"Shanks!"
Luffy cried out in disbelief, staring at the figure standing so close to him. In that moment, no one needed a reminder; every single person's gaze was locked onto the unexpected newcomers by the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship. Just like Whitebeard and Kaido, the newest arrival was Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors ruling the New World, alongside his entire crew.
Outside the surrounding ice wall, on the ocean that was still unfrozen, the Red Hair Pirates' ship, the Red Force, was sailing with its canvas billowed out in the wind.
"Luffy, I never thought I'd see you under circumstances like these!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Shanks looked up from a distance at Luffy, whose eyes were shining with excitement. In contrast to Luffy's joy, the Marines were practically in despair. They could barely manage one Emperor, Whitebeard, and after Kaido's arrival, even Fleet Admiral Sengoku had been defeated, and the Navy Hero Garp was helpless against Kaido. Now, Red-Haired Shanks had shown up, too. Three of the New World's Four Emperors had gathered in one place. Was this truly the doomsday for the Marine forces?
"Red Hair!!!"
"You bastard, Red Hair!"
Seeing Shanks standing before him, Garp was the most infuriated. If it weren't for Red Hair, his grandson Luffy wouldn't have become a pirate.
Aware of everyone's scrutiny, Shanks slowly walked forward. His eyes scanned the crowd, finally resting on the disheveled Teach, who was slowly getting back up, and Kaido, who stood beside him.
He spoke in a measured tone, "Everyone, don't worry. I'm not here to start a war. On the contrary, I'm here to end this war."
"End the war!?"
Everyone was stunned by his declaration.
Red Hair ignored their reactions and fixed his gaze entirely on Kaido.
"Kaido, is this what you wanted?"
"Worororo..."
Hearing Red Hair's question, Kaido laughed heartily. He then activated his Devil Fruit power, transforming into a colossal dragon and soaring into the sky. Looking down at the chaotic battlefield, he finally addressed Shanks.
"You're wrong, Red Hair. This isn't what I hoped for, but what this entire ocean hoped for!"
Kaido's words shocked everyone present into silence. Even Shanks seemed a bit confused.
Frowning, he asked, "So, what exactly is your goal?"
"My goal? Well, since the last guest has arrived, it's time for the grand finale to begin... King..."
"Understood, Big Brother!!!"
King took the Den Den Mushi from Eneru's hand and flew into the air, adjusting his position. Once he was sure that every eye across the entire ocean could see his imposing figure, he slowly began to speak into the transceiver.
"I am here, as the Governor of the Beasts Pirates and the controller of Wano Country, to announce something to this ocean: from today onwards, the Beasts Pirates will launch an assault on the great treasure, ONE PIECE!"
"What!!!"
Not only on the Marineford battlefield but everywhere this broadcast could be seen and Kaido's thunderous declaration was heard, immense waves of shock swept across the world. This was essentially a declaration of war against the Marines and the World Government.
However, Kaido was not finished yet.
"During this preparation period, anyone on this ocean—as long as they can enter the New World and come to my territory—will have the qualification to become my subordinate, join the Beasts Pirates, and share the great treasure with me."
"!!!"
This time, the shock was even greater. This was practically an open recruitment announcement from an Emperor crew. More importantly, the offer was incredibly tempting. The Beasts Pirates, a Yonko crew in the New World, were already considered the most likely candidates to claim the great treasure. Furthermore, their display on today's battlefield was the best possible recruitment advertisement: the two Calamities fighting the Three Admirals, and Kaido the Beast, their captain, instantly killing Fleet Admiral Sengoku, fighting Navy Hero Garp to a standstill, and completely overwhelming the Blackbeard Pirates. On this ocean, where the victor takes all, their overwhelming combat power was undeniable.
At this moment, the expressions of the Marines turned grim, and even the members of the Red Hair Pirates grew serious.
Red Hair took another step forward, looking up at Kaido in the sky, and spoke slowly.
"Kaido, while I didn't go to Laugh Tale with the Captain, I can assure you that you are definitely not the person Captain Roger was waiting for. Moreover, the existence of pirates is a symbol of freedom on this ocean! Your words just now are an insult to the dreams of all who pursue freedom!"
"Shanks is right!"
As soon as Red Hair finished speaking, Luffy was the first to speak up in support.
"I don't want to become your subordinate! I want to become the Pirate King myself!"
When he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Luffy, a hint of surprise in their gaze that the Straw Hat had dared to be so bold in front of Kaido.
