Three days have passed since the Summit War, and the entire world is abuzz with the news. From the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line to various locations in the New World, the excitement is palpable. Pirates are celebrating, while the Navy is despondent. Newspapers are spreading the news like wildfire, leaving no moment of peace.
The Summit War was the most intense battle between the Navy and the Pirates since the Great Pirate Era began. The Navy's forces, including Sengoku, Garp, the three Admirals, over five hundred warships, and tens of thousands of elite troops, aimed to extinguish the Whitebeard Pirates. On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates, led by one of the Four Emperors and supported by numerous division commanders, forty-three allied pirate groups, and twenty thousand prisoners from Impel Down, fought to rescue Ace and secure victory.
No one anticipated the outcome. The Whitebeard Pirates, leaders of the New World's Four Emperors, emerged victorious, defeating the Navy that had stood firm for over eight hundred years. They not only reclaimed Ace but also carved a bloody path through the Navy's encirclement, demonstrating their unstoppable might.
The Whitebeard Pirates have become the talk of the seas, and one person, in particular, has captured the world's attention: Lin, the seventeenth division commander. Those who witnessed the Summit War know that without Lin, the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't have won so decisively. Lin's formidable presence was undeniable. He infiltrated Impel Down, bringing tens of thousands of powerful prisoners to aid the Whitebeard Pirates, greatly relieving the pressure from the Navy.
Lin's division included astonishing fighters like Issho, who bombarded Marineford with meteors, Aramaki, who covered Marineford with a forest, and former Admiral Zephyr. Their appearance silenced the Navy's three Admirals. Lin himself fought valiantly, defeating Sengoku, Garp, Akainu, and other top Navy forces, holding back ten thousand Navy troops, and buying crucial time for the Whitebeard Pirates to retreat.
During the final Navy encirclement, Lin escaped with his last breath, leaving Marineford and concluding the unprecedented war since the Great Pirate Era began. His incredible strength led many to speculate that Lin might be a dual Devil Fruit user, a legendary existence far rarer than Conqueror's Haki.
As people read the newspapers, they were shocked and engrossed. The Whitebeard Pirates were praised for their luck in finding such a powerful ally. The strength of Lin's division, matching the Navy's top forces, left the world in awe. Many admired and revered Lin, who made a name for himself with his unimaginable strength.
However, the civilians, suffering from pirate invasions, wore bitter smiles. They had hoped the Navy would eliminate all evil, but now their hopes turned into illusions, vanishing into the depths of the turbulent sea.
After three days of sailing, the Whitebeard Pirates returned to their base. Although they won the war, the victory was bittersweet. Less than half of their forces returned, many of whom were wounded. Even Whitebeard was critically ill, and the pirate group no longer had the vigor of the past.
Whitebeard, intermittently waking from his coma, repeatedly asked about Lin's return, but Marco and Jozu could only shake their heads. Seeing Whitebeard's concern, Issho, Ryokugyu, Zephyr, and others regretted letting Lin stay behind alone. Yet, with no bad news in the newspapers, they held onto hope that Captain Lin was still alive.