Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

Artoria looked at the dessert in front of her, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly. She picked up a small piece of strawberry tart and gently put it in her mouth. The sweet taste melted on her tongue, and a satisfied light shone in her eyes.

Rangiku couldn't wait any longer. Holding a grilled lobster in her left hand and a glass of chilled fruit wine in her right, she ate with sauce dripping from her lips: "Hana-chan, you have to try this raw marinated crab, it's super delicious!"

Retsu Unohana nodded slightly, elegantly picked up her cutlery, and tasted the seafood in front of her. Her cool and aloof expression was full of gentleness as she watched Rangiku enjoying her meal. The smile in her eyes grew even stronger.

She would occasionally pick up a cup of light floral tea, sip it slowly, and exude a gentle and refined demeanor, a stark contrast to her earlier appearance wielding a sword to slay enemies on the battlefield.

Uchiha Hakuba sat in the main seat, with several light seafood dishes laid out in front of him.

The sea breeze, carrying the aroma of wine and the fresh scent of seafood, wafted across the deck. Uchiha Shiraha, a piece of boiled scallop between his fingers, watched Rangiku with her mouth full of sauce, and still remembered to call out to Unohana Retsu, saying, "The Red-Haired Pirates have recently returned to the New World."

He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it instantly quieted the noisy deck.

Matsumoto Rangiku paused in her lobster-eating motion, then her eyes lit up: "Shanks? The guy we met two years ago? He's actually back in the New World?"

Nico Robin put down her tea, her voice tinged with nostalgia: "I still remember him holding that barrel of wine, laughing as he told us he was going to visit the East Blue. I never imagined..."

"I never expected him to lose an arm in the East China Sea."

Nico Robin took over the conversation, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.

"According to intelligence, he did it to save a boy, which is very much in line with his style."

Artoria paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Red-Haired Shanks? I've heard he's an incredibly powerful guy. People often say he's strong enough to become the fourth emperor of this sea, the New World. He's famous for his swordsmanship and Conqueror's Haki. How could he have lost an arm so easily? Besides, the East Blue is the weakest of the four seas, not even touching the threshold of the Grand Line. An opponent who could break his arm must be no ordinary person."

Retsu Unohana put down her flower tea and said with a smile, "Either the opponent is far beyond our imagination, or it's to save this boy... he did it willingly."

Artoria put down the cake and asked curiously, "Just who is this boy who made Shanks risk losing an arm to save him?"

"I just exchanged letters with Shanks and called him Luffy."

Bai Yu put down his wine glass and looked at the distant sea: "He is the grandson of the Navy hero Garp. He ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and aspired to become the Pirate King. Shanks gave him his straw hat, saying that he would take it back when he became an outstanding pirate."

Rangiku's eyes lit up: "The Pirate King? The grandson of a naval hero is going to be the Pirate King? How interesting."

She paused, then frowned: "But who is Shanks? Even in the East Blue, no one should be able to hurt him this badly, right? Could it be someone from the Navy? Or perhaps it was Garp who did it?"

"Not the Navy."

Bai Yu shook his head.

"It is the king of the near seas, a giant sea monster that dominates the East China Sea."

"Not a Sea King?" Artoria frowned even more. "Given Shanks' strength, even if he were a Sea King, he shouldn't have lost an arm."

"Was he doing it on purpose?"

Nico Robin suddenly spoke up and asked.

"I guess so. Shanks is a gambler. He said he was betting on the future of the era. So I think he lost his arm not because he couldn't beat the Sea Kings, but because he wanted to pass on his will to the boy named Luffy. There might even be more reasons, but we don't know."

Retsu Unohana nodded slightly: "I see. He used one arm to plant a seed for this era."

Bai Yu looked at everyone, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes: "Robin, Rangiku, and Shanks are some of my few friends. Back then, when he said he was going to the East Blue from the West Blue, everyone thought he was just going to relax. No one expected him to make such a choice. Now that he has returned to the New World, I would like to go see him, see how he has changed over the years, and talk about the Big Mom Pirates, which may no longer exist."

Rangiku laughed and raised her glass: "It's a deal then. When we see Shanks, we'll definitely make him treat us to the strongest liquor!"

Artoria picked up a strawberry tart, took another bite, and looked on with anticipation: "I'd like to meet someone who makes you think so highly of them."

