"This bastard... he's been eyeing our territory from the very beginning!"
"No wonder he and Kaido weren't in Wano. And yet, they've been able to control the Beasts Pirates remotely?"
"Damn it…"
…
Upon hearing Whitebeard's words, every captain and crew member present was furious.
Even the dimmest among them had realized it by now—the Beasts Pirates… no, Ragnar himself had been targeting the Whitebeard Pirates' territory for a long time.
"Yasopp!"
"Flame Disaster King!"
It wasn't just the Whitebeard Pirates who were outraged.
After replaying the scene of Yasopp being ambushed and killed, even Red-Haired Shanks clenched his teeth in fury.
"What a vicious mind…"
"What terrifying boldness…"
"And such patience!"
Ben Beckman, the brains behind the Red-Haired Pirates, suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
In that instant, all the scattered clues from their confrontation with Ragnar aligned in his mind—and he arrived at a chilling realization.
"He dared to target two Yonko crews at once!"
"Queen the Plague and Jack the Drought were deployed against the Whitebeard Pirates… and Queen was simultaneously targeting us."
"And you, Ragnar… you used yourself as bait to lure both of us here, giving the Disasters the perfect opportunity to strike!"
The more he thought, the more terrified he became.
Ben Beckman's voice grew clearer and louder, rising above the storm, until it echoed over the rain-drenched battlefield.
"What a masterstroke!"
Shanks' expression darkened as the puzzle finally fit together.
"No wonder… he knew Kaido wouldn't die and still brought his sister to the G1 base to stage a rescue."
Marco's face turned pale.
For the first time, he felt genuine fear—not from power, but from a man's mind.
"To become Pirate King… one needs unwavering resolve, immense courage, and unparalleled patience."
Yamato's gaze fell on Ragnar's silhouette as she recalled the words he once spoke to Ace on Onigashima.
"You actually intend to consume two Yonko crews... Is this what you meant by resolve, courage, and patience?"
She murmured to herself.
Back then, those words hadn't meant much. But now, in the face of Ben Beckman's deductions, she finally understood.
Ragnar had woven this entire plan before even leaving Onigashima.
And even as a first-time voyager—who hadn't spent long on the sea—she knew full well what it meant to challenge the Four Emperors in the New World.
He dared to pit himself against two Yonko crews and involve two navy admirals in the scheme.
That kind of military pressure would have broken most pirates, even those on a Yonko level.
But what happened?
Akainu and Aokiji had to dive into the sea to escape. And that was only because Red-Haired Shanks arrived just in time.
If not, the Navy Headquarters would have had to reassign titles among their admirals.
Even with the Red-Haired Pirates coming in full force, they didn't gain the upper hand.
First, their ship—the Red Force, a ship with a spirit—was slashed down.
Then the world's greatest sniper was killed in a surprise attack.
Even Shanks himself only survived thanks to Beckman's timely rescue.
And if Whitebeard hadn't shown up when he did, Shanks might not have been saved at all.
When the world's strongest man arrived, they thought the tides would turn.
That the combined force of two Yonko crews would surely overpower Ragnar and his people.
But what happened?
Ragnar sent Whitebeard flying with a single punch, nearly destroying the Moby Dick, then knocked him into the sea—and while they were distracted, even Whitebeard's territory was raided.
"…Did Queen and the others really succeed?"
Unlike Yamato, who stood in silent awe…
King looked at Ragnar with nothing but respect and reverence in his eyes.
Ever since the Yonko ruled the New World—
—no one had dared to play this large a game.
The balance of power in the world, long held steady by the Four Emperors, had finally begun to crack.
Despite Kaido's years of provocation against the other Emperors and the Navy Headquarters, the structure of the Great Pirate Era had remained intact—until now.
With Ragnar seizing control of the Beasts Pirates, the era underwent a sudden and violent upheaval.
The formerly stable equilibrium of the Four Emperors was being dismantled step by step.
Like a deeply embedded nail, the G-1 Marine Branch in the New World—once considered untouchable—was uprooted. Two Marine Admirals were gravely wounded and forced into retreat, unable to re-enter the New World for the foreseeable future.
Apart from Kaido's former ally, Big Mom and her remnants, the other great powers weren't spared.
The Whitebeard Pirates, led by the world's strongest man, and the Red-Haired Pirates, under the world's most intimidating Haki user, both suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Ragnar.
"Three-Eyed... Ragnar," Whitebeard growled, his voice laced with restrained fury. "You've got quite the appetite. Attacking me, Red-Hair, and the Navy all on the same day you declared yourself an Emperor. Aren't you afraid you'll bite off more than you can chew?"
Though his killing intent was nearly tangible, even Whitebeard couldn't deny the awe he felt toward the young man before him. Courage, power, and ruthless calculation—Ragnar had all three.
He wasn't just a rising pirate. He was a force capable of reshaping the balance of the seas.
He had shattered the traditional Four Emperors system at will.
He had torn down the heavily fortified G-1 Branch, despite it being defended by two Admirals and additional reinforcements.
He had forced legends—himself and Shanks—into retreat and disgrace.
And so, despite the rage in his heart, Whitebeard didn't call him a brat. He didn't dismiss him as a mere boy with a third eye.
He called him by name.
Ragnar.
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