You'll Die

Something big had happened!

That thought had naturally surfaced in Smoker's mind as he stopped behind the single sofa where Garp sat. He looked at the rear admirals seated on the long sofa, their eyes filled with unease and agitation, and felt so weighed down that he could hardly breathe.

What on earth

had happened?

"Vice Admiral Garp, is the news true?" Rear Admiral Sprenger asked impatiently. "That... Big Mom left Whole Cake Island ten days ago." His voice was very soft, especially when he mentioned Big Mom's name. It was so light that it seemed it would scatter in the breeze.

"I'm not familiar with the intelligence department's work, but Sengoku was the one who said it, so it should be true. That crazy old woman seems to have gone to find... what was the name again? The Black Prince? That's right, isn't it, Smoker?"

Garp looked back at Smoker, who was tense and didn't dare move.

"Don't be nervous, Smoke-brat. It's nothing serious, just a crazy old woman whose brain's been damaged by excessively high blood sugar." As he said this, he seemed to think he'd said something funny and burst out laughing. The stern expression he'd only just managed to put on vanished at once.

"Phew—"

A very faint sigh echoed through the room.

Smoker shifted his eyes to Hina, standing beside him, who had clearly relaxed. He understood then that he wasn't the only one who'd been nervous. In particular, Vice Admiral Garp—who was usually all smiles and never serious—had worn an expression unlike any they'd seen before, putting considerable pressure on them "youngsters."

Realizing he wasn't the only one who'd been nervous—and seeing Vice Admiral Garp drop his stern expression—helped Smoker, the notorious troublemaker at Headquarters, calm down. Some of his usual unruly spirit returned.

"Sokachio Aleus. That's the Black Prince's full name."

Smoker opened his mouth and answered Garp in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Vice Admiral Garp, are you saying that Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, went after the Black Prince?"

"That's right!"

Garp nodded.

"Damn it, does that mean we can't complete our mission now?" Rear Admiral Bishiman, seated beside Sprenger on the long sofa, complained in irritation. He looked at Garp and asked, "Vice Admiral Garp, is there any point in continuing the mission? One of the Four Emperors has made a move. That kid named Aleus will probably either die or be forcibly recruited into the BIG Pirates. He won't be worth contacting anymore."

As he spoke,

Rear Admiral Bishiman glanced at Smoker and Hina, who stood behind Garp.

"You two probably don't know the details of our mission yet, do you? Listen carefully. This time, we're going to make contact with the Black Prince, who's recently risen to prominence. Fleet Admiral Sengoku believes he can break the New World's current deadlock. If possible, we should win him over and make the Kingdom of Ekmondo a reliable Navy ally in the New World, rather than merely a World Government Member State.

"One thing needs to be made clear here:

The Navy is the World Government's direct military force, while the World Government's member nations are the foundations that make up the government. The Celestial Dragons and the Holy Land are merely the government's head, while the more than one hundred and fifty member nations form its body.

"In other words, World Government Member States outrank the Navy. Although they can't directly interfere in Navy affairs, the Navy has a corresponding obligation to provide them with a certain degree of protection. At the same time, it can't interfere in a kingdom's domestic affairs.

"The clearest example is how the Kingdom of Alabastan openly sheltered the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story, taking them into the Royal Palace and lying through its teeth in front of the Navy. The Navy had no way to deal with it and could only wait out at sea beyond the harbor for the Straw Hat Pirates to come to them.

"In the New World,

the World Government still has a great many member nations. Dressrosa and the Kingdom of Ekmondo are just two of them.

"But these member nations aren't Navy allies, because the Navy can't guarantee that they'll be safe from the Four Emperors' interference. So they refuse to support the Navy's authority. The ease with which the Four Emperors drove the Navy out of the New World had a lot to do with these nations standing by and watching.

"Clearly, the setbacks the Navy once suffered in the New World made Fleet Admiral Sengoku realize that the Navy couldn't establish itself there without the support of the New World's World Government Member States.