Kaido didn't respond immediately, just looking down at Luffy. Luffy stared back without an ounce of fear.
It was only then that Kaido suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
"Worororo, I think I've just heard a very ridiculous joke."
Seeing this, Red Hair stepped in to defend Luffy. "Kaido, the dreams of young people are not worth mocking!"
"Is that so?!"
Kaido's gaze swept across the entire battlefield, finally landing on the disheveled Teach, startling the Yonko. Fortunately, Kaido showed no intention of attacking.
He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Hey, Teach, do you know why I let you acquire Whitebeard's power, even though I knew about your Devil Fruit ability?"
Teach, of course, couldn't figure it out, but feeling everyone's gaze and the Den Den Mushi's scrutiny, he wiped the blood from his face and laughed as he asked, "So, why is that?"
"The reason is simple: I appreciate you!"
"?! ?"
The answer stunned Teach.
"Twenty-two years ago, Roger started this Great Pirate Era on the execution platform in Loguetown. Since then, freedom and dreams seemed to become the two most beautiful words on this ocean, but no one knew that this was just a scam."
"A scam!!!"
Everyone wore an expression of incredulous disbelief.
"Worororo, don't worry. Whitebeard was right before he died: ONE PIECE certainly exists. It's just that..."
At this point, Kaido's tone became even slower and more deliberate.
"Do you really think that with 'freedom' and 'dreams' you can become the Pirate King? You should have heard what Red Hair just said, and Whitebeard also said similar words to this kid named Teach—something like, 'neither I nor this Teach are the people Roger is waiting for,' Worororo..."
Kaido's laughter turned increasingly mocking, yet the words he spoke sent a shiver down the spine of every pirate who heard them.
"So, do you understand? While you—including myself—are fighting to the death for the Pirate King's throne, for the great treasure, Roger and his crew actually already designated the next Pirate King. And you guys are just stepping stones on the path to their growth..."
At that moment, the entire plaza, including everyone watching the war on the broadcast screens, fell completely silent. They wanted to argue, but recalling the words from both Red Hair and Whitebeard moments earlier, it seemed as if Kaido's twisted explanation might actually be true.
Could it be that only those personally recognized by Roger could ever become the Pirate King? If so, what did that make them?
"So, is... is this true?"
Robin also let out a sigh of relief, a smile returning to her face.
It seemed Carl knew Marie possessed such strength; otherwise, he wouldn't have put her in charge of the fight. Now, it was a genuine surprise—even her closest crewmate didn't know about this power.
But that was fine. With Marie handling the situation, there was no need to worry.
To be safe, she decided to quickly eliminate the rest of the Marines and Army troops to prevent any further trouble.
With this thought, Robin immediately amplified her attack.
"Color Adjustment: Giant Tempest Kick: Double Blade!"
Two enormous legs sprouted from the ground and swept forward simultaneously, unleashing two extremely large Rankyaku slashes that instantly wiped out a large group of Marine and Army personnel.
Robin's sudden, overwhelming burst of power shattered the entire battlefield.
The Marines and Army were terrified, and many began to run away. No matter how angry the officers were, the fleeing troops wouldn't turn back. The Devil Child was too scary; they just wanted to go home.
The rest of the Straw Hat Crew reacted and immediately accelerated their attacks as well.
In less than fifteen minutes, those elite Marine and Army troops were mostly defeated and lying on the ground. Only Momousagi, the Tea Dolphin, Sentomaru, and a few stronger Rear Admirals remained.
The two Pacifistas, PX-13 and PX-17, were also effectively taken out.
Seeing Franky dragging the two cyborgs away, Sentomaru felt like he was bleeding internally. The cost of Pacifistas was extremely high, and the Marines didn't have many in total. Now, the Straw Hat Crew had stolen all eight of the ones they had encountered so far.
These unscrupulous thieves were incredibly greedy.
Sentomaru also noticed that Franky's fighting style was very similar to a Pacifista, especially the laser device he used, which was clearly taken from a scrapped cyborg. This was absurd.
If the Straw Hat Crew kept extracting resources like this, the Marine Science Unit would go bankrupt.
But what could he do? The Straw Hat Crew was too ruthless to be stopped.
Meanwhile, the Tea Dolphin had already "received" his "Gion" in Marie's colorful illusory world. If "Gion" told him to climb, he would climb; if she told him to kneel, he would kneel. He acted like a completely devoted man, without any dignity, which made onlookers sigh.
Yet, everyone could see that this man's love for Momousagi was completely genuine.
