The Impending War

Since the fall of the King of Maritime Transport, the New World—already rife with war—had become like a furnace doused in gasoline. The flames of conflict multiplied severalfold in an extremely short time, dragging every nation and faction tied to Umit into the fray.

At first, the war maintained a semblance of order, with clashes erupting mostly over the legacy Umit had left behind.

But as the fighting intensified, old grudges that could never be resolved were joined by new grievances. The war expanded and escalated without pause, dragging even many of the Four Emperors' affiliated forces into the chaos. The only saving grace was that the Emperors themselves had not yet stepped onto the battlefield.

The war, seemed to have reached a fever pitch, but in truth, it had not yet devolved into the worst-case scenario. It remained within a relatively stable range, not yet spiraling completely out of control.

Until—

His Highness Aleus did not linger long in Dressrosa. Beyond King Donquixote Doflamingo himself, the only thing in that small nation that piqued his interest was the tiny kingdom hidden in Green Bit. But even that was merely a flicker of curiosity—not enough to drive him to action.

As for the SMILE Factory, who knew if it would ever even be built?

Leaving Dressrosa, His Highness Aleus did not head straight home. Instead, he contacted his father via Den Den Mushi, mobilized a large force from his kingdom, and personally threw himself into the chaos of the New World's war.

From Umit's subordinates, he had tortured out enough intelligence and information. Using these leads, he rapidly took over the remnants of Umit's network. Anyone who dared resist, dared steal his spoils, or dared play mind games with him was killed outright.

The scale of what Umit had left behind was simply too vast.

To fully take over the shipping network that spanned most of the New World, he had to deal with over ninety percent of the organizations and factions in the region. The situation was naturally incredibly complex. If he tried to untangle every thread one by one, even a year or two might not yield much progress.

So, His Highness Aleus chose to cut through the knot with a sharp blade.

He didn't care who you were or who stood behind you. Anyone who got in his way was killed. What his four Aides could handle, they handled. What they couldn't, His Highness Aleus dealt with personally—cutting off the heads of the defiant, ripping out their souls, and crushing all who refused to submit with the most brutal, direct methods.

In just one month, the wildfire of war that had been spreading across the New World was snuffed out at its roots. The powerful figures who had suffered losses at His Highness Aleus's hands naturally turned their hateful gazes toward him.

But they had been cowed by his thunderous methods and dared not bark at him openly. Instead, they bared their teeth in the shadows.

Thus, compared to the unending chaos of a month ago, a strange and fragile calm had settled over the world.

Of course, this calm was a lie—a sandcastle built on His Highness Aleus's absolute dominance. The moment that dominance was broken, the sandcastle would collapse in an instant, and the Sokachio Clan would be targeted by every enemy His Highness Aleus had made.

These hyenas were waiting—waiting for the day His Highness Aleus would be struck down. They believed that day would come.

As the one who killed Umit, the BIG Pirates would not sit idly by. Unless BIG was prepared to give up her grip on the Dark World, she had to make some statement about Umit's death. Otherwise, the other Dark World powers might not remain as obedient as before.

BIG herself might not grasp this logic, but fortunately, the BIG Pirates were not without people who understood.

So, they believed His Highness Aleus's arrogance wouldn't last long.

Frankincense Sea Area.

Inside the Royal Palace of Saiboy Island.

A headless corpse in ornate robes slumped crookedly against the throne, thick, warm blood slowly trickling down from the seat.

"Your king is dead. Now it's your turn to choose."

Holding the blood-dripping head, His Highness Aleus cast a cold gaze over the crowd kneeling in the great hall. These were the power brokers of the Kingdom of Himuyel, second only to the king he had just killed. Among them were high-ranking ministers, illustrious nobles, and wealthy merchants...

The Kingdom of Himuyel was not a member of the World Government, but it had ruled the Frankincense Sea Area centered on Saiboy Island for three hundred years as a veteran power in the New World. It had shown signs of decline in recent years, but after becoming Umit's ally, it had begun to revive like a withered tree sprouting anew.

One could say, the Kingdom of Himuyel was Umit's staunchest supporter—bar none. After Umit's death, even knowing that pooling the nation's strength wouldn't match His Highness Aleus, the king chose to resist to the death.

