New World's Ripples

Aleus's fleet spent two days resting at Whale Tail Island, dealing with a mountain of troublesome matters—over twenty thousand corpses, many of them wanted pirates who could be turned in at Marine G1 for a tidy sum, plus more than fifty intact warships that Umit had supplied to the Amento Kingdom, all of which would fetch a fortune if sold off entirely.

Handling this kind of clutter took considerable time.

Even with the assistance of his aides, he couldn't completely wash his hands of it.

This only reinforced Aleus's resolve to delay taking the throne for now. As crown prince, he already had this many headaches to manage; if he became king, he'd be stuck in the Royal Palace every day. He thought of how his father always boasted about his youthful adventures but never mentioned his years as king.

Indeed, it was better to inherit later.

Finally, after cleaning up the loose ends on Whale Tail Island, Aleus led the fleet north, aiming to reclaim the lost Whale Belly Island and Whale Head Island.

Meanwhile, news of the great battle between the Ekmondo Kingdom and the Amento Kingdom on Whale Tail Island had spread. This was mainly because a certain newspaper publisher had taken a special interest in a certain prince, gathering the latest firsthand intelligence and immediately dedicating a section of his paper to covering this war—one that, in the grand scheme of the New World, barely ranked.

Of course, that statement was too absolute.

Umit's operation had indeed been top secret, but he couldn't fool everyone. The queen of the Pleasure District, who controlled all the entertainment industries in the New World, was also a super-information broker. She sold Umit's plans to the Ekmondo Kingdom at an astronomical price, and then the Ekmondo Kingdom deliberately leaked the information.

Every notable figure in the New World knew about Umit's little scheme.

As a result, many were watching the war between the Ekmondo Kingdom and the Amento Kingdom. Some gambling tycoons even set up high-end betting pools behind the scenes, wagering on whether Umit could actually take the Ekmondo Kingdom. It was said that many big names had placed bets.

Thus, when the latest newspaper reports came out, they stirred up a considerable storm in the New World.

Especially among the big shots who had bet on Umit succeeding. Having lost a huge sum of money, many cursed Umit's incompetence and the Ekmondo Kingdom's uncanny luck.

That they had crushed Umit's extended claws without borrowing the Whitebeard Pirates' strength—and that the New World's moderately famous [Beautiful Sword] and [Fighting Dog] hadn't even made a move—if that wasn't uncanny, what was?

The New World might seem full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, but in reality, its hierarchy was crystal clear.

The King of Maritime Transport, Umit, was a major figure in the New World. The Ekmondo Kingdom was also a strong nation in the New World, but compared to a Dark World giant like Umit, many saw the outcome as predetermined. The betting pool had only formed because of the variable of the Whitebeard Pirates.

No one expected that the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't even stirred yet!

Out popped Sokachio Aleus, who had already beaten Umit's men to a pulp and slaughtered twenty thousand in one battle. That ruthlessness and brutality first earned praise from many New World big shots. To rise in the New World, you needed tens of thousands of corpses underfoot—how else?

Look at the big names of the New World; who didn't have mountains of blood and bones beneath them?

Even 'Red-Haired,' the least combative of the Four Emperors, had climbed to the Pirate Emperor's throne over the bones of countless enemies.

"Twenty thousand dead... not too many, but not too few either. Looks like a ruthless bastard. Even Ghost Sword lost... Is a new storm about to break in the New World? How exciting! Fufufufufu!!!"

That was the view of a certain king and Shichibukai.

"I never thought Ghost Sword was one of Umit's men. I almost tried to recruit him back then—barely dodged that bastard Umit's scheme. The Ekmondo Kingdom... hmm, I'll give you a ten percent discount from now on."

That was the statement of a certain tycoon in the New World's warehousing industry.

"The Sokachio Family... I remember that old geezer Worlek. This Aleus... is that shameless old man's grandson or great-grandson? Speaking of which, that old Worlek once said he wanted to form a marriage alliance with me! This young man is a fine catch!"

The speaker was the big boss of a major multinational hotel chain in the New World.

"Oh my, oh my! Looking at the photo, he's such a handsome Prince Your Highness! Ahh! Really... just looking at him makes me wet!"

The fangirling woman was actually the controller of the New World's black market pharmaceutical trade.

Leaving aside these big shots just enjoying the spectacle.

The Whitebeard Pirates.

Just a few days ago, the Second Division Captain, 'Blue Horn' Gion, had died of an incurable disease. On top of that, Whitebeard himself wasn't in great health—the IV had been stuck in his arm for days without being removed. This cast a heavy gloom over the entire Whitebeard Pirates.

All sixteen hundred-plus members couldn't find a single one who dared to speak loudly during that time. Everyone worried about the old man's health and grieved for their brother's departure. Even a certain lurking traitor performed his sorrow perfectly.

This atmosphere dragged on for quite a while.

Even the return of the First Division Captain, 'Phoenix' Marco, couldn't break the oppressive silence.

Until—

On the deck of the Moby Dick, "Aleus... is that arrogant brat?" Whitebeard, with an IV drip, flipped through the day's newspaper and noticed a report in a not-so-prominent spot. Seeing a name that seemed familiar, he voiced his question.

"Dad, if you mean the little guy who turned you down five years ago, I don't think there's a second Sokachio Aleus." Marco was also reading the paper. As the Whitebeard Pirates' second-in-command, he knew all about the war between the Ekmondo Kingdom and the Amento Kingdom.

A Dark World tycoon had even opened a betting pool—it was impossible for him not to know, since that tycoon paid regular taxes to the Whitebeard Pirates.

"That arrogant brat has grown up now! Gurararara!!!"

Remembering how he'd been rejected five years ago, Whitebeard wasn't angry—he found it amusing. He let out his first laugh in a month.

Hearing the old man's long-missed familiar laughter, Marco finally felt his heart settle. As long as Dad's mood recovered, he didn't have to worry too much about his condition worsening for now.

"Dad."

Marco told Whitebeard about the matter between Umit and the Ekmondo Kingdom.

Finally, he asked, "Should we give the Ekmondo Kingdom a hand? Teach Umit a lesson?" Since Aleus's matter had made Dad laugh, Marco thought about offering some help to the Ekmondo Kingdom and giving that audacious bastard Umit a proper punishment.

The territory of the Whitebeard Pirates is not a place where just anyone can run wild.

"No need."

Whitebeard rejected Marco's suggestion.

"Leave young people's affairs to the young. Umit... let the young handle him for now! It won't be too late to step in later."

"I understand, Pops."

Though Marco was somewhat surprised that Pops thought so highly of Aleus—that unpleasant, arrogant brat—it didn't stop him from following Pops' orders. Fine, let that bastard Umit enjoy his freedom a little longer; they'd settle accounts with him later.