One Piece: King of the World-Chapter 354: Ace—”I Want to Become a Warlord of the Sea!”

After the war at Marineford, although the live broadcast had been cut off, all the relevant information was eventually leaked.

The infamous pirate Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard, died in battle. The Whitebeard Pirates were essentially wiped out, only a handful of small-time members managed to escape, while Marco and several others were captured. With seven or eight key figures imprisoned, the Whitebeard Pirates had officially fallen.

While the execution was carried out ahead of schedule, news of it was successfully contained, making it a flawless operation. Fourth Division Commander Thatch was killed on the battlefield, Buckin was also slain, and Weevil met an especially grim fate, he was struck down by Sengoku, his skull shattered by a powerful blow as the execution platform collapsed on top of him.

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This could be considered belated revenge for Zephyr. Overall, the outcome of the war aligned perfectly with the expectations of Marine Headquarters and the World Government.

Of course, this was the public version of the story.

In reality, Marineford's so-called "flawless" war had a major blunder, Impel Down's mass breakout.

After Spandine took over as warden, he quickly compiled a list of the escapees.

First was the prison's former chief guard, Shiryu of the Rain, who had turned traitor and not only defected but also freed numerous high-profile inmates. Among them were:

Golden Lion Shiki

Big Mom Charlotte Linlin

Red Earl Redfield

Douglas Bullet, known as the Demon Heir

The infamous Evil King and several other notorious criminals

In addition to these powerhouses, several lesser-known pirates managed to escape alongside them, taking advantage of the chaos.

Fortunately, Spandine and his team acted swiftly, minimizing the damage. Some escapees—such as Byrnndi World—weren't as lucky. Just as the ice around him began to thaw, he was refrozen before he could break free. It was safe to say he wouldn't be escaping Impel Down anytime soon.

The escape of so many high-level pirates, however, had dire consequences. Since Impel Down's security failure threatened global stability, Magellan was held accountable. But Sengoku took full responsibility for the disaster.

That's right, Sengoku didn't blame Magellan. In reality, no one could. The true culprit was Shiryu, who had orchestrated an internal betrayal that tore apart Impel Down's supposedly impenetrable defenses.

Was Magellan supposed to single-handedly stop that?

Besides, Impel Down was originally under Marine Headquarters' jurisdiction. After such a catastrophic failure, it was only natural for Sengoku to take the fall.

Fortunately, Claudius was able to spin the situation in their favor, shifting all the blame onto Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard.

Blackbeard's fate was particularly miserable. He had been pummeled to death by Sakazuki, and Shiryu, now branded a traitor, had earned the reputation of being an instigator of chaos.

Of course, this was only the internal report.

Publicly, Marshall D. Teach, a supposed model Warlord of the Sea, was hailed as a hero, a man who fought bravely for the World Government until his final breath.

At the critical moment, he had stood against Whitebeard, proving himself to be a man of honor and duty.

In recognition of his service, the World Government posthumously granted him an honorary grave, ensuring he wouldn't die as a nameless ghost.

That's right, even though Sakazuki had killed him outright, Teach was now considered a "martyr", the only high-ranking casualty from the Marineford War, and the only Warlord of the Sea to perish in battle.

With Impel Down's breakout unleashing dangerous criminals and the Whitebeard Pirates dismantled, the New World was thrown into unprecedented chaos. But this was just the beginning.

For now, Shiki, Big Mom, Bullet, and the others remained quiet, likely assessing the changes in the world after years of imprisonment.

Meanwhile, the vast territory once ruled by Whitebeard had been plunged into turmoil.

During his reign, Newgate had suppressed countless up-and-coming threats, ensuring a fragile peace among the Four Emperors. Many ambitious second-rate pirates had refrained from making moves while he was alive.

But now? With the Whitebeard Pirates shattered, the most stable empire among the pirate forces had collapsed into lawlessness.

One of the most contested locations was Hachinosu Island, a haven for pirates deep in the New World. Previously, it had been under Whitebeard's control.

In the original timeline, Hachinosu

Island would have eventually fallen into Blackbeard's hands, serving as his base and launching pad to becoming an Emperor of the Sea.

But now, Whitebeard was dead. Teach was dead. And there was no Blackbeard Pirates to seize control.

Instead, another pirate crew had claimed the island as their own.

The Spade Pirates.

Led by the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi user, their captain was none other than Portgas D. Ace.

In the original story, the Marineford War had revolved around Ace. But due to Claudius's interference, Ace's true identity remained largely unknown.

Even Sengoku, despite having held Ace as a child, never investigated further.

As a result, the Marineford War had nothing to do with Ace.

---

Ace sat atop the highest point of Hachinosu Island, holding an apple nearly the size of a human head.

Taking a big bite, juice dripped down his chin.

His Spade Pirates had completely taken over the island, establishing it as their base. From here, Ace planned to develop their strength and look for new opportunities.

After devouring half the apple in just two bites, he shook the newspaper in his other hand and grinned.

"Pops really went all out this time. He completely wiped out the Whitebeard Pirates."

As soon as he spoke, a young woman about his age responded,

"His Highness has never lost a battle. What's so surprising about this?"

Her name was Koala. Before the war even started, their crew had already conquered Hachinosu Island, which belonged to Whitebeard's forces. Naturally, she and the others had never doubted that Claudius would emerge victorious.

Ace leaned back, still chewing his apple, and asked, "Pops is probably too busy to deal with me right now. Koala, you're the smart one, what should we do next?"

"Simple.

We use Hachinosu Island as our base and expand outward, taking control of Whitebeard's former territory. The more we seize, the stronger we become.

And don't forget—Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, is dead.

That means his seat among the Seven Warlords of the Sea is empty.

If we make a strong enough impression, His Highness might push for you to take his place."

Koala smirked.

Ace rubbed his chin, intrigued. "A Warlord of the Sea, huh?"

Then, with newfound excitement, he declared, "Alright then! Let's do it. We'll earn our place by our own strength!"

---

With Whitebeard's death and the collapse of his empire, the New World was on the verge of a massive power shift.

Everyone could see it, chaos was coming. The entire pirate system was about to be reshuffled.

But for now, this wasn't something Claudius needed to concern himself with. Nor was it a priority for the Marines.

At that moment, in the Holy Land Mariejois, Claudius, Sengoku, and others were preparing to return to World Government headquarters.

There were still many issues to resolve.

After all, Marineford had been shattered beyond recognition by Whitebeard's final attack. The Fortress of Justice had been reduced to ruins.

Would Marine Headquarters even remain there?

***

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