A year earlier.
On the turbulent, chaotic sea, a newspaper suddenly spread across the ocean, throwing the entire world into turmoil in the shortest time possible.
The news came without warning!
The Four Emperors.
In the latest issue of the newspaper, those two words had been printed in bold on the front page.
It listed the four most powerful pirate crews.
The Explosion Pirates.
The Beasts Pirates.
The Red-Haired Pirates.
The Big Mom Pirates.
The newspaper listed the many achievements of the Explosion Monarch, Kaido, Big Mom, and Red-Haired Shanks, along with some unfounded tales of their cruelty.
Every one of them caused an uproar.
As soon as the newspaper was published, it quickly spread across the sea. The title of Four Emperors hung over the entire world like a blazing sun, leaving every pirate crew struggling to breathe beneath its weight.
Soon, some powerful pirate crews weren't having it.
Why did the Explosion Monarch, Kaido, Big Mom, and Red-Haired Shanks deserve that title? The paper even claimed they were the closest to becoming Pirate King. A little originality was fine, but this was ridiculous. Wasn't it plainly saying that these four pirate crews stood above all the others?
The four strongest pirate crews?
Where did that leave everyone else?
They wouldn't stand for it.
They absolutely wouldn't stand for it.
People became pirates for fame, power, and treasure.
There was no shortage of people who thought highly of themselves.
There was no doubt about it.
With the newspaper showering them with praise, countless pirate crews began targeting the Explosion Monarch, Kaido, Red-Haired Shanks, and Big Mom.
A newspaper alone couldn't establish their lofty status. To earn such a position, they had to fight their way there, blade by blade. At the very least, they had to make most people