PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

Thunderous declarations echoed like divine wrath.

Those pirates who had been tiptoeing away to keep a safe distance from Kaido froze in their tracks, cold sweat running down their backs.

Would he explode again?

No one dared to make a sound.

But this time, it was King the Wildfire—silent until now—who stepped forward and spoke calmly:

"Boss Kaido, isn't this actually the perfect setup?"

"The Marines are arrogant enough to divide the battlefield into two fronts. We don't even have to worry about Whitebeard and his old, worn-out crew dragging us down."

"According to intel, Marineford will serve as the execution site for Fire Fist Ace—"

"And Impel Down will be where they've imprisoned Jack."

King's eyes glinted behind his mask.

"This is the perfect stage for the Beasts Pirates to shine."

"If we capture Impel Down faster than Whitebeard can take Marineford, it'll prove to the world that we—not they—are the strongest force on the seas."

"And Impel Down, they say, hasn't fallen in 800 years. If we crush it, all the dangerous pirates imprisoned there will be ours to command. It's the opportunity of a lifetime."

"Boss Kaido, in other words, that brat's arrogance may end up dressing us in golden robes."

"Once we devour the monsters within Impel Down, our forces will swell like never before. This war could give rise to another Wano—or many more."

The heavy words reverberated across the deck.

Not just Queen, but even the low-ranking pirates fell silent, absorbing the implication.

Kaido's eyes gleamed.

A heartbeat later, he burst into laughter.

"Worororo! King, your brain is working better than ever!"

"That brat—he's practically doing me a favor! Hah! I should thank him!"

"No—pass down the order! Every pirate ship we encounter on the way, draft them into our war fleet."

"I, Kaido, will march into battle with a hundred ships!"

"I'll let that brat, the Marines, and the entire sea witness that I, Kaido of the Beasts, am not someone that old fossil Whitebeard could ever compare to!"

"They will see with their own eyes—my power is enough to crush every last force on this sea!"

Kaido's declaration sent a wave of fervor across the deck.

The pirates' blood boiled.

This would be their stage.

The largest war in decades.

An era-defining battle.

A chance to go from nobodies to New World legends, maybe even become Kaido's right hands.

"No worries, Boss Kaido," King said, arms crossed, watching fleeing merchant and pirate ships disappear on the horizon.

"We already have seventy-eight pirate ships. With three days to go, we'll easily fill out the hundred."

"I just hope that brat doesn't get scared and run… and that Impel Down won't disappoint us."

As both the Whitebeard and Beasts Pirates launched full-scale mobilizations…

The entire Grand Line boiled over.

Countless powers began converging on Sabaody Archipelago, determined to witness the war that would shake the balance of the seas.

Even the other Emperors—Charlotte Linlin and Red-Haired Shanks—were not idle.

The intelligence of a divided battlefield sent shockwaves across the New World.

Aboard the Red Force, the flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates…

Benn Beckman, cigar hanging from his lips, glanced over a sheet of intel.

"Captain, looks like the Navy's gone all-in this time."

"They've placed the second battlefield in the hands of a single new admiral… tasked with facing Kaido alone."

"Isn't that insane?"

At his words, Lucky Roux and the others turned to look at Shanks, who was sipping sake quietly.

This wasn't part of their projections.

This was something else entirely.

Their carefully spun calculations were being disrupted.

"Facing Kaido alone… on a separate battlefield?" Shanks murmured as he took another swig.

A crooked grin spread across his face.

"Looks like I underestimated the Navy's rookie…"

"Didn't expect him to stir the sea faster than Luffy."

Then the smile dimmed, replaced by something heavier.

"But… the Navy's still underestimating the Four Emperors."

"No matter how talented that newcomer is… standing against the entire Beasts Pirates?"

"Holding them off alone?"

"That's not just hard—it's impossible."

Shanks's voice dropped:

"To shake the order of the old era… you need something more."

"Don't forget—Luffy's Devil Fruit… is Nika, the mythical fruit that symbolizes freedom and liberation."

"Only that kind of power can break the chains of the old world."

The others listened in silence.

Then Shanks chuckled again, raising his cup.

"Still, this works out well for us."

"With the Navy split in two, if Kaido does take Impel Down, he won't be content with just that."

"He'll definitely come after Whitebeard and the Navy's mess."

"And that's when we make our move."

"No one will refuse a favor from me at that moment."

"It's the perfect chance… to steal power."

Steal power?

The crew's faces all changed slightly.

Even Benn Beckman bit down tighter on his cigar.

As Shanks's closest confidant, he understood better than anyone what that phrase really meant.

The world saw Shanks as a peacekeeper—a friendly Emperor who intervened to stop wars.

But they knew the truth.

Behind that mask of serenity… Shanks was the most ambitious of them all.

Of all the Four Emperors, the one who hid his true hand best.

"Captain," Beckman said slowly, recovering from his thoughts.

"If this works… we'll be one step closer."

"But I'm still worried about that brat. He might be the biggest variable."

"Have Rayleigh and the others responded?"

According to Beckman's strategy, Rayleigh and the remnants of the Roger Pirates were supposed to keep Kaido in check, preventing interference in Marineford.

Their manipulation of Ace's return—deliberately baiting his pride to hunt Blackbeard—was also Beckman's idea.

Red-Haired Shanks declaring Teach too dangerous was part of their provocations.

They had hoped Ace would fall to Blackbeard, triggering this war…

Which in turn would lure Kaido out—and allow them to tie up the old Roger Pirates.

But now… Luo Yu had appeared.

He'd forced Kaido to participate.

And that single move had unraveled all their calculations.

If Rayleigh and the others turned to support Whitebeard instead…

Then the Red-Haired Pirates' carefully laid plans…

Might collapse completely—before they ever began.