At the edge of Shanks' territory.
High above the sea, thousands of meters in the sky, a massive fleet was hovering in place.
Every ship flew the same military flag. It was obvious. This was the floating fleet led by Soter.
On one of the ships.
Law activated his Devil Fruit ability. His hands moved nonstop in the air.
Clap.
"All done."
He brushed his hands together and signaled that Drake could leave.
But that last motion made Drake uneasy. Something felt wrong.
He quietly took out a small mirror. The veins on his forehead bulged.
"Bastard! What the hell is this supposed to mean?!"
He pointed at the bandages wrapped around his head. There was a huge butterfly bow tied on top.
Furious, he rushed forward.
Law quickly used his ability to dodge and spoke at the same time. "It's for looks. For looks."
Drake struggled to hold back his anger. "Looks my ass! Stop right there!"
One chased while the other fled.
They were full of energy. It was hard to believe they had just fought pirates not long ago.
Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of leather shoes striking the deck echoed and a figure landed beside Soter, who smiled and nodded at him.
Soter then raised his hand.
The massive fleet slowly came to life and began moving toward Shanks' territory.
"What's the mission this time?"
"Destroy as much as possible."
"Just my style."
* * *
New World, G-14 Branch.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki turned and walked back into the fortress.
Inside the office.
Enel was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He slumped on the sofa with his feet on the table, chewing on an apple.
With nothing to do after being treated, he had wandered over here.
Click. Click.
The sound of the door handle turning rang out, and Sakazuki's voice followed.
"How is it?"
The man in the flame-red suit stepped inside.
Enel tossed the finished apple into the trash and answered, "Nothing serious. I just need some time to recover."
Sakazuki let out a soft chuckle. "Learned your lesson."
Enel spread his hands helplessly. "That lesson hurts way too much. By the way… where are they?"
Sakazuki sat down behind his desk. "They went to carry out another mission."
Enel looked confused. "It's not over yet?"
The final step of the original plan had been for Enel to destroy communications and block Knox from receiving any information.
Sakazuki would stall Knox along with Red-Haired Shanks. By the time Kaido finished eating away at Knox's territory, the overall situation would already be decided.
Knox would have no way to turn things around.
But Enel had been seriously injured, so the final step was abandoned entirely.
Now Kaido had just begun attacking Knox's territory.
Sakazuki then sold him out by informing Knox. All of their forces had already withdrawn.
It was not really betraying an ally. Pirates and the Marines did not have allies to begin with.
What should have been a hopeless situation for Knox turned into a prolonged war because of Sakazuki's early warning.
It even dragged Big Mom and Shanks into the mess.
A full-scale battle among the Four Emperors.
Sakazuki crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Plans never keep up with changes. Kaido pulled Big Mom in to split the spoils, and Knox can't hold them alone. Red-Haired will step in for sure, so his territory is left wide open. We loot it once and we're done. A dog-eat-dog war between the Four Emperors won't end anytime soon. Next, we can calmly prepare for my promotion to Fleet Admiral."
Enel's mouth twitched. "With this kind of scheme… will those two really swallow it? They're still Emperors, after all."
Sakazuki replied, "They won't swallow it. But they have to. Do you really expect Big Mom and Kaido to spit out the fat meat that's already in their mouths? As long as they don't give up those profits. Knox and Red-Haired won't be able to free their hands."
He turned toward the window and stared into the distance, his gaze heavy.
In the past, the Four Emperors maintained a delicate balance. None of them crossed the line, and they all understood that rule.
But the situation had been cracked open now. After swallowing island after island and amassing huge wealth, how could Big Mom and Kaido possibly give it back?
Back when the balance held, what you had was yours. Now that the balance was broken. It was theirs. If you wanted it back, impossible.
A stalemate and chaotic war were inevitable.
Could Knox accept that? No.
But it did not matter.
Knox, who was slightly weaker, combined with the overall strength of the Red Hair Pirates, still couldn't easily defeat two pirate crews led by near-indestructible monsters.
After this conflict, both Knox's forces and Red Hair's influence would be heavily weakened.
Big Mom and Kaido had deeper foundations, but that was exactly the result Sakazuki wanted.
Among the Four Emperors, only Knox and Shanks were truly rational and clear-minded. They were also the most troublesome.
One had fought his way up from nothing, dominating the New World for years until he controlled its entire underground network.
The other was Red-Haired Shanks, taught from childhood by Roger, Rayleigh, and others, and surrounded by a group of sharp-minded companions.
That was precisely why Sakazuki wanted to weaken those two.
Compared to them, Big Mom and Kaido, despite their overwhelming strength, were far more unstable.
Both were obsessed with their own dreams, their personalities full of flaws.
Hunger fits, alcohol addiction, a thirst for war…
Even with great power, it meant little. Too many weaknesses. People like that were the easiest to control.
Enel picked up another apple and tossed it lightly in his hand.
As if thinking of something, he looked at Sakazuki. "By the way… Uncle. If I really died this time. Would you be sad?"
Sakazuki pulled his gaze back from the window.
"Maybe."
Enel sighed helplessly. "Then would you avenge me?"
Sakazuki chuckled.
"Maybe."
Enel pressed a hand to his forehead. "Ah… That's so half-hearted. I'm hurt."
He clutched his chest like he had been stabbed and slumped sideways on the sofa.
Sakazuki shook his head with a faint smile, then stood up from his chair and walked up to stand by the window.
A gentle sea breeze blew in, bringing a trace of cool air.
Facing the blazing red sunset, his broad back looked as if it held up the sky itself. The cape of justice on his shoulders fluttered softly in the wind.
**
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