That spirit was indeed admirable.

But His Highness Aleus would not show mercy because of it. On the contrary, the more impressive Himuyel's resistance, the more determined he was to crush it. Only then could he completely erase the traces of Umit—the King of Maritime Transport, now nothing but historical residue.

To that end, His Highness Aleus personally traveled to Saiboy Island, killed the kingdom's three formidable guardians, and chopped off the king's head before the eyes of these predators.

The bloody methods had their effect.

Not everyone had the courage to sacrifice themselves for a cause. Especially these wavering predators—after witnessing the terror of death firsthand, their courage shattered. They lowered their once-haughty heads, pressed their foreheads to the ground, and offered their loyalty with utmost submission.

The only question was how long that loyalty would last.

Still, as tokens of their submission, the offerings they presented were quite fine.

"Your Highness Aleus, I can provide five hundred kilograms of premium frankincense."

"Ah! You bastard, trying to cut ahead! Your Highness Aleus, this humble one offers five, six... eight hundred kilograms of frankincense, to fund your military!"

"I can provide one thousand kilograms."

"...Six hundred kilograms."

The Kingdom of Himuyel had prospered on its abundance of frankincense. This precious spice and medicinal herb was far from cheap. Beyond its medicinal uses, it was mostly employed in religious rituals—every faith seemed to have a startling obsession with frankincense.

A single kilogram of frankincense was worth more on the market than an equal weight of gold.

"A bunch of spineless wretches."

Aleus cursed, too lazy to waste more words on these weak-kneed cowards. Since they chose to surrender, the specific terms could be handled by his subordinates for negotiation. He tossed aside the head that had already lost its warmth and strode out of the blood-soaked hall.

Standing on the steps outside the palace, Aleus looked down from his vantage point at the prosperous city below the royal palace.

"Fran, the suppression of the Kingdom of Himuyel is complete. What's the next target?" he asked without turning around, addressing the maid following behind him.

"The Kingdom of Himuyel was the last one. There are no more targets worthy of Your Highness's personal intervention."

"Nothing left?"

"Correct. The suppression operations by Dillon, Dick, Casper, and Eschbach have all proceeded smoothly. Barring any accidents, by the start of next month, Umit's shipping network should be largely rebuilt. The Kingdom of Himuyel was the final stubborn nail."

Fran, dressed in a classic black-and-white maid outfit, reported the work with meticulous precision.

"So... the next issue is BIG, isn't it?"

"Exactly. According to intelligence gathered in secret, many in the New World are now waiting for the conflict between Your Highness and the BIG Pirates. They firmly believe that the BIG Pirates must answer for Umit's death. And they're not just waiting idly—they're actively using various means to push the BIG Pirates into making a move against Your Highness."

"These bastards sure know how to stir things up!"

Aleus laughed. With his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze swept toward the distant harbor.

"Speak of the devil, and here come our guests. To pinpoint my location so accurately... looks like plenty of people are pulling strings behind the scenes."

Where the sea met the sky, A strange fleet appeared. Tart-like warships swarmed across the ocean like locusts, clustering around over a dozen large, gaudily decorated vessels. The pirate flags fluttered in the wind, and even the sails were painted with the crew's emblem.

It was a grinning skull wearing a top hat, with fur trim at the collar and smeared lipstick.

This was—

The flag of the BIG Pirates.

Even children in the New World recognized this banner, enough to scare them silent at night.

Aleus unleashed his Neural Scan to its maximum range.

He 'saw' the blazing, brilliant human-shaped flames aboard the pirate ships heading toward Saiboy Island. Such high-quality, dense soul fluctuations—he had only witnessed something similar on the main ship of the Whitebeard Pirates.

And at the center of these high-quality souls was one particularly bizarre soul. Unlike the stable, ordinary ones, this soul possessed extreme activity, to the point of detaching from its body and interfering with the physical world.

"So... they came personally!"

Aleus was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected to actually lure out such a monster. He thought the 'Sweet Commanders' would show up, but instead, their big boss had been drawn out.

"Fran, pass the order: have all non-combat personnel return to the ships and temporarily stay away from Saiboy Island..." Aleus issued a series of commands, all centered around combat preparations.

