"I'd appreciate it if everyone gave me respect and let this end here-"
That's what Shanks had originally planned to say.
However, the scene before him of 'everyone returning to their own homes' completely choked back everything he wanted to say.
"Wororororo! I told you to come earlier, but you didn't! It's all over now!"
Kaido, who had just been held back and earnestly persuaded by King and the others, was no longer in a hurry to continue fighting. Instead, he looked mockingly at the late-arriving Red-Haired group.
Amidst the countless ships sailing in the direction away from Marineford, only Shanks's Red Force sailed alone against the current.
Shanks and his crew had come to Marineford with the aim of ending this war, so naturally, they couldn't bring their affiliated pirate crews with them.
Besides, those little pirates from the West Blue would likely be useless in this kind of situation.
Seeing that even a brute like Kaido had the right to mock them, Benn Beckman almost couldn't resist raising his gun to aim at him.
Fortunately, Shanks stopped him at the critical moment.
They were here to stop a war, not to start another one.
The first to start the return journey was Kaido's flagship, followed closely by the Queen Mama Chanter, which had been delayed a bit waiting for Katakuri.
Countless small pirate ships followed the two Emperors' flagships as they withdrew.
Among them was a very unwilling Blackbeard.
He left grinding his teeth in frustration.
After all, he hadn't achieved a single one of his objectives for coming here.
Whitebeard hadn't died in this war, and he hadn't been able to reveal his ambition in front of the whole world.
Originally, according to his plan, after Whitebeard died in battle, he could seize the man's Devil Fruit ability amidst the chaos, then use the worldwide broadcast opportunity to make a name for himself.
Then, all the scoundrels of the sea would flock to him, his power would snowball, and he would truly seize the throne of an Emperor.
But all of this was declared bankrupt when he failed to withstand the successive impacts of Conqueror's Haki.
Shanks's Observation Haki naturally detected this old acquaintance who had left a few marks on his face, but he didn't actively greet him.
After all, the Whitebeard Pirates were still here, so it was best not to complicate things for now.
However, what surprised Shanks was that besides Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, there was a fourth giant ship on the scene.
That was Byrnndi World's Groseade.
This island-type ship didn't even need to squeeze through the channel with the smaller ships.
It was capable of diving.
Before submerging again, Bullet, standing by the port engine platform of the Groseade, also saw Shanks.
"You..."
Shanks was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected to encounter Douglas Bullet, this 'senior', here at all.
As a fellow former crewmate of Roger Pirates, Shanks hadn't heard any news about this guy for a long time.
'The last I'd heard, he had been captured by the Marines, right?'
'Who on earth had let him out?'
Seeing Shanks, Bullet stopped his conversation with Konohamaru beside him and instead put on a provocative expression.
"What? Shanks, you want to fight me too?"
However, Shanks didn't respond, which instantly broke Bullet's composure. In the end, with Konohamaru's earnest persuasion, he entered the sealed cabin, disappearing from the sea's surface along with the Groseade.
"Tsk tsk, [Demon Heir], [Big Mom], [Hundred Beasts], and [Whitebeard]… all such willful guys."
"Boss, maybe it's a good thing you didn't make it in time."
At this moment, Red-Haired Pirates' cook and combatant, Lucky Roux, said while eating a huge piece of roasted meat.
His words caused many other crew members to nod in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah."
"It'd be hilarious if the Captain said his line and nobody paid attention."
"Haha, now that you mention it, I'd really like to see that scene."
Yasopp, Usopp's father, said while stroking his chin.
Finding that the war had already ended, these Red-Haired Pirates immediately reverted to their usual laid-back, sloppy demeanor.
"Eh?! You all think that way?"
"I'm the Captain, you know…"
Being teased by his crew, Shanks helplessly pointed at himself.
Like Luffy, this Captain had no dignity on the ship in normal times, and his crew could tease him at any time.
Of course, when dealing with outsiders or during battle, these crew members were willing to risk their lives for their Captain and comrades.
That was the style of an elite pirate crew.
Because the Moby Dick had arrived directly at the Marineford's port from underwater, its position was the furthest forward.
So, during the great retreat, the Moby Dick naturally became the last ship.
The sea frozen by Aokiji earlier had long since cracked under the destruction of a group of crew members, and seawater had refilled the area, lifting the huge ship.
Shanks looked at the Moby Dick with its somewhat complicated atmosphere, then looked at Whitebeard, who had already laid back in his exclusive seat, feeling puzzled.
"Hey!! Whitebeard!! Are you injured or something?!"
Shanks didn't show the slightest bit of formality, shouting directly at the Whitebeard fleet across the way.
"Huh? Red-Haired bastard, what are you saying?!"
"Are you picking a fight?"
"Don't think we're afraid of you just because we just finished a battle!"
Clearly, this 'polite' way of asking angered many Division Commanders on Whitebeard's ship.
They were already feeling sad because their Oyaji's life was nearing its end, and now along came this Red-Haired guy who didn't understand the mood.
Watching the fools around him roaring loudly on his behalf, Whitebeard, this seventy-two-year-old man, revealed a faint smile.
He reached out and pressed down on Marco, the most agitated and also the 'eldest son' among the many children. After everyone quieted down, Whitebeard sat up straight and responded to Shanks.
"Red-Haired brat, I'm in the best condition right now! I can fight for another three days and three nights anytime! Want to give it a try?"
Hearing Whitebeard's response, Shanks finally smiled.
He waved his only remaining hand and said, "No need, no need. I didn't come here today to fight."
The two men exchanged a tacit greeting, and then the Red Force and the Moby Dick passed each other by.
It was as if two eras had completed some kind of handover.
The Red Force took up the position previously occupied by the Moby Dick, only about ten meters from the ice surface.
The Marines cleaning up the battlefield looked at the newly arrived Red-Haired Shanks and his crew with grave expressions.
Many Marines had even reloaded their bullets.
However, the Marine officers calmed their subordinates down again.
"No hostility at all..."
Issho sheathed his sword. Beside him, Aramaki had just woken up groggily, completely unaware of what had happened.
On the other side, on the Moby Dick surrounded by various small ships, Whitebeard sat back down again.
"Marco..."
Hearing Oyaji's call, Marco hurried over.
"Go bring Ace back."
"Okay, Oyaji."
Upon receiving the order, Marco was about to transform into a phoenix and take off, but Whitebeard stopped him.
"After bringing him back, head for Sphinx Island."
"Alright-"
Suddenly, Marco sharply turned his head to look at Whitebeard.
"Oyaji, you..."
"I'm tired. It's time to go back and rest properly."
Whitebeard showed a big smile, then placed his large hand on Marco's head.
"The next part of the voyage will be up to you to lead these foolish boys."
"..."
"...Okay."
After hearing Marco's response, Whitebeard relaxed and sat back, slowly closing his eyes.
"That's right... And you all, you're men in your forties now… don't cry so easily."
Around Whitebeard, over a dozen Division Commanders had tears in their eyes, but forced smiles appeared on their faces.
"Let's go home. Set sail!"