The Imminent War

Ever since the King of Maritime Transport fell, the New World, already rife with war, had become like a furnace doused in gasoline. The flames of war had grown several times larger in a very short time, drawing every nation and faction connected to Umit into the conflict.

At first, the war had retained some semblance of order. Most clashes had centered on the legacy Umit left behind.

But as the conflicts intensified, the many factions with old grudges against one another gained new ones, and the war continued to spread and escalate. Quite a few subordinate factions under the Four Emperors joined the chaos as well. The only fortunate thing was that the Four Emperors had yet to enter the fray themselves.

The war,

seemingly had reached its most heated stage,

but in reality, it had yet to become as bad as it could get. It remained within relatively stable limits and had not completely spiraled out of control.

Until—

Aleus did not stay long in Dressrosa. At present, apart from the country's king, Donquixote Doflamingo, the only thing that interested him was the little kingdom hidden away in Green Bit. Even then, it was only a little curiosity, not enough to spur him to do anything about it.

As for the SMILE Factory,

there was no telling whether it would ever be established!

After leaving Dressrosa, Aleus did not head straight home. He contacted his father through a Den Den Mushi, drew a large number of troops from the kingdom, and then personally joined the fighting in the New World.

He had extracted plenty of intelligence from Umit's subordinates. Using it, he swiftly took over the forces Umit had left behind. Anyone who dared resist, steal his spoils, or try to outwit him was simply dealt with by force.

Umit's empire was simply too vast.

To take over the Shipping Network that extended across most of the New World, he had to deal with more than ninety percent of its organizations and factions. Naturally, the situation was incredibly complicated. If he tried to sort things out one by one, he might spend a year or two without making much progress.

So,

Aleus chose to cut through the mess with decisive action.

He didn't care who you were or who stood behind you. Anyone who dared stand in his way was killed. Whatever the four attendants could handle, he left to them. When they couldn't manage something, Aleus stepped in himself, cutting off the heads of the rebels and extracting their souls. With the most brutal and direct methods, he crushed everyone who refused to submit.

In just one month,

the war that had threatened to spread like wildfire throughout the New World was suddenly snuffed out at its roots. The powerful factions that had suffered at Aleus's hands naturally turned their hatred toward him.

But Aleus's thunderous methods had already frightened them. They didn't dare openly rail against him, so they could only bare their teeth in secret.

And so,

compared with the endless turmoil of a month ago, an oddly peaceful period had arrived.

Of course, this peace was an illusion, a sandcastle built on Aleus's absolute power. The moment his authority was broken, the castle of sand would collapse in an instant, and the Sokachio Clan would be targeted alongside him by the enemies he had provoked.

These jackals were waiting for the day Aleus was brought down. They firmly believed that day would eventually come.

As the man who had slain Umit, Aleus would never be ignored by the BIG Pirates. As long as BIG had no intention of surrendering her control over the Dark World, she had to offer some accounting for Umit's death. Otherwise, the other titans of the Dark World might not remain as meek as they had before.

BIG herself might not understand that, but fortunately, there were people of sense among the BIG Pirates.

So,

they believed Aleus's arrogance wouldn't last much longer.

Frankincense Sea Area.

In the Royal Palace on Saiboy Island.

A headless corpse in splendid clothes slumped crookedly on the throne, thick, warm blood slowly dripping down from it.

"Your king is dead by my hand. Now it's time for the rest of you to make your choice."

Holding a severed head that was still dripping with blood, Aleus looked coldly at the crowd kneeling in the great hall. These were the most powerful people in the Kingdom of Himuyel after the king he had just killed. Among them were high-ranking ministers, nobles of illustrious standing, and wealthy merchants with fortunes beyond count...

The Kingdom of Himuyel was not a World Government Member State, but it had ruled the Frankincense Sea Area, centered around Saiboy Island, for three hundred years. It was an old power in the New World. Though it had shown signs of decline in recent years, it had begun to flourish anew after becoming Umit's ally, thanks to his support.

It could be said that

the Kingdom of Himuyel was Umit's most steadfast supporter, bar none. After Umit's death, the king of Himuyel knew that even the strength of his entire nation would not be enough to defeat Aleus, yet he had still chosen to resist to the death.

