On the vast sea, a pirate ship was drifting along with the waves.

Under the bright moonlight, the sea was unusually calm and tranquil, and most of the pirates on the ship were already asleep.

A pirate on watch atop the mast lowered his monocular telescope, stretched lazily, and yawned. Nights like this always made one feel drowsy.

Just as the watchman was dozing off, he suddenly heard a fluttering sound. Startled awake, he looked up to see a News Coo landing on the edge of the mast.

The watchman was momentarily stunned because, under the moonlight, he clearly saw the News Coo pat its backpack and then extend a wing toward him.

“What… what does this mean? Is this a forced newspaper sale?” The watchman finally reacted. However, he wasn’t angry at all because the News Coo’s behavior was too unusual!

It was his first time encountering a News Coo delivering newspapers at night. Not only that, but the bird also landed on the ship without anyone summoning it, practically forcing them to buy a newspaper. This unusual behavior made the watchman realize immediately that some major news must have happened.

Without hesitation, he quickly took out a 100-Berry coin and handed it to the News Coo.

However, to his frustration, the News Coo shook its head, indicating that it wasn’t enough!

“Damn it!? The price has gone up again!?”

Fine, I’ll tolerate it! The watchman took out two more coins, finally prompting the News Coo to hand over a newspaper. In other words, this newspaper cost 300 Berries!

Watching the News Coo fly away, the watchman grumbled as he opened the newspaper and began to read under the moonlight.

“If this news isn’t worth 300 Berries, next time I see a News Coo, I’ll catch one and roast it!” he thought.

However, when he saw the headline, he was immediately stunned. After quickly browsing the content, he let out a sharp scream, clutching the newspaper as he stumbled and rolled down from the mast. In his haste, he fell mid-air, landing on the deck with a loud thud!

The pirates sleeping below deck were startled awake by the sudden noise. Thinking they were under attack, they scrambled out of their bunks, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out, shouting.

But when they reached the deck, they found no trace of any enemies—only their watchman groaning in pain from a twisted back.

“What on earth is going on!?” the pirates angrily demanded. Anyone would be upset if awakened in the middle of the night.

The injured watchman could only shakily raise the newspaper in his hand toward them.

That night, countless people were awakened from their sleep by the unusual behavior of the News Coos. Even those sleeping at home were roused by News Coos scratching at their doors, prompting them to purchase the overpriced special edition newspapers.

And once awake, after seeing the news, most people couldn’t sleep anymore!

They felt as if they were in a dream. How was everything fine yesterday, and after one night’s sleep, someone was telling them that the world had changed!?

Especially for those living in the New World, the names of the Four Emperors were deeply ingrained in their minds. They were accustomed to associating the Four Emperors with Red-Haired Shanks, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom. But now, someone was telling them that one of the veteran Four Emperors had been overthrown by the former Shichibukai, “Black Dragon” Ian!?

“Am I still dreaming?” countless people asked themselves.

However, they understood that the news in the newspaper wouldn’t be fake, especially with such clear accompanying photos.

Big Mom’s massive figure was recognizable to many. They saw the huge blood hole in her chest. Although they didn’t quite understand why Big Mom was naked, after a glance, they realized she was truly dead.

So, people shifted their gaze to Ian’s photo.

Morgans’ photography skills were commendable. With just one photo, he conveyed Ian’s terrifying presence to everyone who saw it!

Countless timid individuals, after seeing the photo, trembled in fear, unable to sleep, fearing nightmares.

Many devout believers, upon seeing Ian’s image, fell to their knees in terror, whispering prayers.

With just one newspaper, Ian’s demon-like image was deeply imprinted in people’s minds. Originally, in the World Government’s propaganda, the Four Emperors were synonymous with terror. Now, the fear induced by Ian, the new Emperor, seemed to surpass that of the other three.

But he was much younger than the other three Emperors! This meant he still had room to grow; his strength hadn’t yet peaked!

Perhaps in the future, he would become the strongest Emperor!? Or maybe he would become the new Pirate King after Gol D. Roger!?

Every time they thought of this, people felt a sense of helplessness and despair.

“This is… a powerful enemy we’ve cultivated ourselves…”

In the Holy Land of Mariejois, the World Government headquarters was still brightly lit. The highest authorities, the Five Elders, could no longer rest. They gathered in the hall, staring at the newspaper on the table, feeling immense headaches.

No one expected that Ian would suddenly kill Big Mom and ascend to the position of an Emperor!

