behind him, and silver lightning surrounding his body.
"Four Emperor" Monkey D. Luffy
Son of the Revolutionary Dragon
Bounty: 3,946,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive
(Paramount War Arc — END)
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