That courage was certainly admirable.

But Aleus would not show mercy because of it. On the contrary, the more impressive the Kingdom of 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 who had become a relic of history.

For that reason, Aleus had personally come to Saiboy Island. He had slain the Kingdom of Himuyel's three powerful guardians, then cut off their king's head before the eyes of these predators.

His bloody methods had certainly done the trick.

Not everyone had the courage to lay down their life for a cause, especially not these weak-willed predators. After witnessing the terror of death firsthand, they had been scared out of their wits. They immediately bowed their once-proud heads to Aleus, pressing their foreheads against the floor and offering their loyalty with utter submission.

The only question was how long their loyalty would last.

Still,

as a show of their loyalty, they had offered him some rather fine things.

"His Highness Aleus, I can provide five hundred kilograms of the finest frankincense."

"Ah! You dare try to get ahead of me! His Highness Aleus, I'm willing to offer five, six... eight hundred kilograms of frankincense as military expenses!"

"I can provide a thousand kilograms of frankincense."

"...Six hundred kilograms of frankincense."

The Kingdom of Himuyel had prospered through its frankincense production. This precious spice and medicinal ingredient was quite expensive. Beyond its medicinal value, it was mostly used in religious ceremonies. Every religion seemed to have an astonishing fondness for frankincense.

A kilogram of frankincense was worth even more than the same weight in gold on the market.

"A bunch of spineless bastards."

Aleus cursed and couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on these cowards. Now that they had chosen to surrender, his subordinates could handle the negotiations and terms. He tossed aside the head in his hand, its warmth gone, and strode out of the blood-soaked hall.

Standing on the steps outside the great hall,

Aleus looked down over the bustling city below the Royal Palace.

"Fran, the Kingdom of Himuyel has been subdued. Where's the next target?" he asked without turning around, speaking to the maid following behind him.

"The Kingdom of Himuyel was the last one. There are no remaining targets worthy of Your Highness's attention."

"None left?"

"Yes. Dillon, Dick, Casper, and Eschbach have all made smooth progress with their operations. If nothing unexpected happens, we should have Umit's Shipping Network up and running again by the start of next month. The Kingdom of Himuyel was the last stubborn nail."

Fran, dressed in a classic black-and-white maid outfit, gave her report with meticulous precision.

"Then... the next problem is BIG, right?"

"That's right. According to the intelligence we've gathered in secret, many people in the New World are waiting for a clash between Your Highness and the BIG Pirates. They firmly believe the BIG Pirates must answer for Umit's death. And they aren't merely waiting. They've actively used all sorts of methods to push the BIG Pirates into making a move against you."

"Those bastards are certainly capable!"

Aleus laughed. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed toward the distant harbor.

"Speak of the devil! Our guests have arrived. They found my location with such precision... Looks like plenty of people were lending a hand behind the scenes!"

At the place where the sea met the sky,

a strange fleet appeared. Ships shaped like egg tarts swarmed across the ocean like locusts, surrounding more than a dozen large vessels decorated in an absurdly gaudy style. Their pirate flags fluttered in the wind, and their sails were painted with the crew's emblem.

It was a skull wearing a top hat, with fur trim around its collar and lipstick on its mouth, waving hello.

This was—

the flag of the BIG Pirates.

Even New World children recognized the flag, one so terrifying it could frighten the young into silence at night.

He pushed Neural Scan to its maximum range.

Aleus "saw" the blazing, brilliant human-shaped flames aboard the pirate ships heading toward Saiboy Island. The quality and density of their soul fluctuations were so high that the only other time he had encountered anything like them was among the main force of the Whitebeard Pirates.

In particular, at the center of those high-quality souls was a rather strange one. Unlike ordinary, stable souls, this one was exceptionally active—so much so that it had reached the point of separating from its body and interfering with physical matter.

"They actually... came in person!"

Aleus was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected to provoke a monster like this. He had thought the Sweet Commanders would come, but instead, he had drawn out the other side's big boss.

