"Hoo…"
Queen took a deep breath, as though silently mustering his courage.
Then all kinds of thoughts and possibilities flashed rapidly through his mind.
By this point, he had already reached a clear decision.
After steadying himself, he spoke.
"Captain, don't you think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Right now, the entire Whitebeard Pirates and the forty-three pirate crews under them are no longer in that sea area.
What does that mean?
"It means the Whitebeard Pirates' territory is like ripe fruit, just waiting for us to pluck it."
There was a trace of excitement in Queen's voice as he continued, "And Whitebeard, Marco, and Jozu—those powerful enemies are all dead. The Whitebeard Pirates are like a dragon that has lost its head now. They have no leader.
Even if the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates return later, could they really overturn the heavens against the Beasts Pirates? When that time comes, it wouldn't be impossible for us to swallow them whole."
The more Queen spoke, the more excited he became, and his words unconsciously came faster.
"More importantly, we wouldn't just be able to seize the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. We could also bring the forty-three pirate crews under them into our own ranks. If that happens, our crew's strength will increase tremendously!
We may even become stronger than before.
By then, once we join forces with the BOOM Pirates, our momentum will be on a completely different level. Even if we still can't take down Lancelot in the end, we would absolutely have enough strength to forcefully capture G-5 and properly vent our anger!"
Queen's words were like a flash of lightning splitting through the darkness, causing Kaido's eyes to brighten sharply.
He could not help being moved by Queen's analysis, and in his heart, he began weighing the pros and cons.
That was right.
From this earth-shaking war, it was already clear that Lancelot's combat power was terrifying to an almost unbelievable degree.
If they wanted to defeat him and kill him, Kaido would likely have to be prepared for an all-out death match—a battle where neither side would stop until one of them was dead.
Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to keep him there.
Because of that, launching a direct attack on G-5, where Lancelot was stationed, was undoubtedly the most satisfying way to vent their anger for now.
More importantly, the Whitebeard Pirates' territory really was just as Queen had said: ripe fruit, within easy reach.
And what mattered even more was that the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and those other pirate crews could very possibly be brought under his command.
First, Kaido possessed enough power to conquer them.
Second, they shared a common enemy—Lancelot.
With those two factors combined, the chances of success would undoubtedly rise dramatically.
After all, two immensely powerful figures like Jozu and Marco had both died miserably at Lancelot's hands.
Even more crucially, Ace, another important figure, had also been captured by him.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the fuse for this entire war had been Lancelot himself.
One could imagine how deeply the members of the Whitebeard Pirates must hate Lancelot.
They probably wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces.
And as for Kaido, Lancelot had killed Jack and King one after another, then even stormed Onigashima itself.
The conflict between them had long since intensified to the point where reconciliation was impossible.
It was a feud that would only end with death.
After observing Kaido's expression, Queen understood at once that Kaido had already been convinced by his words.
However, Queen's thoughts did not stop there.
He quickly realized that aside from Lancelot's side, Charlotte Linlin was also eyeing the Whitebeard Pirates' territory greedily.
To avoid any conflict between the two sides while dividing up the territory, Queen made a prompt decision and added.
"Captain, I believe Charlotte Linlin's side will also make a move on the Whitebeard Pirates' territory. So to ensure that neither side's interests are harmed, it would be best for us to clearly divide the territory before taking action."
"Heh."
A disdainful sneer appeared at the corner of Kaido's mouth.
His eyes suddenly became incomparably sharp, as though two streaks of cold light had flashed through them.
He thought to himself, 'That Red Hair brat happens to be away right now. This is a perfect opportunity.'
Then, in a low voice carrying a trace of greed, he said, "Why don't we divide up that Red Hair brat's territory as well? Linlin and I can take half each."
When Queen heard Kaido's words, his eyes lit up sharply, as though he had seen enormous profits waving at him.
He hurriedly nodded in agreement, his face revealing an almost ecstatic expression.
Because if things unfolded this way, the Beasts Pirates and the BOOM Pirates would be tightly bound together, forming an immensely powerful force.
When the time came, they could join hands to deal with Red Hair and drive him out of the New World.
This was not an impossible goal.
If they truly succeeded, then from that point onward, the entire New World would be controlled by the Beasts Pirates and the BOOM Pirates.
They would become the true overlords of that sea.
At that thought, Queen grew even more excited. He could hardly wait to see this plan put into motion.
And so, Kaido quickly dialed Charlotte Linlin's Den Den Mushi.
The two began a secret discussion, negotiating how to divide the territories of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates, as well as how they would deal with the Red Hair Pirates themselves.
…
At the same time, Lancelot brought Urouge along and, with Blueno's ability, successfully arrived beneath Sky Island.
However, Sky Island was a completely unfamiliar place to Blueno.
The ability he possessed was rather unique. It required a clear position before it could be used properly.
This position was not something another person could simply provide him.
Instead, he had to personally explore and confirm it himself.
In other words, only after Blueno had physically reached a certain location could he mark that place and then travel there quickly through his separate space.
But as far as Lancelot was concerned, arriving beneath Sky Island and reaching Sky Island directly were not fundamentally different.
Without the slightest hesitation, he reached out with one hand, firmly grabbed Urouge by the back of the neck, and lifted him up as easily as if he were carrying a chick.
Immediately afterward, Lancelot's legs erupted with force.
All the power in his body gathered into a single point, and he shot straight into the sky like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His feet stamped against the ground in rapid succession, each step like pressing down on a spring, giving him tremendous recoil and propelling his body upward at terrifying speed.
"???"
Blueno stood where he was, his face full of suspicion.
Lancelot and Urouge had asked him to send them here, but they had not explained the specific reason.
Now, watching the two of them shoot rapidly into the sky like birds, the confusion in his heart only grew heavier.
However, Blueno was, after all, an experienced intelligence officer.
His powers of observation and judgment were first-rate.
Just as he stared at the two figures growing farther and farther away, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.