Chapter 454: A World in Shock – The Road Ahead  

Three days after Whole Cake Island sank— 

*"The downfall of the most dangerous Four Emperors—Blackbeard's end!!"* 

*"Marines crush Whole Cake Island! Have the Big Mom Pirates and Blackbeard Pirates become relics of the past?"* 

*"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Shocking news shaking the world—after the fierce clash between old and new Four Emperors, the true ruler of the seas is about to rise!"* 

News-carrying birds soared across the oceans, while newspaper boys filled the streets. 

Today, their papers would sell without a hitch—after all, this was the biggest story of the era. 

Anyone living on this sea couldn't ignore it. 

Would it spark another war? Would pirates flood the seas once more? Or would the Marines seize the moment to clean up the world? 

These were the questions that powerful figures had to consider. 

As for ordinary people… all they could do was pray that the chaos wouldn't reach their homes. 

But no matter what, today belonged to the global news industry. 

The government-controlled newspapers, of course, focused on the Marines' great victory over the Four Emperors' Blackbeard Pirates. 

But everyone knew how much spin came with government news. In this world, those papers were *"for reference only." 

Meanwhile, the World Economy News and other major newspapers went all in on one name—the Straw Hat Pirates.

As they dug deeper into the crew's power and influence, the world suddenly realized— 

The true Pirate King had already appeared! 

The ones who took down the Blackbeard Pirates were the Straw Hat Pirates—one of the newly crowned Four Emperors. 

And the other two Emperors? 

One was Luffy's brother, Ace, who had come back from the dead, now mature and composed instead of reckless. 

The other was Red-Haired Shanks, the very man who had once given his treasured straw hat to a young Luffy and set him on his journey. 

Neither of them had any real ambition to rule. 

So if *Luffy* wasn't the Pirate King… who else could it be? 

And as for where this information came from— 

Well, Garp never held back when loudly blaming Shanks for "corrupting" his dear grandson. If not for Shanks, Luffy would've been a Marine King—

cough, an Admiral by now! 

East Blue – Foosha Village

"Who would've thought… In just a few years, little Luffy is really making his dream come true." 

The gentle bar owner, Makino, softly read the newspaper in her hands. 

Across from her, Dadan was joyfully playing with her baby, lifting them into the air with a big laugh. 

"Hah! That idiot Ace actually pulled off a fake-death escape? Never thought his thick skull could come up with something like that! Gahaha!!" 

Her two "boys" had made it through alive. 

She may not have been their real mother, but as the one who raised Luffy and Ace, she was still their family. 

That was all that mattered to Dadan. 

"You've got to be kidding me! Celebrating pirates?!" 

Amidst the cheerful chatter, the old village chief sat alone, fuming. 

He had always hoped Luffy would become a Marine—someone who could put an end to this chaotic era…

Shimotsuki Village. 

"You guys..." 

Seeing a group of students biting down on wooden swords and purposely covering their left eyes like Zoro, Koushirou sighed and rubbed his forehead. If they all keep doing this, it's going to be tough for me as their teacher. 

"Haha, Master! Zoro has become one of the world's greatest swordsmen!" 

A few disciples, proudly wearing cloaks, held up newspapers with excitement. 

"Even the legendary samurai of Wano Country respect his swordsmanship..." 

Wano Country, huh? 

As expected, only you, Zoro, could carry on the Shimotsuki family's legacy... Kuina... 

Syrup Village. 

"Miss Kaya, look at this!" 

The three kids from the former 'Usopp Pirates' had grown into teenagers. Now, as self-appointed members of the 'Lady Kaya Protection Squad,' they spent their days driving away Usopp's many suitors. 

"Big Bro Usopp is a pirate worth hundreds of millions now! Everything he said back then has come true!" 

"Yes, it has," 

Kaya, now a professional doctor, smiled and nodded. But when she looked at the bounty poster, showing 'God Usopp' with a bloodied face, she frowned with concern. 

Usopp, I know you want to be a hero, but what about the happiness you promised me...? 

"But once Captain Luffy becomes the Pirate King, Usopp will come back and tell me all about his adventures, right?" 

I can't wait. 

Baratie. 

"Hahaha! You're telling me that Sanji is some 'Vinsmoke' noble? No way!" 

"Yeah! A violent, woman-obsessed cook... a prince? If that's true, then I must be a king!" 

"Look at that thing he's wearing... are you sure it's not some kind of bad omen from a woman?" 

As 'battle-hardened waiter' Patty and 'rogue chef' Carne laughed at Sanji's wanted poster, Zeff, standing on his peg leg, rolled his eyes. 

"Enough. No matter where he comes from, at least Sanji's cooking is a hundred times better than yours! Instead of wasting time here, why don't you work on your own skills?" 

"Hahaha! But with you around, why bother? We just have to deal with the troublemaking 'customers'!" 

The other chefs rolled their eyes in unison as they watched the two muscular 'head waiters.' 

Yeah, yeah, you've got the biggest fists, so whatever you say goes. 

Cocoyasi Village. 

On the towering seawall stood massive cannons angled at forty-five degrees toward the sky! But the scene wasn't all grim—children ran around laughing, softening the military atmosphere. At the bustling docks, merchants haggled and traded nonstop, until— 

"They're back!" 

"Good afternoon, sirs!" 

As merchants respectfully greeted them, the local dockworkers casually waved. 

"Yo, Johnny! Yosaku! Back already?" 

"Yeah, but today's haul wasn't much." 

At first, they stayed to protect Cocoyasi Village and the nearby towns as part of a loose alliance with Roman. But after receiving Marine combat training and a month of guidance from Rob Lucci, the duo known as 'Sword Emperor' and 'Blade Saint' had skyrocketed in strength. 

