Moby Dick
"Dad, Dad, look, big news!"
On the wide deck, Marco ran toward the burly Whitebeard, who was sitting up front with a newspaper. Marco handed it to him, eyes bright with excitement.
"What big thing happened again?"
Whitebeard, setting down the wine gourd in his hand, took the paper curiously and began to read.
"It's what happened at the World Expo," Marco explained.
"It's unbelievable. The newcomers nowadays are terrifying," said Joz, looking amazed as he stood with a few other members of the Whitebeard Pirates who had already read the paper.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"The fruit ability of that guy Pokken is really strange. When he explodes with full power, he's terrifying. But he still lost… and escaped. His current bounty doesn't match his real strength."
"Not just Pokken—the other members of the Black Crow Pirates are powerful too."
"Yeah, especially that little girl named Mashi. Pirates with bounties of 100 or 200 million berries couldn't last against her. She's also a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user."
Whitebeard, listening to the chatter, flipped through the newspaper.
Although he was still in his prime, the years of battle had left Whitebeard with injuries. These days, he rarely left the Moby Dick unless necessary. Most of his time was spent drinking and partying with his sons. He didn't often read the news.
"Hmm?"
As he looked at the headline and accompanying article, Whitebeard raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Black Crow… and Pokken, huh?"
As someone from Roger's era, Whitebeard was familiar with Pokken. Though Pokken had once been defeated by Whitebeard, the old man never denied his strength or strange Devil Fruit ability. Pokken had the potential to rival Kaido in pure power, though he lacked Kaido's recklessness.
That said, Whitebeard still believed Pokken was slightly weaker than Kaido. After all, they had once shared a ship, and Whitebeard knew exactly how terrifying Kaido could be.
After reading more of the article, Whitebeard laughed heartily.
"Gurararara! Pokken really lost face this time. Still, these newcomers are impressive. I wasn't this strong when I first set out to sea. This kid named Black Crow… he's piqued my interest."
"Dad, don't tell me you're thinking of bringing Black Crow into our crew?" Marco asked, half-exasperated, knowing his father's personality too well.
"Gurararara! I have a few ideas," Whitebeard said with a grin, taking a big swig of wine.
Marco facepalmed. "Forget it, Dad. There's no way someone of that level would want to serve under anyone. You'd only offend him by asking."
While all of Whitebeard's sons were proud to be his children, they understood that not everyone shared that sentiment. In fact, Whitebeard's habit of saying "Be my son!" could be quite infuriating to others.
Judging by their strength, the Black Crow Pirates were no ordinary crew. Provoking them without reason would bring unnecessary trouble.
"Gurarara, don't worry about it," Whitebeard chuckled. "Let's find a chance to meet him. I want to see for myself how lively the sea has become."
"Alright…" Marco sighed. In the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard's word was law.
"Then, Dad, are we going to leave these waters and look for the Black Crow Pirates?" Joz asked.
"Let's move out. The Moby Dick has been sitting too long," Whitebeard declared.
Joz gave the navigator the order, and the mighty ship began to shift course.
The Whitebeard Pirates had over a thousand members—any movement from them caused massive waves across the seas.
Near Wano Country
On a massive ship…
"Boss, look, it's news about the Black Crow Pirates," a pirate wearing a horned hat said, handing a newspaper to Kaido.
Kaido glanced at it and immediately tossed it aside with a violent grunt. "Pokken is trash! He couldn't even beat a newcomer? What a disgrace! Everyone, change course—we're going after the Black Crow!"
Kaido grinned, eyes gleaming with madness. "There are a few people in that crew I want. I'm going to take them!"
"Boss, Red-Hair is still trailing us," said Jin, the masked right-hand man of Kaido, his tone serious.
Kaido stood up with a roar, releasing a crushing aura. "Then we fight them!!"
The Red Force
On the ship of the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks was also reading the newspaper. He let out a light laugh.
"This guy's moving fast. He'll be famous around the world soon. He's just a newcomer, but he's already powerful enough to stake a claim in the New World."
"Boss! Kaido and his men are changing course. They're heading straight toward us!" the navigator shouted from the deck.
Shanks calmly set the newspaper down and drew Griffin from his waist. "Get closer. Prepare for battle."
A powerful aura exploded from Shanks, darkening the skies above. Thunderclouds began to churn ominously overhead.
Cake Island
Far away, in the territory of the Big Mom Pirates, a similar scene unfolded.
"Mom, big news today," said Katakuri, standing before Charlotte Linlin, who was devouring a tower of desserts. His voice trembled with unease.
He already knew the Black Crow Pirates were strong, but now it was clear—they stood at the apex of the New World, a true power to be reckoned with.
"Ignore it for now," Big Mom muttered through a mouthful of cake. Then her voice turned cold. "That idiot Saiya has been targeting my people. Find out where he is. I'm going to kill him!!"
"Yes, Mom!" Katakuri answered firmly, nodding.
Though he had planned to go after Pokken before, the current threat was Saiya. Something had gone terribly wrong with him. He'd suddenly turned his aggression toward Big Mom's people.
If they didn't resolve this issue soon, they wouldn't even be able to focus on Pokken.
Even Big Mom understood—no matter how strong she was, she couldn't take on Pokken and Saiya at once. If the two of them formed an alliance, things would spiral out of control quickly.
Across the New World
All over the seas, on countless islands and ships, pirates were reading the news with shock and awe.
On many vessels that had just entered the New World, new crews had already made up their minds—
They were going to search for the Black Crow Pirates…
And join them.