Several days later, new waves rose across the sea.
The World Economy News Paper spread across the world.
The news that Valthior had defeated Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, along with the report that Captain John had launched a surprise attack on Merveille and been killed on the spot by Shiki, quickly became known to countless people.
Immediately after, the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and Red Count, Patrick Redfield, also came to an end.
Red Count, Patrick Redfield, was defeated by the Whitebeard Pirates.
However, according to reliable rumors, Whitebeard failed to take Redfield's life and let that guy escape.
If Redfield had died, there would be nothing more to say.
But he had challenged the entire Whitebeard Pirates alone. In the end, although he lost, he still escaped alive. That could truly be called a glorious defeat.
Three great battles rose and fell one after another in the New World.
It was almost too much to take in, but in the end, one result was finally established.
The earlier momentum of the Three Emperors had been completely confirmed.
Shiki killed Captain John and used his blood to forge his Pirate Emperor throne.
Valthior fought two against one and defeated the combined forces of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido with overwhelming advantage, stepping over both of them to ascend the throne.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates failed to take Red Count's life, they still won and defeated the famous "Lone Red." No one dared question Whitebeard's strength.
After that, the wave of public opinion did not calm down. Instead, it grew even fiercer.
Golden Lion, Davy D. Shiki, had now completely secured the position as the head of the New World's pirate forces. His forces were the largest, and he had many followers. More than two hundred pirate crews served under him. He became the publicly recognized strongest pirate admiral in the New World—and the man closest to the position of Pirate King.
Before this, Shiki had often been called the second pirate overlord after Rocks.
Now, he had truly taken the title of pirate overlord into his hands.
If anyone mentioned the words "pirate overlord" on the sea, the first name that came to everyone's mind would be Shiki.
As for Whitebeard, Edward Newgate—
He also seized a mighty name of his own. Many great figures on the sea called him the World's Strongest Man.
Wrath of Winter, Jaygarcia Valthior, also a Pirate Emperor, naturally received an impressive title that belonged only to him. It decorated his emperor's crown.
Everyone praised him as the Strongest Creature, the one with the strongest Conqueror's Haki across the seas.
And just like that, Pirate Overlord, Strongest Man, and Strongest Creature became the three titles used to represent the three Pirate Emperors.
...
New World, Roku Island, Sleepy Town.
This island could be called completely unknown. It was located in a very remote stretch of sea, with no second island or sign of people across a vast surrounding area.
According to legend, several hundred years ago, this place had still been a very prosperous archipelago, home to an ancient kingdom. But later, because some powerful figures of that era fought here, the entire sea region was heavily affected. The archipelago sank, and in the end, only the island containing the ruins of Sleepy Town remained.
Because of that, no one had come here in a very long time.
But now, Roku Island was extremely lively.
Fifteen Marine warships were anchored around the island. More than ten thousand Marines swung shovels and pickaxes, clearing and excavating the land.
More than thirty scholars, led by Professor Clover and Olvia, had gathered here. Marine Headquarters Admiral Sengoku was also stationed here.
At the excavation site of the Sleepy Town ruins, Professor Clover sat inside a tent. He wore a straw hat for shade and held a cup of strong tea in his hand. While drinking, he read the newspaper.
"The Strongest Creature… That really is something, Valthior…" Professor Clover clicked his tongue.
Olvia, beside him, said calmly, "These people make up titles in such a contradictory and flawed way… Professor , tell me—which is stronger, the Strongest Man or the Strongest Creature?"
Professor Clover froze for a moment. After a brief silence, he smiled bitterly.
"That really does leave one speechless. If the Strongest Man is stronger, then is a man not a kind of creature? If he is, then what about Valthior being the Strongest Creature? But if the Strongest Creature is stronger, then Whitebeard and Valthior are both men, so who exactly is the strongest man?"
"That is why I said these people are not professional at all when they make up titles," Olvia remarked.
Of course, in her heart, Valthior was definitely the strongest.
Whitebeard was just some old countryside pirate. How could he be compared to Valthior?
"It is not that they are unprofessional. They did it deliberately," Admiral Sengoku's voice sounded from behind them at some point, speaking with a smile.
"Deliberately?" Olvia was slightly stunned, but she quickly reacted. "To stir up conflict between the Whitebeard Pirates and Valthior?"
"It is meant to create cracks between the three of them—cracks that will not be so easy to smooth over," Sengoku said, raising a brow. "For example, Shiki is called the Pirate Overlord, but he does not have any title of strongest. If he is not the strongest pirate, then how can he be considered the overlord of pirates? How are Whitebeard and Saint Valthior, who both carry titles of strongest, supposed to feel about that? By the same logic, both of them are already called the strongest, yet they have been split into two categories—man and creature. How could Whitebeard and Saint Valthior possibly accept each other? So clearly, this is a way to divide the three new Pirate Emperors of the New World."
