Chapter 126 – Thor is Being Noticed!
On the island of Lorcos, Blackbeard and his crew sat on the beach, clearly rattled.
"What the hell was that pirate crew just now? The ones calling themselves 'Akatsuki'?"
"Yeah. Why haven't we heard anything about them in our intel?" Moriah said irritably, brushing sand from his cloak.
It was obvious they came for them—and likely for Blackbeard in particular. If Akatsuki had been one of Moriah's old enemies, he'd definitely have remembered them. But that strange pirate flag? Completely unfamiliar.
"I don't know…" Blackbeard muttered, visibly uneasy.
That was what truly unsettled him. These strange new pirate crews popping up lately were all terrifyingly strong.
After what they had just witnessed from the Akatsuki Pirates, who wouldn't panic?
Hell, even Marine Headquarters—Marinford—would go on high alert if word of this got out. If meteorites like those were dropped on Marinford, the entire place might be reduced to rubble.
"Buggy-ass Devil Fruit user…" Blackbeard grumbled.
"Forget them for now," Moriah said, his tone sharper. "Tell me your exact plan to kill Whitebeard."
It was clear Moriah had started to lose trust in Blackbeard. And after a mess like this, who could blame him?
"I will," Blackbeard said quickly, launching into the details of his scheme.
He promised that once it was all over—whether they got Whitebeard's body or just his shadow—it would be handed over to Moriah without question.
Moriah, satisfied for now, agreed.
"And if it comes down to it," he added, "I'll go all out."
Meanwhile, high above, a News Coo snapped photos of the aftermath and flapped off toward News Island.
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News Island, New World
"Akatsuki Pirates?" Morgans muttered to himself, scanning the fresh photos.
"Another new name… Are the rookies in this era all this strong?"
He clicked his beak thoughtfully. "The Navy will definitely be interested in this."
With a chuckle, he started sorting the files, polishing up the story and giving the Akatsuki Pirates a dazzling presentation before sending it off to Marine Headquarters.
After all, a crew that single-handedly forced Blackbeard and a Warlord like Moriah into retreat? That's front-page material.
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Marinford – Navy Headquarters
"Sengoku, what happened now?" Vice Admiral Tsuru grumbled, wrapped in a blanket as she walked into the strategy room. It was already late, and being summoned out of bed didn't sit well with her.
"Look at this," Sengoku said gravely, handing her the latest intel. "And this, too."
Since it wasn't during working hours, Sengoku didn't mind Tsuru calling him by name. In fact, she did that even during the day. Their relationship went far beyond the formal superior-subordinate dynamic.
"The Thunder God Pirates? Akatsuki Pirates?" Tsuru's brow furrowed as she read.
"Never heard of them before."
According to the reports, the Thunder God Pirates had carved a path through the Grand Line using pure thunder.
Merchant ships, pirate ships, even Navy warships—none were spared. Ghost Spider had already been dispatched to pursue them, but there was still no trace. Notably, one of the defeated pirate groups had a bounty over 100 million.
And apparently, the Thunder God Pirates had even passed near the Red-Haired Pirates—without conflict.
Could there be a connection?
As for the Akatsuki Pirates, they'd fought directly against both Blackbeard and Warlord Gekko Moriah—and walked away without a scratch.
"Just what kind of monsters are we dealing with?" Tsuru muttered.
The footage of the meteorite crashing down and the divine bolt of lightning that followed—it was unreal. It gave her a genuine sense of unease.
With this "Age of Pirates" erupting across the seas, new powerful pirates were appearing one after another. And the Navy?
They had no standout rookies to match them.
Smoker and his team were reliable, sure, but compared to the sheer number and strength of these new pirate crews, it wasn't nearly enough.
Even now, there was no Navy recruit capable of matching the Dragon Hunter Pirates, let alone these new threats.
"The situation's getting out of hand," Tsuru said flatly. "What's your take, Sengoku?"
Sengoku didn't hesitate. "We offer them the title of Shichibukai."
Tsuru blinked. "You're serious?"
"With Blackbeard's plan in motion," Sengoku continued, "we'll unite the Shichibukai and Navy forces. If everything aligns, we may be able to bring down both Whitebeard and the Dragon Hunter Pirates in one stroke."
He pulled out a classified report already submitted to Commander-in-Chief Kong. The plan was already set in motion.
"Even if they do accept the title, do you really think pirates like them will follow orders?" Tsuru asked skeptically.
"They're pirates. They live for freedom. The Shichibukai system already grants them legalized looting. The World Government's happy to turn a blind eye—but the civilians suffer for it."
"I know," Sengoku said with a tired sigh. "I'd love to abolish the Shichibukai system too… but the government doesn't have the strength to control the seas right now."
After a moment of silence, Tsuru nodded.
"Fine. I won't oppose this plan."
"But who's going to contact them?" she added. "We can't be sure they'll even want the position. New blood tends to be cocky."
"Just look at Ace," she continued. "He turned us down outright, then went on to join Whitebeard as a division commander."
"It happens. Some of these rookies would rather challenge the Four Emperors than work under the World Government."
"Hawkeye and the Empress only accepted the role because they hate dealing with trouble."
"We'll move forward once Commander Kong gives the green light," Sengoku replied calmly. "Then we'll send someone to negotiate."
Tsuru gave him a pointed look. "You're thinking about Garp, aren't you?"
"You know how he is. There's no point involving him in this mess. That's his grandson you're talking about."
With that, she turned and left the room.
Sengoku watched her go, exhaling heavily.
They all knew the truth—Garp had let Luffy escape.
With the strength Garp possessed, there was no way the Straw Hat Pirates could've escaped unless he allowed it.
Alone in the quiet room, Sengoku opened a small locked box.
Inside was a photograph of a straw hat.
"So it reappears… Is this your way of telling the world you're back?"
He sighed deeply, closing the box.
"But why… why did it have to be Garp's grandson?"
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
No matter how much he wanted to talk to Garp about it…
He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
Garp had suffered enough already. Stirring the pot would only make things worse.
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