In the Five Elders’ minds, Ian was still that young man who used a Celestial Dragon’s identification chip to exchange for the Shichibukai title. Even though he had helped the Whitebeard Pirates win the Battle of New Edd War, their impression of him hadn’t significantly changed.

After all, they had never met Ian in person. All their judgments about him were based on compiled intelligence reports.

Because Ian had blackmailed them with the identification chip to gain the Shichibukai title, the Five Elders believed he was still fearful of the Navy and had no choice but to use such means to protect himself.

Ironically, when Sengoku was still Fleet Admiral, he had strongly opposed making Ian a Shichibukai. Instead, the Five Elders, concerned about the Celestial Dragons, disregarded Sengoku’s objections and reached an agreement with Ian, exchanging the title for the chip.

It was precisely because of this that Ian got a chance to catch his breath, had time to improve his strength, and continued to grow. Now, he had actually taken down Big Mom and become a new Emperor!

“If we had known this would happen, we shouldn’t have compromised back then. We should have continuously dispatched Admirals to hunt him down…” The Five Elders now deeply regretted their past decisions. “If we had gone all out to eliminate him back then, none of this would be happening now…”

Their frustration wasn’t without reason. Normally, Ian becoming a new Emperor wouldn’t be a big deal. If he rose, Big Mom fell; for the World Government, it was merely a replacement—the number of Emperors remained four.

But the key issue was… this news came out at such a critical time!

Previously, the World Government and the Navy had received Edward Weevil and Gild Tesoro, captured by Arest. Tesoro was of no further use, but Edward Weevil was different. The World Government and Navy discovered his enormous potential value. Not only did he resemble Whitebeard, but his strength was formidable. Crucially, he was simple-minded; without Bakkin’s control, offering him some benefits would make him work for them.

He was the ideal Shichibukai in the eyes of the World Government and Navy—a Shichibukai completely under their control!

So, even knowing that Edward Weevil was Admiral “Black Arm” Zephyr’s enemy, they still appointed him as a Shichibukai without hesitation, filling the severely vacant positions.

However, they didn’t anticipate Zephyr’s reaction to exceed their expectations!

They initially believed that someone like Zephyr, who had served the Navy his entire life, wouldn’t turn against them even if he felt slighted. They thought they could compensate him in other ways. But unexpectedly, Zephyr was so resolute this time, directly quitting the World Government and Navy!

Not only did he leave the Navy, but he also took away the entire Pirate Guerrilla Unit he had personally formed.

The Five Elders had forgotten that before Zephyr’s departure, they had just forced Aokiji out to promote Akainu! With this precedent, Zephyr left decisively!

This was essentially a chain reaction.

Now, things were worse. Zephyr left the Navy, and Ian became an Emperor, directly killing their newly recruited Admiral, Arest. This meant the Navy had lost two Admirals at once!

Although, according to Akainu’s proposal, the Navy expanded the Admiral positions, they knew that Akainu was actually forced into this. The candidates they had been grooming—Momousagi (Gion) and Chaton (Tokikake)—were still lacking in strength. They had hoped that the World Conscription would bring stronger combat power to the Navy Headquarters, which was why they implemented this plan. But now, with this situation, Akainu’s efforts were completely in vain! The Navy Headquarters’ top combat power was back to where it started, or even worse than before!

Now, they only had Momousagi, Chaton, Kizaru, and Akainu. Retired Sengoku and Garp, disheartened by Kuzan’s departure, had clearly stated that after retirement, they would no longer involve themselves in Navy affairs.

Ian made such a move; he ascended to the position of an Emperor. But during this transitional vacuum period, who knew how many pirates would seize territories across the seas?

Should the Navy intervene or not? If they did, did they have enough manpower and combat strength?

If they didn’t, the public’s trust in the Navy would plummet to an all-time low.

First, they lost the Battle of New Edd War, then the successive departures of Kuzan and Zephyr. The Navy’s prestige had taken a massive hit. If they couldn’t restore their former glory, even the World Government’s rule might become precarious!

Analyzing these details carefully, the Five Elders felt an immense headache. Ian seemed to be deliberately opposing them, frequently stirring up trouble, and each time, the timing was so precise it made them want to vomit blood.

Turning their gaze, the Five Elders all looked at Akainu, who was sitting silently with folded arms in a corner of the conference room.

“Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, have you thought about how to resolve the current situation?”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read