"How sinister!" Olvia said angrily. "Then who exactly is stirring up trouble like this?"
The moment she said that, Sengoku's face instantly became awkward. He raised a hand and rubbed his nose.
"Ahem. Although I have not asked Headquarters, this way of doing things is very similar to our Marine Intelligence Staff Division…"
Who was behind the Marine Intelligence Staff Division? Sengoku could almost confirm that this had a great deal to do with Tsuru.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters had already been secretly pushing the Three Emperors narrative. And the moment the title of Three Emperors was confirmed, three different titles immediately fell onto Shiki, Whitebeard, and Valthior with such speed and precision.
If Marine Headquarters had not pushed this from behind, Sengoku would never believe it.
"So it was you Marines?" Olvia frowned, her tone somewhat displeased.
"Please do not be angry, Lady Olvia. This method is also meant to prevent Shiki and Whitebeard from joining forces. Otherwise, that would place tremendous pressure on Saint Valthior," Sengoku quickly explained. "According to the investigation by our Marine Intelligence Division, after Shiki publicly acknowledged the name Davy, he had a communication exchange with Whitebeard. We were unable to fully intercept the conversation, but considering that both of them came from the Rocks Pirates, it is very possible that they may coordinate with each other—for example, joining forces when facing a certain powerful enemy…"
"In the New World, the only person the two of them could treat as a powerful enemy is Valthior. And clearly, because Valthior comes from Mary Geoise, he is instead unlikely to form an alliance with either Shiki or Whitebeard. So on the surface, this division seems to target all three Pirate Emperors, but in reality, it is aimed at Shiki and Whitebeard?" Professor Clover listened for a while, then immediately understood and clicked his tongue.
"That is correct. In order to prevent Shiki and Whitebeard from joining forces, and also to avoid making Saint Valthior appear too isolated, I suspect Headquarters guided and promoted public opinion in this way," Admiral Sengoku said with a nod.
Just then, Borsalino walked over from nearby, holding a stack of documents.
After noticing him, Sengoku spoke first. "What is it?"
"Mr. Sengoku, Headquarters sent over confirmation documents for the latest bounties. They need your approval and signature," Borsalino said, handing the documents to Sengoku.
"I guessed it should have reached this step," Sengoku said as he took the documents. He did not look at them immediately, but said with certainty, "Professor, there is no doubt that Shiki, Whitebeard, and Saint Valthior will all receive huge bounty increases this time. So, how do you think Headquarters will set them?"
Olvia thought for a moment, then spoke first. "Valthior is a Celestial Dragon. He carries an important mission, and he and Marine Headquarters support each other from different positions. Considering that, his face and prestige cannot be allowed to fall. His bounty should still remain the highest, right?"
"I do not think so," Professor Clover said, stroking his beard. "According to what Admiral Sengoku just said, the Marines currently hope to see conflict between Whitebeard and Shiki. So I think these bounties should mainly be set to further divide the two of them. That means Shiki and Whitebeard's bounties should be almost equal, differing only slightly. Valthior, on the other hand, should be slightly lower than both of them—so that those two do not direct all their competitive attention onto him…"
Bounties were issued by Marine Headquarters.
At first, their nature had been simple—they were used to place prices on pirates' heads.
But as many powerful figures joined the pirate world, their heads could no longer be taken so casually. Over time, bounties began to change in meaning.
They became one of the standards great pirates used to compare each other, arguing over who was stronger and who had more prestige.
Great pirates with bounties above one billion Berries looked down on those around five hundred million. Pirates with five hundred million looked down on newcomers. In short, each layer looked down on the one below it.
There was no doubt that once bounties gained this competitive meaning among pirates, the Marines would definitely make use of it.
Using bounty amounts to secretly stir up conflict between certain pirates was a common Marine tactic.
Of course, many pirates could see through this method and its meaning.
But so what?
The pirate world was a circle that fought for fame and profit. Even knowing there was a problem, they still had to compete.
A Pirate Emperor with a bounty of one billion Berries and a Pirate Emperor with a bounty of three billion Berries—could their weight in the pirate world be the same?
Even if their strength was similar, their influence would be worlds apart.
Sengoku smiled. He did not agree with either Olvia or Professor Clover. Instead, he quickly opened the documents and read aloud.
"Pirate Overlord, "Golden Lion" Davy D. Shiki—bounty: 3.372 billion Berries.
World's Strongest Man, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate—bounty: 3.545 billion Berries.
Strongest Creature, 'Wrath of Winter' Jaygarcia Valthior—bounty: exactly 3 billion Berries."
Whitebeard first.
Shiki second.
Valthior third.
Thinking carefully, Shiki had the greatest ambition, was called the Pirate Overlord, and commanded the largest force—yet he was placed below Whitebeard.
Whitebeard, who had always shown little interest in fighting for fame, was placed first.
The gap between the two was only small.
And that small gap was just right.
This was indeed the Marines' method.
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