Desert Calamity
New World, on a nameless island.
On the cliffs on one side of the island, low tombs have now been built, each topped with a cross.
Various items were hanging on the cross.
In front of this cemetery, the Whitebeard stood quietly, his eyes slightly moist, his face devoid of any smile.
Behind him, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were silently weeping.
Marco kept his head down, his right hand covering his eyes, making it impossible to discern any change in his expression.
Diamond Jozu remained motionless, tears streaming down his face.
Vista was far more unrestrained; he wailed, "Damn it!! Damn it!! That brat! If only I had gone there myself—"
"It's all my fault."
The Fish-Man Namur slapped himself hard across the face. "I didn't stop them, and I didn't protect Thatch!"
Whitebeard remained silent.
The graves in front of him are filled with his family members who, not long ago, were drinking and laughing with him and calling him "Dad."
Queen's virus was too potent; even with Marco's Regenerative Flame buying time, less than half of the people could be saved in the end.
Then there's Thatch, who was poisoned by a completely different toxin, one that was even more potent than the viruses that others had been infected with. Before the toxicity of the toxin could even be analyzed, he was already unable to open his eyes again.
"You didn't do anything wrong, you idiots,"
Whitebeard suddenly shouted, "It was my carelessness; I failed to protect them!"
"Dad—" Diamond Jozu was deeply moved.
"Nothing we say now will change anything. Remember this sorrow, you foolish sons."
Whitebeard said, "Growth is about overcoming sorrow."
The sound of weeping instantly filled the air.
"But this battle will have to be repaid to Kaido sooner or later!"
Without a doubt, this is a deep-seated, irreconcilable hatred.
Onigashima.
After the war ended, the Beasts Pirates didn't rush to expand their territory. After all, what if the Whitebeard Pirates suddenly launched a surprise attack?
Sirius resumed his spiritual practice after a long absence.
Physical training, fitness training, and Haki cultivation—a fulfilling life begins anew.
Then, time slowly passed.
New World, Baroque Island, is a well-known island in the surrounding waters.
This was originally a Desert Island, but with the advent of the Great Pirate Era, pirates flocked to the New World, almost filling it up, and the island was developed accordingly.
Just like the Mock Town in the first half, it became an island for pirates, with many pirate crews not doing their jobs but instead doing business here.
Naturally, this place became Paradise for pirates.
Inside a tavern on the island, the place was bustling with noise.
Pirates from all over gathered here, drinking and chatting. In the high spirits, people, whether they knew each other or not, put their arms around each other's shoulders and toasted each other.
However, they can also get into a fight over a single disagreement, even drawing their swords against each other.
At this point, the owner, who had been quietly wiping glasses behind the bar, would slam the bar counter to its ground and roar, "Anyone who wants to fight, get out!"
Then, amidst the jeers of the other pirates in the bar, the pirates who had clashed either slunk down and sat down, or obediently turned around and ran out of the tavern to resolve their dispute outside.
After all, this boss had a bounty of over 100 million before retiring, which is something that ordinary pirates can't afford to offend.
Suddenly, the bar door was violently flung open, and a pirate rushed in, his face flushed and his expression incredibly excited.
The pirates, who were drinking and boasting, couldn't help but turn their attention to him.
"Hey, have you guys heard?"
Slightly enjoying the attention he was receiving, the pirate shouted, "The Disaster has appeared on this island!"
The once noisy tavern fell silent instantly. The expressions on the faces of all the pirates froze, and they no longer wanted to put the once-smooth wine into their mouths.
The next instant, the extreme silence transformed into extreme noise.
"You mean, famine?"
"That big shot of the Beasts Pirates! One of the Three Calamities, the Wasteland? The guy who's on par with Flame Calamity and the Plague Queen the Plague?"
"That monster actually came here?"
The noise was so loud it almost lifted the roof off the tavern.
Even the tavern owner, who had been wiping the glasses the whole time, couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment,
"Didn't he just have a fierce battle with Vista in the latter part of the sea not long ago? His latest bounty has already exceeded 700 million, right? Has such a monster really come to this island?"
The pirate who came to deliver the message was beaming with excitement; he shouted loudly,
"That's right! That monster is on this island right now; he's here to recruit crew for the Sirius!"
Upon hearing his words, the pirates in the tavern immediately changed their expressions.
The pirate was still giving a long and impassioned speech, saying,
"Everyone only needs 100,000 Beli to board the Sirius and become that man's direct subordinate!"
The pirates immediately erupted in excitement, with some even standing up and shouting, "Are you telling the truth? Are you sure it's that Wasteland? You say pirates don't lie to pirates!"
That's the Beasts Pirates!
An existence that these lowly pirates could never reach in their entire lives.
"Certainly!"
The pirate nodded emphatically. "He's at the port right now! There are already a lot of people lining up! If you don't believe me, come with me to see!"
The pirates fell silent for a moment, observing the reactions of the others.
Without exception, everyone wore an excited expression.
"To the port!"
The pirates cheered and jumped for joy, rushing out of the bar in a swarm.
Because the bar entrance wasn't very wide, some people were stuck at the back and couldn't get out, so they simply roared and smashed the bar's outer wall.
No one cares anymore how the bar owner with a bounty of over 100 million before retirement will react.
What is there to be afraid of if we can become crew members of the Sirius?
In fact, the owner didn't care about these pirates at all; with his superior strength, he was even the first to rush out of the bar.
Retire?
Refund my ass!
If he could become a subordinate of that calamity-stricken man, he could immediately live a second life!
The pirates' reaction was so intense that even the pirate who came to deliver the message was pushed aside.
After everyone had left, the excitement on the man's face disappeared, replaced by a sly smile.
He then quickly left.
In the blink of an eye, the once bustling bar became completely silent.
"Famine?"
A sound suddenly came from the corner.
They were two people whose faces were hidden by hooded cloaks, and they were quietly eating.
One of them looked up, and a strand of hair that gradually turned from white to sea blue fell from his hood.
"Isn't that your nickname, Sirius?"
"Yes, could it be another version of me in the world?"
The other person chuckled, "I feel like I've seen this plot somewhere before."
"That's interesting. Shall we go check it out?"
"Yes! I want to go! I want to see the other Sirius!"
The name "famine" is fitting; land was requisitioned.