A battle—

No, a war—

War was about to descend upon this country.

"The New World's turned into a real mess!"

"Hasn't it always been like that? The New World."

"That's true, I guess... but still, it feels way too chaotic now. I can't see any justice here. Hina doesn't like this place."

A warship flying the Seagull Flag sailed across the blue sea.

Two young-looking Marine officers chatted casually on the foredeck. Their coats emblazoned with the word "Justice" and their casual civilian clothes indicated they were at least of Major rank. The Marines had strict dress codes—only officers of Major rank or above were allowed to mix "Justice coats" with civilian attire.

"I feel the same."

Smoker, a cigar dangling from his mouth, leaned his elbows on the railing and gazed up at the white clouds in the sky, slowly blowing a perfect smoke ring. "The New World is the Four Emperors' New World. What a disgusting phrase... But what's even more disgusting is that it's the unvarnished truth."

"White Hunter" Smoker.

"Black Cage" Hina.

Both were Marine Headquarters Majors, representative figures of the Marines' younger generation. Smoker, in particular, as a Logia user like the Three Admirals, was seen as a future Admiral candidate and was being groomed by Headquarters. This time, they had been assigned to train under Vice Admiral Garp, heading to the New World together on a classified mission.

"Hey, Smoker, what do you think this classified mission is about?"

"Probably related to the death of the King of Maritime Transport, Umit. Isn't that what's causing all the chaos in the New World right now? I just don't know what the bigwigs upstairs are planning. They haven't leaked a single clue. We're stumbling into the New World blind as bats. If Vice Admiral Garp weren't leading the team, I'd suspect some big shot finally got sick of my attitude and sent me here to die." Smoker's tone was as cold as if he were talking about something completely unrelated to himself.

"Hina is surprised! The famous 'White Hunter' actually knows his own personality rubs people the wrong way!"

"Hmph, I can't be bothered to suck up to those potbellied bureaucrats. As a human, I have nothing in common with swine like them."

"If those bigwigs heard you say that, you'd definitely end up on the casualty list."

"Let them do what they want."

Smoker's abrasive attitude made it hard for anyone to like him.

And that was exactly the case. Though seen as a future Admiral candidate, Smoker's popularity at Marineford was truly terrible. Aside from a few friends like Hina, anyone who knew Smoker gave him a wide berth.

"Your temper! It's just..."

Hina, long accustomed to Smoker's foul mood, lit a lady's cigarette and gazed into the distance. The conversation fizzled out there.

That was the norm.

On these long sea voyages, chatting was one of the key ways to pass the dull hours. The content didn't matter; what mattered was easing the inner pressure. Yes, these two promising Navy officers felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

As field-grade officers of Navy Headquarters, they knew full well how treacherous the New World was.

Unlike Paradise, the New World was a true Asura's hell. The law of the jungle—survival of the fittest, the strong preying on the weak—played out here to the fullest. The weak had no rights in this brutal arena. Even those hailed as representatives of the Navy's younger generation...

They themselves knew their own limits best.

In the New World, even the modest goal of not holding Vice Admiral Garp back filled them with uneasy doubt, let alone any delusions of helping him. They didn't dare think about it.

"Smoker, Hina, get over here."

Suddenly, Garp's shout rang out.

The two summoned didn't dare delay. Even Smoker, usually unruly and set in his ways, behaved himself completely in front of Garp, the "Navy Hero," showing no trace of his usual rebelliousness. They quickly arrived at the helm on the deck.

There, they saw Vice Admiral Garp, his face stern.

This was completely different from the Garp they remembered—the one always laughing, either eating or sleeping. A glimmer of understanding rose in their hearts: this must be the true face of the Navy Hero. His usual laziness was just a facade.

But, their already strained hearts now felt even heavier.

If even Vice Admiral Garp wore such a serious expression, could they really be of any use? If they truly held him back... they couldn't bear to imagine whether they'd have the courage to go on living.

"You two, stand behind me. It's time you knew about these things."

Garp, seated on a single sofa, beckoned them over.

Then, Garp looked at his adjutant on one of the two long sofas, along with the three rear admirals sent as reinforcements.

"Begin."

Garp waved his hand.