World Economic News Headquarters.
A bird wearing a black cloak and hat clutched a piece of paper in its hand, visibly excited.
"This is massive news! Truly groundbreaking!"
"The world's strongest—Whitebeard—has been defeated!"
"Unbelievable!"
"And Sanders, the Thunder God, possesses multiple Devil Fruit powers! It's hard to wrap your head around!"
"Not to mention the battle between Whitebeard and Marine Admiral Akainu, as well as the legendary Marine hero, Garp!"
"Each one of these could be headline news!"
"But it's such a pity... All these major events happening at once!"
"If only they were spread out—imagine how many more papers we could sell!"
The bird hopped around excitedly, its emotions spilling over.
This bird was none other than Morgans, president of the World Economic News Agency. A user of the Albatross Model of the Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit, he was one of the kings of the underworld, renowned for his vast intelligence network.
Very few secrets in the world escaped his grasp.
Like this one.
Even though the Marines and World Government tried to keep the news of Sanders defeating Whitebeard under wraps, Morgans had effortlessly acquired the information while seated in his headquarters.
The paper he held was filled with intelligence gathered by his subordinates.
"President, we need to decide on a headline quickly! If we don't start printing soon, other papers might beat us to it!"
A staff member reminded him urgently.
Although the World Economic News Agency was dominant, it wasn't without competitors. There were still many rivals in the field.
"Yes, yes, of course."
Prompted by his employee, Morgans quickly regained focus.
After glancing over the information, he decisively chose "Whitebeard Defeated, Sanders Crowned as the World's Strongest" as the headline.
He added a subheadline: "The Fifth Emperor of the Sea Rises!"
Though Sanders' territory was small compared to the other Emperors, his title as the strongest in the world and his multi-fruit powers were enough to earn him the title of Emperor.
After all, lacking territory was a solvable problem—territory could always be conquered.
With Sanders' strength, acquiring land and subordinates would not be a challenge.
Moreover, the Thunder God Pirates already had a foothold—the wealthy kingdom of Dressrosa.
Though it was only one territory, Dressrosa's wealth made it as valuable as several islands combined.
As the World Economic News Agency ramped up its printing, other news outlets also received word.
Countless newspapers were printed and distributed by news birds, flooding the world.
"Emperor Whitebeard Defeated, Thunder God Sanders Ascends as the World's Strongest!"
"The Marine Defector Who Became a Monster: Thunder God Sanders Reaches the Pinnacle!"
"Shocking! The Legendary Pirate Whitebeard Defeated by a Twenty-Year-Old!"
"Clash of Titans: Thunder God Sanders vs. Whitebeard!"
"An Unstoppable Monster: The Multi-Devil Fruit User, Thunder God Sanders!"
"Marine Admiral Akainu Humiliated, Whitebeard's Power Still Reigns Supreme!"
"Marine Hero Garp vs. Whitebeard! A Clash Between Legendary Veterans!"
"Marines Retreat! Fleet Destroyed! The Whitebeard Pirates' Resounding Victory!"
Newspapers carrying these shocking headlines spread across the globe like wildfire.
The seas roared with excitement!
The world was in uproar!
People were left dumbfounded by the earth-shattering news.
No one could have anticipated such groundbreaking developments.
The defeat of Emperor Whitebeard shook the world.
The title of the world's strongest had changed hands.
But what stunned people even more was the identity of the new strongest.
It wasn't the so-called "strongest creature," Kaido.
It wasn't the rising young Emperor, Red-Haired Shanks.
Nor was it one of the Marine's monstrous Admirals.
It was a young man in his early twenties—a former Marine defector, Thunder God Sanders!
The very same Sanders who had vanished for an entire year.
Now, upon reappearing, he brought forth news that rattled the world to its core.
Unbelievable.
Unfathomable.
A revelation that made one's scalp tingle and sweat pour.
"Wait, is this for real?"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Has Morgans gone mad for big news? How dare he fabricate something like this!"
"Are you joking? Whitebeard, defeated?"
"That's Whitebeard we're talking about—the legendary pirate with the power to destroy the world!"
"No way! How could Whitebeard possibly lose? He's one of the Emperors of the Sea!"
"Whoa! A twenty-something World's Strongest Man! Thunder God Sanders is only twenty years old and hasn't even reached his peak. If he can defeat Whitebeard now, how strong will he be twenty years from now? Strong enough to destroy the world with a single punch?!"
"Fake! There's no way anyone can have multiple Devil Fruit abilities! Who would dare eat a second Devil Fruit? You'd explode and die instantly!"
"Even fake news needs some boundaries. Don't put something so blatantly false in the papers!"
"You're saying he has multiple Devil Fruit powers? Come on."
"The Azure Dragon fruit of Kaido, and the Ice-Ice fruit of Admiral Aokiji—those two are still alive. How could Sanders have their fruits?"
"Gulp! Multiple Devil Fruit abilities? That's insane! How did Sanders even manage this? No wonder he beat Whitebeard. Whitebeard only has one fruit ability!"
