Chapter 168: The Dawn of a New Pirate Era

Hovering in the sky, the Golden Lion guided a chunk of floating land slowly down toward the ground.

Suddenly the atmosphere grew heavy, tension crackling in the air.

“Since Rocks has fallen in battle, I hereby declare the formation of the Golden Lion Pirates. Anyone who wishes to join, come aboard my ship!” Golden Lion’s thunderous roar sparked hope among the pirates gathered below.

“I’m in!”

“Count me too!”

A flood of pirates began climbing aboard Golden Lion’s island.

“Newgate, what are your plans?”

Newgate gazed over the empty stretch of sea before him. “I’m going to start my own crew. I want to find a true family.”

“Then this is where we part ways!” John watched the Azure Dragon drift farther into the distance, then led his men to pursue it.

Once most of the pirates had made it up, Golden Lion guided the floating island toward the New World without delay.

“Newgate, until we meet again!”

A faint voice echoed from the horizon.

Newgate just shook his head, steering his own ship away from the scene.

As everyone slowly dispersed, they all sensed that the balance of the world was about to change forever.

This entire battle had been broadcast live from start to finish via Visual Transponder Snail.

Everyone who witnessed the fall of a Celestial Dragon was forced to rethink the power and authority of their rule.

Meanwhile, one Navy dragon, watching everything unfold from the island, realized it was time to change.

From this moment on, word of Rocks’s death spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves throughout the world. No one expected the mighty Rocks Pirates to fall apart so suddenly.

Major upheaval swept across the New World. It was no longer ruled by a single power, but filled with ambitious pirates battling for territory.

With news of both Rocks and Karl’s deaths spreading fast, new wars erupted across the New World.

Ten days flashed by. In that time, clashes and wars broke out constantly throughout the New World.

As the news spread further, many of Rocks’s old strongholds were soon claimed by up-and-coming pirates.

Newgate, Linlin, Golden Lion, and others returned to the New World, throwing themselves into the race for territory as soon as they arrived.

However, Big Mom—Linlin—had yet to awaken, leaving Ledfield and Davis in command of the Big Mom Pirates for now.

Newgate stood at the prow of his ship, gazing into the distance, thoughts churning in his heart.

“Hey Pops, what are you looking at?” Young Marco ran up beside Newgate.

“Gurarararara!” Instead of replying, Newgate burst out laughing.

Golden Lion stood on his floating island, staring off at Beehive Island. At that moment John was stationed there, standing guard.

Wang Zhi and Silver Axe each formed their own pirate crews, now roaming the New World.

Not long after, the Whitebeard Pirates, Golden Lion Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates were officially established. These three seized most of Rocks’s former territory, forming a three-way standoff across the New World.

Right then, on Cake Island!

“Mamamamama!”

“Mama, you’re awake!” The moment Charlotte Linlin made a sound, Perospero rushed excitedly into the room.

The first thing Linlin asked upon sitting up was about Karl. “How’s Karl?”

“Mama, Karl is fine.” Perospero held out Karl’s Vivre Card with both hands.

Though most of the Vivre Card had burned away, the remaining scrap was now, somewhat miraculously, starting to regenerate—just very slowly.

“Mama, looks like Karl should be okay, though we have no idea where he’s gone.”

“Mamamamama!”

Relieved by the state of the Vivre Card, Charlotte Linlin let out a long breath. “Mama, there’s something else you need to deal with,” Perospero quickly added.

“Wano has rebelled.”

“Mamamamama!”

“Guess they got tired of living,” Linlin snarled as she threw off her blanket and strode out.

Ten days before, in that mysterious hidden chamber once more.

“So, you all know now?”

“We do.”

“Seems like the time has come.”

“Then let’s set the revolution in motion.” Kozuki Sukiyaki was the first to throw off his cloak while the others revealed themselves as well—the leaders of the great families.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got.” After speaking, Kozuki Sukiyaki walked out of the chamber.

And so, today, Wano’s samurai launched their attack on the Fishmen Corps.

“Ah!”

“Report this—Wano has risen up!”

The peace in Wano vanished in moments as the rebellion set the land ablaze. For the past three years, Wano had been quiet, so Karl had left his best warriors stationed there.

But across every front, the Fishmen suffered defeat after defeat, eventually forced to retreat to Rabi Well and hide in the fortress they’d built.

This fortress was a perfect place to hole up—simple to defend, tough to breach.

Thousands of Fishmen died in the fighting. Outside of Rabi Well, almost all of Wano’s lands returned to the rule of the Kozuki Family.

…

“Set sail! Our next stop, Wano!”

Charlotte Linlin, with Davis and the others, steered their ship toward Wano.

Over in West Blue, on a deserted island near the Red Line, Baruch and his crew were resting. Their next destination: the Grand Line.

A pirate, fishing by the shore, suddenly spotted something floating in the distance—a human figure. “Captain, look! What’s that?”

“What is it?” Baruch hurried to the shore, lifting his spyglass for a better look.

“Is that…?”

“Hurry!”

“Quick, pull him out of the water!”

Baruch immediately recognized the man adrift at sea—it was none other than Lord Karl, the one who had saved him back at Sabaody Archipelago.

“Captain Baruch, who’s this? Do you know him?”

As soon as Karl was hauled ashore, his body started to tremble ever so slightly—barely visible to the naked eye.

Baruch’s second-in-command, Viske, had never met Karl before. And with Karl’s face caked in blood and grime, even an old acquaintance might struggle to recognize him.

Judging by Karl’s massive frame, he must be a giant.

Baruch grabbed a towel from nearby and gently wiped Karl’s wounds. “This man is my greatest benefactor.”

Viske gasped in shock. “Wait, this is Captain Karl!”

He’d heard long ago that Baruch was once a slave, saved from Sabaody Archipelago by a mysterious man—Karl himself.

Many in their pirate crew had also come from Sabaody, and joining Karl’s crew was a badge of honor for them.

Their past three years had taught them just how powerful the New World was, pushing them to keep training—never expecting to find Karl right here.

“What? Really? This is Lord Karl?” Another pirate, who’d been fishing nearby, dropped his rod and came running the moment he heard Viske’s shout.

With the blood on Karl’s face finally wiped away, that pirate immediately recognized him. “It really is Lord Karl! Come see!”

Hearing the commotion, the other pirates swarmed over, drawn by curiosity.