The sea breeze still gently caressed the deck of the Dawn, the fresh aroma of seafood, the sweetness of desserts, and the crispness of chilled fruit wine mingling together. The discussion about Shanks was still going on, and just as Uchiha Shiraha was about to reach for another boiled scallop, the Evening News Bird fluttered its huge black feathers and landed hard on the ship's railing.

With a flick of its beak, a roll of world economic news, smelling of ink and bearing huge, exaggerated headlines, drifted down and landed precisely in the center of the long wooden table.

Matsumoto Rangiku was the first to reach out and scoop it up, casually unfolding it for a glance. The next second, her hand holding the grilled lobster suddenly stopped, she forgot to chew the lobster meat in her mouth, her originally lazy and smiling expression instantly froze, and even her voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels: "Hey... look at this."

Nico Robin put down her tea and gracefully leaned forward.

Retsu Unohana gently put down her teacup, her cool gaze falling on the newspaper. Even Artoria temporarily put down her strawberry tart, her emerald eyes looking over with a hint of doubt.

Uchiha Shiraha looked up and saw that the front page headline was in bold, glaringly bright scarlet letters, spanning the entire page—

[A massive earthquake strikes the new world! Whole Cake Island is completely wiped out! The entire population of Whole Cake Island is destroyed! The fate of Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, is unknown!]

The subtitle is even more shocking:

A mysterious golden pillar of light pierced the heavens and earth! An unknown ultimate power destroyed the island in a single blow!

The entire newspaper was covered by Morgans's most exaggerated and impactful layout. On the left was an old panoramic photo of the once prosperous and sweet Cake Island, and on the right was an empty, deep blue sea, a scene after the Holy Lance Judgment, when the entire island and its remains had completely sunk to the bottom of the sea.

The central page features a breathtaking scene that Newsbird may have captured from thousands of meters away in the air:

Artoria stood atop the Dawnbreaker's watchtower, dressed in pristine blue and white, holding the Holy Lance Rungonimid aloft. A golden beam of light, both gentle and domineering, descended from the sky, tearing apart the gloomy heavens and completely enveloping Whole Cake Island in a sacred yet terrifying light of judgment.

The visuals are stunning, yet terrifyingly so.

Matsumoto Rangiku gasped, her fingertips tightening slightly: "This...this is the move you used just now, Artoria? It was actually filmed and made the headlines?"

Artoria herself was slightly taken aback. Looking at the golden light piercing the sky in the newspaper, a slight ripple passed through her calm eyes: "It was just a judgment, I didn't expect it to be recorded so clearly."

Retsu Unohana said with a smile, "The power of this attack is enough to make the entire Grand Line tremble."

Nico Robin quickly flipped through the newspaper pages, reading aloud each word of Morgans's embellished yet poignant report: "World Economic News Agency Exclusive Report - World Kingdom Cake Island has recently been completely erased from the New World Map."

There were no aftermaths of war, and no news of any survivors emerged.

The Sweets Empire, which once ruled the New World alongside Whitebeard and Kaido for ten years and was known as the Iron Fortress, along with all of Charlotte Linlin's core children, officers, fleet, and subordinates, vanished overnight.

Smoothie, Perospero, Cracker, Katakuri, Brulee, Compa... all the names that resonated throughout the New World were marked as: missing, presumed dead.

Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, is a user of the Soul-Soul Fruit and Conqueror's Haki. She has completely disappeared without a trace, and her fate remains a mystery.

Whole Cake Island, once home to the entire world, is now just an eerily calm sea, devoid of even a single stone or candy crumb. Only the magical creatures and humans of the other islands remain unaffected.

Robin paused here, then pointed to the bottom line of bold black text: "[The Goddess of War is suspected of possessing ultimate power surpassing the Four Emperors! Is the golden pillar of light the power of a god, or a legendary ancient weapon?!]"

The new world was in complete uproar because of this newspaper.

Marine Headquarters Marineford

Marshal Sengoku gripped the newspaper tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. On the desk in front of him were urgent intelligence reports, satellite images, and on-site ocean current monitoring reports from the seas of all nations.

"It's gone... The entire Whole Cake Island, including its foundation, has vanished."