"Lightning, ice, flight, Azure Dragon—any one of these abilities is enough to make someone a powerful figure on the seas, but Sanders has them all. No wonder he beat Whitebeard! He's a monster; I can't even imagine how strong he must be!"
"Sanders is terrifying! In a few more years, even if all four Emperors join forces, would they be able to take him down?"
"Invincible! As expected of the strongest man I idolize! There's no one else worthy of the Pirate King title but Lord Thunder God. I'm joining him—time to embark on a new era!"
"The fifth Emperor of the Sea has officially risen. I dare anyone to say Sanders doesn't deserve the title!"
"The world's strongest man, with an equally strong crew. Why wouldn't he be an Emperor of the Sea?"
"So what if he has less territory? With his strength, he can easily take it from others!"
"Whitebeard hasn't lost his edge either! Right after losing to Thunder God Sanders, he thrashed a Marine Admiral. The Marines are really unlucky. Whitebeard must have been in a foul mood after losing, and they still dared provoke him. They lost an entire fleet and plenty of elites!"
"True. Compared to the former world's strongest man, Whitebeard, Marine Admirals are at least half a step below."
"The Marines need to think this through. Sure, Whitebeard lost to Thunder God Sanders, but that doesn't mean anyone else can beat him. Do they really think he's too old to wield his blade?"
Many people believed the news to be fake, questioning its authenticity.
But just as many believed it to be true.
After all, Morgans wouldn't gamble the reputation of the World Economy News on a hoax.
The most important thing:
It wasn't just the World Economy News reporting on this event; other newspapers also carried the story.
With so many papers reporting it, the truth seemed undeniable.
The entire world was shaken by the contents of the papers.
Pirates gleefully mocked the Marines, and many would-be schemers, emboldened by Whitebeard's defeat, quickly quashed their ambitions.
Whitebeard may have been defeated, but dealing with the likes of them was still child's play.
In this way, Whitebeard still managed to reinforce his reputation.
Thanks to using a Marine Admiral as a stepping stone, he had reasserted his might!
On Onigashima
Kaido, eager for the results, ordered his subordinates to bring him the papers the moment they arrived.
"Ohohohoho!"
"Just as I thought, that old geezer Whitebeard has been defeated!" Kaido laughed uproariously as he read the headlines.
After a while, his laughter subsided, and his eyes narrowed at Sanders' name. A trace of wariness flickered in his gaze.
"Impressive, Sanders. You even managed to defeat that old man Whitebeard!"
"Looks like he really is past his prime!"
Kaido's ambition began to stir.
"Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Whitebeard Pirates and take more territory for the Beasts Pirates!"
But as Kaido continued reading the article about Whitebeard's fight with Akainu, he restrained his ambition for the time being.
"This old man might be past his prime, but he's still got plenty of fight left. It's better to hold onto what we've already taken."
Kaido then summoned his right-hand man, King the Wildfire.
"Kaido-sama, you called for me?"
"King, you're here!"
"Tell the men: if they spot the Whitebeard Pirates, report to me immediately." Kaido swirled the sake in his giant gourd.
"I want to test just how much strength that old geezer has left!"
"Understood, Kaido-sama!"
King nodded, his masked face betraying no emotion.
"Anything else?"
"How's that brat Yamato doing? Have you talked to her about the marriage alliance with the Thunder God Pirates?" Kaido asked, suddenly remembering the matter.
"We've talked."
King replied calmly, "Lady Yamato agreed."
"She agreed?" Kaido was a little surprised.
He had expected some resistance from his stubborn child.
"Lady Yamato has always longed to explore the sea. She's been wanting to leave Onigashima for a long time now," King said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Kaido threw his head back and laughed.
"Ohohohoho! That's good, then. Sanders is strong enough to be a worthy match for Yamato!"
Kaido's laughter echoed throughout Onigashima as the Beasts Pirates began preparing for the next stage of their plans.
King spoke calmly.
"This so-called 'young master' of yours, aside from idolizing Oden and wanting to defeat you to liberate Wano, yearns for nothing more than to leave here and explore the sea."
"Did you tell her about the marriage alliance?"
"She won't run away halfway through, will she?" Kaido sat cross-legged on the ground, stroking his chin as he asked.
"I told her. Lady Yamato won't run. I told her that if she runs, I'll kill ten people a day. For the sake of Wano's people, she won't flee," King replied indifferently.
Having watched Yamato grow up, King was naturally well aware of her weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Binding Yamato was a simple task.
"Ohohohoho!"
"Good, send her to Dressrosa!" Kaido exclaimed before suddenly pausing. "By the way, does she even understand what a marriage alliance means?"
Kaido suddenly remembered that he had raised his daughter as a son. Her behavior and personality were very boyish, and being confined to Onigashima her whole life, she might not even know what a marriage alliance entailed.
Under his mask, King's face twitched slightly in exasperation. This was exactly what he had been worried about.
Before King could respond, Kaido waved him off.
"Never mind! Just send her to Sanders and explain the purpose directly."
"That brat doesn't look half bad. If Sanders is willing to form the alliance, then she'll stay. With Sanders' strength, he'll teach her what a marriage alliance means." Kaido grinned, taking a swig from his sake gourd.