"The World Government's domain is simply too vast, and the territory the Navy has to cover is staggering as a result. The Navy has nearly ten million personnel, which sounds like an enormous force, but spread across the Four Seas and the Grand Line, they're barely enough. Otherwise, the Navy wouldn't have been unable to hold on to its territory in the New World.

"Let's not even get into the fact that if the Navy's Three Admirals charged in together, even Whitebeard wouldn't be able to stop them!

"But the problem is that the Navy can't do that. There are too many places that need an Admiral-level fighter. The three Admirals would need to split themselves into nine just to cover everything. So in many places, the Navy has to coordinate with the local navies of the various kingdoms to take action and maintain peace and stability in their waters.

"That not only solves the problem of insufficient manpower, but also eases the burden and strain on logistics.

"Support from local forces is even more important to the Navy in a dangerous place like the New World. After all, not a single kingdom that can survive there is an easy opponent.

"This time, Garp has led a team back to the New World intending to make an exploratory approach to the Kingdom of Ekmondo and see whether it could become a link between the Navy and the New World's local forces, helping them rebuild their relationship..."

Rear Admiral Bishiman carefully explained the situation to Smoker and Hina.

That wasn't because Rear Admiral Bishiman was the sort of good senior who was eager to help his juniors advance.

Rather, both Smoker and Hina belonged to his faction, the one led by Admiral Aokiji. As a senior in the faction, it was only natural that he take responsibility for looking after the younger members. Smoker, in particular, had an excellent personal relationship with Admiral Aokiji. Add to that his Logia ability, and he was destined to become one of the faction's key figures. Many in the faction envisioned a bright future in which Admiral Aokiji became Fleet Admiral and Smoker succeeded him as an Admiral...

"The Black Prince... I see."

Smoker finally understood the purpose of their mission, but soon found himself sharing the same concern as Rear Admiral Bishiman.

"What are you in such a hurry for?"

Garp pulled a packet of snacks from beneath the coffee table beside the sofa and started eating as if no one else were there. "That crazy old woman, Big Mom, set out ten days ago. There's no way we can catch up to her. But it's much too early to say we should turn back. We still don't know how this is going to turn out!"

"But, Vice Admiral Garp, that's one of the Four Emperors!"

The third rear admiral, Rear Admiral Cajetan, couldn't help speaking up.

"So what?"

Garp rolled his eyes and looked at Rear Admiral Cajetan as if he couldn't believe how hopeless he was. "The Four Emperors weren't born as Four Emperors. Sengoku and I have lost battles in our youth, too! What kind of Navy man gets scared by pirates? It's pathetic! And how do you know for sure that Big Mom will kill or capture that little prince?"

"He's the Black Prince, not a little prince," Rear Admiral Cajetan retorted.

"What did you say?"

Garp opened his eyes as wide as a bull's, making Rear Admiral Cajetan shrink back and fall silent. Vice Admiral Garp was a crab who could walk sideways anywhere in Navy Headquarters. Even the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals couldn't do anything about the Navy Hero.

A mere rear admiral like him had better keep quiet!

"Just wait and see! Maybe the result will surprise us all!" Garp continued enjoying the snacks he'd swiped from Sengoku's office before leaving. His unruffled attitude affected everyone around him, gradually easing their earlier anxiety and unease.

Saiboy Island.

At the harbor, a vast fleet blotted out the sky and nearly filled the entire bay. Black flags fluttered in the wind, packed together like a dense flock of death-bringing birds spreading their wings beneath the blue sky, announcing death to every living thing on the island.

In the New World, everyone knew that flag.

And because they recognized it, they felt the terror of death all the more keenly.

"How could this..."

"Why did it have to happen now?"

"Why couldn't it... why couldn't it have happened sooner? Or even later! Anything would've been better than now! This is it for us... we're finished!!!"

The nobles, officials, and merchants who had pledged their loyalty to Aleus rushed out of the palace hall. They raised their small spyglasses and recognized the pirate flag. In an instant, they seemed to have had their spines pulled out, crumpling in despair.