"Fran, pass the word. Have all the civilian staff return to the ships and stay away from Saiboy Island for now..." Aleus issued one order after another, all of them focused on the coming battle.

A battle—

no, a war—

was about to descend upon this country.

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

"Wasn't it always like this? The New World, I mean."

"That's true, but... the New World's just too chaotic now. There's no sign of justice anywhere. Hina doesn't like this place!"

A warship flying a Seagull Flag sailed across the azure sea.

Two fairly young Marine officers were chatting on the foredeck. Their coats, emblazoned with the word "Justice," and their civilian clothes showed that they held the rank of major at the very least. The Marines had a strict dress code: a "Justice Coat with civilian clothes" was a combination only officers of the rank of major and above were allowed to wear.

"Same here!"

Smoker, a cigar between his teeth, leaned his elbows on the railing and gazed up at the pristine sea of clouds. He slowly blew a perfect ring of smoke. "The New World belongs to the Four Emperors. What a... disgusting thing to say. But what's even more disgusting is that it's the absolute truth."

[White Hunter] Smoker.

[Black Cage] Hina.

They were both majors at Navy Headquarters and leading figures of the Navy's rising generation. Smoker in particular, a Logia user like the Three Admirals, was viewed as a future Admiral and was being groomed by Headquarters. This time, they had been assigned to Vice Admiral Garp's command for training, accompanying him on a classified mission in the New World.

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

"Probably has something to do with the death of the King of Maritime Transport, Umit. Isn't that what's caused the current chaos in the New World? I just don't know what the big shots up top are planning. They haven't told us a thing. We're practically blind, barging into the New World without a clue. If Vice Admiral Garp weren't leading us, I'd suspect some big shot who couldn't stand my attitude had finally tossed me over here to die!" Smoker's tone was so cold he sounded as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"Hina's surprised! So the famous 'White Hunter' knows his attitude isn't very likable."

"Hmph. I can't be bothered to suck up to those fat-bellied bureaucrats. As a human being, I have nothing in common with pigs like them."

"If those big shots heard you say that, they'd put you on the casualty list for sure."

"Let them."

Smoker's terrible attitude made it hard for anyone to feel much affection for him.

And, in fact, that was exactly the case. Although he was regarded as a future Admiral, Smoker was genuinely unpopular in Marineford. Aside from a handful of friends he could talk to, like Hina, everyone who knew him kept their distance.

"Your attitude is just..."

Hina, long accustomed to Smoker's foul temper, lit a lady's cigarette and gazed into the distance. Their conversation ended there.

That was the usual course of things!

On a long voyage at sea, chatting was one of the main ways to pass the time. The subject didn't matter; what mattered was easing the pressure weighing on them. Yes, the two promising Marines felt that pressure pressing heavily on their hearts.

As officers at Navy Headquarters, they knew all too well how dangerous the New World was.

Unlike Paradise, the New World was a true hell on earth, where the survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle ruled unchecked. The weak had no rights in this brutal arena. Even though they were considered leading figures of the Navy's rising generation,

they knew their own abilities best.

In the New World, even the modest goal of not holding Vice Admiral Garp back filled them with anxious doubt. As for helping him, that was too much of a fantasy for them to even contemplate.

"Smoker, Hina, get over here."

Suddenly,

Garp's loud shout rang out.

The two summoned officers hurried to obey. Even Smoker, usually so defiant and accustomed to doing as he pleased, was perfectly well-behaved in the presence of Garp, the "Navy Hero." They quickly made their way to the helm on the deck.

There,

they saw Vice Admiral Garp, his expression grave.

He was completely different from the Garp they knew, the one who was always laughing, eating, or sleeping. A moment of understanding dawned on them: this must be what the Navy Hero was really like. His usual laziness was only a facade.

But,

their already anxious hearts now felt even more burdened.

If even Vice Admiral Garp looked this serious, could the two of them really be of any use? If they ended up holding him back... they couldn't even imagine whether they would have the courage to go on living afterward.

"You two, stand behind me. It's time you knew about this, too."

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

Then,

Garp looked toward the adjutant and the three Rear Admirals who had also been assigned to support them, seated on two long sofas.

"Let's begin!"

Garp waved his hand.