"Best of all, they can give me a grandson soon!"
"My own son is a lost cause, but a grandson would be fine. With Yamato and Sanders' talent, the child's potential might be extraordinary. When I'm old, I'll have someone to inherit my legacy!"
King's lips twitched at Kaido's words but refrained from saying anything.
Yamato certainly had her quirks, but when it came to looks, she was indeed quite attractive. However, sending her to Sanders without prior discussion might not be the best idea.
Still, it wasn't King's place to question Kaido's orders. He simply obeyed and left the room with measured steps.
Totto Land – Whole Cake Island
In the center of the grand dining hall, the towering and rotund Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, sat on a massive chair, continuously shoving sweets into her mouth.
Every servant bringing her desserts trembled with fear, their faces pale and filled with terror.
After what felt like an eternity, Big Mom finally stopped eating. Her enormous tongue licked the corners of her mouth as she contentedly patted her round belly.
"Mommy, here's today's newspaper," Katakuri said cautiously, sensing that her mood was relatively stable. He placed several newspapers on the table in front of her.
"Ma ma ma! Has anything interesting happened on the seas today?" Big Mom chuckled, picking up one of the newspapers.
"Whitebeard was defeated," Katakuri said quietly, stepping back to stand silently at the side. "The one who defeated him is Thunder God Sanders."
"Whitebeard? That old man was defeated?" Big Mom's expression shifted. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
As someone who had known Whitebeard for years and stood alongside him as one of the Emperors of the Sea, Big Mom was well aware of his strength.
While Whitebeard had indeed aged, his power was still formidable.
Spreading the newspaper open, Big Mom began to read it attentively. It seemed the desserts she had just consumed had given her the patience to go through it.
"Ma ma ma, he really was defeated. Thunder God Sanders? Oh, that brat who broke out of Impel Down?"
"Didn't he also defeat that old lion, Shiki?" Big Mom muttered, scanning through the details of the article.
"What a useless old man, Whitebeard. To think he'd lose to a brat. Looks like you really are past your prime!"
"Katakuri!" Big Mom called out to her son.
"Yes, Mama?" Katakuri stepped forward respectfully.
"Since Whitebeard's past his prime, go take his territory for me! I want more islands and nations supplying me with sweets," Big Mom ordered.
A bead of sweat slid down Katakuri's face as he hesitated before speaking.
"Mama, you should take a look at the other newspapers first."
"Why?" Big Mom asked, puzzled.
"Whitebeard may have been defeated, but his strength hasn't waned," Katakuri replied.
Raising an eyebrow, Big Mom picked up another newspaper and started reading.
"Multiple Devil Fruit abilities? How is that possible? How did he achieve this?" Big Mom exclaimed as she scanned the details.
"Ma ma ma, so Whitebeard was beaten by Sanders but then fought the Marines afterward?"
"With Akainu and even that old geezer Garp involved?"
Reading further, Big Mom finally understood what Katakuri meant.
"If Whitebeard can still fight a Marine Admiral and Garp after losing, then maybe attacking his territory can wait," Big Mom muttered.
Seeing Whitebeard's ability to hold his ground against such powerful foes, Big Mom realized that his strength was far from diminished, and his crew remained unscathed.
Indeed, it was unwise to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates. Provoking that old man could lead to the destruction of her carefully built nation. That was something Big Mom absolutely could not allow.
"Ma ma ma, what's the deal with this Sanders? How can he possess multiple Devil Fruit abilities?" Big Mom closed the newspaper, her face thoughtful.
In addition to the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he seemingly had freezing, floating, and even Kaido's Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit in its Azure Dragon form. It was simply unbelievable!
When her cravings weren't in control, Big Mom's intellect was still sharp. She carefully reviewed the details in the newspaper, listing the Devil Fruit abilities Sanders supposedly had.
She noticed that aside from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the other abilities were those of individuals Sanders had fought before:
The Floating-Floating Fruit, once belonging to Golden Lion Shiki.
The Freezing powers of Admiral Aokiji.
Kaido's Azure Dragon form.
After pondering for a while, Big Mom decided to contact her old acquaintance, Kaido. If anyone knew more about this strange situation, it would be him. After all, Sanders had previously caused trouble on Onigashima, though the incident had concluded inconclusively. It was obvious Kaido knew something.
Some time later, after her conversation with Kaido:
"Ma ma ma, a quick-learning ability? Or maybe something that allows him to mimic the powers of others during battle?" Big Mom smirked, her expression equal parts impressed and intrigued.
"What an extraordinary man. If I could bear his child, their talent would surely be unparalleled."
Hearing this, Katakuri, Perospero, and the others standing nearby kept their heads low, not daring to comment. However, inwardly, they couldn't help but grumble:
Have a child with Sanders?
Maybe if it were 20 years ago, that might've been possible. But now?
Even Big Mom, in her more rational state, understood this wasn't realistic. If it were someone else, she might have used her usual tricks or brute force to get her way.
But against Sanders?
This was the man who defeated Whitebeard. Who would overpower whom in the end was still very much up for debate.
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T/N:
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