Meanwhile, in the New World.
On a smoke-shrouded island at the edge of Whitebeard's former territory.
Under Marco's leadership, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates had not gone completely into hiding. Instead, burning with vengeance, they actively hunted for the Blackbeard Pirates.
After all, Blackbeard had suffered a devastating blow from Golden Lion during the Paramount War and was near death. This was the perfect chance to finish him off!
Unfortunately, reality dealt them a crushing blow.
Without Whitebeard, their strongest shield and spear, the crew's overall strength had plummeted.
Aside from Marco himself, who could still maintain Yonko Commander-Class combat strength thanks to his Phoenix Fruit, the other commanders, such as Jozu and Vista,
when faced with the vicious criminals the Blackbeard Pirates had recruited from Level 6 of Impel Down,
along with original officers like Shiryu and Jesus Burgess, found themselves outmatched and thwarted at every turn.
Blackbeard himself had not even appeared. His crew alone
had already pinned Marco and the others down with their strange, powerful abilities and coordinated attacks. Forget revenge-even breaking out was proving extraordinarily difficult.
Perhaps coordination had nothing to do with it. It was simply a gap in individual strength.
Elsewhere in the New World, in the waters of the Srock Kingdom, once one of Whitebeard's most important affiliated kingdoms,
a massive warship bearing the Marines' "Calamity" emblem and the designation G-10 cut through the azure sea.
At the bow, Gern stood facing the wind, his Justice Coat draped over his shoulders.
In the distance, four pirate ships flying different skull flags approached the island, swaggering in to seize this "unclaimed" territory amid the chaos.
Gern's gaze was cold. Without a single unnecessary movement, he simply raised his left hand toward the four pirate ships and clenched it in midair!
"Bzz-BOOM!!!!!!"