Now, they could easily dominate the first half of the Grand Line—an absolute nightmare for East Blue's pirates. But these days, their biggest hobby was... 

Fishing! 

Dragging a fish dozens of meters long onto shore, Johnny shook his head in disappointment. 

"Even near the Calm Belt, we're only catching these small fries. One day, we need to go deeper..." 

"You two better take it easy. At this rate, Cocoyasi Village's famous oranges might as well be replaced with sea beast meat." 

Scar-covered police officer Genzo walked over, shaking his head at the former bounty hunters turned 'ocean hunters.' 

Thanks to them, Cocoyasi Village was now a major exporter of sea beast canned goods, highly sought after by trading ships. And speaking of trade— 

"The village representatives are here again." 

Nojiko, Nami's sister, walked over with a stack of reports, making Genzo rub his forehead in frustration. 

"It's that again?" 

"Yeah, still about the 'nation-building' proposal." 

In just a few years, under Roman's quiet support, Cocoyasi Village had grown into "Cocoyasi Town"… and was even on its way to becoming "Cocoyasi City." The now-strong and wealthy "Cocoyasi Alliance" was pushing harder than ever to form their own country, giving Genzo a never-ending headache. 

"Sigh, if Nami and Roman were willing to come back…" 

Then he wouldn't have to deal with all this, and they'd already have a ready-made king and queen. 

Twin Cape, 

"Laboon, Luffy will be the Pirate King soon, and Brook is sailing with him. Once they circle the world, they'll come back to keep their promise to you…" 

"WOOOH!!" 

As the giant whale Laboon let out a thunderous cheer, Crocus leaned back on his sun chair, staring at the newspaper in deep thought. 

Roger… is this the man you were waiting for? 

The one who will end this broken world and shatter an 800-year-old secret… They've come this far, but… can these kids really pull it off? 

Sakura Kingdom, 

"The Marines are so stingy! Chopper has beaten so many pirates with bounties worth hundreds of millions, and they still only gave him 1,600 berries?!" 

"What does it matter?" 

Flipping through the newspaper, the 141-year-old but still energetic Dr. Kureha's wrinkles softened into a warm smile. 

"As long as my silly little reindeer is safe, that's all that matters." 

"Chopper seems really happy." 

Looking at the wanted poster of the little reindeer drooling over cotton candy, King Dalton couldn't help but smile too. 

"As the face of our country, he should always be happy." 

Behind them stood a group of soldiers, all wearing hats with antlers just like Chopper's. 

Alabasta, 

"Ahh, I'm so jealous of Luffy and their big adventure… Too bad we can't join them." 

"Quack quack quack~~" 

As the black duck Karoo noisily clipped newspaper clippings in the background, Vivi looked up at the sky, as if she were back in those days two years ago—when they laughed, fought, cried, bled, and celebrated together… 

"Cough, Vivi, are you reading about Luffy again?" 

"Dad, you just got better. You need more rest." 

Hearing her concern, Cobra, who was being closely guarded by Chaka and Pell, simply waved his hand. 

"I'm fine. Thanks to the doctor Roman recommended, I feel much better now. — You really want to go out to sea, don't you? I'm sorry, Vivi." 

As the only heir to Alabasta, living a carefree life as a pirate was never an option. 

"Hehe, it's okay." 

Feeling the desert wind brush past, the blue-haired princess smiled and shook her head. 

"Back then, I left home to save our country. Adventure was fun, but I have my own responsibilities. Besides—" 

Straw Hat Crew will always be his comrades, and that's all that matters. 

Water 7— 

"No way!" 

Iceburg's hands trembled slightly as he held the newspaper, staring at Franky's wanted poster: *General Franky, the Full-Metal Cyborg!* 

"You brat... Have you finally stopped being human?" 

Flesh is weak. Machines are the future! 

But come on, a bit of steel could never compare to well-trained muscles. 

"Haha! Big bro Franky is still as cool as ever!" 

"This is amazing, big bro!" 

As the crowd around him cheered, Iceburg let out a deep sigh. 

Of all the things a man could do, not leaving behind an heir was the biggest regret. If he was going to modify his body, couldn't he at least have had a kid first...? 

Baltigo— 

"Look, Sabo!" 

"The latest news about Robin! And of course, the little brother you keep talking about—Luffy~~" 

"Let me see!!" 

Sabo, his head wrapped in bandages, instantly perked up. Even Dragon, usually calm and mysterious, couldn't help but glance at the newspaper. 

Fishman Island— 

"Boss Jinbe has joined the Straw Hat Crew—" 

"They took down Kaido of the Four Emperors, and now they've defeated Blackbeard's crew too…" 

"With the Straw Hat Crew as a deterrent, no one would dare make a move against us now, right?" 

"We can't just rely on our benefactors. We have to work hard too! I've already signed up to join the royal army. I'll protect our home with my own hands!" 

"Really? Well, I'm joining the Sun Pirates. I want to make those humans who dare to capture our people fear us..." 

Inside Ryugu Palace— 

"This year's trip to the Reverie went smoothly, all thanks to Sir Roman's connections." 

"Most countries have signed peace agreements with us, but..." 

The Celestial Dragons— 

"And if Boss Jinbe really reaches Laugh Tale with Captain Luffy, then we..." 

"We'll do our part." 

Truth be told, King Neptune himself was uneasy. But— 

"If Captain Luffy and Sir Roman ever need us, Fishman Island will give everything we've got to support them!" 

(End of Chapter)