Franky and Chopper even wiped away tears, lamenting how manly the Tea Dolphin was in his love.
Even though he wasn't very handsome—even more wretched than Kizaru—his love was real and without any pretense, which was very moving.
Even Momousagi fell silent, watching the pitiful sight.
In the current situation, although the Marines hadn't officially lost, they certainly wouldn't win.
The Straw Hat Crew had already become a major threat. Even without Carl, the Lightning Swordsman, or Monkey D. Luffy, each crew member was already a leader in their own right. Especially Marie, Roronoa Zoro, and Trafalgar Law.
These individuals posed too much potential danger.
Some time had passed, but the battle on this side was not yet over, and the intense fight between Carl, Kizaru, and Black Haki was still raging.
At this moment, the Nine Snake Pirates' ship approached the Sabaody Archipelago.
Carl's Thunder Pool was huge, and both Luffy and Hancock couldn't ignore it. Luffy also sensed the battle happening on the other coast and immediately understood the situation.
"Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, the guys are in trouble! Let's go help!"
Luffy yelled, jumping directly onto the bow. "I'll go to Carl's side. You four go help the others. Hancock, thanks for sailing us back! We'll say goodbye here!"
Hancock looked heartbroken, but she knew Luffy still had his own adventures. She waved goodbye to him with all her heart.
After Luffy finished speaking, he used Geppo and charged toward the massive Thunder Pool.
Usopp struggled to fly alongside Sanji and Chopper. Sanji was still hesitant to leave Hancock, but she finally kicked him off the ship herself.
Inside the Thunder Pool, the fight between Carl and the two Admiral-level opponents grew more intense.
Even though Carl wasn't overexerting himself to save energy, maintaining such a massive thunderbolt still drained his strength. Sometimes, he'd be caught off guard by Kizaru, that crafty veteran, if he was too slow.
Furthermore, Kizaru and Black Haki seemed to be cooperating better and better, and they were now putting heavy pressure on Carl.
Carl had no choice but to continue to stall. Though he would suffer some damage, as long as the storm wasn't broken, the two wouldn't be able to escape.
"Hehehe, so Teacher Carl is fighting! I'm not too late to come back!"
Luffy used Geppo, activated Gear Second in mid-air, and continuously bombarded Black Haki's massive snake body with a Jet Gatling. Luffy's sudden appearance startled both Kizaru and Black Haki, who immediately realized Luffy had successfully returned.
Black Haki quickly said, "Kizaru, Straw Hat Luffy was able to enter from the outside without being electrocuted. We should be able to get out, too. Why don't you try it?"
Kizaru rolled his eyes. "You want to try it yourself? Don't you know Straw Hat Luffy is a rubber man? Isn't it perfectly normal for him not to be affected by electricity?"
Black Haki choked, his snake face turning red with embarrassment.
He was clearly desperate, or why would he suggest something so foolish?
At that moment, Luffy's Jet Gatling arrived. A mist rose from Black Haki's snake body as it braced itself to take Luffy's attack.
However, Black Haki's expression changed the moment the rubber fists connected.
He felt the unique power of the rubber fists—the invisible power of Conqueror's Haki shattered the mist surrounding him, and the fists struck the snake's body directly. Armament Haki then rushed in, tearing frantically at the creature.
Black Haki screamed, but Luffy showed no mercy.
The fists struck faster and faster, causing Black Haki to immediately vomit blood. The final punch sent Black Haki's huge snake body flying.
The Thunder Pool itself wasn't large, and Black Haki's body was immense. The blast sent him straight into the surrounding wall of the Thunder Pool. The Marines heard dense crackling sounds and agonizing screams, which were strangely satisfying.
Even Kizaru shuddered.
Seeing Black Haki covered in charred black smoke, Kizaru couldn't help but feel a perverse sense of joy.
If a Mythical Zoan was getting electrocuted like this, a fragile Logia user like himself would surely be electrocuted to death. And there was no advantage for a Logia either, because the cunning Carl must have used Armament Haki on the walls of the Thunder Pool.
There was absolutely no escaping this.
"Mr. Carl, are you alright?" Luffy asked after knocking Black Haki away.
"Oh, I'm fine, and everyone's lives are safe. Don't worry," Carl replied, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Now that it was two against two, he didn't have to be afraid.
Kizaru's expression was grim. With Black Haki seriously injured, he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength. Facing a fully capable Straw Hat Luffy, he and Black Haki had no chance of winning.
Moreover, winning or losing this particular fight was completely pointless now. Their priority was to quickly return to Mariejois.
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