As the saying goes, there's always someone stronger out there.
He had once been one of the Navy's Three Admirals, and every campaign he led ended in victory.
That long streak of success had made Aokiji a little too self-assured—complacent, even.
But then Kairos Flint came along… and shattered that illusion completely.
He was the wake-up call Aokiji needed.
Since that crushing defeat, Aokiji had come to realize the vast gap in power that still existed. He hadn't been taking his own training seriously, relying too much on his Devil Fruit ability.
Now, even with one leg injured and his movement slowed, he had shifted focus—dedicating himself to cultivating strength beyond his fruit power.
A seed had been planted in his heart.
One day, he would challenge Kairos Flint again.
And this time… he'd wipe away his disgrace.
"Someone call Garp. I have something important to discuss with him," Sengoku said, brow furrowed deep with tension.
He could feel it.
A storm was coming.
When Roger died, it had marked the end of one era and the start of the Great Pirate Age.
Now, thanks to Kairos Flint, a new era was taking shape—one dominated not by pirates, but by bounty hunters.
Ever since Kairos Flint's rise, countless people had begun to see a new path forward—one that didn't involve hoisting a black flag and plundering.
They became pirate hunters.
Men and women who once lost everything to pirates—families, homes, futures—now had a new source of hope and purpose: revenge, justice, bounty.
After the humiliating defeats suffered by the three Navy Admirals and even Garp himself at the hands of Kairos Flint, the World Government had been forced to bow.
They removed Kairos's bounty, surrendering to his might.
And from that moment, thousands began flooding the seas as bounty hunters.
The results were dramatic.
All across the Four Blues, pirate corpses were piling up.
Low-tier pirates with bounties under 100 million berries were dropping like flies, and the Navy's reward centers were swamped with hunter claims.
Suddenly, the swagger and arrogance that pirates had once worn like a badge… vanished.
In their place came fear.
Some bounty hunters began forming squads—organized, methodical, ruthless teams that made pirate lives hell.
Granted, this new wave only affected weaker pirates.
High-level pirates—those with bounties in the hundreds of millions—were still formidable, rarely challenged.
But the message was clear: the balance of power was shifting.
In time, elite pirate hunters would rise.
It was just a matter of when.
Soon after, Garp was summoned to Marineford.
"Kaido got his arm chopped off?" Garp repeated in disbelief. "And he's captured by Charlotte Linlin?!"
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The world felt like it was slipping off its axis.
Decades of stability, with the Four Emperors maintaining an uneasy balance, were starting to collapse.
Was this the beginning of the end?
"I called you here for something serious," Sengoku said solemnly. "We're launching global conscription ahead of schedule."
Garp fell silent.
That kind of mass recruitment was a desperate move—a sign that the Navy no longer had the firepower it once did.
They needed fresh blood.
Strong, new forces to stand against the chaos rising across the seas.
"It's all because of that bastard, Kairos Flint," Garp muttered, clenching his fists. The memory of his defeat still burned.
Sengoku raised a hand to calm him. "Sure, he's part of it. But the whole world is changing. And we can't stop it."
He continued, "Right now, we're using Fire Fist Ace as bait. Our aim is to lure out Whitebeard and deal him a decisive blow."
"Akainu and the others have recovered, but Kairos Flint exposed our biggest weakness—the declining strength of our top officers."
"We've lost too many Admiral-level fighters. The command structure is fraying."
Garp nodded slowly, taking it all in.
It was true. The Navy's strongest force was slipping.
"We'll promote Peach Rabbit and Tea Dolphin," Garp said at last. "They've got what it takes. They should be generals by now."
"Good," Sengoku replied. "The more Admiral-level power we have, the better."
With those two included, the Navy would have five active top-level officers.
Still… not enough.
"Make the announcement. Fire Fist Ace's execution is moving forward. Prepare everything."
"We'll use this moment to strike at Whitebeard and shake the world to its core."
That same afternoon, the Global Conscription campaign was officially launched.
The news spread like wildfire.
And soon, warriors from across the world—renegades, soldiers, and mercenaries—flocked to join the Navy.
New World
On an unnamed island…
Kairos Flint and his crew had disembarked from the Mythic Sky and set up a temporary camp.
To be honest, it felt more like a vacation.
The island was exotic, lush, and remote—a perfect getaway in the unpredictable New World, where uncharted isles and stunning views were common.
"Hey, when's King Neptune supposed to get here?" Nami asked lazily, dragging a beach chair over beside Kairos and lying down after stripping off her outerwear to sunbathe.
Uta pulled out some sunscreen and began gently applying it to her own skin.
"How would I know?" Kairos replied casually, sipping a freshly squeezed juice Vivi had handed him.
Then, without missing a beat, he pulled Vivi into his lap and began to tease her playfully, making her cheeks flush crimson.
No one nearby seemed surprised. It had become a common sight.
Just then, a familiar shadow passed overhead—a messenger seagull descending toward the camp.
It dropped a rolled-up newspaper.
"A delivery from Morgans," Robin noted from the deck of the Mythic Sky. She used her Devil Fruit power to snatch the paper from midair.
This particular bird had been trained to track and follow their crew's scent. So long as they weren't in a dangerous area, it could always find them.
"Captain, do you want to read the paper?" Robin asked, glancing at Kairos, who was still lounging.
"Nope. I'm busy," Kairos replied with a smirk, continuing to joke with Vivi.
He didn't care what the world was talking about.
He already had a good idea.
Robin, however, was curious.
She cracked open the newspaper and began to read.
What she saw made her freeze.
Then she smiled.
Actually, she laughed.
It wasn't loud—but it was genuine.
"Oh? Robin's laughing?" Nami blinked in surprise. "That's a rare sight."
Robin was always calm, elegant—so to hear her chuckle out loud caught everyone's attention.