A massive ship, shaped like a giant whale, slowly glided across the sparkling sea. Four other ships, each resembling it but slightly smaller, surrounded the main vessel and followed in its wake.
The flag flew high, revealing the enormous emblem of pirates. This was the ship of the great pirate of the New World—the ship of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors—the Moby Dick.
Compared to ordinary pirates, or even the Shichibukai, Whitebeard commanded a staggeringly vast territory and a huge number of subordinates. In this area alone, there was just the main ship and four others from his fleet, and this was far from the full extent of his power. His crew was organized into sixteen divisions, each with a hundred men, making a total of 1,600 people.
These 1,600 formed the core strength of the Whitebeard Pirates, but there were also 43 allied pirate crews from the New World. Altogether, their combined numbers nearly reached 10,000. The sixteen Division Commanders stood at the very top of these 10,000 men, forming the true heart of the Whitebeard Pirates.
At this moment, a relatively small pirate ship had docked alongside the Moby Dick.
Although it was smaller than the Moby Dick and had no accompanying fleet, the pirate symbol on its flag alone was enough for anyone to instantly recognize which crew it hailed from. Its captain was in no way inferior to Whitebeard.
Red-Haired Shanks, another of the Four Emperors!
"Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra!"
Aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard tossed back a strong drink and hurled the empty jug at Shanks, who was seated across from him. Though he let out a booming laugh, his tone quickly turned serious:
"Last time, you told me to call Ace back. But I didn't do it," Whitebeard admitted, regretting that he hadn't taken Red-Haired's advice. He'd put too much faith in Ace, who ended up falling into Blackbeard's hands and was eventually captured by the World Government. In hindsight, it was clear that recalling Ace back then would have been the right call.
He looked down at his massive hand, veins bulging He was still incredibly strong, but his dominance had weakened significantly compared to when he was young. He glanced at Red-Haired.
After all, twenty-two years had passed, and even this guy had risen to an incredible level of power.
Red-Haired took a deep swig from his flask. Compared to how he looked during his previous meeting with Ezekiel, he seemed calmer and more thoughtful now, yet also weighed down—probably realizing that everything was about to begin. Too bad, it seemed this would be the end for him.
"I came here to die, and I heard you admit you were wrong. There are two things I want to say," Red-Haired said quietly.
"Huh?" Whitebeard was surprised.
Red-Haired looked a bit embarrassed and offered a restrained smile.
"Could you… lend me some money?"
Whitebeard paused, then burst out laughing so hard he nearly punched a hole through the deck.
"Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra! You… asking me for a loan? Kid, if I remember right, not so long ago you borrowed five billion Belli from me!"
One of the Emperors making a fool of himself over money—Whitebeard was truly shocked.
Once was one thing, but a second time!
"You're an Emperor of the Sea! Where's your pride???"
Locking eyes with Whitebeard, Shanks couldn't help but cough a few times, finally understanding why Beckman once said he'd rather die than go to Whitebeard's ship to borrow money. It really was painfully awkward.
There are countless treasures in these seas, and there are also plenty of pirates with fortunes beyond imagination. Whitebeard commands forty-three pirate crews in the New World. He has no need to plunder defenseless civilians like the weaker pirates do. Those are the wicked sort, but Whitebeard refuses to terrorize the weak.
Among the Red-Haired Pirates, nearly every crew member is a formidable figure with a reputation that spans the entire ocean. As first mate, Beckman even claims that his strength is no less than Shanks's. And as for Shanks himself, there's no question about his power. But when it comes to the size of his following, it really can't compare to Whitebeard's.
So, to Whitebeard, there was just no reason for Shanks to ever be short on cash.
Back in the day, this guy showed up with his crew just to prove how strong they'd become. It seemed he was a bit dissatisfied with their strength at the time. Now everyone knows exactly how powerful he is.
"How much do you need?" Whitebeard asked decisively, certain this would be easy to solve. After all, the last time he'd only asked for five billion Belli, which was nothing to Whitebeard.
"Fifty billion Belli," replied the Red-Haired.
The moment Whitebeard heard that, he lost his breath.
"How much did you say?"
"Fifty billion Belli…" Red-Haired grinned sheepishly.
Whitebeard stared at him, then muttered under his breath.
"When did the Moby Dick become a bank? Last time it was five billion Belli, now it's fifty billion! What's next, five hundred billion?"
But on the other hand, Shanks is the Emperor of freedom on the seas—a great pirate who protects the weak, holds enormous influence in the world, and has no reason to oppress the innocent. He's not Kaido.
Red-Haired scratched the back of his head helplessly, sighed, and took a big swig of wine. It really was miserable.
Debt is a hero's downfall. Last time, he owed Ezekiel over ten billion and struggled desperately just to raise five billion. That's why he'd asked Whitebeard to lend him another five billion to pay off his debt.
But this time, it was fifty billion.
"Tell me, what do you need that much Belli for?" Whitebeard narrowed his eyes.
"With fifty billion, I can save Ace," said Red-Haired.
"So you're planning to use that money to go to the Watch or the World Government and buy his life back? Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra!" Whitebeard laughed. "The World Government would never let you buy Ace's life…"
Shanks gazed out at the distant sea, as if he could see something beyond where the sky met the water.
"I have an arrangement with the king of a certain country. He told me that for fifty billion Belli, plus the promise of two of the Four Emperors, he'll return Ace safe and sound."
When Whitebeard heard these words, they struck him as utterly absurd—and at the same time, he felt an indescribable surge of fury. He didn't say a word, just grabbed his bisento and turned to Red-Haired. Whitebeard slashed toward Shanks's head; just a bit closer and he would've taken it off.