They hadn't even looked this dejected and hopeless when their king had been beheaded by Aleus.

Because they knew very well who was going to kill them.

Based on Aleus's actions over the past month, they were sure he truly intended to take over Umit's greatest legacy—the vast shipping network that spanned the New World. That gave them enough confidence not to fear Aleus raising his blade against them. Killing them would only plunge the country into chaos and collapse, hindering his plans.

But

Big Mom, the Mad Emperor, didn't have the wits to consider such trivial matters. After killing the king, she wouldn't give a thought to people as insignificant as them. Their only fate was destruction.

"The Four Emperors... Is this the kind of power a Pirate Emperor has?"

Seeing their despair and terror, Aleus once again deeply felt the influence the Pirate Emperors wielded in the New World. Just by showing their flag, they had terrified the people who had been putting on airs in front of him.

This was the fearsome reputation of the Pirate Emperors.

Their names and flags inspired a dread that left people speechless.

Such power, such fame—it gave off such an alluring scent, stirring the already restless heart within him. His ambition nearly slipped beyond his control, but he still reached out and pressed a hand to his chest, holding down the Hogyoku, its radiance concealed, and his pounding heart.

Take things one bite at a time, and walk the road one step at a time. I can't get ahead of myself!

Aleus repeatedly reminded himself.

He didn't think insatiable desire was a derogatory term, because desire was the driving force behind humanity's progress. But people had to master their desires, not let them cloud their minds... What I should do now is find out how great the gap is between me and a Four Emperor!

Aleus murmured softly to himself.

By saying it aloud, he reviewed the plans for the future that he'd recorded in his mind.

I can't wait! What will this world... become in the future?

Aleus climbed into the carriage. Under Fran's whip, four tall horses with pure-colored coats pulled the luxurious carriage—which had once belonged to the country's sovereign—at a gallop toward the harbor, where the Mad Emperor was approaching.

The harbor.

The last remnants of the Kingdom of Himuyel's army had long since fled. Aleus had already crushed them once, leaving them with no will to fight on. Now, having seen the flags of the BIG Pirates, they naturally ran as far away as possible.

It wasn't just the remnants of the army. The residents near the harbor had also fled at the first sign of trouble. Every one of them wished their parents had given them two more legs, afraid that if they ran too slowly, they'd become prey for the BIG Pirates.

Before the BIG Pirates even came ashore, the harbor was already deserted.

And so,

the luxurious carriage, traveling from the island's interior toward the harbor, stood out all the more.

The Queen Mama Chant.

It was the flagship of the BIG Pirates, a living warship to which Big Mom had given a soul. Everyone knew it was Big Mom's personal ship. Seeing it made it clear that Big Mom had come in person.

Several towering figures stood on the deck of the flagship.

They had naturally noticed the conspicuous luxury carriage. Those among them who wielded Observation Haki could clearly sense the powerful presence of the person seated inside.

"Brother Katakuri, he looks like quite a troublesome opponent!"

The man with a large katana strapped to his back smiled as he spoke. He reached back and gripped the hilt, ready to charge into battle.

"Mm. He's certainly a difficult opponent. Snag, you're no match for him. Don't engage."

"Huh?"

Charlotte Snag, who had been ready to fight, let go of the hilt with his right hand and stared blankly at his second-oldest brother, Charlotte Katakuri, whom his siblings regarded as a perfect superman.

"Brother Katakuri, you're saying that I... am no match for him?"

He didn't want to believe it, but Katakuri had said it. He didn't doubt the judgment at all; he was just a little... disappointed.

One moment, he'd been full of enthusiasm; the next, he'd been knocked down from the clouds.

Such a sharp rise and fall was still somewhat of a blow to a "young man" under thirty.

The man wore a white scarf that looked like a flower, and his overall appearance had a dark, gothic style. In an utterly unchanged tone, he stated what he had "seen."

"It's the truth. The difference between you and the person in that carriage is too great. If he weren't wary of Mom, you'd die."