Today, the Golden Hair Pirates, led by Ivalis, Benn Beckman, and Cavendish, received word from the Blackbeard Pirates. They are set to land on Sabaody Archipelago tomorrow to coordinate with the Golden Hair Pirates in capturing Ace and handing him over to the Government.

Teach intends to use Ace to secure a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Meanwhile, the Golden Hair Pirates, acting as the will of Alucard, plan to use both Blackbeard and Ace to trigger the Paramount War, igniting a fierce conflict with the Government.

The only difference is that one war will take place in the heavens, and the other on the earth below.

In the Bubble Park...

"Ahhh~~ It’s Cavendish-sama of the Golden Hair Pirates!"

"He’s so handsome, I’m going to faint!"

"Please look at my camera!"

Surrounded by a swarm of women, Cavendish posed narcissistically. "Rest easy, ladies," he said to the crowd. "You can take photos for as long as you like. But do be quick; I am a very busy man. Such an opportunity..."

He finished with a wink, emphasizing every word: "Does. Not. Come. Often."

"Kyaaa! Cavendish-sama!" The fangirls descended into a frenzy.

Reporters, catching the scent of a headline, swarmed the "Pirate Prince." Realizing he wasn’t as terrifying as rumors suggested, they grew bold, thrusting microphones forward to fish for information.

"Cavendish-san, is the entire Golden Hair Pirates crew on this island? Or did you arrive alone?"

"Powerful rookies have been emerging everywhere lately. It’s said there are over six rookies with bounties over 100 million on the island right now. Do you have anything to say to them?"

Cavendish answered the questions one by one. Eventually, caught up in the excitement, he let his guard down. "The purpose of coming here? Ahh~ it’s for the hunt..."

Just as he was about to reveal their objective, a stone flew out of nowhere and slammed into his forehead.

Before anyone could react, a blur flashed before their eyes. By the time the image cleared, Cavendish had vanished.

"Eh? Cavendish-sama?"

"Cavendish-sama, where did you go?" The fangirls wailed in despair.

Thud!

Inside a dim bar, Cavendish was thrown hard against a wall. A long boot repeatedly stomped down on him, leaving footprints all over his expensive white formal suit.

"Not the face! Not the face!" Cavendish shielded his face with his hands.

Ivalis, who was doing the stomping, showed no signs of cooling off, aiming specifically for Cavendish’s mug. Nearby, the other members of the Golden Hair Pirates ignored the scene, continuing to play cards and drink, waiting for tomorrow’s operation.

"What a noisy bunch."

Suddenly, Alucard stepped through the wall as if it weren’t there.

Everyone froze for a second before jumping to their feet, shouting in unison: "Captain!"

Alucard glanced at the footprint-covered Cavendish. "It seems you’re having a good time, Cavendish."

"Ah... haha..." Cavendish laughed awkwardly.

"Did you come to observe the operation, Captain?" asked Ivalis, one of the few who could remain composed in Alucard’s presence.

This operation determined whether the two major wars could proceed smoothly. It wasn’t strange for Alucard to observe, even if the task didn’t require his personal intervention.

"More interesting things will happen in the coming days than you imagine. It would be a waste to miss it."

Though the "Paramount War" might take a different form, Alucard wanted to see the show here firsthand and ensure no accidents occurred.

Benn Beckman spoke up: "I... want to go see Rayleigh."

"Ah, no problem. Just be back before tomorrow."

As the only two in the Golden Hair Pirates who had previously followed Shanks, Ivalis and Beckman both knew Rayleigh was living in seclusion here, occasionally guiding pirate rookies.

...

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 41.

As the new ship, the Thousand Sunny, dropped anchor, Luffy couldn’t wait to leap off the lion figurehead. He raised his arms and shouted, "Wooohoo! Awesome! We’ve finally made it halfway through the Grand Line!"

"Thinking back, time really flies. From the Merry to the Sunny, so much has happened," Usopp added with a smile as he disembarked.

"Entering the New World will make things much harder; it won’t be as easy as it is now," Robin warned, supporting herself on the railing. "Everyone, be careful. The journey ahead will be even more grueling."

"Now, now, Robin, I feel like you’ve become a worrywart since you came back," Nami teased. "Relax! Nothing like Enies Lobby will ever happen again. We’ll all protect you."

Robin gave a bitter internal smile. I’m just afraid you’ll run into the Immortal Pirates...

However, while the Straw Hats were landing, rookies all over the island were already causing trouble.

Grove 21, Inside a Bar.

BOOM!!!

With a blast, two men leaped out: one with red spiky hair and one long-armed man.

"If it’s a fight you want, I’ll oblige," the long-armed man said with a rhythmic, hip-hop flair. "Don’t you know how strong I am?"

"Then stop staring at me, you creep," the spiky-haired man snarled, drawing a dagger. "I can send you to hell right now!"

Eustass "Captain" Kid and Scratchmen Apoo.

Grove 21, Civilian Street.

A man wearing a giant hawk-bill mask blocked simultaneous attacks from a tall monk and a masked man with long hair.

"If you want to raise hell, do it in the New World!" he barked.

The monk chuckled as they settled down.

"So it’s the fallen Rear Admiral, X Drake." He glanced at the other man. "Masked guy, you just used up one of your lives."

X Drake, Killer, and Urouge.

Grove 24, A Restaurant. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Who are those people?" a stout man in a black mafia-style suit asked his subordinates. A subordinate carrying a gun glanced over.

"Godfather, that’s the Witch."

In a corner of the restaurant, a blonde man held back his agitated crew. "It is fate. Do not kill needlessly today, or your luck will turn for the worse."

Capone "Gang" Bege, Admiral Ain, and Basil Hawkins.