"Boss, is this a joke? Kaido lost to Charlotte Linlin?!"
"What's going on?"
Jesus Burgess asked in disbelief, glancing at the newspaper in shock.
The rest of the crew around him were murmuring anxiously, clearly unsettled.
But the red-haired man—Shanks—just stood silently, a heavy, thoughtful expression on his face.
"How should I know?" he muttered.
Beckman, the brains of the Red-Haired Pirates, took the newspaper, skimmed it top to bottom, then lifted his eyes to the sky.
"The New World's about to be anything but peaceful," he said gravely. "Storm after storm... Let's just drink while we still can."
Shanks gave a dry laugh and waved it off. "Yeah, forget it. Let's have a drink."
But deep down, he was disturbed.
Kairos Flint had stirred up far too much trouble lately. The guy's unpredictable actions had completely derailed Shanks' plans. At this point, all he could do was take things one step at a time.
As for the alleged battle between Charlotte Linlin and Kaido—it reeked of doubt.
The headline screamed:
"Charlotte Linlin Battles Kaido—Slices Off His Arm and Captures Him?!"
To most readers, it would seem like Linlin had defeated and captured Kaido.
But the question mark at the end?
That's where everything fell apart.
That bastard Morgans loved flashy headlines more than truth. He always packed his news stories with half-truths, exaggerations, and loaded speculation.
The article was vague—unclear about how the battle happened or what actually went down.
Still… the fact remained: Kaido was injured. Critically.
His survival hung by a thread.
Whitebeard Pirates, Somewhere at Sea…
"Dad! Something huge just happened!"
Marco came rushing over, panic in his eyes and a newspaper clutched tightly in his hand.
Whitebeard, who had been looking over some bounty posters and planning his next move, frowned.
"What now? Why the rush?"
Everyone nearby turned their heads, sensing Marco's urgency.
"It's Kaido… That bastard Kaido…"
Marco was so shaken that he struggled to get the words out.
Nearby, Diamond Jozu was tearing into a massive chicken drumstick. He slapped Marco's back with his greasy hand. "Spit it out already! Did someone finally kick Kaido's ass?"
Marco nodded vigorously.
That got everyone's attention.
They were stunned for a second… and then burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Marco, you joker! No way that's real!"
"Man, you're hilarious. First thing in the morning, too?"
"Seriously, getting rid of Kaido is harder than finding the One Piece!"
Division captains and other crew members howled with laughter.
Until Marco took a deep breath.
"I'm not joking," he said, dead serious. "See for yourselves."
He tossed the newspaper to the floor.
Everyone saw Marco—usually so chill—acting dead serious. Suddenly, their laughter died out.
Even those fixated on bounty posters froze and turned toward the newspaper, hearts pounding.
They gathered around.
And then the room fell silent.
"No way… This is real?"
"Charlotte Linlin took down Kaido? And cut off his arm?"
"Impossible… That's just insane…"
The newspaper confirmed it. The man called the "strongest humanoid monster"—Kaido of the Hundred Beasts—the one everyone thought was unkillable…
Had his arm severed. His fate uncertain. And reportedly, he was now a prisoner of Charlotte Linlin.
The shock hit like a tidal wave.
What the hell was going on?!
It didn't make sense.
The Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates had always maintained a tense peace.
After the Four Emperors of the New World were firmly established, they each stuck to their own territories. Aside from Shanks, the others never made moves on each other.
Even if they coveted each other's power or land, they stayed hands-off.
But now?
Kaido had shown up half-dead in Totto Land, Big Mom's domain.
If the Big Mom Pirates had nothing to do with it… who did?
Whitebeard's brow furrowed as he read the article, his expression turning grim.
Of the Four Emperors, not even Whitebeard would claim with confidence that he could kill Kaido.
Maybe in his prime, but now? He was older, his strength weakened, his body plagued by constant pain.
But someone had done it. Or come damn close.
That was chilling.
"Dad…" Marco began.
"Enough," Whitebeard interrupted, shaking his head. "This report isn't telling the whole truth. Kaido was injured, yes—but I don't buy that Charlotte Linlin did it."
Experience spoke.
Whitebeard could see through Morgans' sensationalism.
Someone else had done this.
But who could possibly hurt Kaido so badly?
Marine Headquarters. Marshal's Office.
Sengoku stared at the newspaper, face pale.
"Who in the world could have done this to Kaido…?"
He sank into his chair, heart heavy.
Admiral Aokiji—recovered from an earlier injury—was standing nearby, giving his report. He glanced at the paper… and froze.
He knew exactly how terrifying Kaido was.
He'd personally tried to execute Kaido in the past—freezing him solid in a block of ice while the man was restrained with Sea Prism Stone.
But when they shattered the frozen statue… Kaido was fine.
Completely unfazed.
Even without his Devil Fruit powers, Kaido's sheer physical toughness defied logic.
He'd resisted the cold with nothing but his bare body.
A monster among monsters.
"What kind of world are we living in…?" Sengoku muttered, his voice hollow.
Just when they were trying to figure out how to deal with Kairos Flint… now this?
And Ace—Fire Fist Ace—was still awaiting execution. That was another crisis.
And now Kaido had been taken down.
If one of the Four Emperors fell, it would plunge the New World into chaos.
Countless powerful pirates would vie for the vacant spot, and war would erupt across the seas.
Even if they went through with Ace's execution—hoping to bait out and crush Whitebeard—this new twist could derail everything.
The world was on the brink.
Aokiji sighed. He knew there was nothing he could do anymore.
Ever since he lost to Kairos Flint, he'd come to a hard truth:
Even a Marine Admiral… was just another piece on the board.