Sengoku took a deep breath, his bespectacled eyes fixed on the golden beam of light, his voice trembling with barely concealed emotion, "Not destruction, but utter annihilation... This kind of power is simply beyond the capabilities of humankind."

Garp, who was standing to the side with a senbei in his mouth, had an unusually serious expression, unlike his usual nonchalant demeanor: "That girl... is the one who's with Shiraha, right, Artoria?"

"Destroy the island with a single blow."

Akainu stood by the window, his eyes as cold as knives.

“Uchiha Shiraha was already difficult to deal with, and now he has an ally with this level of destructive power... The balance of the new world has been completely broken.”

Qingzhi sipped her tea gently, her voice low: "Once Morgans reports it, the whole world will panic. Next, pirates, kingdoms, and the underworld will all start frantically speculating about what that golden pillar of light is."

Zhan Guo slammed the newspaper on the table, his voice heavy:

"Immediately activate the highest alert! Order all Marine Vice Admirals to stand by and find a way to locate Uchiha Shiraha and his group! With one of the Three Emperors gone, the New World is about to descend into chaos!"

Moby Dick

Edward Newgate, with his white beard, sat in the main seat, holding a huge wine jug in his hand, looking at the newspapers being passed around by his crew, his thick eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"Gurrah... That old hag Charlotte Linlin was actually uprooted."

His low laughter contained no joy, only heaviness.

"They didn't even leave behind an island... What terrifying power."

Marco crouched on the mast, staring at the golden beam of light on the newspaper, his expression grave: "Dad, this is no ordinary attack, unlike any Devil Fruit ability we know of."

"Uchiha Hakuha..."

A complex light flashed in Whitebeard's eyes: "That kid really did what none of us would have done easily, taking down one of the Three Emperors."

"That golden light, was it the power of his companion? It's too strong... From now on, there will be no more balance in the new world."

Whitebeard tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine, gazing at the distant sea: "The new era... is it going to be completely overturned by that kid?"

Wano Country - Onigashima

Kaido of the Beasts sat on his throne, his feet resting on his drunken subordinates, a crumpled copy of World Economic News in his hand, his dragon eyes surging with a violent, shocked rage and fear.

"Whole Cake Island... is gone?!"

Kaido roared fiercely, causing the entire Onigashima to tremble. "That Linlin guy actually... Waaaaah..."

Chapter 180 The City That Never Sleeps

Jin stood below the steps, his expression icy: "Mr. Kaido, according to intelligence, it was Uchiha Shiraha's fleet that made the move. That golden beam of light wiped the entire Whole Cake Island off the map in one strike, its destructive power far exceeding that of the Ancient Weapons."

"Uchiha Hakuha..."

Kaido gripped the newspaper tightly, his knuckles almost crushing the paper.

"I heard we were about to cooperate with Doflamingo, but he ruined it. Now he's actually gone and killed Linlin... Is he next coming to Wano Country to find me?!"

He suddenly stood up, his Conqueror's Haki surging wildly around him:

"Order the Beasts Pirates to prepare for battle and reinforce the defenses of Onigashima. That man... is ten times more terrifying than I imagined, but it doesn't matter. Only Haki can overcome everything!"

Somewhere in the New World, on a beach.

Red-haired Shanks sat on the beach, also holding an evening newspaper in his hand. He held the newspaper with one arm, his red hair blowing in the sea breeze, and the usual gentle smile on his lips had long since disappeared.

The cadres beside him, including Yasopp, Beckman, and Lachru, all looked solemn and remained silent.

"Charlotte Linlin...is she gone?"

Beckman slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his sharp eyes fixed on the golden beam of light in the report: "Destroying an island in one strike—such power is unheard of."

Lachiru stopped eating the meat and gasped for breath: "This is terrible... such a big island as Whole Cake Island just vanished."

Shanks gently put down the newspaper, his one arm lightly stroking his eyes, a complex and nostalgic look flashing in his eyes.

"Bai Yu..."

He murmured the name, a faint smile returning to the corners of his mouth.

"Just like before, once we make a move, we will never hold back."

Beckman looked at him: "Didn't you say you wanted to maintain the balance of the ocean and wait for that moment? Now..."

"I do not know."

Shanks shook his head, picked up the flask and took a sip: "...That golden light was truly powerful, but he still underestimated the hidden power of this world."