"Finally, after a hard fought battle by the Marines, a Buster Call was executed on Egghead Island, killing tens of thousands of pirates from the Three Emperors Alliance, whose bodies sank into the sea. However, the pirate leaders, Marco, Kaido, Big Mom, and a small number of captains managed to escape."
After hearing the report, Marco fell silent for a mont. The World Governnt's ability to twist the truth was impressive. It had clearly been the Marines who were forced into retreat, yet the story now painted them as the victors. Controlling the narrative gave them that advantage.
Kaido laughed loudly, his tone filled with mockery. "Worororo, now you see it, Marco. This report doesn't even ntion the God's Knights or the Gorosei. It makes it sound like the Marines fought us alone and pushed us into a corner. Worororo, what a joke."
Marco remained calm. He already understood the reasoning behind it.
"There's nothing surprising about this. The Marines are the public face of the World Governnt. Whether it's credit or bla, they have to carry it. The God's Knights are a hidden force, and the World Governnt won't let ordinary people know they exist."
Kaido continued, clearly amused, "Oh, and the bounties. Everyone's bounty went up, except for Linlin."
"Kaido, if you can't speak properly, then stay quiet," Big Mom snapped angrily through the transponder snail.
"Worororo, don't get mad, Linlin," Kaido replied, still laughing.
At that mont, Jom stepped forward and handed over a wanted poster. "Captain Marco, your bounty increased by two billion Berries. It's even higher than the old man's was."
Marco took the poster and glanced at it, along with the newspaper. Even he was slightly surprised.
The headline read:
"The strongest man in the world, Phoenix Marco, the strongest pirate of the current era, surpassing Whitebeard and Roger. Bounty, 7.5 billion Berries."
As he read it, a chanical voice echoed in his mind.
Mission complete. You have surpassed the old era, beco the strongest of the new era, achieved a bounty of 7.5 billion Berries, and earned the title of the strongest man in the world. Reward, 10,000 attribute points.
Marco's total attribute points rose to 20,000. With 30,000 more, he would be able to upgrade his Devil Fruit further.
He then reviewed the bounties of the other mbers of the Phoenix Pirates. Most captains had reached one billion Berries, or were close to it. Ace and Yamato had climbed even higher, reaching 2.5 billion Berries after their joint defeat of an Admiral.
Marco looked up slightly. "Kaido, Big Mom, what about your bounties? You said Linlin was an exception. Did hers not increase?"
Kaido's grin widened. "Worororo, if it had just stayed the sa, that would have been fine. Her bounty didn't increase, it dropped by 200 million Berries. Now it's 4.8 billion Berries."
"Shut your mouth, Kaido. Is that supposed to be funny?" Big Mom's voice was filled with fury.
A decrease in bounty was extrely rare among pirates. It only happened when the World Governnt judged that a pirate's threat had been overestimated. In the pirate world, that kind of adjustnt was seen as humiliating.
Marco did not dwell on it. Big Mom was indeed the weakest among their alliance. Instead, he turned his attention back to Kaido.
"And you?"
Kaido answered proudly, "Worororo, mine is now 6 billion Berries. I've surpassed Whitebeard and Roger too, though I'm still behind you."
At the sa ti, the news spread across the world.
The battle at Egghead Island between the Marines and the Three Emperors Alliance had shaken the seas. According to the report, tens of thousands of pirates from the alliance had perished.
Although the Marines did not disclose their own losses, they had already stated that Fujitora and Ryokugyu led 30,000 soldiers into battle. Even if their casualties were heavy, they could not exceed that number.
Across the Grand Line and the New World, pirates began to stir.
"Hahaha, looks like the Three Emperors Alliance took a serious hit this ti. If this report is true, they must be weakened now."
In the New World, Bartoloo laughed wildly as he tossed the newspaper aside.
"Let them fight. The more chaotic things get, the better. It would be perfect if both the Marines and the alliance end up crippled."
Elsewhere, in Gran Tesoro, Gild Tesoro studied the newspaper with a cold smile.
"Do you really think two Admirals could cause this level of damage to the Three Emperors Alliance?"
Beside him, Baccarat tilted her head slightly. "Boss, are you saying there's more to it?"
Tesoro let out a quiet laugh. "Admirals are powerful, but two of them defeating three Emperors is unrealistic. Marco and Kaido's bounties have skyrocketed, far beyond Whitebeard and Roger. There's no way Fujitora and Ryokugyu alone could push them this far."
Baccarat frowned slightly, still processing his words.
Tesoro continued, his voice low, "The World Governnt must have deployed a hidden force. Otherwise, this outco wouldn't make sense."
He paused briefly before adding, "Even so, most of the alliance's core forces are still intact. Given ti, they'll recover."
His eyes sharpened.
"And when they do, the balance of the New World will shift again."
In another part of the New World, Crocodile quietly observed the situation.
For a long ti, the rise of the Three Emperors Alliance had disrupted his plans. Against such overwhelming power, even the best strategies had been useless. Even Red Haired Shanks had withdrawn from the New World, let alone him.
But now, things were different.
After two massive conflicts with the Marines, the alliance had suffered heavy losses. No matter how strong they were, they would need ti to recover.
That ant opportunity.
"It's ti to move," Crocodile muttered.
Across the New World, countless pirates shared the sa thought.
The Three Emperors Alliance had lost tens of thousands of n. Combined with their earlier clash at Whole Cake Island, they had been dragged into continuous large scale wars since their formation.
Even if the Marines had suffered as well, the damage on both sides was undeniable.
To many ambitious pirates, this was a rare opening.
The New World, now dominated by the Three Emperors Alliance, showed its first signs of instability.
And for those seeking fa, power, and the heads of Emperors, this mont was too valuable to ignore.
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